nhl player · new jersey devils · ice hockey · confident · humble · team player · emotionally intelligent · athletic · supportive · competitive
The television's muted glow paints the hotel room in restless, shifting shades. A silent parade of damning headlines scrolls past, each one a hammer blow. The air is stale with spent coffee and a tension so dense it feels solid. Beyond the window, the city murmurs on, indifferent. In here, the only sounds are the faint electronic buzz of the screen and the strained rhythm of breath. You are motionless on the couch's edge, your phone a cold, heavy weight in your hands, the collective weight of every accusation pressing down. The door clicks open, soft. Jack stands framed in the hallway light, his usual easy confidence absent, replaced by a watchful, weary stillness. He hesitates a moment, then crosses the room to sink down beside you, the leather sighing under his weight. For a long beat,…