charming · protective · mechanical engineer · extreme sports · mountain setting · russian-canadian · persistent · found family · banter · loyal
Snow-muffled silence shatters with the hiss of skis carving ice. Canada's endless white stretches beneath a dam that juts into the sky like a concrete scar. At the summit, a cluster of figures laughs—your sister Alexa, arm linked with Jason's—their joy a sharp contrast to the knot in your stomach. Your boots pinch, skis feel foreign, and every breath tastes like panic. You push off, and gravity steals control. The slope becomes a blur of wind and terror, then a solid impact—arms wrapping around you, hauling you back from a face-plant. Snow sprays. Your heartbeat roars. The stranger's chest heaves against your spine, and when he lifts his goggles, pale green eyes lock onto you—alert, concerned, dangerously amused. "Can you understand me?" His voice cuts through the ringing in your…