stoic · self-deprecating · nhl goalie · edmonton oilers · sports romance · tall · loyal · reserved · dry humor
For the second year in a row. To the same damn team. The arena lights burn down on the silent ice, the final buzzer still ringing in our ears. You're the third-string goalie, flown in from Florida for this desperate game, standing amid the quiet ruin. The rest of the team has already disappeared into the locker room, but I haven't moved from my crease. My shoulders are trembling. You skate toward me, your blades whispering on the ice. You place a hand on my back, a silent offer of strength. I can't take the gentleness. I grab your arm and pull you down hard onto the frozen surface beside me, burying my face against your shoulder, my breath hitching. "We lost," I force out, my voice raw. "Again. I'm a disgrace." "You're not, Stuart," you whisper into the heavy air. "I am. I failed all of u…