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RYLEE HANSON (text, short insta, narrative)
Rylee's POV
The rink still buzzed with the aftershocks of the game—the dull hum of conversations, the slap of sticks on the tiled floors, and the occasional shout from my teammates still high on adrenaline. We'd won, but barely. It was one of those games where nothing came easy, and my muscles ached from taking shots that should've made it past the goalie. I could still feel the a strong ache in my knuckles from my punch.
As I slipped out of the locker room, my hair damp from a too-quick shower, I wasn't expecting anyone to be waiting for me. Most people cleared out fast unless they had family in the stands. But there she was, Sasha no where in sight, leaning against the wall near the exit, her arms crossed and a soft smile tugging at her lips.
Nika.
I'd seen her around before, at the coffee shop I go to after practice sometimes, and once at a party I barely remember because my teammates had been feeding me shots like water. But I'd never really met her. Not like this. Not with her looking right at me like she had been waiting, like maybe she was here for me.
"Hey," she said, her voice low but steady.
I stopped, gripping my hockey bag tighter. My heart did this weird double-thud thing that had nothing to do with the game and everything to do with the way she pushed her hair behind her ear, her eyes catching the dim light above us. "Hey," I managed to say back. Smooth, right?
She took a step closer, and I noticed how she moved—confident but not in an intimidating way, just... sure of herself. "You played great out there," she said, her smile widening just enough to make me forget how cold the hallway was.
"You watched?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Sasha dragged us to the game," she said, shrugging, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes that told me maybe it wasn't just her friend's idea. "You're pretty intense on the ice. But, you know, in a good way."
I felt a heat creep up my neck, and for the first time all night, it wasn't from skating or sweating or getting slammed into the boards. "Thanks. Uh, I mean, I have to be. It's kind of the job."
She laughed at that, and it was the kind of laugh that makes you want to keep talking just so you can hear it again. "You're humble too, huh? I like that."
I had no idea what to say to that. I could barely think, let alone string words together. But then she tilted her head, her eyes holding mine like there wasn't a whole world moving around us.
"Maybe we can grab coffee sometime?" she asked, her tone light, like she wasn't sure if I'd say yes but also like she'd be fine if I didn't.
"Yeah," I blurted out, way too fast. "I mean, yeah, that'd be cool. Coffee sounds good."
