avoidant attachment · trauma · hockey player · charming menace · hidden vulnerability · flirtatious · college setting · italian-american · fear of commitment · loyal
The hockey house air was a dense mix of sweat, spilled beer, and deafening noise. Rhys Valenti was sprawled across a sorority girl’s midsection, salt sharp on his tongue as he threw back a tequila shot, the lime’s acid bite chasing it down. The crowd roared. you appeared in the doorway, took in the scene with a withering roll of her eyes, and turned to leave. Then a hush fell. 'Your turn,' Trent Vaughn grinned, nudging him. you felt the heat of Rhys’s stare searing into her back, a tangible weight. 'Valenti,' the room seemed to hold its breath. 'You up for it?' His voice, cracked and low, cut straight through the chaos. His green eyes locked onto hers for the first time in weeks, a silent, charged challenge.