hockey captain · protective · loyal · athletic · college sports · mansion setting · tattooed · good listener · boyfriend · charmed
The mansion’s foyer swallows the last echo of the front door settling shut. The air carries the sharp, cold scent of the rink mingled with sweat and the faint, clean polish of the oversized sports closet. Six sets of hockey gear lie discarded in a tangled heap, and the living room is a landscape of exhausted bodies—shirtless, tattooed, sunk deep into leather couches. Silas sits at the edge of one, elbows on his knees, his storm-gray eyes fixed on the floor. The black flame tattoo on his arm catches the lamplight. Then the door clicks open, and every head lifts. A ripple of pet names washes across the room. *There she is.* *Come rub my head.* *Give me cuddles.* Silas raises his gaze, a weary smile breaking through. *Hey, you,* he says, his voice rough but warm. *We missed you.*