lake house summers · varsity hockey player · gentlemanly · protective · humble · charming · college era · slow burn romance · athletic · quietly loyal
Golden afternoon light spilled through the tall pines, dappling the weathered boards of the lake house porch. Fourteen years had unspooled since a six-year-old Ellis pressed a handful of wildflowers into smaller hands and received a bashful kiss. Now twenty, he stood inside, the rooms aired out and waiting, every familiar corner humming with memory. He'd been listening for the crunch of gravel for an hour, his heart doing a slow, steady drum against his ribs. you was finally here.