Dorian's P.O.VThe door to the locker room slammed behind me, but it did nothing to cut off the noise buzzing through my skull. My pads hit the bench with a hollow thud, one after the other, as I stripped down fast and hard, jaw clenched so tight it ached.The others shuffled in not long after and they were quiet, dragging their feet. No locker-room jokes or post game smack talk. Well no surprise there because we’d lost in the most fucking embarrassing way.I sat on the bench, elbows on my knees, watching them all out of the corner of my eye. Noah was the last to walk in, his helmet still under his arm, his face unreadable, like he’d decided that if he didn’t show the sadness of defeat, none of us would feel it. , Coach finally came in. His clipboard hung limp at his side, and his face was red from yelling during the third period. But his voice was calm now.“You all played well,” Coach said, and it was the worst lie anyone had ever told. “One loss doesn’t end our season. It’s not ho
Dorian's P.O.V I shoved through bodies like a man possessed, shoulder-checking some drunk idiot into the bar-top and ignoring the sound of his glass shattering when it hit the floor. My skin was crawling and I was close to having a panic attack because I couldn't see Noah anymore. He'd gone into that back door with Ethan. and Ethan, was the fucking problen because I didn't trust him. Finally, I got close enough to that door and slammed it open, swallowing hard when I saw the hallway it opened into. It was a dark hallway with red lights that barely cut through the shadows, washing the place in an eerie feeling, like I'd steped into hell's waiting room. as I walked on, I saw it stretched on forever, lined with doors on either side. None of them were marked. None of them were telling me where the fuck Noah was. My pulse was jackhammering in my chest as I stalked forward and yanked open the first door.. Jesus Christ. There were two guys in the room. one was on his knees, sucking th
Noah's P.O.VI woke up feeling like death.My head throbbed like someone had cracked my skull open and left my brain to marinate in acid. My throat was dry, my limbs heavy, and for a second, I genuinely wondered if I'd died and woken up in some kind of purgatory. But then the memories started bleeding in very slowly and disjointed—Ethan, his sweet fucking grin, the haze clouding my head, the way my body wouldn’t move the way I wanted it to. My jeans sliding off and a warm mouth closing over my dick. And then—nothing.My stomach twisted in horror. Ethan had...sucked my cock but...but...I didn't want him to. One second we were talking and the next I started to feel very fucking hot and I hazily remember kissing his neck in the club. Oh fuck. Had my teammates seen me. Hell where the fuck was I I sat up too fast, and regretted it instantly when nausea slammed into me like a freight train. My eyes adjusted to the dim light of the hotel room, and that’s when I realized—this wasn’t the room
Noah's P.O.VThe rink was empty when I got there, just as I'd expected. Most of the floodlights were off and the single ones on were off in the corner, casting long shadows across the ice. The air was cold, even through my jacket, and my breath was making white puffs in front of me. November had barely begun, but the first snowfall of the season had begun to dust the ground outside.Anyway, I moved silently over the ice, squinting until I finally saw Dorian standing near the box where players' relatives usually sat during the games, gripping his hockey stick like he'd just finished a game. He was drenched in sweat, even in this cold, as he slowly moved his skates from side to side anytime he rocked forward. I could tell he'd been here for a while, probably hitting pucks into an empty net, over and over again as he tried to burn off whatever storm had been brewing inside him.However, that storm was still there and I could feel it.He turned at the sound of my footsteps when I got clos
Dorian's P.O.VI couldn't fucking breathe.The pain in my jaw was nothing compared to the ache splitting my chest wide open. I was still on the ice, clutching my face, fingers pressing against the heat of what would no doubt be a bruise by morning. but the real pain, making it impossible to breathe, was the look on Noah's face.Anguish. Betrayal."You know what, yeah, you're right." Noah's expression turned cold. "This was never going to work."And then he turned to leave.My stomach dropped. the moment I thought I wanted was there. Noah was walking away, broken, just like i'd fucking planned, but it felt like dying."You said you love me!" The words tore from my throat in a desperate attempt to salvage things.Noah stopped dead in his tracks, his back still turned to me. My heart shuddered as a sob broke through my lungs, and when I finally spoke again, my voice shook so bad it barely came out above a whisper. "How do you love someone and just walk away when the going gets tough?"N
Noah’s P.O.V.A few days later.Topping Dorian had been one of the best fucking experiences of my life. It was hot, overwhelming, and so intense I was still thinking about it days later but Jesus Christ, it was way too much work. The prep alone took patience I did not have, and the actual fucking? Making sure he was comfortable, making it feel good enough that he’d stop gritting his teeth and start falling apart under me? That shit took effort and self control.So sue me if I decided I was going to be a pillow princess from now on.Yes, I got the term from Imogen, who absolutely would not stop texting me about my sex life the second she found out. I hadn't meant to tell her but I was so fucking giddy that when we hung out two days ago, she noticed and grilled me endlessly until I told her everything. I could hear her voice in my head right now, teasing me and calling me a lazy lover and a pillow princess who just wanted to lay there and have their partner do all the work.And I couldn
Noah's p.o.v I froze in place, the key to Dorian’s dorm still in my hand as Matt’s grin widened. My stomach twisted unpleasantly when he began closing the distance between us. For a moment, he just looked at me with his head cocked to the side and then he glanced down at the key in my hand and his beady black eyes narrowed as a cocky grin spread across his lips. “Why do you have Dorian’s room key, Captain?” he asked, his tone deceptively casual. My throat tightened but I forced my expression into neutrality, willing away the heat creeping up my neck. Matt was a fucking trash bag and whatever I came up with had to throw him off our scent. “Not that it's any of your business,” I replied smoothly, shoving the key into my pocket. “But Hayes is my rookie, and it’s my responsibility to help him out. He’s having trouble with philosophy so I'm helping him study.” Matt’s eyes narrowed slightly, like he wasn’t quite buying it, but he didn’t immediately call me out. Instead, he took another
NOAH'S P.O.VPractice was gold. We were prepping for our fourth game in the regionals—home against Denver—and everything was clicking. My assists were piling up, threading perfect passes through tight gaps, while Dorian was a fucking sniper, his wrist shots cutting through the air like a damn blade. The entire team was playing out of their minds—Matt, Jaxon, and Greg locking it down on defense, yes Matt finally was unbenched by the Coach so he's back on games. while Cody, Eli, and Shawn kept up the pressure up front. By the time Coach blew the final whistle, we were drenched in sweat, but the energy was electric and it felt like we were already on the ice for tomorrow's game, beating Denver out of the ice. I'd never felt as confident in our team until this season who was ironically my last in Bridgewater.“Four more games to the Frozen Four,” Coach told us, voice gruff but charged with something close to pride. “Keep this up, and that national title is fucking ours.”I felt so good th
Noah's P.O.VIt took me two hours. Two entire cold, hellish hours in Miami’s glitziest district, where ninety percent of the designer boutiques were either closed for the holidays or by appointment only, and the few open ones were selling garish silk scarves and overpriced tins of cookies that screamed pretentious. But finally, by some miracle, I found the perfect gift. It was silver, understated but elegant. The kind of watch Dorian could wear and not feel like he was trying too hard, but still look like he ran shit. I just hoped he wouldn't be able to tell how expensive it was, because knowing that stubborn Hayes Pride, he'd probably shove it back at me if he did. God, that pride. It drove me up the wall and made my chest ache in equal measure. I'd almost blown a gasket when I saw he'd returned the phone I bought him.Well here's hoping he doesn't notice.I didn’t bother with fancy wrapping and just grabbed the stupid red box with a silver ribbon offered to me from the lady at the
Noah's POVI woke up feeling... okay. Maybe better than okay. I felt really good than I did through out yesterday anyway. That soup must have worked wonders.My nose wasn’t a faucet anymore, and my head didn’t feel like someone had stuffed it with cotton and then shaken it around for fun. But I also woke up to an empty bed, a dry throat, and the hollow aftertaste of regret.Dorian and I had argued last night about Mark.Stupid, pointless, totally preventable fight.It wasn't that we would have shared the same bed if we hadn't gotten into that fight, but at least, we won't be keeping malice with each other.Honestly it was my fault. He’d asked who Mark was after I let the name slip, and instead of just saying he was a friend, which, let’s be honest, wouldn’t have been a lie, I played the game of poking the bear. Because some pathetic part of me still wanted Dorian to care enough to get jealous. I wanted...no, needed to see that fire in his eyes, the reminder that maybe I still matter
Noah's POVChristmas Eve, and I felt like roadkill that had been rained on, run over twice, and forgotten on the side of the road. My nose was clogged, my head was pounding, and my limbs felt like they’d been stuffed with wet socks. The apartment echoed with silence and I just felt so fucking miserable..Liam had left for “practice” three days ago. Practice. On Christmas week. Sure. I wasn’t stupid. Even NHL players got time off for the holidays. But I didn’t ask questions. It was his place, not mine. He could go to Jupiter and I’d still have to be grateful for the four walls and overpriced furniture.I shuffled to the door like a corpse when the bell rang, dragging the blanket off the bed with me like it was my emotional support animal. A tissue hung out of my nostril, clutched in one hand like my last shred of dignity.I was already mentally preparing myself for the sight of a package guy or maybe Mark, here to guilt-trip me into watching Elf for the fifth time. But when I opened th
Dorian’s POV“Twenty-nine... thirty.”The bar slammed back into place with a satisfying clang, my arms trembling slightly from the weight. My chest rose and fell, slick with sweat, and I laid there on the bench for a second, staring at the ceiling of the mostly empty university gym like it had answers. It didn’t.Groaning, I wiped my face with the towel I slung over the rod, then sat up and shook out my arms. The pain was good. It kept me focused and grounded. It had only been a week and a day since I started seriously training again, but my body was already responding—bulking, hardening, becoming familiar again. Something I could control. conditioning and playing ice hockey for the last few weeks of the championship season also helped a lot.Anyhow, I made my way to the floor-length mirror at the far end of the gym, bare-chested, my joggers hanging low on my hips. My reflection stared back at me and not to be a conceited asshole but I was impressed. My arms which had begun to thin wh
NoahIf you favoured Minnesota in the winter, the beautiful snow covered scape and curling up in front of a fire place with a hot whipped coffee, then you'd definitely find Miami offensive as fuck. It was less than a week to Christmas and the sun was out. It wasn’t even noon and it was already making a damn spectacle of itself, glaring down on my windshield like I owed it money. I had the AC blasting, sunglasses on, and I was still squinting like a mole dragged out of his burrow.it was insane. The only tell tale sign it was winter was definitely the over the top decorations along every single building I'm driving past and the string lights around trees that'd be lighted up at night.My phone suddenly buzzed where it was mounted on the dash, dragging me from my observation. I tapped the screen and my second bestfriend's name flashed across it. biting back a grin, I answered the call but before I could even say hello, her voice exploded through the car like a battle cry.“NOAH FUCKING
Dorian's P.O.VIf I thought the Carter mansion looked stunning at night, it was even more ridiculous in daylight. It wasn't just an house but an estate, looking like something off a postcard. I sat behind the wheel of Susie’s tiny car, jaw slack as I stared up at the sprawling estate. Massive hedges shaped into clean-cut shapes of cherubims. The last time it had been in shapes of chess pieces or I may have been mistaken looking at it in the night. Anyway, the pillars gleamed like they were carved from marble, and a few people in uniform swarming the front lawn like busy bees, stringing up massive Christmas garlands. It was literally a whole operation. Frosted wreaths, gold-dipped reindeers, strings of lights being looped over every surface that could take them.Of course, they had a whole staff for this. Rich people didn't climb ladders to decorate their house for Christmas. It was just perfect I caught them at this time. Shit.I opened the car door and stepped out, my shoes muted
Hello guys! Author here! I'm so sorry about the last chapter. I would love to launch into an explanation of why that happened but the words count for "authors notes" is very limited. (But it's a honest mistake.)It won't happen again and to show I'm really sorry.I'm making the next chapter free and adding it to this note.so here.Championship Season.Dorian's P.O.VDORIANThree weeks laterI shoved the door open with my shoulder, the tiny bell jingling in that annoying, rusty way it always did. The strip mall lights outside cast long shadows across the linoleum floor. Everything smelled like synthetic pine and warm plastic—exactly like a place that sold discount dish soap and almost expired soda should.At the front desk, Susie didn’t even look up. Her eyes were glued to the little TV mounted up in the corner like a shrine. Snorting at the reindeer jacket she had on--please it looked absolutely ridiculous --I blinked, pausing halfway into the store. That was me on the screen, liftin
Noah's P.O.V The long drive from campus to my home felt like a slow trek to my own execution. By the time I pulled up to the front of my family’s mansion, the same looming, white-stoned fortress I'd grown up in, it had gotten even darker. My tires crunched over the long winding driveway which was filled with floodlights along the stone paths down which cut through the Late night November darkness. I killed the engine, and left my hands on the steering wheel, breathing in and out. For a second, I just sat there, staring up at the massive house like it was about to swallow me whole. It was like a giant beast carved into hill, the many floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflecting lights causing the house to glow all by itself. Beside me, Dorian whistled low from the passenger seat. "Jesus," he muttered, turning to me with raised brows. "You lived here your whole life?" He shoved the door and stepped out, craning his neck to take it all in; the ivy wrapped columns, the massive lak doors
Noah's P.O.VThe long drive from campus to my home felt like a slow trek to my own execution. By the time I pulled up to the front of my family’s mansion, the same looming, white-stoned fortress I'd grown up in, it had gotten even darker. My tires crunched over the long winding driveway which was filled with floodlights along the stone paths down which cut through the Late night November darkness.I killed the engine, and left my hands on the steering wheel, breathing in and out. For a second, I just sat there, staring up at the massive house like it was about to swallow me whole. It was like a giant beast carved into hill, the many floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflecting lights causing the house to glow all by itself.Beside me, Dorian whistled low from the passenger seat."Jesus," he muttered, turning to me with raised brows. "You lived here your whole life?" He shoved the door and stepped out, craning his neck to take it all in; the ivy wrapped columns, the massive lak doors and