Shut Up and Jingle Me

A grumpy trainer. A rookie goalie. One blizzard, one bed, and way too many Christmas lights. The rookie goalie with the Christmas-movie smile was never supposed to get under my skin. He's loud, relentless, and far too good at seeing through the walls I've spent years building. I only agreed to that damn calendar shoot to shut him up. Now his laughter lives rent-free in my head. When the blizzard hit, I figured I could survive a few days of his cheer. I didn't plan on him looking at me like I was worth unwrapping. We said it was just to keep warm. Just a weekend thing. But then he keeps showing up—at the rink, in my bed, in my dreams—and suddenly I'm the one breaking all my own rules. He still believes in holiday magic. I stopped believing a long time ago. So why does he make me want to start again? Grumpy/sunshine; snowed-in; holiday fluff; hockey; forced proximity; dual POV.