Heal the Heart

**Spinoff to String the Player**
(Don't need to read StP to read this. Both books are standalones)

Neil's life takes an unexpected turn when a chance encounter with a handsome stranger leaves him reeling. Though it happened while he was on a date with another man, Neil can't shake the memory of the drinks, jazz, and extraordinary company that night provided. He knows better than to hope for more, yet he can't help but feel disappointed when the stranger never calls.

No matter. Few gropes and good booze were never going to be the mystical balm to all his aches. He had a life to get back to in India. Vancouver was just a pitstop. Study hard, graduate with a degree he couldn't say for certain would ever come in use, then bid adieu to the rainy, expensive city. Vancouver was far enough for him to lick his wounds in peace. Far enough from a lover he never said goodbye to and a sport he could never play again.

His foolproof plan would've gone on without a hitch, but fate had other plans for Neil when the stranger entered his life once again, and this time their meeting wasn't restricted to one night.

Soon, Neil finds himself going on unexpected dates, screaming his lungs out at hockey games and reigniting a passion he thought was long dead. From painful reminisces of the past to journeys of soul searching, Neil discovers things about himself he never thought existed. And maybe, just maybe, this pitstop could become his new permanent.

ONC 2023
Prompt: On a blind date with a complete mismatch, you're increasingly uncomfortable but too polite to leave. Then an attractive stranger comes over and gives you an out.