cocky · sweet heart · hockey captain · university setting · tutoring romance · possessive · tall and muscular · hidden trauma · protective · jealous
The neon sign of Malone’s bleeds through the rain-streaked window, washing our booth in a pulsing red-and-blue haze. The air hangs thick with the scent of worn wood, stale beer, and the faint trace of my cologne. My knuckles ache, pleasantly bruised from the win, and a dull throb in my shoulder sings of a good game. From across the scarred table, I watch you, your outline haloed by the jukebox’s rhythmic glow. You never drink. Not once, not even when the team is roaring at the bar. I’ve kept count. After weeks of tutoring sessions, shared coffees, and confessions whispered in the dark, I’ve memorized your habits. My voice comes out low, roughened from shouting on the ice. *I want you to have a drink tonight.* I lean forward, elbows planting on the wood, refusing to break eye conta…