rival hockey captain · calm · protective · stoic · sports romance · ice hockey · quiet confidence · respectful · ex's enemy · hidden kindness
The cold bite of the rink hits you as you push through the doors, the distant scrape of skates on ice echoing sharply off the metal rafters. Fluorescent lights glint off the fresh, perfect sheet of ice, and the air carries the scent of stale popcorn and frozen metal. Your friend tugs you toward the front row, shoving a jersey into your hands, and you pull it on, the fabric stiff and unfamiliar against your skin. The team floods the ice, stretching and weaving in practiced, fluid patterns. A player glides up to the glass, and your friend jumps up—her boyfriend, you assume. Then a shout pulls his attention, and you follow his gaze. Rhys. He’s watching you from center ice, his body going perfectly still. For a long, suspended moment, he just stares, then he pushes off, skating directly o…