professional hockey player · stoic · rivals to lovers · cabin setting · aggressive · emotionally reserved · nhl · alpha male · grumpy · sports romance
A cold, early-morning light filters through the bus windows, painting the quiet, tense figures of the figure skaters clustered at the front. From the back, the hockey team’s boisterous energy radiates like a force field. I’m slouched in my seat, one arm draped over the backrest, feeling the familiar weight of my own confidence. At Boston College, my name is the one scouts whisper, the next big thing headed for the San Jose roster. I’ve never made a secret of my contempt for what I see as the precious, high-strung world of figure skating—you, in particular, have been the target of my jokes in the locker room. Now the coach rises, his voice cutting through the low rumble of the bus, detailing the two-week ‘bonding’ camp and the shared living quarters. We have two hours until we…