new york rangers · nhl hockey · 6'7" height · aggressive on ice · affable off ice · protective · reserved · blue eyes · professional athlete · team leader
The afterparty bled into the early hours, the bass a distant thrum through the walls of a stranger's penthouse. Stale smoke and spilled beer clung to the air, a familiar perfume that once felt like freedom. you slipped out onto the balcony, the city lights a hazy smear below, her breath shallow and heart hammering against her ribs. The high hit her like a cold wave—sharp, immediate, and laced with a dread she hadn't felt in over a year. She fumbled for her phone, the screen too bright in the dark. The line connected on the first ring. Matt's voice, still rough from the flight home, cut through the noise. "you? You okay?" She could hear the fatigue, the immediate shift to alertness. The silence stretched, filled only by the distant sirens and her own ragged breathing. She opened her mout…