ANMELDENTwo weeks had passed since the kiss. Two weeks of silence, and two weeks of Chase Voss acting like Noah didn't exist. Noah had expected it to end, he had expected Chase to get bored eventually, and slip back into old habits, but Chase had doubled down.Every discussion session felt the same now. Professional, polite, and distant. Noah hated it. Not that he would admit that to anyone. Especially not himself.The discussion session ended with the same efficiency it always did. Chase wrapped up the final topic, assigned the week's memo, and dismissed the class."That's all for today."Chairs scraped across the floor, backpacks zipped, and students began filing toward the exits. Noah remained seated. His notebook was already packed and his pencil sat untouched on the desk. Still, he lingered.Across the room, Chase was organizing papers behind the front desk and the sight irritated Noah more than it should have when a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts."You're gonna be alone Saturda
A week had passed since the kiss, and absolutely nothing had happened. Noah had expected consequences because Chase Voss was not the type to let something like that go. He had expected insults, threats, maybe a punch to the face the next time they were alone. Something dramatic that felt like Chase. Instead, Chase had done something far worse. He had ignored him.At first, Noah hadn't noticed it. The first day had been easy enough to explain away; Chase was suspended from hockey activities, no practices, no film review sessions, no games. So there simply weren't many opportunities to run into each other.The second day felt a little strange, the third day started feeling deliberate, and by the seventh day, Noah was certain Chase was avoiding him. And somehow that annoyed him more than all the arguments they'd ever had.Noah sat near the back of BA100 and watched students file into the classroom. The discussion session wouldn't start for another minute. His notebook lay open in front o
Noah did not leave the Voss villa immediately. After being reminded once again that his future seemed to rest in the hands of dangerous men, he should have gotten straight back to Ann Arbor. Instead, he wandered.The house was too large to feel like a home. Every hallway looked expensive, and even the silence felt curated. He eventually found himself in a smaller office tucked away near the eastern wing of the house. It looked similar to Adrian's office, but less imposing. A private workspace with one wall lined with bookshelves and occupied by a large desk. Most of the curtains were drawn, leaving only a narrow gap where pale moonlight spilled into the room.Noah stepped toward the window, and for a few moments, he simply stood there. Then he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his gallery, smiling at the funny pictures Eli had taken before. Then he heard a door open behind him, and he turned. A familiar figure stumbled into the room, looking slightly disheveled. Chase.His tie
The summons came on a Tuesday evening as a simple text on his phone, and Noah knew who it was before he even opened it. Just an address and a time, 7:00 PM. He stared at the message for several seconds before locking his phone and slipping it into his pocket.Across the room, Reid was bent over his desk, watching game highlights on his laptop."You look like somebody just told you finals got moved to tomorrow."Noah stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Something like that.""You coming back tonight?""Eventually."Reid nodded. "Good. Because if Coach makes us do another six a.m. conditioning skate, I'm dropping out and becoming a pizza delivery guy."Noah managed a weak smile before stepping out of the room, but the smile disappeared the moment he was outside.By seven o'clock, he found himself standing inside Adrian Voss's office. The room looked the same as every other time he had been there. Adrian sat behind the desk while Chase stood near the window. The bruise on his jaw had faded
Three minutes left. Noah got open again, and everyone could see it: a direct shot to the goal with no defenseman. He signalled to Chase, but Chase kept the puck, tried to shoot from that impossible angle again, but lost it. The opposition counteredattack immediately and scored another goal.The arena roared, and Coach Jenkins lost it."Voss!" he yelled out, and Chase turned to him."Sit down."Chase skated over, confusion all over his face. "What?""You heard me.""Coach—"Jenkins exploded. "Sit. Down."Chase looked toward the bench, expecting someone to say something, but nobody did. Not Morrison, not Callahan, and not even the assistant captains. Furious and humiliated, he gets off the ice and walks. For the first time all season, the captain is benched.And with less than two minutes remaining, the hosts scored again. Four-three. The final buzzer sounded shortly afterward, and the hosts poured onto the ice as the Michigan team slowly skated off.Inside the tunnel, they began removi
Game night Friday. The Black Ice team of Michigan rolled into Providence early.The arena was loud enough to shake the glass. He could feel it beneath his skates as he stepped onto the ice for warmups. Division One hockey always drew attention, but conference games brought something different. They had come to Providence, and the stands were packed with students, alumni, parents, and scouts. Every mistake would be seen, and every goal remembered.Across the rink, Chase stood near center ice, stick resting against one shoulder as he spoke with a referee, the captain's C sitting proudly on his jersey. When his eyes found Noah's, his mouth curved into a warning smile but Noah chose to ignore him. Tonight, he would not allow Chase get under his skin."Heyes!" Coach Jenkins called loudly and pointed toward Line One. "You're starting."Noah nodded with a smile and skated to position. He knew he had to make this opportunity count. He was a newbie and Coach Jenkins had put his trust in him. T







