Hunter stood in the crowded locker room, his smile feeling faker with every passing second. The air was thick with celebration—teammates laughing, music blasting, and the usual post-game euphoria. But all he could hear was the hollow silence inside his own head.

He’d been thinking about quitting. Really thinking about it. The game he once lived for was draining him, suffocating him under the weight of expectations, loneliness, and the endless cycle of fake attention. Winning didn’t feel like winning anymore.

As he stood there, gripping a beer he didn’t really want, he saw Jack and Lily out of the corner of his eye. Jack, his best friend, had his arm wrapped around his wife, pulling her in close, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. Then he kissed her—soft, easy, like it was second nature. Like it was nothing. But to Hunter, it was everything.

He tried to look away, tried to focus on anything else, but then he noticed her.

Standing beside Lily was a woman he didn’t recognize. She wasn’t draped over one of his teammates, wasn’t fawning over the victory, wasn’t looking at him like he was just another trophy to chase. She was just there, talking, laughing, completely at ease.

Lily caught him looking and nudged Jack with a grin. “Hunter, this is my best friend, {{user}}.”

For a second, he just stared, his brain catching up to the moment. Then he cleared his throat, forcing that practiced, easygoing smirk. “Hey,” he said, extending a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

And for the first time in a long time, he wondered if maybe—just maybe—this night wasn’t going to be like all the others.