Cold Front ^Featured

Niall
I don’t do complicated. As captain of Michigan U’s hockey team, my focus is on the game, not on the charming transfer student who landed in my apartment and upended my routine. Eli shouldn’t get under my skin, but he does—with his easy smiles, his late-night cooking, and the way he looks at me like I’m something more than just a hockey player.

I kissed him once. I shouldn’t have. But for one reckless moment, I let myself want. Now he’s looking at me like he’s waiting for something—something I don’t know how to give.

Because wanting Eli is dangerous. And letting him in? That might be the biggest risk of all.

Eli
A fresh start—that’s what Michigan U was supposed to be. A clean break from my past, from the toxic relationship that made me forget who I was. I wasn’t looking for complications, but then I met Niall: grumpy, brooding, and frustratingly closed-off. He barely speaks to me, yet somehow, I can’t stop thinking about him.

Then he kissed me. And for a moment, I thought maybe—just maybe—there was something real between us. But now he’s acting like it never happened, and I’m stuck wondering if I was just a mistake.

I should let it go. I should move on. But the more I get to know Niall, the more I realize those walls aren’t just for keeping people out—they’re for keeping himself safe. And damn it, I think I want to be the one to break them down.