I spent two years convincing myself what we had wasn’t real—and the moment our eyes lock from across the room, all those lies I’ve been telling myself shatter at my feet.

Hockey superstar Nash Richards was my first everything: my first boyfriend, my first time, and my first love. I used to attend every Lakeside U hockey game, proudly wearing his jersey while I cheered him on from the stands. Then he cross-checked my heart into the boards, and I vowed never to set foot in that arena again.

Now, life just slap-shot me in the face: a senior internship with Nash’s team, and guess who I’m assigned to? I have to work one-on-one with Nash for an entire semester. Talk about a worst-case scenario.

I know better than to fall for his charms a second time, especially with the department’s no-dating rule between trainers and their athletes. But that’s easier said than done when our old spark is now a raging inferno and he’s hell-bent on winning me back.

As Nash gradually breaks down my walls, he reveals a side of himself that's raw and more vulnerable than I've ever seen. Lines blur during late nights in the training room alone, a moment of weakness turning everything upside down. But beneath this newfound closeness, he’s keeping a dark secret that could tear us apart—and in this high-stakes game of love, we’re both risking more than just our hearts.


Tropes:
- athletic trainer x hockey player
- 6'4 grumpy mmc
- college romance
- hates everyone but her
- forced proximity
- found family
- tension & angst