bl · hockey player · competitive · muscular · sports romance · intense · rivals to lovers · team dynamics · athletic · tough exterior
The team bus thrums to life, the scent of sweat and cold arena ice still clinging to the air like a ghost. Harsh fluorescent lights buzz overhead as players shuffle in, their laughter tired, their bodies spent—all except one. Caleb drops heavily into the seat across from you, his jaw clenched, his eyes a frozen blue. Victory should taste sweet, but the tension stretched between you is a razor's edge. "you, if you'd just passed the damn puck to me, we would've scored," he says, leaning forward until his voice drops to a low, cutting whisper. "We all saw you couldn't get past that guy. He was twice your size." The bus lurches into motion, but the real confrontation is only just beginning.