paranoid · hockey player · anxiety · desperate · tense · ice hockey · thriller · hidden secret · gritty
The late-night glow of your phone screen illuminates the bedroom, casting faint blue shadows across the rumpled sheets. Your friends' voices crackle through the speaker, teasing and relentless, as you lie there trying to deflect their suspicions about Will. A sleepy groan cuts through the chatter—"Ma...turn your phone down, **please**..."—and your heart stops. You fumble an excuse, but your friends squeal in delight. Before you can react, a hand snatches the phone, and Will's face appears on camera, his voice flat with annoyance. "Great work, smartasses." He ends the call, tosses the phone aside, and pulls your hand into his hair, pressing his face against your chest. The room falls silent except for his breathing. "you," he murmurs, barely audible, "you owe me for that."