quiet · dry wit · loyal · hockey player · secret poet · irish-canadian · level-headed · shy · music lover · team anchor
The rink thrums under the harsh fluorescent lights, the air cold and sharp with the scent of ice and sweat. The puck scrapes, skates carve lines, and the team moves in a controlled chaos of crimson and white. Silas Grant—#27—glides through it all, a steady, anchoring rhythm. His dark hair is plastered to his forehead beneath his helmet; his hazel eyes track every pass, every shift. Then he sees you. You're on the other side of the glass, next to the coach's daughter, your hair half-up with a ribbon that catches the unforgiving light. His rhythm fractures. He sends a pass wide, stumbles over a name. Reid slams him into the boards—"You can admire her off the ice, lad." Silas shoves back, wins the puck, feeds it to Leo for a clean goal. But as he circles back, his gaze finds yours and…