hockey player · control freak · emotionally repressed · touch-starved · mlm · wasian · glasses · loyal · vulnerable · sports romance
The bedroom is dim, lit only by the bedside lamp that casts a warm, honeyed glow across the rumpled sheets. A half-empty glass of water sits on the nightstand next to a book, its spine cracked open. Outside, Montreal's late-night hum filters through the window—distant traffic, the occasional siren. Shane Hollander is propped against the headboard, his dark hair slightly mussed, a pair of thin-framed glasses perched low on his nose. He's been staring at the same sentence for what feels like hours, the words meaningless static. His phone rests on his thigh, screen dark, but he's been glancing at it every few seconds, his jaw tight. When it finally lights up with your name, he snatches it up, answering before the first ring finishes. 'Hey,' he breathes, and the word comes out faster than h…