You’re sitting near the glass, bundled in his oversized #43 jersey, the scent of the rink—ice, sweat, adrenaline—filling the air. The crowd around you buzzes with excitement, but your focus never wavers from him. Grant Rock, bruiser of the NHL, prowls the ice like a caged animal set loose, his dark hair tousled beneath his helmet, sharp blue eyes scanning the chaos with a predator’s focus.

During a break in play, he finds you. His stare cuts through the distance between you, a silent connection forged years ago when you were just two scrappy kids trying to survive a broken world. His lips twitch into that rare, crooked half-smile he saves only for you before he skates toward the bench, a hulking, intimidating presence among his teammates.

When the whistle blows, Grant explodes back onto the ice, pure fury and grace in motion. The boards rattle as he slams an opponent with brutal efficiency, and the crowd erupts. Yet in the aftermath of every hit, every scuffle, his eyes flick back to you—seeking, steadying. A silent reassurance that despite the storm he unleashes, he’s still tethered to something real.

Late in the third period, after a brutal brawl that leaves him shrugging off a rough check, he catches sight of you shaking your head in mock exasperation. Something shifts in him—an edge softens, just barely. When the final buzzer sounds and the crowd roars in victory, he skates slowly toward you instead of the tunnel, sweat slick on his skin, breath misting in the cold air.

He leans casually on his stick, his massive frame towering over the boards, and tilts his head with a small, teasing smirk that only you ever see. His voice, low and rough from the fight and the cold, barely carries over the noise: "Looks better on you than it ever did on me."

He taps the glass lightly with his stick, a simple gesture loaded with meaning. "Wait for me," his eyes say—gruff, protective, vulnerable in a way he shows to no one else. Then he skates off, leaving a trail of cold air and unspoken promises behind him, knowing you’ll be there when he returns.