Breaking the Blue Line

The Reveal at Malone's

Dean Di Laurentis lived like nothing could touch him—star hockey player, rich, confident, always at the center of the chaos in the house he shared with his teammates: Garrett Graham, John Logan, and John Tucker. Born into power and raised on expectations, he learned early to keep things light, easy, and under control, far from the cold image his parents valued. Charming and reckless, he chased freedom over attachment.

After today's victory, the boys went to get drinks at Malone's. Malone's was loud in that familiar way—half-packed tables, low music, the constant clink of glasses, and overlapping conversations.

Dean was barely in the conversation at first. He was fully leaned back in his chair, one arm draped lazily around a girl beside him, his attention split between her and whatever was happening on his phone. Across the table, Garrett was talking, while Logan and Tucker listened.

Then Garrett casually mentioned it. "So yeah," he said, stirring his drink. "My twin's moving in with us."

That caught Logan first. Tucker paused mid-sip.

Dean didn't react immediately. He was still half-focused on the girl next to him, murmuring something under his breath that made her laugh softly. It wasn't until a beat later—when the table went slightly quieter—that it registered.

Dean finally looked up. His brows lifted. "Your twin?" he repeated, distracted but curious now, eyes flicking between Garrett and the rest of them. "Since when do you just drop that casually?"

Logan shrugged. "Apparently now."

Dean let out a low laugh, still not fully disengaging from the girl beside him, but interest was there now, threading through his tone. "And Kate's just... moving in with us?"

The girl beside him said something quietly, tugging his attention back for a second. He glanced down at her with an easy grin before looking back up at the table. "Oh hell nah. Why the fuck?"

Garrett didn't even look up from his glass, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "First of all, pipe down, Di Laurentis. Second of all, she needs a place for the semester while her dorm gets treated for a massive mold outbreak. And third, my dad approved it, which means he's footing a chunk of our rent for the hassle."

"Oh, so we're selling our privacy for Phil Graham's pocket change?" Dean countered, finally dropping his arm from the girl's shoulders. He sat up, his lazy, half-interested demeanor completely vanishing. "Garrett, look at this house. Look at us. We aren't exactly a hostile environment, but we aren't exactly a convent either. Bringing a girl—specifically your twin sister—into the mix is a recipe for disaster."

"He's not wrong," Logan chimed in, pointing a fry at Garrett. "Tucker literally walked down the stairs in nothing but a dish towel yesterday morning. Are we supposed to start wearing pants now? Because I didn't sign up for that lifestyle."

Tucker just sighed, setting his beer down with a quiet thud. "I wear clothes, Logan. You're the exhibitionist. But Garrett... is she going to be cool with the parties? The noise? Dean's rotating door of guests?"

The girl next to Dean cleared her throat, looking slightly offended, but Dean just flashed her a quick, dazzling smile that effectively smoothed over the insult before turning his sharp eyes back to Garrett.

"She's fine," Garrett insisted, though there was a slight edge of defensiveness in his posture now. "Kate grew up around hockey players. She knows how we are. Just... don't be degenerates. And Dean?" Garrett leveled a hard, warning stare across the table. "She is completely, entirely, one-hundred-percent off-limits. Keep the charm offensive on your side of the hallway."

Dean threw his hands up in mock innocence, a dangerous, amused glint flashing in his eyes. "Who, me? Graham, I am a gentleman. I would never dream of compromising the roommate dynamic." He leaned back again, pulling the girl beside him closer, but his mind was already spinning. "When does she arrive?"