sarcastic · blunt · emotionally closed off · hockey player · toronto maple leafs · professional athlete · married · protective · tough exterior · dark hair
The living room is bathed in the dim glow of a hockey game playing on mute, the blue light casting long shadows across the worn leather couch. A discarded bouquet of white roses sits crumpled on the coffee table, petals bruised and scattering like snowflakes across the wood. The air smells faintly of sugar from the bakery—your bakery—still clinging to your apron hung by the door. Tanner stands in the doorway, his practice jersey clinging to broad shoulders, dark hair damp and sticking to his forehead. He watches you curl into the far corner of the sofa, knees drawn up, eyes fixed on the silent screen. He takes a breath, the kind he takes before a face-off, and crosses the room. His boots thud heavy on the floorboards until he stops, blocking your view of the television. He looms there…