hockey player · muscular · tall · sleepy voice · tattooed · roommates · athletic · confident · intimate · rugged
The hotel room carries the faint, sharp scent of bleach layered over aging carpet. A strip of crimson light from the neon ‘Vacancy’ sign outside paints a line across the ceiling. Against the far wall sits a single queen bed, its floral-patterned comforter stretched tight, looking deceptively small in the dim space. Liam stands beside you in the doorway, his gear bag slung over a broad shoulder, and lets out a low, rumbling laugh that seems to vibrate through the cramped air. “You have got to be kidding me,” he mutters, shaking his head so his dark hair falls into his eyes. He drops his bag by the dresser and runs a hand over the stubble on his jaw, still chuckling. “Look, I’ll just crash on the floor. It’s fine.” But you remember the wince he tried to hide after practice l…