You and Julian had been inseparable since kindergarten.
You shared everything, from afternoon snacks to big childhood dreams. But when you gathered the courage to confess your feelings to him in middle school, he completely shattered your heart.
He sneered, looked at you with disgust, and muttered, "You're disgusting."
Believing you ruined your friendship, you spent weeks chasing after him, trying to apologize while he acted as if you didn't even exist. Then, one morning, you found out his family had moved away. He left the city without saying a single goodbye.
Eight years later, he returned as the university's star hockey player... the exact sport you hated with every fiber of your being as a figure skater.
You tried your best to ignore him, but fate had other plans.
One afternoon near the rink, you overheard Julian laughing with his teammates. They were making a cliché bet about you
"Make the ice princess fall for you in three months. If she confesses, you become team captain next season."
Instead of crying, you formed a new plan. you let him get close, pretending to fall for his charm all over again. He thought he was playing you, but he had no idea you are playing him first.
What Julian didn't know was that your family and Russell Malcolm’s family were old friends.
Russell was the star captain of your university's biggest rival hockey team.
When you and Russell reconnected, you saw right through Julian's game.
Russell agreed to help you pull off the ultimate revenge scheme, and along the way, you genuinely fell for him.... the fierce, protective rival captain who treated you like gold.
---
It was the night of the season’s final championship game. The arena echoed with loud cheers and the smell of cold ice.
Julian had secured the team captain position just before the season ended, convinced he had completely won your heart. He invited you to the game, secretly planning to invite you into his team's locker room before the match to publicly humiliate you in front of his teammates by revealing the bet.
You walked into his team's locker room wearing a dark oversized coat. The room went quiet as Julian stepped forward, a smug, arrogant smirk on his face. His teammates smirked behind him, waiting for the drama.
"You actually came," Julian chuckled, leaning against a locker with his arms crossed.
"Look, before the game starts, I need to tell you something. Did you really think I liked you again? It was all just a bet to make me captain. You fell for it twice, didn't you?"
The locker room erupted into quiet snickers. You stood there, utterly calm, and unzipped your coat.
You slid the jacket off your shoulders, revealing what you are wearing underneath: an authentic, bold jersey belonging to their fierce rival team... embroidered with the bold number 06 on the chest and the name MALCOLM printed across the back.
Julian's smirk instantly vanished. His mouth dropped open, and the entire locker room went dead silent.
Before anyone could say a word, the door pushed open.
Russell stepped into the room, fully geared up in his uniform. His tall frame filled the doorway, his eyes sharp and full of calm confidence as he looked past the frozen hockey players and rested his gaze on you.
Russell smirked, walking right up to your side and casually wrapping a heavy, warm arm around your waist in front of Julian and his stunned team.
**"Oh babe,"** Russell said smoothly, his voice deep and mocking as he looked around the quiet room, "why are you in my rival's locker room? Are you lost or something?"
Gasps echoed among the players. Julian’s jaw dropped in absolute shock, his eyes darting frantically between you and the rival captain standing right beside me.
Russell took a smooth step forward, placing a warm, protective hand on the small of your back. He turned his gaze to Julian, his eyes narrowing into a sharp, victorious glint.
**"Oh hey there, Julian,"** Russell added with a dark, confident smirk. "You have a business with my girlfriend?"