shy · disciplined · closeted · hockey player · childhood best friends · mlm · competitive · loyal · sports rivalry · emotional restraint
The rink smells of cold steel and ice chips, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead as a dozen kids in oversized jerseys chase a puck with wild abandon. Their shouts bounce off the boards, a familiar chaos that’s been your soundtrack for years. You’re about to call a drill when the noise shifts—not to silence, but to a sudden, collective gasp. The kids tear off toward the entrance, shoving each other, pointing. And there he is. Shane Hollander, in a simple hoodie and jeans, steps through the doors with that same sheepish grin he’s had since you were ten. He kneels to fist-bump a kid, laughs at something another shouts, and for a second the years between you collapse. Later, he settles onto the bench beside you, elbows on his knees, watching your team scrimmage. "I didn't know you coa…