#SoCal Hockey

[dhart4214]

SO CAL HOCKEY: A Midseason Look at the Kings & the Ducks

A King and a Duck in action at the Honda Center. Photo courtesy of nhl.com OUR ANNUAL LOOK AT SO CAL’S TWO HOCKEY TEAMS AND HOW THEY’RE DOING THIS SEASON (Sorry it’s a little late) LOS ANGELES KINGS Current Record: 29-17-7, 65 points Third place in the NHL Western Conference’s Pacific Division 4-4-2 in their last ten games Last Game: Lost to the Anaheim Ducks, 2-1 (overtime shootout), on…

[mecachrome]

oscar vs. golf ⛳️🚫

[knitpurlgoal]

Ok wait the insta story of Klim and Asky on the beach in Santa Cruz - do you think that was another “oh I don’t know anything about California” moment?

Bc I remember going to college with someone from the east coast, trying to explain that the beaches in NorCal are cold and no you DONT want to go skinny dipping at midnight. (California beaches are warm and the water is great and there’s hot surfers everywhere. Apparently)

[lovevalley45]

maple hills books make me have to suspend so much disbelief in believing every UC in southern california has a hockey team

[grabasshernandez]

I'm gonna have to be the bitch that sits down and writes the crackfic about Anaheim Ducks rookies getting bait and switched into the vortex that is LA traffic because they saw it was 30 miles from Anaheim and thought "fun night out!" instead of "inescapable hell plane" bc damn nobody in the hockey fandom understands the anatomy of Southern California.

What should be a 45 minute drive morphs into a 6 hour round trip in the blink of an eye around here.

[samanthasgone]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LA Kings (@lakings)

Bittersweet. Between mixed feelings of how cool that Pierre-Luc Dubois is with the Kings for 8 years but traded Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi and Rusmus Kupari which is sort of a shocker.

[nhlclover]

SKATING LESSONS WILL SMITH

— event masterlist !

pairing: fem!reader x will smith

summary: growing up in california, hockey and skating was not something you came by often. now, dating will, he decides to bring it in to your life and teach you to skate

warnings: an appearance from macklin, descriptions of reader being born in socal

wc: 1.27k

notes: third fic in my twelve days of christmas celebration! despite being born and raised in canada i am a god awful skater.

The crisp cold air prickled against your nose the moment you stepped into the SAP Center, a world utterly foreign to you. Growing up in sunny California, your life had revolved around beaches, sun-kissed boardwalks, and the lazy rhythm of waves lapping against the shore. Skating had been something you’d only ever seen in movies — elegant and effortless. And hockey? That was a mystery, a sport that belonged to distant snowy places you never thought about.

But here you were, bundled up in a long puffer jacket, watching as players and their families swirled around the rink. The air buzzed with laughter and chatter, children weaving between the adults with fearless abandon, while you hovered on the edge, your heart pounding against your ribs.

Will watched as your eyes darted around the rink, clearly nervous about skating for the first time. “Hey,” he said softly, pulling your gaze away from the ice. “Come sit, I’ll help you with your skates.”

You perched nervously on the bench, your legs bouncing slightly as Will crouched in front of you, guiding your foot into the skate. His fingers worked expertly, threading the laces through each eyelet, tugging them tight but not too tight.

“Okay,” he said, glancing up at you as he tied the knot. “First rule of skating: trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

You tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. “Easier said than done. What if I fall? Or take someone else out? Or—”

“Hey.” His voice was low, soothing, and when his eyes met yours, the chaos of the rink seemed to fade for a moment. “You’re not gonna fall. And if you do, guess what? I’ll be right there to catch you. Or at least to laugh with you about it.”

That earned a small laugh, and you felt some of the tension in your shoulders ease.

Will finished tying your skate and patted your knee. “There. All set. You’re officially ready to hit the ice.”

You glanced warily at the rink, where a group of kids zipped past, giggling. “I don’t know if I can do this, Will…”

Will stood up, holding out his hand with an encouraging smile. “You can. And you’re not doing it alone. Come on, take it one step at a time.”

Reluctantly, you placed your hand in his, the warmth of his grip steadying you as you stood on the thick rubber mats that led to the rink. The skates felt alien beneath your feet, your ankles wobbling with each step. Will stayed close, his other hand at your elbow as he guided you to the edge of the ice.

“Okay, deep breath,” he said, stepping onto the ice first with practiced ease. His movements were fluid, as if the rink was his second home. He turned to you, his hand still extended. “One foot, then the other. You’ve got this.”

You hesitated, staring at the shimmering ice that stretched out endlessly in front of you. Your stomach twisted, and for a second, you thought about bolting back to the bench. But then you saw Will’s expression — patient, reassuring, and full of quiet confidence in you.

With a shaky inhale, you stepped onto the ice. The blade slipped slightly beneath you, and you clutched his hand like a lifeline.

“See? Not so bad,” he said with a grin, steadying you with both hands now. “Just keep your knees bent a little, and don’t lock them. That’ll help you balance.”

You nodded, still gripping his hands tightly as he led you forward. Your steps were cautious and slow, more like a shuffle than actual skating. Every few seconds, your skates would slide unpredictably, and you’d let out a startled squeak, causing Will to chuckle.

“Relax,” he murmured, his voice like a warm anchor in the chaos of your mind. “You’re doing great. Just focus on me, okay?”

Little by little, you started to find a rhythm. Will kept his movements slow and steady, walking backward as he guided you further out onto the ice. The sound of blades cutting through the ice and the laughter of others faded into the background.

“Okay, I’m gonna let go now,” Will said, stopping in the middle of the rink.

“What? No!” Your voice rose in panic, and your grip on his hands tightened.

“You’ve got this,” he reassured, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Trust me.”

Before you could protest further, he gently released your hands and skated a few feet away.

The moment he let go, you wobbled, your arms flailing as you tried to keep your balance. Your heart pounded as you felt the unsteady glide of the skates beneath you. “Will!”

“You’re doing it!” he called, his smile wide and proud.

You blinked, realizing you were still upright, albeit wobbling like a newborn fawn. Tentatively, you pushed one foot forward, then the other. The movement was slow and uncoordinated, but it was progress. A thrill of accomplishment surged through you.

“I’m skating!” you said, half-laughing, half-disbelieving.

“Damn right you are,” Will said, skating backward to stay close, ready to catch you if needed.

Just as you were starting to feel proud of yourself, a blur of motion zipped by, and you heard a familiar voice call out, “Looking good out there, Bambi!” Macklin skated right past you, a smirk plastered on his face. 

“Bambi?” you echoed, glaring at him as he sped off.

Will was at your side in an instant, laughing. “Ignore him. He’s just jealous you’re picking it up so quickly.”

“I doubt that,” you said, your lips twitching into a grin despite yourself.

Macklin looped back around, throwing in a dramatic spin before skating off again. “Just don’t take out any kids, okay?” he called over his shoulder.

“Push me in his direction, I’m gonna fall on him and take him out.” you said, eyes narrowing on his speedy figure as he skated away.

Will burst out laughing, holding onto your waist to keep you from actually launching yourself in Macklin's direction.  “Not today, Bambi. Let’s stick to standing and skating for now.”

You grumbled something under your breath that Will couldn’t quite make out, but couldn’t stop smiling as Will guided you into another slow lap around the rink. He kept a hand on your back this time, steady and reassuring, while the other waved dramatically at Macklin as if to warn him to keep his distance.

You continued to focus on keeping your balance. The sensation of skating was still foreign, every movement precarious, but you were starting to feel a little braver. Your legs shook less with each stride, and you managed to glance around, taking in the rink without feeling overwhelmed.

By the time you stepped off the ice, your legs were like jelly, and your cheeks ached from smiling so much. As you sank onto the bench, putting your feet in Will’s lap so he could help you take off your skates, you couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t believe I actually did that.”

Will plopped down beside you, his own skates still on. “I told you you could. And you didn’t even fall once. That’s impressive.”

“What can I say, I’m a natural.” you shrugged.

Will smirked, tugging your skate off and setting it aside. “A natural, huh? Should I sign you up for the next practice? You and Macklin can battle for ice time.”

You rolled your eyes, playfully nudging his shoulder. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But… I think I could get used to this.”

His grin softened, his hand brushing yours. “Good. Because I like having you out there with me.”

[luke-hughes43]

i can fix him (no really i can) | trevor zegras x reader

this is based on the taylor swift song 'i can fix him (no really i can)' for the era's tour fic challenge masterlist put on by the lovely @comphy-and-cozy and @wyattjohnston !

explicitly and loosely based on the lyrics of 'they shake their heads saying, "God help her", when I tell them he's my man, but your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger, I can fix him, no, really I can, and only I can' as well as the very last lyric of 'woad maybe i can't'

it is sad and angsty at the end and i'm sorry.

enjoy!

~

y'n's pov

growing up in toronto, hockey is everything. and having an older brother and friends who played the sport teach you the ins and outs of the hockey worlds.

even the not so glamorous part of their off ice behaviors and dating habits. well 'lack there of' dating habits.

that led me to my rule of 'no dating hockey players' that i stuck with for 24 years. until one fateful january night at a bar in nashville led me to spending most of the season in southern california cheering for the anahiem ducks.

somehow, i ended up meeting none other than trevor zegras. and exchanged numbers with him.

i had explained my 'no dating hockey players' rule to him and he ignored it. and wouldn't leave until he got my number. so i gave it to him. against my better judgement.

after 5 months of him persistently texting me and asking me on a date, i finally caved. deciding that if he's willing to spend 5 months chasing after me then maybe he's different than most hockey players. my brother and everyone warned me about him when they found out. saying, "zegras is known for having multiple girls in all 32 cities. just be careful."

i choose to ignore them because he's never given me a reason not to. towards the end of the off season, he asked me to go to michigan with him so that i could meet his friends. meeting his friends, a month into actually dating felt really fast. he had only met one of my friends up until then and that's because she came over and woke us up after he accidentally spent the night.

i agree to going to michigan with him to meet his friends because he was so happy and excited about it and i wasn't going to deny him of that joy. he's too cute to be sad over something like that.

however, being in michigan was weird.

it felt like his friends were walking on eggshells around me. afraid of saying the wrong thing to me. especially after finding out my brother plays in the league.

late one night as i'm heading up to bed i hear two of trevor's friends, jack and cole, talking about us. well more specifically me.

"god help y/n. dating trevor is not an easy feat and i hope she knows what's she's getting into." i hear from cole. and then i hear jack respond, "yea. like i love z don't get me wrong but he's a handful. there's a reason that he hasn't had a serious girl since high school. he's enjoying the pro life."

"like you?" cole comments to jack. jack just laughs him off and says, "he seems to really like her so maybe she's the one to really get him to grow up."

"one can only hope hughesy. i like her too, so hopefully she is the one to fix him." cole says.

i just go up to bed at that and crawl into bed. where trevor is already sleeping. he must've felt me get into bed because he's immediately pulling me close to him and cuddling into me, moving his head to my chest. i smile and thread my fingers through his dirty blonde hair.

i think to myself, "i can fix you trev, i really i can."

i let myself drift off into a much needed sleep and leave that conversation in the back of my head. for months actually.

flash forward to know. i have spent most of the season in SoCal with trevor because he asked me to. and i've grown a lot closer to his friends, considering them my friends now.

trevor just recently got hurt and is on crutches and is struggling. i'm doing my best to help him but he's not very receptive right now so i'm also trying to give him space. i get a text from jack and cole the day after it happens in a group chat that the 3 of us have.

jack hows trev?

cole he whining?

no not yet.

jack surprising.

cole you doing ok? i know he's a lot.

i'm doing good. and he's fine, not whining just needy lol😝

jack that's our trev

cole be nice to him pls y/n. he really likes you.

i will cole. promise. i can fix him, really i can

both boys like my message and i get back to caring for my extremely needy boyfriend.

fast forward to the break for 4 Nations and trev and i had plans to go on a trip together. just us, for the first time. but 3 days before we were set to leave, he says, "hey baby, i have to head back to new york for some family thing but i'm gonna meet you in *insert random place for their vacation* i'm sorry."

"it's ok trev. family's important i get it. i'll see you there." i say with a smile and kiss him softly.

it kinda sucks not flying there with him but i'll live. i get 5 uninterrupted days with my boyfriend for the first time since we started dating so i've decided not to be picky about it.

the day of my flight, i get to the airport and arrive at our hotel and check in. i knew trevor would be getting in after me since he's coming on a different so i decided to take a nap until he got here.

however, when i woke up, he still wasn't here. i check my phone and there's no messages from him whatsoever. and i go to check his location and it's off. which could be from him flying. i check his flight info to see if it was delayed and it wasn't, it had landed two hours ago. so where is my boyfriend?

i go to text him when i see a text from jack and cole.

jack i'm so sorry y/n

cole he's an asshole. and doesn't deserve.

what's going on? where's trevor?

jack you haven't seen?

obviously not jack if i'm asking where he is

cole y/n, he's in new york city. he was spotted leaving a club last night with some girl on his arm.

what are you guys talking about?

jack *insert article* jack read it. we're so sorry.

what the hell is this?

cole trevor being a fucking idiot.

jack i already called him and bitched him out.

i thought i could fix him. i had heard the rumors but i tried not to believe him because he never gave me a reason to. what am i supposed to do now? i'm literally in *insert vacation plan* and he was supposed to be here too. now what do i do?

cole i'm on the next flight there. don't leave. i'm not gonna let trevor ruin your trip by being an asshole. just because he's our friend, doesn't mean we're gonna stop being your friend over his stupidity.

you don't have to do that cole. i'll be ok

cole too late. already on the way to the airport.

jack if i wasn't at 4 nations, i'd be coming too. jack we thought you could fix him too y/n jack i guess no one can.

i close my phone and wipe the tears that we're streaming down my face. my brother had texted after seeing the article and i don't have the heart to look at it.

looks i can't fix trevor zegras. i guess no one can.

[imaginesig]

Masterlist

@imaginesig

All SMAU

Hockey

Quinn Hughes

Father day posts verstappen!reader’s inner child is healed by her boyfriends dad

F1

Oscar Piastri

Dancing under the lights ballerina reader and her f1 boyfriend

"Hang on now, Joseph, You'll make it someday" childhood best friends to lovers

Lewis Hamilton

“If they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once” pop-star reader speaks out against hate over her relationship

“Can someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived” Pop-star Y/n and her long term relationship with Lewis Hamilton ends and silence is broken

"Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I'm the one to beat" what happened between the releases of TTPD, pt2 to "Can someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived"

Logan Sargent

The Y/l's Y/n and her husband get the Issac Kutch treatment

Yuki Tsunoda

Sweet Summer Hughes!Reader plays professional hockey and a certain f1 driver is taken with her

F2

Kimi Antonelli

"I was enchanted to meet you" Kimi and Lando's little sister have a secret relationship and their soft launch doesn't go as planned, SMAU with writing

“I had the best day with you today” a short fic based on the previous Kimi smau where they get invited to the Eras Tour

"Private But Not Secret" Kimi's girlfriend is a vet student who tries to keep away from public eye, but that doesn't mean she's hidden

Ollie Bearman

You Would've Done It Too We all know Mad Max, but what if his younger sister is worse? And what if her on track enemy isn’t always that?

A Bear and a Gorgeous Girl with a new wave of fame how will rockstar Y/n’a fans react to the side her of posted by her boyfriend

Paul Aron

"I think he knows... he's gorgeous" Paul and his singer s/o, inspired by Taylors mashup

Documenting A Proposal Leclerc!Reader is getting engaged; she doesnt know, but her brothers girlfriend does

Paris 2024 What does the journey to a gold medal look like for Paul Aron's gf?

Arthur Leclerc

Left My Heart in SoCal can a driver from Europe and an American surfer end up together?

Zak O'Sullivan

"He laughs at all my jokes / And he says I'm so American" Logan Sargents grid kid is an american menace to the grid, her British bf included

Indycar

Pato O'Ward

Blue + Papaya an f1 and indycar driver go on a social media brake

NFL

Joe Burrow

"Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I'm the one to beat" what happened between the releases of TTPD, pt2 to "Can someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived"

Actors

Xolo Maridueña

Nepo Baby Xolo Mariduena and Ralph Macchio's daughter seem to have more than a friendship going

Nicholas Hoult

I'd Have 2 Nickels The release of Nosferatu compliments Nick's wife's own film perfectly, as does the couple. SMAU Blurb

Today, Tomorrow, Forever When they meet on Skins, Yn and Nick weren’t exactly a love at first sight story but they get there eventually SMAU with written bits and interview clips

Bill Skarsgård

Couple of the Year Bill’s wife had an unexpected reaction to his transformation as Count Orlok in their new film Nosferatu. SMAU using interview clips and Twitter

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

In Every Realm Aaron's wife is a big name in Hollywood: Lily-Rose Depp's favorite cousin and Robert Egger's muse. What a time she has filming "Nosferatu"

[mecachrome]

#although still find it hysterical that lando didn't go back with him after spa because he was off golfing with ANZE KOPITAR ????????

okay i'm gonna need everyone to stop off handedly mentioning some of the craziest fucking lore i've ever heard in the tags AND EXPAND ON THINGS 'cause do you mean lando went golfing WITH ANZE KOPITAR????????? i legit had to google who he was 'cause i thought i was going crazy!! like. no way you meant THAT kopitar. the captain of the los angeles kings kopitar. used to play for södertälje kopitar. but yes. you did. 😭😭😭😭

HLSKDFHLH he was with mclaren hospitality at spa and then flew out with zbrown and lando after 😭 it's because zak brown is from socal and a huge kings/hockey fan but it's still like wtf is going on... crying at u pulling out the shl receipts tho

[knitpurlgoal]

i hope we get a classic trevor zegras yelling the fuck word moment. hes really at his most attractive when hes been stymied

[lovevalley45]

my hater attitude leeches its way into my worldbuilding for power payback,,, bright city is v much inspired by las vegas n i realized i did give bright city a hockey team but never a football team and thats bc i’m personally spiteful about the raiders leaving oakland for las vegas

[1-800-iluvhockey]

maria - mason mctavish (instagram edit)

mason mctavish! x (model) mariduena sister

based on the song maria maria by santana

the song has been all of my fyp on tiktok so this is how I’m getting it out of my brain 🌙🌞

—————-

liked by @/ trevorzegras, lhughes_06, peytonlist & 376,628 others

maria.mariduena yoy soy maria 🌅

📍LA

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peytonlist holyyyyy 😍😍

masonmctavish maria maria 😫 will you be my maria?

trevorzegras ewwww mac @/jamie.drysdale 🤭

↳ maria.mariduena hello hockey boys🤨. @/masonmctavish, trevorzegras 🦆

xolo_mariduena okay sis 🫣

oliviarodrigo 🤤🤤

thejacobbertrand uh who took this‼️

↳ maria.mariduena no one you know😏

imgmodels gorgeous 🐚

gigi.hadid so stunning 😫

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—————

liked by @/ anaheimducks, trevorzegras, maria.mariduena & 20,920 others

masonmctavish living the life just like a movie star🤩

tagged @/ trevorzegras

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jamie.drysdale taking W's after W's

trevorzegras W and A GIRL? W RIZZ???

maria.mariduena go ducks, eh?

↳ masonmctavish ANA > LA @/maria.mariduena 😏

griffinzegras buddy is no longer a pre teen and doesn’t know how to act 🤥

kent.johnson13 ^^

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—————

liked by @/ masonmctavish, imgmodels, _alexturcotte & 361,782 others

maria.mariduena date night with mi amor 💌

📍SOCAL

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xolo.mariduena NO WAY

bellahadid mr. man🤭

thejacobbertrand THE BOAT??

oliviarodrigo lucky guy to get my best friend 🤩🤩

peytonlist I know who he isssss 🫣🫣

masonmctavish 🧩

trevorzegras no shot 😫

jamie.drysdale @/_alexturcotte 💸💸

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—————

liked by @/ xolo.mariduena, _connorbedard, kentjohnson.13 & 12,737 others

masonmctavish oh maria, my maria 🌞

📍anaheim, ca

tagged @/ maria.mariduena

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maria.mariduena fell in love on the west coast 💌

xolo.mariduena OH MY GOD

trevorzegras MC HAS RIZZ??

↳ maria.mariduena he has had me for 6 months now so, yes

jamie.drysdale pay up @/_alexturcotte 🤩

maria.mariduena @/_alexturcotte i can’t believe you 😭

peytonlist knew that you weren’t going to the ducks games weren’t just for your friend 🤭

↳ maria.mariduena I am! his name is jamie :) but now I don’t have to wear my secret #37 jersey when I go ….. because #37 is MINE 🤤

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—————

liked by @/ anaheimducks, tterry19, gigi.hadid & 338,737 others 

maria.mariduena my man my man 🖤

📍anaheim, ca

tagged @/ masonmctavish 

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masonmctavish mm + mm ❤️‍🔥

↳ maria.mariduena loverrrrr 🌙

xolo. mariduena I’m still in denial that you’re dating a canadian hockey player tbh 

thejacobbertrand no same but he is cool 

↳ trevorzegras @/thejacobbertrand WHAT you think he is cool??? he is MASON 

peytonlist @/trevorzegras has his ego blown again, ladies and gentlemen 

↳ maria.mariduena he gets his ego crushed every time we play monopoly tbh so it’s not surprising ^^ 

jamie.drysdale @/masonmctavish your girl is my best friend for a reason ^^^^^ and this comment is proving it. 🫡

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[skullbonez]

Have any plans to come to SoCal?

Yep just looking for a house in San Diego to move to and waiting til I get my nose fixed and the hockey season is over

[xiaq]

where in california is jo from? is she a norcal or socal girlie?

She's from LA and when she met Jeff the only exposure she'd had to hockey was a couple Kings games she'd attended. He was, obviously, very offended by this knowledge and insisted (during their first drunken meeting) that he get her tickets to see a "good team" play [his team]. It was definitely not a way to ensure he might impress her and potentially see her again. It was just for hockey reasons. For her sports education, see.

[drabblemesilly]

Jason Robertson #1

Requested by Anon: can you please write one about jason robertson seeing his ex and maybe inviting her to a game? something like that? thank you!!!! i am glad you are back!

*Hiiii!! Something quick and all smiles. Hope you enjoy and thank you for welcoming me back! :) For some reason, I think I saw somewhere that he doesn't drink coffee so if he really doesn't, I took some liberties here. Hooray for my favorite half Filo baby.*

Word count: 942

The coffee’s getting cold. Okay fine, it doesn’t really matter because coffee is coffee but you’ve been staring at it for almost ten minutes now. Not that you’re counting or whatever. Because you’re not. Really, you’re not.

And you ordering your ex’s favorite coffee the moment you stepped inside his favorite mom and pop shop was just muscle memory. You don’t miss him. Sometimes yes, you fantasize about him but that’s just because he has a nice butt. And abs, oh the abs, and okay maybe he also has a pretty face. But there’s a reason Jason Robertson is lodged well into the past.

Chapter closed.

Right.

You don’t miss him. He’s just in your mind a lot lately. The season has started back up and he’s on the news, is all. You hate the Dallas Stars. Forget that you’ve been a fan since Jason Spezza got traded to the team, you hate the Stars. Maybe if you repeat it a million times, you’ll finally believe it.

Distantly, you hear the bell above the door ring, signaling the entrance of another person. Another person who would need a table. A table you’re occupying while you’re staring at the coffee you neither like nor hate but already spent almost four dollars for.

Maybe if you paid less attention to the coffee and more to your surroundings, you’d notice the silence that fell over the shop when the person entered. Or how the kid to your left almost leaped from his chair to loudly whisper to his mom. But you were still busy staring at the coffee.

Not until an identical mug was put on your table.

“Oh,” you started, “I’m still occupying this –” you looked up and almost keeled over.

Ladies and gentlemen, SoCal baby and American superstar, Jason Roberston.

“How do you look like a fifteen year old playing dress up?” you groaned, gesturing to his suit-clad body as he sat across from you.

A corner of his lip lifted, “I miss you too.”

“I don’t,” you lied. Or not lie. You don’t miss him, whatever, “you know what?” you pushed your coffee towards him, “I’m actually glad you’re here, I ordered your coffee mistakenly.”

“Milk with a dash of coffee,” he corrected, tapping a finger on the mug, “that’s what you always said. Basically a hot milkshake.”

You scoffed, “don’t you have a game to get to?” you eyed his tie, a navy one with rainbow-colored ducks. Jesus F. this guy will be the death of you. 

“I have time,” he shrugged, “I also have one extra pass if you want to go?” He looked hopeful.

If you faked annoyance enough, maybe he’ll leave. If you’re being honest, you and Jason ended in good terms. Heck, you’d even go as far as call yourselves friends. It’s been four months since you broke up and you haven’t seen him since. People speculated, he’s famous enough now that puck bunnies talk about him, but it really just came down to your busy schedules. It didn’t mean you loved him any less.

“I’m good,” you finally gave him a small smile, the familiarity of game day last minute coffees making you a little uncomfortable, “haven’t seen you in months.”

He nodded, “yeah, what with summer camp and all.”

“Hmm,” you nodded, eyeing his too-long hair, “your stats are looking good.”

He leaned back on his chair, a stupid grin plastered on his face, “thank you very much, stalker.”

You scoffed, “you’re all over hockey news,” you said semi-defensively. Maybe you’ve been stalking him but you’re not gonna tell him that, “get over yourself.”

Hands crossed now and with a playful glint in his eye, he added, “hey, I’m not the one ordering my ex’s coffee,” his eyebrows raised, “but seriously, it’s early in the season so who’s to say.”

“I heard you’re breaking team records left and right.”

“Records schmecords,” he laughed, taking a sip from his mug before setting it back down, “you look good.”

That’s surprising. Judging that you had sweats and, to be frank, old underwear and an unwashed bra underneath the ratty shirt, you’d say you didn’t look anywhere near good.

“Lies,” you laughed, you pointed at his tie, “at least one of us looks like they showered today.”

An eyebrow raised, “can I tell you a secret?”

“What?”

“I didn’t,” Jason whispered, leaning over the table.

“Didn’t?”

“Didn’t shower,” he chuckled, “even after morning skate.”

“Gross,” you laughed, flicking a balled up napkin his way, “you’re gross.”

He laughed at that, settling back on his chair, looking at you. You probably looked like a pair of teenagers on their first date, smiling at each other, and looking like fools: just staring and smiling. It depends on the day, you know. Sometimes you wake up and all is well in the world – clothes are dry, the weather’s warm, everything perfect and then there are some days, days like today, where you just want to order his coffee and remind yourself that he’s real. That he happened to you.

Of all the women in the world, and there definitely are better women out there, once upon a time, Jason Roberston chose you. That’s nice.

He still had the ghost of a smile on his face when he asked again, “game?”

Breaking your thoughts, you can only answer him with a dumb, “huh?”

He repeated, “come watch the game?”

“Looking like this?” 

“You have time,” he smirked, “so what do you say?” he gave your mug another tap, “for old times’ sake?”

How could you say no to that?”

“Okay,” you nodded, feeling another smile coming through, “for old times’ sake.”