The Boy I Don't Remember

“You can’t do this,” he said, voice cracking. “I have a scholarship. I have a team. If anyone finds out—” “I’m not here to blow up your life,” I said, holding his stare so he understood I could if I wanted to. “I’m here because the guy on that couch wasn’t pretending. He was real for three minutes.” I didn’t blink. “I want that guy. And I’m not going anywhere until I get him.” Ethan Drake is the golden boy of college hockey team—the disciplined captain, scholarship star, and future NHL prospect whose smile never slips. Behind the flawless image, though, Ethan is drowning in a secret that could cost him everything: he is gay. The only proof is a drunken kiss last summer with a boy whose face he can’t remember—until the new transfer rookie walks into the locker room with a small, unmistakable scar on his lower lip. Ares Cole is everything Ethan trained himself to ignore: tattooed, sharp-tongued, and unapologetically out. He was outed in high school, lost his scholarship, and transferred twice before landing here. Now he’s sharing Ethan’s bedroom for the season, and he’s carrying a blurry phone video from that night—one that shows Ethan’s team bag in the background. Ares has spent a year searching for the boy who kissed him like he meant it. He’s not leaving until Ethan admits the truth. Trapped between the life he built and the one he wants, Ethan is forced to choose. When Ares announces he’ll quit the team unless Ethan stops hiding, everything explodes in a raw, public confrontation in front of the entire arena. Ethan’s secret spills out—not on his terms, but on the ice where it matters most.