#Valpolicella Ripasso | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

couldawouldashoulda50 · 7 months ago

Text

previous Chapter here Chapter Two - word count 5.9k Notes/Warnings - 18+ only, profanity, alcohol, brief female masturbation ◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈ A few hours had passed from the time Loren and Gary left the event, to the time where Loren picked up her phone to text William. The fact she even had his number at all left her mind reeling.

He’s just a guy. Only a guy. And are we interested in guys right now? No, we are not. Loren silently reminded herself as she inhaled deeply.

Nerves shot through her stomach as she started to type a message.

Hey William, it’s Loren. Gary’s home safe and he’s resting now. Hope you have a great night!

After she pressed send, she threw her phone into her purse and tucked it away on the kitchen counter. With her shift about to end, and with the final rush of adrenaline with sending a text to “the” William Nylander, Loren’s head was beginning to pound. She took a couple of headache tablets before saying goodbye to her co-workers and the rest of the residents, hopped into her dated SUV and headed home. As a means of decompressing, the 20-minute drive was silent. No streamed music and no radio; only her recollections from that afternoon played in her mind.

Relief washed over her as she pulled into her driveway. She sat for a moment in her vehicle and stared at her house. Each time she pulled into her driveway, after every double or triple shift she worked, she felt a sense of pride and accomplishment for still being able to call this house her home. God knows she’s fought hard to keep all the bills paid and the house maintained.

After she entered and removed her boots at the door, she padded along through the open concept layout toward the kitchen. She turned on the recessed lighting above the small marble island in the kitchen. The house still smelled of fresh paint and she continued to assess the results of her long and arduous transformation from the outdated green walls to the light and breezy white walls with leaden-blue contrasts throughout.

It had taken every moment of spare time and money that she had, but shopping at stores that resold donated building supplies allowed her to stretch every dime to the maximum.

After opening a bottle of red wine gifted to her from Christmas, she absent-mindedly fished around for her phone in her purse.

The text notifications that appeared from William startled her, making her stomach twist once again.

Thanks. Glad you guys made it safely.

The next message was timestamped 20 minutes after William sent the first text.

It was great meeting you both. How are you doing?

Once Loren’s frazzled mind reassembled itself from reading William’s text, she managed to type out a response that she hoped didn’t sound as eager as she felt.

It was amazing to meet you all. I’m doing well - just really glad to be home now. How are you?

Loren cringed as she pressed send; texting one of the stars of the Maple Leafs was most definitely an unexpected turn of events.

Loren leaned against the island and took a healthy sip of wine. She leaned her head back and slowly swallowed; the tannin giving the distinct dry sensation on her tongue from the rich Valpolicella Ripasso.

She could feel the warmth of the alcohol travel from her neck into her face; a very familiar feeling given the number of times she was flushed in William’s presence earlier that day.

It wasn’t long before her glass was empty and the text conversation, if one could call it that, had completely dissipated.

It was fun while it lasted, she thought as she locked the front door and ascended the stairs to her bedroom, accompanied by another full glass of wine.

Walking into the ensuite bathroom from her bedroom, she lit candles and began to run the water for a bath. She propped up her phone on the closed toilet lid next to the tub and wandered back into her bedroom to undress.

Two more healthy pulls from her wine glass had her wishing she had just brought up the bottle, but she joked to herself that a hot bath, too much wine plus exhaustion could be a bad combination.

Walking back towards the bathtub, Loren stopped to view her naked reflection in the vanity mirror while gathering her hair into a messy bun. A smile formed on her lips as she flexed her abdomen and saw the faint outline of her core muscle groups. She twisted her waist and looked over her shoulder to see definition along her shoulders and back. Turning back around, she gently cupped her breasts and silently thanked the boob gods that they were no less droopy than when she was in her early twenties. After the end of a disastrous relationship years ago, she finally felt happy in her skin and continued to nourish her body to the best of her ability, every single day.

Loren stepped into the tub, eased herself into the almost too hot water and leaned back, flinching at the cold enamel surface when her skin pressed against it. Sitting upright again, she bent her legs and rested her chin on her warm kneecaps, waiting for the still-running water to reach the perfect level.

Wiping her hands on a nearby towel, she grabbed her phone and selected a playlist that reflects her mood.

Definitely low key. Maybe a little bit of slow R&B. Something chill. Like the Swede you met today. No - don’t think of him. Ugh….too late. Fuck. Loren scolded herself in her head.

Loren started to giggle at her own musings as she turned off the water. The wine had settled into her system, and as the music softly streamed from the speakers on her phone, she took another long sip of wine and leaned back again, letting the water’s movement rock her gently as she released her muscles into total weightlessness.

She gently placed the glass on the wider ledge beside her head and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before the feeling of being completely encompassed in warmth started to stimulate a need between Loren’s thighs. She softly smiled to herself as she allowed her fingertips to brush over her own taut nipples that were not fully covered by the water’s surface. The warmth of her wet fingers against the exposed flesh that was chilled by the air, made her skin prickle with goosebumps despite the temperature of the water.

Loren squeezed her thighs together as the pressure began to build in her core. Her hands leisurely traced an invisible path along her lower abdomen and she quickly indulged herself by running her middle finger between her folds.

As much as she tried to ban images of William’s perfect features in her mind, she gave up the fight easily and granted herself full permission to visualise his mouth pleasuring her.

“God dammit” she gasped as she inserted her middle finger from one hand into her pussy, trying to mimic the feeling of his tongue. The middle finger of her opposite hand stroked her clit as she gently bit her bottom lip.

A chime sounded and as Loren’s eyes quickly opened, a text notification appeared. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that the message was from William, a continuation from her last message.

I’m good thanks. It was a bit of a crazy afternoon for you so I wanted to see how you’re feeling?

Loren smiled at William’s thoughtfulness and for his concern.

She took a picture of her wine glass, now just half full, followed by the lit candles on the vanity and sent them to William, with the caption

“Nice and relaxed now…”.

Feeling a little cheeky, she followed her message up with:

I’ll spare you the picture of my bathtub but it’s currently part of the solution too 😉

While envisioning your mouth on my…. Loren joked to herself, but the thought was interrupted by another text notification from William.

That sounds NICE. What kind of red wine are you drinking?

Loren blanked; she knew the type but she hadn’t really looked at the label when all but downed the first glass of it as she stood in her kitchen earlier.

Some kind of Ripasso - but please don’t ask me the name of it…I yanked the cork out and poured as fast as I could when I got home…I didn’t bother to look at the label (haha) How is your evening?

Loren set her phone on the plush bat mat on the floor, with the screen down. She covered her face with her hands to try and calm the rise of adrenaline in her body.

He’s only asking how you are - don’t get too ahead of yourself…he’s likely got a million girls on the go anyway, and you’re not going to be one of them Loren reminded herself.

However, as another text chimed in, her mind went spinning all over again.

Haha that’s usually how I do it too. Just buy whatever JT says is good and then I drink it. It’s alright, me and some of the boys are at Mitchy’s new restaurant just chilling.

Loren smiled as she pictured the gorgeous Swede amongst a table of his other handsome teammates enjoying a little bit of downtime during this late part of the season.

Loren and William continued their light-hearted text exchange. Loren explained she had no idea Mitch had a restaurant; William suggested Loren come and check it out with her husband or boyfriend.

Well hmmm, Gary’s pretty much the main man in my life, but he’s more of a Swiss Chalet kind of guy

At the restaurant, William laughed aloud as he read Loren’s response, which caught the attention of Max, who was sitting in the plush club chair across the table from him.

“I have never seen someone on their phone as much as you - fuck Willy, you need to hire some help to deal with all of that….peel yourself away from that thing,” Max joked. “How many are you chatting to right now anyway?” Max continued to tease.

“Nah, man - it’s not like that,” William smiled, pushing his fork around on the table.

“Not like what? Hey uh - Willy, have some of this - it’s Chef Selection,” Mitch arrives at the table and slides a beautifully assembled sushi tower towards William and Max.

William wasted no time in snagging a couple of pieces from the elegant display of food.

“Mmm…so fucking good,” William said as he eyed another piece and lobbed it in his mouth.

Max begins to respond as he lifts a piece of sashimi off the plate. He rolls his eyes once the flavour hits his tongue in obvious satisfaction.

‘Ah - I was just asking Willy how many ladies he’s got on the go…he needs an assistant just to manage all of his text messages,” Max quipped.

“I don’t think Willy even knows how many girls he’s in contact with - probably couldn’t even give an educated guess,” Mitch said as he and Max continued to rib their friend.

“Oh yeah, speaking of which - Angelina, that server from last time…she’s working the other section tonight but she saw you…she wondered if you’d stop by and see her before you leave,” Mitch nudges Max with his elbow as he waits for William’s reaction.

“I hope you didn’t say that I would…I told you last time too…no interest in her,” William chuckled, hoping they would change the subject.

William’s phone chimed and he glanced at the screen; his smile widened when he saw another message from Loren.

I googled the restaurant and that menu 🤤 Can you indulge me a little and tell me how amazing the food is please (all i had for dinner was a lousy grilled-cheese sandwich lol)

William started to take a picture of the sophisticated platters of food that had just been brought out which was a mixture of the most tantalizing array of surf and turf options.

“You taking a pic of the food? For who?” Max asked with a wry smile. When William didn’t answer him right away, Max stealthily changed positions to peer over Willam’s extended arm and saw the name “Loren” in the list of names in William’s message app.

“You got Gary’s worker’s number? Jesus dude…that was quick. Hey, has there ever been a girl that’s turned you down?” Max laughed but based on William’s eye roll, he knew he needed to start backing off the subject.

After a few minutes passed, William excused himself from the table. Remarkably, there was an empty corner at the bar and William slid onto the stylish leather seat, resting his elbows on the expensive marble bar top.

William thought about just sending the food pictures through to Loren, but he quickly changed his mind and decided to FaceTime her instead.

The distinct chime indicating FaceTime triggered panic in Loren. If she answers, and it’s actually him, she’s literally going to be naked while on a video-call with William Nylander.

Answering the call, and despite the lump in her throat and her stomach being in knots, she managed to fake looking relaxed and at ease. She tried not to critique her overall appearance when her face appeared in the small window on the screen; her cheeks were flushed and damp with moisture from her still, rather hot, bath and her hair loosely piled up in a bun atop her head.

William had forgotten she was in the bath and her wet wisps of hair that clung to her beautifully contoured neck quickly jogged his memory. She looked so incredibly pretty as she smiled back at him, so much so that he had to shift in his seat to accommodate his burgeoning hardness.

William apologised. ”Ah - shit…sorry - I totally forgot you were in the bath….I can call back later if you want?”

“I’m ok if you are? I’ll even try and keep it classy and not flash you,” Loren laughed as she shook her head in slight disbelief that those words just flew out of her mouth. “Jesus, sorry William - I shouldn’t have said that….”

“Ha - well, if you’re offering,” William said, his eyes gleaming with interest.

“Ah well, shit - I knew I should have brought the whole wine bottle up with me…it just might have happened had I polished it off,” Loren imitated disappointment, followed by a grin. “Considering that I think I already reached my low point when I couldn’t remember my name after you introduced yourself this afternoon,” she smiled.

William loved Loren's ability to poke fun at herself. He almost forgot he was sitting at a busy bar as he laughed aloud at Loren’s personal play-by-play of the event earlier that day. William even had the bartender and other patrons chuckled as they overheard his distinct giggle as he and Loren continued their conversation.

Although the restaurant was beginning to fill up with more customers, William was completely unfazed and unaware of anyone else’s presence at that moment; he was completely engrossed in the conversation with Loren.

As William talked about the incredible menu items that he was fortunate enough to sample that evening (at Loren’s request), his hunger eventually drew him back to the table to rejoin the group, with Loren still on his phone.

William disconnected his air pods and continued his conversation with Loren, despite the drone of the background hustle and bustle of an extremely popular establishment. He wasn’t even concerned about the group knowing who he was talking to; he just knew his face already hurt from smiling and laughing with her.

As he spanned the table with his phone showing the smorgasbord of food, fit for a king (or friends of one the restaurant owners), Loren stared in amazement, and she could feel herself salivating while William asked her if she were ordering what would be her menu choices. After Loren rhymed off every single one of his favourites, he found himself wishing she was there enjoying the evening with him.

It wasn’t long before another face on the screen appeared beside William’s. Max leaned over William’s shoulder and gave Loren an exuberant greeting, making small talk with her as William grabbed some more food from the platters within proximity of his reach. More of the team popped their heads into view to say hello, leaving Loren feeling like she could float away on a cloud. For not only could she return to work and let Gary know that so many players asked about him and sent along their best wishes, William especially, had also made a huge impression on her.

When William resumed his one on one conversation, Loren suddenly realised that her once piping hot bath was barely above lukewarm. Her skin was suddenly riddled with goosebumps, and she involuntarily began to shiver.

William suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence. “Hey - uh, what’s happening…you ok?”

William paused for a moment and noticed she hadn’t really moved since they started their video call. “Oh, wait…holy shit, you’re still in the bathtub…have I kept you from getting out?” William asked, borderline embarrassed.

“No! Well…yes, I’m still in here but I swear, I just noticed it myself…you didn’t keep me from getting out….”, Loren giggled, as she turned over her hand and looked at her fingertips. “Jesus - I’m as wrinkled as a ninety-year-old nut sack.”

When Loren realized what she had uttered aloud, she clasped her hand over her mouth and looked wide-eyed at the screen, unsure if William had heard her.

He did. And he was totally laughing at her.

“I promise you, I’m not normally this bad with words…and yes, I’m cutting myself off from the wine tonight,” Loren said with a smile despite feeling a little flustered.

“I say keep going - let’s see how much trouble your mouth can be,” William said with a wink.

Loren paused and shook her head slowly; a playful grin spanned her face as she mouthed the word “wow” while arching an eyebrow.

“Given I’m about to step out the tub, the odds of me showing you something I shouldn’t just got a lot higher, my friend,” Loren joked as she set her sights on a bath towel. She turned off the camera and quickly stepped out of the tub, wrapping her cold body in the thick cotton bath sheet.

She heard William’s laugh through the speakers and decided to throw caution to the wind and turn the camera back on. “Ok, I admit it - I was totally bluffing - there’s no way I was going to flash you.

With a playful grin, Loren continued. "Alright, I’m changing subjects for a sec….my curiosity has been killing me to hear how the other half lives…what does the rest of William Nylander’s Friday night look like?”

There was no way he was going to explain what he originally had planned.

“Nothing too interesting. Hey, wait - I thought you were going to finish that bottle of wine still?” William hinted, not wanting to end the call.

“Yessir I am - but…. wait...are - hmm…are you…planning to stay on the phone while I finish it up?” Loren asked, her teeth still slightly chattering from being cold. She walked with her phone towards her bed where she had already laid out warm, zip up hoodie and flannel pajama pants to change into.

“Is that okay?” William asked, his eyes softening as he smiled.

“Of course, but - it’s gonna be a bit…boring….at least in comparison to where you are and who you’re with tonight,” Loren said, smiling until a shiver ran through her body again.

“Nah, meeting and talking to you today has been anything but boring…and I see these guys all the time,” William said, with a hopeful tone.

William was at the point that if he gave into his basic urges, he’d be in his car or an Uber or whatever mode of transport would get him to her door the quickest. He had to caution himself to remain laid back and not get too wrapped up in this girl, but he was rapidly losing that battle in his mind.

“If you’re sure, I’ll take you downstairs in a sec - I’m fucking freezing…just going to change real quick,” Loren said, semi-apologizing to William for her profanity.

“Hey uh, can you leave the camera on? And no, I don’t mean for you to gimme a peek of anything…I’m just looking at the jersey you had on today…there’s something wrong with it,” William said wryly.

Loren set the phone on her nightstand, looking around to make sure William couldn’t see her or her reflection in the nearby mirror as she dropped her towel to get changed.

“OK, spill it - what is wrong with it? Wait - it was a Christmas gift so maybe don’t tell me,” Loren chuckled as she slid into a tank top and panties.

William could hear her voice change as she pulled on her clothing. He tried not to picture her naked, for too long anyway.

“I won’t say it then, it’s nothing major. So Matty is your favourite player?” William asked.

Loren paused as she zipped up her white hoodie. She picked up the phone and turned it to face the screen. “Hold that thought for a sec,” Loren said as she padded down the hallway leading to the stairs.

As she made her way downstairs toward the kitchen, Loren could see on the screen that William was suddenly talking to a woman that appeared next to him, dressed in a sleek black dress and looking like she belonged on a Paris runway. Loren hated the slight pang of jealousy that suddenly made her stomach twist, and her first instinct was to flee the situation, excuse herself and hang up. It’s not as though she would be seeing him again anyway.

But instead, Loren propped up her phone and busied herself by pouring another generous glass of wine - the last of the bottle.

William looked back toward the phone screen and saw Loren sipping wine and leaning against the counter, trying to mind her own business. How William wished he was there with her or even at home with his dogs - basically anywhere except where he was - sitting next to a woman who was making a play for him, and whom he had no interest in.

Loren watched as William spoke to the woman, and she suddenly stood to leave while leaning in for a hug.

Coolly and casually as ever, William resumed his conversation with Loren.

“So you’re all set - is that the rest of the bottle?” William said, still with his unwavering smile.

Loren raised the bottle, angling it in the light and closed one eye to make sure she did, in fact, get every drop in her glass. William watched her in total awe of her striking features with every expression and every movement she made.

“It’s all in there,” she giggled.

“Good - so you told me ‘hold that thought’…” William reminded Loren, hoping to continue the conversation for as long as possible.

“Right, Auston’s jersey. The thing is…I actually wanted a Nylander jersey…your jersey - my parents tried to find one of yours at Christmas, but they were sold out, so I was given a Matthews’ jersey instead,” Loren explained.

William’s eyes grew wide in sheer delight. He asked Loren to hold on for a minute and he scanned the nearby tables, apparently looking for someone.

Loren then heard William call out Auston’s name and seemingly waved him over.

“Hey man - what's up…what’s going on…”, Auston slid up next to William and saw Loren’s face on the screen smiling back at him.

“This is Loren - Loren, meet Auston,” William smiled as he introduced the two. Auston exchanged pleasantries with Loren as her cheeks increasingly grew hot to the touch.

“So, Loren was wearing a Matthews jersey today, and I asked her if you were her favourite player,” William said tongue-in-cheek, and as Loren’s mouth began to drop and as Auston started to chuckle (somehow knowing William was going to chirp him about something), William continued. “And Loren, you explained that…what - you had hoped to get a Nylander jersey…but they were…?” William trailed off.

What a little shit Loren snickered to herself.

“The Nylander jerseys were apparently sold out, so I was given yours as a gift instead,” Loren half-laughed as she jokingly glared at William for putting her in that position.

“She haaaad to settle for a Maaaatthews jersey because mine were soooold out”, William repeated as he laughed, elongating certain words for extra effect.

Auston looked at the screen, shaking his head and noticed Loren was doing the same.

“Has he been a total asshole all night or is this something new that he's trying to impress you with?” Auston laughed.

“I - hey….that's all between you two….I'm not getting involved,” Loren said as she laughed and put her hands up in faux surrender. “But to answer anyway, no, he’s nowhere close to being an asshole…”, Loren said with a warm smile.

William jokingly backhanded Auston, laughing as he said “See? She knows what she’s talking about AND…she’s clearly got great taste…you know with me…being her favourite player and all”, William said, laughing even louder at Auston’s unimpressed expression.

Auston glanced back at Loren and joked “You just had to tell him that…he’s never gonna shut-up about it now.” Auston turned back to William and patted his shoulder. “And just so you know - we’re heading out to the other place in a few minutes so…,” Auston hinted to William that he’d better wrap up the call sooner than later. “It was really nice meeting you Loren - hope to see you….maybe you can bring your friend back down to a game sometime. Heard about what happened - that was really too bad for him,” Auston said apologetically.

Loren’s pulse raced and pounded in her throat. “Thank you so much Auston; it was so great to meet you too and for sure, I think something’s in the works so hopefully he’ll get a chance to see you guys play,” Loren grinned and waved to Auston as he left the frame.

There was a pause in the conversation as Loren took one last sip of her wine. Loren realised that her and William had spent a significant amount of time chatting on the phone and he did not seem concerned at all about whether his teammates were waiting for him to finish his call.

Nevertheless, Loren didn’t want to keep him from leaving for his next spot of the evening.

“This was - I don’t even know quite what to say but thank you so much again...it was really nice talking with you. And… I know I’ve said it like a million times, but I really appreciate you taking Gary around the ice today - and well, everything else,” Loren said, her eyes sparkled as she showed her sincerity. “But I’ll let you go - I know you guys are getting ready to leave,” she smiled.

Loren suddenly felt a jolt of disappointment knowing William was heading to some other joint in the city, likely bumping into a hundred more women who looked exactly like the model-type girl that she just witnessed him hugging. Definitely a far cry from what she looked like currently, or so Loren felt.

“Yeah - it was really great talking with you too. So….I guess my luck ran out then?” William grinned.

A smile crept across Loren’s face as she looked at William quizzically.

“Your luck ran out? How’s that?” she asked with amusement.

“You finished the bottle and now I have to leave….so I guess the chance of you flashing me has passed…,” William teased.

“Ha - well….hmmmm….yeah, I think everything that was flashable has been tucked away for the night…but the evening’s still young; I’m sure half the female population in Toronto would gladly give you a peek of something….I don’t think luck has much to do with it either” Loren winked, hoping she didn’t sound petty or jealous.

William only responded with his signature laugh.

“Alright William, be safe…enjoy the rest of your night then,” Loren said with a wide grin.

“Yeah, thanks, Loren…. I guess have a good night to you too,” William smiled softly as he ended the call.

William slid his cellphone into his pants pocket and readied himself to leave with the rest of the group. He faintly chuckled as his teammates chirped him about being on the phone for most of the evening and how he always seems to increase his already substantial roster of female admirers everywhere he goes. He laughed along as he normally would, but William silently disagreed with their taunts about his supposed list of readily available women.

At that same moment, Loren stood in her dimly lit kitchen, processing the conversation that just ended with William. Such was the way her mind had worked for years; for every optimistic or cheery thought, often-times, a negative or cynical one would supersede it.

‘He seemed so nice’ was ousted with ‘it was all an act’.

‘He was so easy to talk to’ quickly evaporated and in its place, ‘glad you enjoyed it because it’ll never happen again’.

‘It would be fun to hang out with him’ was at once replaced with ‘you’re way too beneath him’.

Loren let out a long audible breath; the excitement she had been feeling since William first messaged her that evening, had morphed into an aching pit in her stomach. It was from within that pit that the negativity, pessimism and overall cynicism stemmed from - beliefs that Loren continually had to fight within herself to overcome. The beliefs that were fed to her from the words of her ex-boyfriend that she was never good enough clearly were still alive inside of her.

Turning off the overhead light in the kitchen, the light-sensor night lights flickered on, guiding her back up to the bedroom.

To say it was a whirlwind of a day would be a massive understatement and whatever energy Loren had earlier rapidly drained. She finished her bedtime routine, brushed her teeth and braided her hair and wearily traipsed back to her bed.

Every muscle and joint throbbed, releasing the built-up tension from the day as she sank into her pillow-top mattress. Despite her momentary relapse into despondence, Loren relished this moment of the day. She was safe and secure in her home; she had food in the fridge and money in her bank account to cover the bills. She reminded herself that she did all of this on her own, and with turning off her bedside lamp, her contentment eased her into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, William and various players from the team entered a lavish night spot along King Street West; the pulsating beat bounced off of every surface and could be heard from the street. Strategically placed lights and lasers that hung from the iron beams and rafters cast a seductive glow through the expansive square footage of the club.

Throngs of fashion-forward and upscale club go-ers eyed the popular athletes as they meandered through the maze of reserved booths toward the security-monitored VIP section.

Within minutes, the scantily clad bottle girl designated to their table for the evening arrived with some additional servers for assistance, placing multiple bottles of expensive spirits on the table.

William ordered a cranberry-vodka and flashed the server a smile as she leaned over the table enticingly to select the bottle of Grey Goose.

She returned the smile and said “I’ll make this extra delicious, just like you Mr. Nylander,” followed by a wink. In no time at all, she handed him a tumbler with his mixed drink.

William laughed and had a sip. He looked out into the increasingly crowded club as the music pumped out heavy basslines and the strobe lights flashed to the beat. Bodies bounced to the music as the DJ worked his magic, getting everyone up dancing and working them up into a fever pitch on the dance floor

William nodded to the beat and continued to scan the crowd. There was no shortage of attractive women; in fact, everywhere he looked, there was a certifiable knock-out that he could easily approach, and likely leave the club with, if he chose to.

As William’s gaze randomly fell upon each perfectly put together woman, his mind travelled back to earlier in the evening when he was on the video call with Loren.

He found her absolutely striking as she sat in the bath talking with him; no make-up, her hair swept up on the top of her head, and really, no clothes to even speak of. Loren had immediately caught William’s attention at the Easter Seals event and hadn’t been decked out in a low-cut mini dress by the latest designer, or wearing a pair of Louboutin stilettos, or carrying a Dior clutch. She was ravishing just by simply wearing a Leaf’s jersey and leggings.

William scanned the other booths with their magnificent sushi boats and other gourmet fare and smiled as he recollected Loren’s wide-eyed reaction to the delectable platters of food at Mitch’s restaurant, after having a “lousy grilled cheese” presumably for her dinner. And yet, she had immaculate taste, in William’s opinion at least, in the menu options she selected as thought she had she been sitting across the table from him.

Regardless of how gorgeous of a woman she was, it was Loren’s brand of wit mixed with shades of vulnerability that had William completely enchanted. In the middle of a crowded club, at that moment, he found himself unconsciously smiling as he thought of her.

Before he could change his mind, he reached into his pants pocket and scrolled through his message app until he found Loren’s name.

He opened the last received message and paused, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say.

William quickly typed:

Are you still awake?

Waiting for a reasonable period with no reply, William sent another message to Loren.

Do you have a day off coming up that we could maybe get together?

Knowing a response was unlikely, but satisfied that he reached back out to Loren, William rejoined the rest of the players that had congregated around the booth. William smiled and laughed along with jokes, stories and observations of the club dwellers, but the night now felt stale and uneventful. He chipped in on the club tab, ordered an Uber, and much to the dismay of his teammates (and several women who had been eyeing him all night), William exited the club and headed home.

#william nylander #willy nylander #william nylander smut #william nylander imagine #nhl fanfiction #hockey romance #hockey fic #fic rec #william x loren #wn88 imagine

46 notes · View notes