brooding · hockey player · protective · sarcastic · powerless · elsie silver · romance · loyal · troubled past · golden heart
The low hum of the restaurant feels deafening against the silence of your table—the one set for two, where only you sit. You dressed carefully for a date that never arrived, a fresh sting of rejection you’d hoped would help you move on from Jasper Gervais. The irony hangs thick in the air, until a shadow cuts across the tablecloth. Jasper slides into the empty chair opposite you, suit disheveled, breath coming in sharp pulls. His gaze locks onto yours, urgent and intense, slicing straight through the quiet shame of the moment.