Before Garrett could push her further, the heavy exit doors at the end of the hall swung open. John Logan walked in, his brow furrowed as he stared down at a sheet of paper in his hands. He stopped when he saw the two of them, his sharp blue eyes immediately registering the thick, [music] crackling tension vibrating in the air.
Garrett, thank god, Logan said, [music] his voice laced with uncharacteristic urgency. He didn’t even look at Hannah as he approached, which was [music] the first major red flag. Logan was always polite. Coach is looking for you. The athletic department just pulled the security logs from the trainer’s room.
Garrett’s jaw went completely rigid. He didn’t break eye contact with Hannah for a full 3 [music] seconds before turning his head to look at his best friend. And they know someone broke the equipment lock last night, Logan said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. He glanced at Hannah then, a flicker [music] of deep hesitation crossing his face.
They’re reviewing the corridor cameras next. Ali told me to find you before you went back to the house. Hannah looked between the two hockey players, her sharp mind instantly putting together a new question. >> [music] >> Why would Ali know about the trainer’s room lock? And what does that have to do with Garrett? Nothing, Wells, Garrett said quickly, his [music] tone sharp, protective, and suddenly very guarded.
He reached out, his large hand wrapping around her forearm. The grip wasn’t tight, [music] but it was firm, his thumb executing a slow, heavy stroke against her skin that felt like an unspoken plea for her to drop it. Go back to the dorms. I’ll call you later. Garrett didn’t react the way she expected, Hannah thought.
Usually, he’d make a cocky joke about being above the law. Now, he looked like a man trying to contain [music] a leak. I’m not going back to the dorms, Graham, Hannah said, pulling her arm back, though her skin still tingled where his hand had been. Logan, what is he hiding? Logan looked thoroughly caught in the middle, shifting his [music] weight uneasily.
“Hannah, seriously, just let him handle it. Dean should have kept his mouth shut, but he already spilled half of it to the freshmen.” “Dean should have kept [music] his mouth shut about what?” Hannah pressed, her independent streak flaring. She hated being protected from things she had a right to know. “Inside.
” Garrett muttered, grabbing the strap of her canvas bag and gently [music] but unyieldingly steering her toward the side exit of the building. “We’re going to the house.” “Logan, tell coach I went to check on my truck.” The ride to the hockey house in Garrett’s truck [music] was thick with an unyielding silence. Hannah sat against the passenger door, [music] staring out the window at the bustling Brier campus.
Students were walking in groups, leaves rustling in the crisp afternoon wind. The university alive and entirely unaware of the silent [music] war happening inside the cab of the truck. Garrett kept both hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. [music] Every time he shifted gears, his arm brushed against her knee, a lingering, frustrating reminder of how completely her space was occupied by him.
The moment Garrett unlocked the front door of the hockey house, the chaotic reality of their social circle exploded into view. Dean Di Laurentis was pacing the living room floor, >> [music] >> a red plastic cup in one hand and his phone in the other. Ali Hayes was sitting on the edge of the leather sofa, >> [music] >> her face flushed with energetic anger.
Her boots tapping a frantic rhythm against the hardwood. “Oh, great, the captain has arrived.” Dean announced loudly, gesturing wildly with his cup. “Look, Gary, I didn’t mean to tell the freshmen. It slipped out. [music] You know how my mouth has a direct neurological bypass from my brain.” “Dean, shut up.
” Ali snapped, jumping to her feet. She marched straight up to Hannah, ignoring Garrett entirely. “Hannah, don’t let him lie to you. He’s been covering for someone for 3 days and it’s about to blow up the entire [music] weekend.” “Will someone start speaking English?” Hannah demanded, throwing her bag onto the kitchen counter.
She looked at Garrett, who had closed the front door and was now leaning against it. His expression a cold, unreadable mask. What video [music] logs? What trainer’s room? The next text changed everything, Dean muttered, staring down at his phone as it chimed. He looked up at Garrett, [music] his charming grin completely replaced by a look of genuine panic.
Uh, Garrett, the athletic board just sent out a blast email [music] to the team roster. They didn’t find a thief on the security tapes. They found a schedule. Logan walked into the kitchen from [music] the back entrance, having jogged over from the quad. He looked directly at Hannah. It was the room allocation ledger for the private practice [music] rink, Hannah.
Someone manually changed the weekend reservations so the music department could have the acoustic isolation seals from the athletic annex. Hannah felt the air leave her lungs. The acoustic isolation seals were the high-tech sound dampening panels her department had been begging for to finalize [music] the winter showcase recordings.
The athletic department had bought them for the players’ post-game media rooms, and the music finals had been stalled because they couldn’t get studio space. She turned her head slowly to look at Garrett. [music] His eyes were fixed on the floor, his jaw clenching and unclenching. You broke into the athletic storage room, Hannah whispered, the realization hitting her like a physical blow.
[music] You altered the compliance ledger so my department could get the gear. I didn’t break anything, Wells, Garrett said, his voice deceptively calm as he finally lifted his eyes to hers. >> [music] >> I have a master key as captain. I just borrowed the equipment ahead of the official allocation [music] date. Because you knew they were going to deny the music department’s request on Friday, Ally pushed forward, her fearless honesty cutting through the room.
Hannah, Garrett knew the athletic board was going to reject your fellowship [music] studio application tomorrow morning. He did this so you’d have the panels already installed before the board could say no. He wanted to give you a done deal. Hannah sat down heavily on one of the bar stools. Her mind raced, a million questions spinning through her brain.
Each answer only creating a more devastating complication. If the board catches you altering the allocation schedules, Garrett, Hannah said, her voice shaking slightly despite her best efforts. That’s an institutional violation. >> [music] >> You could be suspended for the first game of the qualifiers. They won’t suspend me, Garrett said stubbornly, stepping away from the door and walking into the kitchen [music] space.
He ignored Dean, Logan, and Ally entirely, his focus narrowing down until the rest of the room faded into background [music] noise. He stopped right in front of her bar stool, his massive frame looming over her, but his eyes were filled with a raw, guarded vulnerability that made her throat tighten. And even if they do, Tucker can handle the first line.
Are you insane? Hannah challenged, her sarcasm completely failing her as her protective walls crumbled. She stood up, her chest nearly [music] touching his jacket as she glared up at him. You’ve worked your entire life for this season, Garrett. You don’t throw away a qualifier game for a bunch of soundproofing panels for my music finals.
It’s not just a bunch of panels, Hannah, Garrett growled, his voice dropping to that rough, intimate register that always made her knees weak. He reached out, >> [music] >> his long fingers catching a stray lock of her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her jawline, the warmth [music] of his skin sending a flush across her cheeks.
It’s your fellowship. I watch you stay up until dawn rewriting [music] scores until your eyes are bloodshot. You think I’m going to sit back and let some bureaucratic suit in the athletic office ruin your shot at the Boston fellowship just [music] because they want a quieter media room? Not happening. Nobody at Brier knew the full story of how fiercely possessive Garrett Graham [music] could get when it came to the people he considered his, but Hannah was learning the full, terrifying extent of it right [music] now.
I don’t need you to play the hero, Garrett.” She whispered, her eyes searching his gray ones, her heart aching [music] with a dangerous mix of fear and overwhelming affection. “I’m independent. I handle my own problems.” “I know you do.” He murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against the edge of her lower [music] lip.
An accidental, devastatingly sweet touch that made her breath hitch. “But you don’t have to handle them alone. That’s the point.” “Oh god, the romantic tension is making my teeth hurt.” Dean broke in loudly, throwing his arms up in the air. “Look, this is beautiful, truly book talk worthy, but we still have a massive problem.
[music] The athletic board is meeting at 5:00 p.m. That’s in 20 minutes.” Logan cleared his throat, adjusting [music] his cap. “Dean’s right. Garrett, if coach signs off on the violation report before you [music] talk to him, it goes straight to the Dean of Students. Then it’s an official record. What happened next made everything worse.
” Alli said, pointing at the kitchen counter where Hannah’s phone was currently vibrating again. Hannah reached back, picking up the device. It wasn’t a text this time. It was an email notification from the Briar [music] Music Department Chair. She opened it, her eyes widening as she read the lines text. “Dear Ms.
Wells, due to an unexpected administrative intervention from the athletic department captain, your requested studio isolation gear has been delivered to the practice annex. However, we have been informed that unless Captain Graham confirms the official joint department signature by 5:00 p.m. [music] today, the gear will be recalled and an academic inquiry will be opened regarding the scheduling conflict.
” Hannah looked at Garrett. “They’re giving you an out. If you go sign the joint department signature, [music] it legitimizes the transfer. It turns it into an official collaboration instead of an unauthorized entry. But that’s the catch.” Logan said, stepping closer to read over her shoulder.
“A joint department signature requires the captain to personally vouch that the equipment is being used for an athletic sponsored cultural project. Garrett would have to officially sponsor the music showcase as part of the hockey team’s community outreach profile. Dean let out a low whistle. Sponsor an arts project? [music] Garrett, the guys on the team are going to roast you alive.
The freshman think the symphony is a type of car. Garrett didn’t care about the team’s teasing. He didn’t care about the board. His eyes were locked on Hannah’s face watching the silent [music] calculation happening behind her intelligent gaze. If you sign that, Garrett, Hannah said softly, her voice filled with an awkward heavy proximity [music] as she stepped back into his face.
Her hand rising to rest flat against his chest right over his heartbeat. It was steady, strong, and incredibly fast. You’re tying your captaincy to my final grade. If I fail or if the showcase doesn’t meet the compliance standard, [music] your name is on the academic waiver. You risk your eligibility for the winter finals. Garrett didn’t hesitate.
He reached down, his large hand wrapping around hers where it rested on his chest, pressing her palm firmly against his heart. Then don’t fail, Wells, >> [music] >> he said simply. It wasn’t a grand cheesy speech. It was Garrett, confident, competitive, and completely unyielding in his belief in her. Hannah stared at him, the sarcasm completely draining out of her, replaced by a raw overwhelming vulnerability that left her exposed.
She wanted to tease him, to find some witty comeback to shield herself sheer depth of what his actions [music] meant, but looking into his fierce gray eyes, she knew there was no hiding anymore. I won’t, she whispered. Garrett let out a low breath, his thumb caressing the back of her hand one last time before he let go.
He pulled his truck keys out of his pocket, turning to Logan and Dean. Logan, call coach and tell him I’m on my way to the office with the joint waiver, Garrett commanded, his captain [music] persona snapping back into place instantly. Dean, if you breathe a word of this to the sports bloggers, I’m using your hair wax to grease my skates.
My lips are a vault, Captain, Dean said, making a pulling a zipper motion across his mouth. 5 minutes later, the house was quiet again. Logan and Dean had gone to the rink to run interference, and Ali had left to grab copies of the music department’s initial requisition forms to help with the paperwork. Hannah was left standing in the quiet kitchen, >> [music] >> the late afternoon sun fading into a cool twilight.
She walked over to the counter, picked [music] up her phone, and opened her message thread with Garrett. The accidental text she had sent him was still [music] sitting there at the top of the screen. I can’t go. He’s driving me crazy, and if we spend 48 hours alone in a confined space, I’m going to end up doing something completely [music] reckless.
I need to keep my distance before I lose my mind. She looked at his reply from earlier. Who is driving you crazy, Wells? And why are you trying to keep your distance? A faint lingering smile [music] touched her lips. She finally understood the full reality of her own words. She wasn’t trying to keep her distance from Dean.
She was trying [music] to keep her distance from Garrett because every time he did something like this, every time he [music] risked his own world just to secure a piece of hers, she felt herself slipping deeper into [music] something she couldn’t control, something reckless. She sat down on the sofa, pulling her legs up under her chin, finally letting the tension of the afternoon melt away.
Garrett [music] was handling the board. The showcase was safe. They were going to be okay. Then her phone buzzed violently in her lap. It wasn’t an email. [music] It was a text notification from an unlisted number with a Boston area code. Hannah opened the message, her breath catching in her throat as she read the single line of text.
The message read, “Nice move with the athletic waiver, Wells. Your captain just signed his name to the music annex files, which means he officially owns the scheduling [music] rights for your showcase venue next month. Too bad he didn’t check the calendar before he signed. The Harvard hockey team just booked the stadium right next to your auditorium for the entire weekend of your final performance. See you soon.
Hannah stared at the screen, her heart dropping into her stomach as the small social cliffhanger [music] unfurled before her. The second text wasn’t meant to be a threat, but the new problem had already arrived. And Garrett hadn’t even left the athletic office yet.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
