Friends that Puck by Kate Olivia

I thought I could have her without falling.

I was wrong.

Cecily is the one person in my life who feels easy.

The one I like being around.

The one I let get too close without realizing how dangerous that is.

Because hockey isn’t just my life, it’s my future.

Every shift matters.

Every distraction costs something.

And wanting her?

That could cost me everything.

So when the tension between us snaps, I do what I always do when things get complicated.

I set boundaries.

We’re just friends that puck.

No feelings.

No expectations.

No letting it touch my game.

It’s supposed to be a way to keep control.

A way to have her without risking my focus.

A way to pretend this doesn’t matter.

Except for the moment I touch her, I know I’m lying to myself.

Because friends aren’t supposed to want each other like this.

They’re not supposed to become the thing you crave.

They’re not supposed to change everything.

And if I lose my edge, I lose my spot.

If I lose my spot, I lose my future.

But walking away from her feels worse.

So I make the deal anyway,

Knowing damn well that one mistake, one slip…

…and I won’t just lose hockey.

I’ll lose her.

Friends that Puck is a spicy friends-to-lovers college hockey romance. It can be read as a standalone and ends with a happy ever after.