Noah’s P.O.VNew sets of drinks had arrived and we’d fallen back into our easy, comfortable rhythm which was basically laughing, drinking, and throwing jokes around like we are both just bunchs of idiots with no midterms, no existential crises, and no…secret confusing sexual awakenings hanging over our heads.I was throwing back a gulp of beer when Imogen leaned in, her breath warm with alcohol and mischief. “Okay, but if you could…which guy in this bar would you kiss?”The beer went down the wrong pie and I had to set my bottle down, coughing while she cackled like I’d just been caught watching gay porn in church.“Jesus,” I wheezed, wiping my mouth. “What is wrong with you?”“Oh, come on,” Imogen whined, nudging my arm. “It’s hypothetical.”I shook my head, but she kept at it, her eyes wide and goading, until finally, with a put-upon sigh, I relented. “Fine.” then I angled my body so I could scan the room.The bar was packed now, filled with a chaotic mix of students and locals, som
Noah’s POVThe night air was crisp against my flushed skin as I slumped back on the bench, laughing breathlessly. Imogen was curled up beside me, head tilted back as she cackled into the sky."Okay," she gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. "Tonight has been iconic." "I can't believe we walked back and forth three times like idiots.""We're so stupid," she wheezed, and we dissolved into another fit of laughter.Then my phone buzzed.I frowned and pulled it out, blinking against the sudden brightness. 20 profile views. 15 new message requests from the Smashers site."...What the fuck?"Imogen leaned over my shoulder, eyes widening. "Oh my god." She grabbed my arm, shaking it. "I told you! The shirtless pics are bringing them in!"I stared at my screen, baffled. "Already?""Baby, the second a looker like you upload a thirst trap on a hookup site, the floodgates open."I hesitated, then tapped on the message requests. My eyes widened at the sheer number of profile pictures featuring shir
Noah’s P.O.VI knew I was fucked the second I stepped onto the ice. My head was pounding in a dull nauseating throb that made my vision blur at the edges. And to make matters worse, I’d forgotten to put my contacts in, so everything was blurry as if I was looking at the world through a dirty windshield. It didn’t help that my stomach was still churning alcohol. And the noises of the skates against ice and puck, they kept stabbing straight through my skull and of course, Coach fucking noticed.“Get your head on straight, Carter. Or get the hell off my ice.”My grip on my stick tightened as a few of the rookies snickered.I deserved that. I knew I deserved that. I’d skipped practice, and now I was showing up hung-over and sort of half-drunk and sweating out last night’s shenanigans. But I was already pissed off and humiliated by Coach O’Rourke when I joined them this morning. He called me aside once I skated out and chewed me out for missing practice and my irresponsibility because of
Dorian’s P.O.VCarter had some fucking nerve.Ignoring my texts after running out on me that night like I was some kind of mistake he had to scrub off his skin. This was why I never messed with people like him. And that was the fucking cue I needed to let it go; let him crawl back into whatever straight-boy delusion he was living in and move the fuck on. But anytime I saw his face, all I could think about was how good he’d looked falling apart under me. How easy it would be to make him crack again, and how much I wanted to be the one to do it.But I needed to remember that a game was all this was fucking allowed to mean to me. Get Carter to give into his needs for me, make him fall, and then remind him what it felt like to be stepped on. That was my plan so I wasn’t supposed to take Carter running out on me personally. So why the fuck did it feel personal? It felt as though I was…a dirty secret that Noah was trying to run away from. As I watched him skate onto the ice, still managin
Dorian's P.O.VMy brows furrowed as the name struck a chord. Smashr….Smashr…where had I heard–It suddenly hit me like a pile of bricks. Smashrs was a fucking gay hookup site. The kind where guys traded dick pics like Pokemon cards and set up quick, meaningless fucks in parking lots and seedy hotel rooms. I stared at the notification for a long time, my stomach churning with rage. So this was why he ignored my tests after he ran out on me and hid behind a fucking light pole instead of talking to me. Rage and curiosity boiled something bitter in me and I pressed the home button, frowning as the lock screen popped up. It was a six-digit passcode.For a moment, I was lost, but then, I knew Carter was the type to keep the books on his table arranged in a particular color order. So I tried in his locker combination, repeating it twice.Bin-fucking-go! The screen unlocked. I swiped up and tapped the smashr notification and instantly Carter’s inbox filled my screen.40+ fucking messages.. M
Dorian's P.O.VThe vibration of my phone that I'd somehow shoved beneath my pillow woke me up. and when I looked around, I saw it was already morning. Yawning I picked up my phone and saw it was a notification from Smashr, specifically from DickensDatBooty.Blinking, I opened the message.DickensDatBooty: Sorry for disappearing last night. Pain meds knocked me out.Relief flooded my veins and I pushed out a hot breath, letting my head sink back into the pillow. If been so worried that my plan had already going up in flames and Carter had caught on to the fact that I was cat fishing him. but fucking clearly, everything was still on track. Rubbing the last traces of sleep away from my eyes, I started to thumb out a response, and then deleted it. Redline87 shouldn't know that Noah had an injury on the ice. I had to play dumb.Me: Oh, what happened?A few seconds later, three dots bubbled up and his message came in DickensDatBooty: It's not a big deal. I just fell down some stairs and
Dorian’s P.O.VI was bleeding. My mouthguard didn’t do shit to protect my tongue from the bite of my teeth and I could taste the goddam copper in my mouth. If I had to bend in that faceoff circle against the smug center of the Cornwall’s team again, I was going to slice my wrist with the metal blades attached to my skates.I was as close to losing myself and this entire game.Since the first two periods and twenty-eight minutes of the most frustrating hockey games I’d ever played, I’d been ready to snap my fucking stick in half. The Cornwall team has had a perfect first half season last year with zero losses. How was I supposed to compete against those with just ten hours training on taking a position I so fucking clearly wasn’t cut out for.My eye kept flicking to Noah where he sat, sidelined on the bench, looking like a caged animal. I hated seeing him there, looking useless when he was the reason I even had to take the goddamn position. A distant part of me knew I should be loving
Dorian’s P.O.VI crouched behind a stack of gear bags, sweat still clinging to my neck from the game we just fucking smashed. My chest was heaving, high off the win, but I was here searching for Noah because he vanished after the final buzzer. Seeing the man towering over him come into view with Noah just standing there, arms crossed, head-dipped low, and looking like a kicked puppy instead of the smug, golden-boy captain I was used to hating, my throat worked with difficulty and it became increasingly hard to just stand by but I knew I needed to see and hear this.“You are a goddamn embarrassment, Noah,” the guy snarled, his voice gravelly and spiteful. From where I was, I could see his face which was literally an older and more refined version of Noah's. They had the same blue eyes, only his held disdain for a son he was supposed to love while Noah's held...emptiness. “I drove six hours to watch you play, and what do I get? Useless excuses from you. Concussion and a Knee sprain? eve
Dorian's P.O.VI felt like shit as I realized Jaxon knew the guy in the picture was me. It wasn't surprisingly really seeing as he caught us at the store just a few days ago, but the hatred in his eyes as he glared at me made me feel sick to my stomach.Because Jaxon was right. I was hiding and letting Noah stomach all of it. I stood frozen when I should have stepped in and protected him. I let everyone stare at him as if he was broken while I played the part of the nonchalant aloof guy. But in reality, I was just a fucking coward.After Jaxon finished, no one dared to say a word. They just looked away and got dressed. With a sneer on his face Jaxon retreated back to his locker which was next to Noah's and they began discussing in hushed tones. Noah said something in a low voice to Jaxon, and Jaxon nodded, keeping his hand on Noah’s shoulder, protective as hell. They stayed like that for a minute, with Noah talking and Jaxon listening. Like they were in their own bubble.Jealousy burn
Dorian's P.O.V.Noah didn’t say a fucking word or look at anyone. He just pulled his gear on with this quiet, rigid dignity that made my chest ache. His hands shook only once, when he started to fix on his skates.. I caught it—of course I fucking did. My eyes hadn’t left him for more than a second since he walked in.The silence in the locker room was worse than shouting. Worse than punches. It was the kind of quiet that clung to your skin, crawled under your clothes and made your spine itch. Like everyone was pretending he wasn’t there, like if they didn’t speak, maybe he’d vanish.Hell, even Matt—the fucking loudmouth who never shut the fuck up—was quiet.It felt like the fucking Twilight Zone.I wanted someone to say something. Anything. Shout. Fight. Even spit. Just fucking acknowledge the elephant in the room. But no—this kind of silence was a different kind of violence. One Noah didn’t deserve.I hated every goddamn second of it. The door suddenly flew open, slamming against th
DORIAN'S p.o.vI woke up to the sound of sniffles and without having to see him, I knew it was Noah crying. A lump formed in my throat and I pushed it down with a gulp.Knowing him well enough by now, I didn't move an inch, pretending to be asleep. Noah hated being caught crying. It was pride or shame or a lifetime of being told that boys don’t do that shit. Whatever it was, he buried his face into the pillow and tried to be quiet about it. But he wasn’t. Not to me. He never could be. I stayed still for maybe a full minute before I heard his voice whisper thickly. “I know you’re awake.”That lump lodged in my throat again. I opened my eyes slowly and reached for the bedside lamp, blinking against the soft yellow glow that filled the room. Noah was curled up on his side with just his boxers on, back turned to me with shoulders shivering heavily as though he’d been holding himself together all night and finally cracked.I sat up a bit and reached out a hand which I ran through his hair
Dorian’s P.O.VAn hour later, I was seating on the edge of a couch that probably cost more than my entire childhood home. Noah had briefly explained that it was his apartment condo where he stayed anytime he needed to hide away from the team mates or just have some time to himself. And seeing its interior, there was nothing else to say to describe it, other than, it suited Noah. Hockey Royalty. The kind of guy who had everything, but the ability to sit the fuck down and stop pacing before I lost my goddamn mind.Noah hadn’t stop pacing since we got in. He dragged his hand through his hair for what seemed like the hundredth time, yanking at the strands like he wanted to rip them out. Every few minutes, he’d snap out of his frantic pacing just to kick at the coffee table or slam his fist into the wall, yelling, ”FUCK” or “SHIT!”I exhaled through my mouth, feeling the throb of a headache brewing. “You’re gonna give yourself a fucking aneurysm.”Noah ignored me.Fuck. I’d tried, ten mi
NOAH’S P.O.VFor a solid minute, I just sat there in my car, the engine humming under me while I stared at the empty spot where Dorian had vanished. The cold metal of the steering wheel bit into my palms as I gripped it, my eyes locked on the fading outline of his broad shoulders against the afternoon sun as it snowed around us. He didn’t even glance my way—just walked off like I was nothing. No nod, no smirk, not even one of his sarcastic little waves that always pissed me off and turned me on at the same time. Just a straight-up ghosting, his sneakers scuffing the pavement like he couldn’t get away fast enough.What the fuck was that about?For the past month, after practice, it’d been us—every damn day. Fucking until the sheets were soaked with sweat, studying with our books sprawled across his bed with our legs tangled, or pulling shifts at the store, stealing glances over the counter while Susie smirked like she knew too much. Neither of us had time for anything else, and Dorian
NOAH’S P.O.VThe locker room was too damn loud for a morning practice, but I barely noticed the chaos as Coach came in to address us. He announced that we won't be practicing at the rink today, instead it was strictly conditioning in the gym.Great. Nothing like nearly puking on an empty stomach to kick things off.After changing into workout clothes, we all shuffled into the gym. Like always, veterans got paired with rookies for spotting. I barely had time to glance at Dorian before Jaxon stepped right in front of me, slinging an arm around my shoulders.“I got him today.”I caught Dorian’s expression flicker—just for a second—before he hit me with this pointed, unreadable look. My stomach did a weird twist of worry. After last night, I knew damn well how irrational his jealousy of my friendship with Jaxon could get. Not that I was about to play babysitter in front of the whole team, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him sulking all day either. Swallowing a sigh, I shot him a qu
NOAH’S P.O.VI couldn’t fucking deny it.Angry sex with Dorian was the hottest fucking thing in the world. Even now, sprawled out on his bed, my body still twitched every time my brain replayed how he’d fucked me into the floor like a goddamn animal. My ass was sore, my throat raw, and I could still feel the ghost of his cock splitting me open. It was so fucking good that I'd somehow forgotten the real reason we'd been fighting or arguing. Thankfully, Dorian had forced us to go shower off the evidence of our shenanigans, cum, sweat, and whatever else we’d smeared across each other so I didn't feel icky and now we were naked, tangled in his sheets, each scrolling through our phones like we hadn’t just tried to break each other.The room smelled like soap and sex, and I felt good, loose, relaxed, the kind of buzz you get after a hard practice and a harder fuck. My foot brushed against his under the covers, lazy little nudges turning into a dumb game of footsies. His toes curled agains
Dorian's P.O.VAfter we left the mall, Noah tossed his keys to me and without being told, I knew he wanted me to drive us back. Clearly he was too blind with anger to do that.The drive back to my dorm was fucking suffocating. Noah sat there, arms crossed, staring out the window like some pissed-off spouse who’d caught me cheating with the neighbor. Neither of us said a word, just let the silence stew between us, thick and heavy as the tension from that shitshow of a dinner. I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white, trying to keep my temper in check because I couldn't for the life of me see why Noah was angry when he'd been all over his "best friend" but the second we stepped into my room and I slammed the door shut, it all went to hell.“You’re such a fucking man-whore,” Noah snapped, spinning on me with his eyes blazing. “Flirting with Tessa right in front of me like I’m invisible. What the fuck is wrong with you? What do they say about bisexuals again? Yeah, y'
Dorian's p.o.vFucking Jaxon.Of all the people to turn the corner at that exact moment, it had to be him.One second, I had Noah where I wanted him—pressed up against the goddamn shelves, body warm, pliant, his breath short and shaky, betraying just how much he liked what I was doing to him. The next, he was stiff as a goddamn board, eyes blown wide like some poor bastard caught in a police spotlight. He looked like he had just been caught committing a crime. And all because Jaxon had strolled into the aisle like the world’s biggest buzzkill.For a moment, I actually felt bad for Noah.But that feeling was quickly overshadowed by irritation. I hated that Jaxon’s sudden appearance had made Noah shrink into himself like a fucking scared rabbit. We weren’t even doing anything—well, nothing that bad—just a little teasing and a little fun, but still, Noah was acting like we'd been caught naked in the middle of the goddamn aisle.Gritting my teeth, I turned my head, my jaw tightening even