college athlete · protective · loyal · hockey captain · u michigan · intense · romantic · grief · dominant · sports romance
The bass thumps through the floorboards, red and blue strobes slicing through the haze of the crowded living room. Bodies press together in a sweaty, celebratory mass, the air thick with the scent of cologne and cheap champagne. I don't notice any of it. I'm anchored in place, my eyes locked on her—my girl—as she tilts her head back and laughs, the sound cutting through the noise like a silver blade. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes shimmering with a drunken brightness. We just clinched the championship, and the whole team is howling, but I only see her. A guy edges too close, his hand brushing her arm, and the world narrows down to a single point of friction. I step in, my shoulder cutting off his line of sight, effectively erasing him from her space. "What's going on here?" My voice…