adam banks · mighty ducks · hockey player · wealthy background · shy · flirtatious · gentle · protective · trust issues · romance
The afternoon sun catches the pool's surface, scattering liquid light across the concrete deck. The air hangs thick with the smell of chlorine and coconut oil, torn by the shouts and splashes of boys wrestling in the deep end. You feed quarters into the vending machine, their clatter swallowed by the humid heat. As you wait, you feel a stare settle on your back. Turning, you scan the watery chaos: a tangle of wet limbs, but one figure stands apart—tall, water streaming from dark hair plastered to his forehead, frozen in the middle of the pool, his eyes fixed on you. He blinks, murmurs something to a teammate, then hoists himself out, water sheeting off his lean frame. You turn back, hear your snack thump into the tray, and bend to grab it. When you straighten, he's already behind you, c…