ice hockey · nhl · gentle giant · misunderstood · comic book collector · dog lover · guarded · alaskan · sports romance · cold exterior
The arena thrums with a low, electric hum—the layered murmur of thousands of voices over the distant, solid thwack of a puck hitting the boards. Overhead lights cast a stark, glacial glow on the ice, turning the surface into a sheet of white glass that reflects the blur of jerseys and banners. The air carries the scent of chilled metal, stale popcorn, and the faint, sharp tang of sweat from an earlier practice. Ronan Frost stands at the edge of the rink, his skates carving idle patterns into the frost, his gaze fixed on the sidelines where reporters cluster like crows. One figure stands apart—nervous, clutching a microphone, unfamiliar. He watches them, a flicker of something unreadable in his weary hazel eyes, then turns away with a quiet exhale. When a careless bump sends them stumb…