#give it up for day 2! two days left before hockey

[lovethytendytenderly]

So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy // an edit a day til penguins hockey, a countdown (day 2)

x

[simjaexy]

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙔𝙤𝙪 | 𝙋.𝙎.

Pairing ⇀ Popular Boy! Park Sunghoon x Fem! Reader

Synopsis ⇀ Sunghoon is the enigmatic and talented ice hockey player, captivating everyone with his skill on the ice and his mysterious aura off it. He's the guy who doesn't say much but leaves a lasting impression. Sunghoon's dedication to his sport and his quiet confidence make him a true heartthrob, unfortunately he just can’t get your attention.

Genre ⇀ Smut

Warnings ⇀ MINORS DNI!!, Sunghoon is toxic (so is Jake a little), Making Out, Cum Eating, Hair Pulling, Mean Dom! Sunghoon x Sub! Reader, Pain Kink, Semi Public Sex, Unprotected Sex, Multiple Orgasms

A/n ⇀ This is part 2 of the Wanting You Series.

Read Jongseong here.

Sunghoon was known for his icy demeanor and striking looks. He wasn't the type to show his emotions easily, and that made him even more intriguing. His friends often joked about his ability to make anyone fall for him without even trying.

But when one of them decided to make a challenge on who could pull you, Sunghoon didn’t even try hiding his smirk. He accepted the challenge, though he viewed it as just another game.

When Sunghoon heard about the challenge the first thing he did was ignore you. Not because he didn’t like you, but because he knew his friend, Jake was gonna have you first.

He knew Jake always loved being first in things, so it wasn’t a surprise when a few days later Jake said that Sunghoon can go for you.

“She’s pretty chill so I wouldn’t worry much.” Jake said.

Sunghoon grinned at him, “So why’d you take so long to get her?”

“Because she’s the kind that likes to play hard to get. Nothing too big though.” He replied.

Unfortunately for Sunghoon, you seem like you weren’t interested in him.

Students whispered and giggled as Sunghoon walked past them, unfazed that they’re talking about him.

It’s not the first time he’s got this attention, and it won’t be the last either. But when he walked past you, you didn’t even acknowledge him and just shut your locker and head the other way.

Sunghoon didn’t show and expression though. He just simply continued walking to his next class, he wasn’t gonna stop and beg.

If there was one thing Sunghoon hated about this class, is that there was always that one teacher that pissed him off.

He listens to his teacher talking his brains off about something he did over break, but why the hell would he care?

Sunghoon sighed and looked out the window. The view wasn’t all that either. He looked to his side and noticed a specific person walking past his classroom.

Immediately, he raised his hand, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Before the teacher could respond he quickly left the class. He was not trying to hear his teacher give him a lecture.

He scanned the hallways, but didn’t see any signs of you, that was until he heard a voice and saw you coming out the library.

You had two of the same books in your hand which left him confused, but didn’t ponder much.

Now that he thought about it, Jake’s been getting into books again. He rolled his eyes, thinking that Jake was still trying to keep you on hold while he tries to get you.

He knew Jake was a sucker for romance m, though he didn’t know he’d fall this fast. Sunghoon ignored his thoughts and went up to you shamelessly.

You bumped into him without seeing him and stared up, “O-Oh sorry.”

He looked down at you, “It’s fine. Have you seen Jake, he was with you the last time I seen him.”

He lied about the wanting to see Jake. He saw him not even that long ago but who cares. He has to get your attention somehow.

He did see you two together at one point today even though he wasn’t supposed to interrupt Sunghoons turn, but Sunghoon let it slide.

“Uh I think he went to a soccer game, they got called out early in the speaker.” You replied.

Sunghoon hummed and thanked you, walking away without a thought. You watched as he disappeared from your sight.

You and Jake haven’t been really talking as much since the incident in the library, sometimes he’ll just plain out ignore you when you tried talking to him in the halls, but texts you apologizing that he didn’t see you.

You’d sigh and would leave a message saying it’s fine. You’d still give him a book though, at least it’s one way to keep in touch.

He’d grab it in a secluded hallway and thanked you, kissing your forehead. He wouldn’t kiss you though, but you thought he just didn’t feel like it.

The next day Sunghoon got up extra early. Jake told him that you were going to the library so he decided to head there too. He already had a plan fixed.

He has to talk about something that’ll keep you interested, and he doesn’t think Jake won’t be offended if he used him as bait. The plan was quite simple.

He would talk about Jake and how he’s been ignoring you since Jake said it was for Sunghoon to get his game up.

You’d feel sad and disappointed and that’s when Sunghoon will come into view. His plan was simple and yet perfect.

As he made it to the library, he noticed that there barely anyone there. The librarians working on books while some students were reading or doing homework.

He averted his gaze to a specific hair color and walked his way towards you. You looked engrossed in a book. He approached you, his cold aura unmistakable, "Is this seat taken?" he asked, his voice smooth but distant.

You glanced up, slightly taken aback by his sudden presence, and shook your head. He sat down, barely sparing you a glance as he pulled out his own book.

The silence between you was palpable, but there was something about his aloofness that piqued your curiosity.

You wondered why he randomly wanted to sit with you. Maybe it was because you were talking to Jake?

It was silent for quite some time, the only thing heard were the sound of Sunghoon flipping pages of his book. You didn’t know he was interested in books.

“Is there something on my face?” He suddenly asked.

You felt your cheeks heat up and quickly turned back to your book, “S-Sorry.” You stuttered.

Sunghoon suddenly closed his book and stared at you, “Have you’ve been talking to Jake?”

You looked up from your book surprised. You didn’t know if he knew that Jake was ignoring you, “Not really, no. He’s been busy with practice I guess.”

Sunghoon hummed and leaned on his hand, “He doesn’t have practice on the weekends.” He spoke. Your eyes widened.

But he told you he had practice everyday? You felt your chest sting and took a deep breath, “He told me he did?”

“He doesn’t.”

The way Sunghoon cold honestly somewhat made you snap into reality. Jake lied to you. He always cancelled your plans on the weekends saying he had practice.

Sunghoon continued staring at you. He couldn’t help but feel satisfied with the way you looked.

Brows furrowed, lips parting, concentrated in thought. He definitely hit you where it hurts, “Jake has always been like that with girls. Lying to their faces. It’s in his nature.” Sunghoon chuckled.

But you just stayed silent. You slowly closed your book, “I-I think I should get going.” You muttered. Sunghoon doesn’t stop you when you rushed out the library.

Instead he yawned, closed his book, and headed out the library too. Plan a worked perfectly. Now all he has to do is put on his comforting character and care for you.

Class was just as boring as he remembered. Currently he had his head down, it was break and students were talking to each other. Sunghoon didn’t really have friends in that class.

He just talks to whoever comes up to him. Aside from girls, he ignored them or just give out short answers.

While feeling in the verge of falling asleep, he heard a group of girls speaking, “Yeah it’s tonight so I went to buy a cute dress yesterday!” A girl voice squeaked.

He then heard another girl talk, “You think Sunghoon and his friends will go?” A girl muttered, but Sunghoon heard loud and clear.

They began whispering while it suddenly clicked in Sunghoon mind. Today was the gathering of students good attendance.

Sunghoon and his friends did have good attendance, but never went to those. It was cringey and not worth their time from practice.

He then had an idea. You must be going to it, he knows you had good attendance, he won’t lie and say he doesn’t pay attention to you everyday entering your classes while he talked to his friends.

He lifted his head up and looked at the group of girls, “When does that start?” He asked them. They gasped as two of them squealed that the Park Sunghoon was talking to them.

“O-Oh uh it starts at s-six thirty!” One of them squeaked. Sunghoon got up and left the classroom as soon as the bell rang, not even thanking them.

He guessed he could skip practice if that means you’ll go.

He found out you were attending a small gathering and made sure to be there. He dressed up a bit formal and had his hair gelled. There’s no way you won’t fall for his looks.

As the night went on, you found yourself alone on the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze.

Suddenly, Sunghoon appeared beside you, his expression as unreadable as ever. "You look like you could use some company," he said, his voice low.

You were surprised by his sudden approach but nodded, feeling a strange comfort in his presence.

“It was too loud.” You said.

“Hate loud crowds?” He asked. You nodded and stared down.

“There aren’t really my thing.”

“I don’t like loud crowds either.” He admitted. You gave him a smile, but he didn’t really smile back.

As the conversation flowed, you realized that beneath his cold exterior, there was a depth to Sunghoon that was intriguing.

He spoke about his passions, his dreams, and his fears, all while maintaining that distant aura. It was as if he was letting you in, but only just enough to keep you wanting more.

You suddenly thought about Jake, the only thing you knew about him was that he’s talkative and likes to play soccer, and not to mention he’s pretty good at sex.

Your mind suddenly drift to Sunghoon, with his cold personality, you had a feeling that he was still good in bed. His strong biceps could practically choke you while he fucks you from behind.

Your eyes went wide. Why the hell were you thinking about that? You’re talking to Jake. You gulped hard and bashfully looked away.

Sunghoon suddenly noticed the shift of the air and smirked. You’re finally falling for his schemes.

“S-So Jake didn’t come?” You questioned. Sunghoon shook his head.

“None of us go to these gatherings.”

“So why’d you come?” You curiously replied. Sunghoon stared at you with an unreadable expression.

“Didn’t feel like a bad idea to see you.” He said. You felt your heart beating fast. Why were you feeling like this?

Maybe it was because Jake left you hanging these past few weeks that you forgot what it was like to have attention.

“Why’d you want to see me?” You mumbled. Sunghoon smirked and went next to your ear.

“I thought your dress would look good on you. Turns out I was right.”

You felt yourself gasp and stared up at him. He slowly cupped your face and stepped closer, “I know Jake hasn’t been giving you the attention you deserve. So use me while you can.” He whispered.

His breath hitting your lips. You didn’t know what to do. You knew that if you did something right here you’ll regret. But the way Sunghoon pulled you closer made you have other thought.

And just like that your lips connected. The kiss was slow and sensual, feeling every part of his lips. You sighed and wrapped your arms around his neck.

Sunghoon knew he shouldn’t be doing this, the challenge was just to make you like them, not giving you a satisfaction, but the way you looked so helpless to him made him want to ruin you in other ways.

He gripped your neck and entered his tongue in your mouth. You let him in so easily. He gripped your waist with his other hand.

You felt yourself getting dizzy just from kissing him. Your thoughts on Jake long forgotten with the way Sunghoon pushed you against the railing.

You suddenly remembered you were in a public area and broke the kiss, saliva connecting your lips.

“W-We shouldn’t do this. Jake-“

“I don’t care about Jake. He doesn’t give you the satisfaction you need.” He said. You felt yourself lowering your head.

Sunghoon lifted your head up with his finger under your chin, “You deserve someone who’ll treat you right. So what are you waiting for? I’m right here.”

And that was all he needed to say for you to kiss his lips again. You moaned when he put his hand under your dress and rubbed your cloth core.

He grinned, feeling your wetness damp your underwear, “Already so wet? You’re a curious one.”

You whined when he pulled away and dragged you back inside. You didn’t know where you two were going, but you were excited to say the least.

You both entered the family restroom as Sunghoon locked the door. He turned back around and kissed you again.

He picked you up and settled you on the sink. He pulled your dress over your body. He began trailing kisses down your body causing you to sigh.

He moved your underwear to the side and prodded at your hole, but stopped when he realized something, “Did Jake fuck you already?”

You stared at him dazed, but slowly nodded your head, “A while back.”

Sunghoon fucking knew it. He knew Jake fucked you the minute he saw Jake the next day. His ego was high that day. But Sunghoon knows how to ruin it.

“I’ll show you what a real fuck is.” He commented. Before you could say anything he entered not one, not two, but three fingers in your hole causing you to scream.

You felt your hole burning, but you were so wet that you couldn’t help but grind down on his fingers.

He began fingering you at an animalistic pace making your eyes roll back in pain and pleasure.

“You love that fucking pain don’t you slut?” He groaned. You frantically nodded your head, feeling your orgasm coming.

“A-Agh, I’m cumming, oh god-“ He cut you off kissing you and that’s when you felt your orgasm crashing.

Your legs shook in pleasure when he slowly grinded his fingers in you. He took them up and faced them towards you, “Suck.”

You sucked on his fingers, tasting your sweet cum on them, it made you feel wet again. He took his fingers out and harshly kissed you, biting your lip making you cry out.

He suddenly flipped you over, your pussy on full view for him, he cursed when he took out his hard dick, stroking it a few times before slowly entering.

You sighed feeling him fill you up. You began grinding back, missing what it was like to have a dick in you. Sunghoon let you grind back in him.

He knew that Jake wasn’t gonna satisfy you like this. He gripped your waist and started moving. You felt your eyes roll back, feeling him fill you up with his long dick.

He gripped your hair and pulled your head back, groaning feeling you clench on to him. You whined when he grind his dick in you slowly before going fast again.

He stared down seeing your ass jiggle when he made contact with your pussy. He felt himself getting hard even more if that was even possible.

You were a moaning mess, tears running down your eyes, face flushed in embarrassment and pleasure. Sunghoon wanted to fucking ruin you.

He felt a pang of jealousy that Jake fucked you before. If anything he should’ve been first to fuck you. But he thought it was okay, cause you’ll remember his dick whenever you fuck someone else.

You felt your orgasm coming again and lowered your head, “I-I’m gonna cum S-Sunghoon.” You whined. He smirked and kissed your back neck.

“Cum on this dick slut.” He whispered. That was all it took as you squeezed tight around him, you orgasms making squelching sounds as he continued pounding into you.

You felt overstimulated as he moaned and didn’t stop his pace, “Fuck I’m gonna cum.” Was all he said and took his dick out, stroking it on your back, spurts of cum landing on you ass and back.

As much as he wanted to cum inside, he didn’t want a risk to get you pregnant, but he won’t lie and say you guys wouldn’t have beautiful kids.

You panted hard while Sunghoon breathed deeply behind you. He grabbed paper towels and wiped your back and ass.

“You okay?” He asked. You nodded your head and smiled sweetly at him. He felt his heart pang against his chest. You looked beautiful ruined.

“I’m perfect.” You replied. You got up and made a quiet noise, feeling your legs wobble. Sunghoon chuckled.

“I’ll take you home. Think you could walk?”

You nodded your head and out your dress back on, you fixed your face a little so it didn’t look like you just got fucked from behind (which clearly you did).

You both exited the bathroom and head to Sunghoons car. Driving as the sun slowly began setting down.

You felt at calm with Sunghoon hand on your thigh, occasionally rubbing it, soothing you. You felt your eyes getting droopy and soon enough you were asleep.

Sunghoon noticed and for the first time, he smiled softly. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way towards you, unfortunately he can’t help but feel his heart swell with warmth.

He looked back to the front. He’ll just have to see what his other friends will do to make you like them. For now though, he’ll enjoy what he has.

[puckinghischier]

Fallen

Nico Hischier x fem!reader

summary: part 2 to falling

notes: hello!!! considering it’s after midnight, i’m giving you guys a gift for my birthday. this was very fun to write and i continue to just make myself sad that i don’t have a nico in my life. i hope you enjoy! happy reading! 🫶🏼

this is unedited!!

request: anon requested a part 2 to falling

[4.9k]

“I really wish you’d let me carry something, Neeks,” you whine out, pressing the button to call the elevator down to the parking garage.

“Nope. I’m perfectly capable of carrying your groceries on my own,” Nico dramatically swings the reusable shopping bags over his shoulder, walking a few feet away before turning and striking a pose.

Your laugh echoes around the concrete garage, amused at his theatrics.

It’s been about three weeks since your accident at the rink, and Nico hasn’t left your side since. As long as he’s in Jersey, that is.

After that first night he’s only really left your apartment to either go to practice and games, or to sleep. Sometimes even the latter not being true, considering there’s been a few nights he’s crashed on your couch after late-night movie sessions or particularly rough games.

During your follow up appointment your doctor told you to keep the sling on for a few more weeks, not wanting to add any unnecessary strain to the healing muscles in your shoulder. After you told Nico the sling was here to stay, he insisted he was going to, literally, be your right-hand man.

You were also told, as long as you and the sling are one, going to work is on your list of restricted activities. So is any form of strenuous activity, lifting anything over ten pounds, and whatever else Nico deems unsafe for you to do. Like carrying your groceries.

Nico has shown up at your apartment every morning with a cup of coffee, either bringing you breakfast or offering to cook for you. He takes his post-practice and pre-game naps on your couch in case you need him to do anything for you. After home games he shows up with takeout and candy, keeping you company while you’re stuck in your apartment day after day.

When he’s on the road he enlisted the help of Jesper’s girlfriend, Nicole, to come over and check on you at least once a day. Anytime he’s playing in a different state, no matter where he is, he always manages to have dinner delivered to your house, making sure you’re not stuck eating microwave meals and simple dinners, thanks to your limited cooking ability and lack of being able to drive at the moment.

Before he has to leave for stretch of away games, he always makes sure he takes you to the grocery store, stocking your pantry and fridge to make sure you have everything you need while he’s gone. He calls you every chance he has on the road, wanting to check on you and how you’re feeling while keeping you up on the team happenings, knowing how eager you are to get back to work.

Today is one of his ‘preparation’ days, as you’ve dubbed them. He showed up this morning with a coffee and a bagel, cut into quarters instead of in halves, so the insides wouldn’t slip out of the other side when you tried to take a one-handed bite. He did your dishes and folded your laundry for you while you showered, twisting your hair into one of his trademark braids after you were dressed before ushering you out of your apartment, claiming the two of you had errands to run.

The first errand on his list was taking you to the rink, a satisfied feeling settling over him when he saw the large smile on your face when he told you he asked if you could sit in on practice today. You were practically buzzing with excitement, not having been at the rink since the day of your fall. You had grown to love the sport of hockey during your time at your job. Missing the chill of the air, the sound of pucks sliding across the ice and the scrape of their skates as the players come to a stop.

Several of the players slide over to the bench where you sit, just as excited to see you as you are to see them.

Jack and Luke come over first, telling you how ready they are for you to be back, having given themselves the job of Puck Police, ensuring that all of the pucks are cleared out of the skate path leading towards the benches.

Jesper, Timo, and Holtzy tell you how much they miss the jokes you would tell them so they would quit mean mugging and actually smile during arrival pictures.

Dawson, Johnny, and Curtis joined the gathered group, bringing you a card that everyone from the team had signed. It was a giant novelty card, clearly custom made, considering there was a picture of the whole team on the front, the inside reading “Sorry you fell over our pucks. We feel really pucking bad about it.”

You were doubled over in laughter the entire time the team spent chatting with you before their practice officially started, fulling understanding the sentiment that laughter is the best medicine. You were even able to give the young girl filling in for you some pointers, helping her adjust the settings on the camera for different shots, happy you were able to sneak in a little bit of work to your visit.

After practice was over and Nico was showered and ready to go, the two of you went out for lunch at a small café just down the street from the rink, their large bakery selection immediately catching your eye. You ended up having cake for lunch, telling Nico to mind his own business when he asked if you wanted any ‘real’ food.

Once lunch was over, he took you to the grocery store, helping you pick out ready made meals and a few other essentials before bringing you back to your apartment, where you were currently witnessing Nico’s wannabe model moves.

Once the elevator lifts you to your floor, you walk over and unlock your door, leaving it open behind you for Nico to walk through, following you straight to your kitchen to put away your groceries.

You grab a box of cereal, setting it down on the counter before reaching up to open your cabinet door. Just as you’re reaching up to place the box on the shelf, you hear something fall, a bottle of water slipping off of one of the shelves in your fridge. You jump slightly, trying to turn your body at the same time, the sudden movement pinching one of the nerves in your shoulder, causing you to let out a hiss.

Nico immediately clocked the displeased noise, jerking his body into a standing position and walking over towards you.

“Are you okay? What happened? Did you try to lift this up with your bad arm?” he asks you, arms hovering around your frame, eyes glued your slinged shoulder.

You finish pushing the cardboard box onto the shelf, closing the wooden cabinet door.

Rolling your arm a bit, you turn to face Nico.

“I’m fine. Just jumped a little and it caught my shoulder in a funny way, I guess. No big deal, just more uncomfortable than anything,” you assure him.

He narrows his eyes at you, trying to gauge if you’re lying to him or not.

Narrowing your eyes back at him, you pull a face at him.

He backs up, laughing, seemingly convinced you’re fine.

Walking back over to finish placing the several salad kits you bought in the fridge, Nico starts talking with his head fully inside of your fridge.

“So, we leave out around six tonight and I won’t be back until late Friday night,” he tells you, meaning he’ll be gone almost four full days, considering today is Monday. “Nicole offered to stay over here if you wanted her to, incase you needed to go anywhere.”

You’ve gained a friend in Nicole through this whole process, enjoying her company. You didn’t have many girl friends in the city, your job taking up the majority of your time. Nico was the person you spent the most time with, even before these past few weeks, but you occasionally tagged along to outings with the team, growing close to Jack, Luke, Timo, and Jesper, too. You figure that’s why Nico chose to ask Nicole to help out, seeing as you’d spent some time with her during celebratory bar nights and get togethers at Nico’s apartment.

The two of you were friendly before, but now you would consider yourself good friends, going out to lunch together and watching bad reality tv during the day when she would come over. She even helped you do your skincare routine one night before bed, giving you different tips and tricks on the order of application. It felt like you were in middle school again having a sleepover with your best friend.

“I might take her up on that. I think there’s new episodes of The Circle on Netflix. We could binge them while eating ice cream!” your eyes light up with an idea.

Nico laughs and shakes his head at you while shutting your fridge door.

“I really don’t understand your obsession with these awful shows. Jesper and I were talking about how we wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you signed up for your own spot on one soon.”

The thought of Nico talking about you when Jesper is talking about Nicole makes your brain stutter for a moment.

You can’t deny that your new found feelings for Nico have continued to develop during the time he’s spent being your self-appointed helper. His insistence on being your personal chauffer, showing up every day like clockwork, even going as far to tell the media team the alternate captains are going to have to do post-game media for home games until you’re back to work causes your feelings to grow each day.

You haven’t told your mom about the arrangement with Nico, not wanting to get her hopes up, still not entirely convinced Nico isn’t just being nice. The two of you haven’t shared any intense moments like the first night he braided your hair, now the braiding sessions being filled with small talk and laughter.

Hearing that Nico is bringing you up when Jesper is talking about his own girlfriend, however, sparks a seed of hope in you.

“And if we do, you and Jesper can be our cheerleaders from the other side,” you tell him, sticking your tongue out.

When Nico finishes putting away the rest of your groceries, he takes the reusable bag and returns it to its hiding spot under the sink.

At this point, Nico knows your apartment as well as you do. He knows where all of your dishes go, because he unloads your dishwasher and washes anything by hand that won’t fit. He knows where all of your clothes go in your room, helping you wash, fold, and put away your laundry – with the exception of your underwear, he hasn’t earned access to that drawer yet. He knows where everything in your bathroom is, having to take a shower one morning after he crashed on the couch. He even knows which junk drawer has which random items in it.

You’ve become so comfortable with Nico being here, it’s like a tiny part of you doesn’t want your arm to heal, just so he has to continue coming over and playing roommate.

Nico walks over and leans against your stove, facing you.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine while I’m gone? It’s the longest stretch of away games we’ve had since your fall.”

He looks genuinely worried, the thought causing a familiar swirl in your belly.

“I’ll be fine, Neeks. This thing comes off next week anyways,” you lift the arm in your sling for emphasis. “I’m going to have to get used to you being gone again, anyways. This week will be like a practice run.”

You catch the way Nico’s eyes just slightly fall. If you weren’t always paying attention to his beautiful eyes, you would’ve missed it, perking up just as quickly as they fell.

“God, finally. Thought I’d have to be your maid forever,” he exaggerates his words, making a big show of rolling his eyes and throwing his arms up above his head.

“Oh shut it, you love hanging out with me,” you step towards him, wagging your finger in his face.

He tilts his head, pretending to think about your words. “Yeah, I guess you’re pretty good company,” he reaches out, grabbing the finger a few inches from his nose.

The two of you stand there, his hand not letting go of your finger, letting it drop in-between your bodies.

His lips fall from his wide smile, slightly separated as he stares at you.

Feeling the energy shift, you stare back at him, not knowing what exactly is happening. Neither one of you have spoken for a solid minute now, your finger still trapped in his hand.

Your eyes flick down to his pink lips, and back up to his eyes. He darts his tongue out to lick his dry lips, unable to move your gaze from them this time. Thinking about what his lips would feel like on yours, the alarm bells start going off in your head.

Clearing your throat and stepping back, you break the moment, not knowing what else to do.

Nico drops your finger, bringing a hand up to run through his long hair, looking away from your face.

Was he thinking about kissing you like you were thinking about kissing him? Would you have really let him? Why did you interrupt the moment? You like him you idiot!

When Nico pushes himself off of your stove, you start ignoring the voice in your head.

“I need to get going. Still need to stop by my place and grab a few things before heading to the rink,” he says, still refusing to meet your eye. “I’ll, uh, call you when we get there, like usual, okay?”

Nodding at him you reply with a “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Alright. Good. I’ll see you in a few days?” he walks over to you, hands twitching at his sides like he wants to give you a hug, but doesn’t know if he should.

You eliminate the space between you, wrapping him up in a hug. “Sounds perfect. Play safe.”

He hugs your body to his for a few more moments before letting go, a small “Bye” leaving his mouth before he grabs his keys off of your kitchen table and exits your apartment with a wave.

You stand in your kitchen thinking about your interaction, deciding a phone call to your mother was needed.

———————————————————————————

Grabbing the bowl of freshly popped popcorn, you walk back over to your living room and plop down next to Nicole.

Tonight was the night the boys are supposed to be getting back from their road trip. Since they weren’t supposed to be getting back until late tonight, you decided to spend the evening watching some of your favorite rom coms to pass the time.

Nicole always said waiting for Jesper to get home on the day of was the worst, because she knows its so close but the time always seems to drag. You surprisingly understood, the past week feeling like the longest of your life without Nico’s presence around your apartment.

After your phone call with your mom the other night, you allowed yourself to realize you want to be with Nico. Your confession to her that you did actually have feelings for the hockey player earned a squeal of joy and an extremely enthusiastic “I told you so!”

Talking with your mom about his actions throughout your whole accident and healing process really opened your eyes to how long you’ve really had feelings for him. You weren’t completely blind, finding Nico attractive from the very beginning, but you hadn’t really let yourself go all the way. Preventing yourself from getting your hopes up and embarrassing yourself, you kept using the excuse of him just being nice to justify why there were no feelings involved in your friendship.

You realized what a load of bullshit that was, though, considering how often you found yourself calling him to tell him good news whenever you received any. Or wanting to have a movie night anytime you were upset or sad, knowing your mood would improve the second Nico walked through your door. Or all the times at the bar when you would ignore men’s advances, wanting to just spend time talking with Nico the whole night.

Your mom recounted all the times she knew, once again marking that first time he helped you on the ice as the moment. She’s still not able to convince you that it was then, considering you and Nico didn’t even really know each other then.

Thinking back on your phone call with your mom made you think about how you hadn’t heard from Nico in a while, pulling your phone out to see if he had given you any update on where they were.

Nicole threw a handful of popcorn at you, fussing at you to pay attention to the movie and that they’ll be home when they’re home. You surrendered to her wishes and placed your phone face down on the coffee table in front of you.

Your third movie of the night was about halfway over when you heard a key turning in the lock on your door, knowing that only one other person had a key to your apartment.

You grab the remote and pause the movie, turning your body to face behind your couch, waiting for Nico to walk around the corner.

As he rounds the corner, suitcase in hand, you can’t help the grin that breaks out on your face.

“You’re back!” you exclaim, fighting the urge to leap off of the couch and crush him in a hug.

“I’m tired,” he responds, his smile bright but eyes tired.

The dark skin under his eyes confirm his words, assuming he had been asleep on the plane until they landed.

“Well, I guess that means I need to get home to Jesp,” Nicole says, sitting up and grabbing her shoes.

Nico looks over, mumbling out a “Good to see you Nicole, thanks for keeping her company this week,” before looking over at you, yawning as he told you he was going to take a quick shower then crash on your couch.

You give him a nod, telling him the stuff he bought last time was still in there.

Nicole gives the two of you a look, waiting until she hears the bathroom door shut to speak up.

“He keeps shower stuff here?”

Looking over at her you explain the time he fell asleep here and needed to shower that morning, stating you had too many expensive looking products to waste on himself, so he bought his own shower essentials and uses them anytime he decides to shower here after practice.

“So let me get this straight. He comes home to your apartment after a long road series, keeps his own products in your shower, has a key, and stays the night sometimes?” she watches you nod, her words not sinking in. “So, he does all of this, but the two of you still claim you’re just friends?”

Not knowing how to respond, you just stare at her. She keeps looking at you, waiting for your answer.

“Well…I mean…I don’t know,” you finally spit out.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” she questions.

“I mean, there’s little moments here and there that lets me think we could be more than friends, but I don’t want to bring it up because what if he’s just being nice? What if he agrees that we’re really just friends?” you open up to Nicole, the only other person you’re able to talk about this with being your mom.

She scoffs at you. “Are you kidding me? What kind of moments? Because from where Jesper and I are sitting, we keep expecting you guys to make it official any day now.”

Your cheeks heat at her words. “Well, like the fact I never even had to ask him to do all of this stuff for me, he just did. And he admitted that he drove all the way to the hospital the night I got hurt because no one had any updates, then drove here with no socks on when they told him I had already come home. He keeps getting all of these restaurants to cut my food up in weird ways so it’s easier for me to eat with one hand. And if they don’t do it, he will,” you keep rambling, not focusing on your surroundings enough to hear the shower shut off. “I mean, he offered me skating lessons when he saw me stumble on the ice once, then started coming over for dinner multiple times a week, unless they’re on the road.”

Nicole looks past you down the short hallway, noticing the light shining through the open bathroom door.

You keep talking. “The biggest one, though, is that I think we almost kissed before they left on Monday,” you tell her, causing Nicole’s eyebrows to shoot up.

“SPILL,” Nicole insists, her interest at an all time high.

“Well, we were standing in my kitchen just goofing off and I stuck my finger in his face. He grabbed it and wouldn’t let go, then we just kind of started staring at each other. Before I knew what was happening, I was staring at his lips and he was staring at mine, then I got nervous and stepped back before anything could happen,” you tell her with a shrug.

Nicole groans. “Are you serious!? You could have kissed him and you chickened out? What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know! I was thinking ‘what if I just have something on my face and he doesn’t actually want to kiss me.’”

She shakes her head at you. Movement down the hallway catches her eye, watching Nico step out of the small bathroom, and idea forming.

“I mean, you do like him, right?” She watches Nico’s figure stop in his tracks.

You sigh at her, letting your head sag a bit.

“Of course I like Nico. He’s kind, funny, takes care of me,” you start, a dreamy tone making its way into your voice. “Not to mention he’s insanely attractive. I just…don’t want to mess things up.”

Nicole flits her eyes over to Nico while you’re not paying attention, watching his face morph into shock.

“Y/N, the only way you’re going to be able to know if he feels the same way or not is to tell him. Forget about making a fool of yourself. Nico won’t shun you if he doesn’t feel the same way, he’s not that kind of guy,” she assures you.

“I know, Nic. But how do I even bring it up? How do I find the right time to slide ‘hey, so I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, let me know if you feel the same!’” You pull a thumbs up at her, pulling a sarcastic face.

Nicole smirks at you, confusing you until she says “Just like that,” before pointing behind you to a freshly showered Nico standing in the hallway, having heard every word you just said.

You turn around, snapping your head back towards Nicole when you see Nico. You don’t move, too petrified with the fact he just heard you say you were in love with him.

“Y/N, is that true?” Nico calls out, cautiously walking towards your couch.

Nicole stands, claiming it was time for her to go before she hastily made her exit.

Your eyes are squeezed shut, trying to pull off the ‘if I can’t see them, they can’t see me,’ move.

“Is what you just told Nicole true? You’re in love with me?” you hear from in front of you now, feeling the couch dip.

You refuse to open your eyes, wanting to disappear into thin air. When Nico reaches his hand out, grabbing your non-slinged hand in his own, your eyes snap open.

He’s looking at you with an expression in his eyes you’ve only ever seen a few times before. Once when you wore his jersey for opposites day at work, handing him your camera to tote around all day as you, very poorly, skated around the ice, trying to scoot a puck around. The second was when you surprised him with a pan of brownies for his birthday, knowing how much he loves the chocolatey squares. The third was when he braided your hair for the first time, recognizing the softness of his eyes through the mirror. The most recent, aside from right now, was earlier this week, during the same moment you just described to Nicole.

“I…” you try to speak, but you’re still stuck in shock.

Nico chuckles and drops his head, looking at your hand in his.

“Would it make you feel better if I told you I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, too?” he repeats your words, looking up and into your eyes as he says them.

Your mouth snaps shut, a new kind of shock entering your system.

“I think I have been since that first time Jack almost took you out on the ice,” he starts. “I had seen you before, but we only really spoke when you were telling me how to pose for pictures. Or making me smile for arrival pictures,” he reminisces, a fond smile on his face. “I always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, but I knew I had to get you to talk to me somehow, the skating lessons being my perfect in,” he tells you, squeezing your hand.

You can’t believe your mother was right. The lessons were a calculated move for Nico to establish himself in your life.

Nico keeps talking, pulling you from the realization. “The more we spent time together, the more I realized I wanted you to be more than just my pretty coworker I taught how to ice skate. So, when you offered the dinners after lessons, I jumped. I was hoping it was your way of telling me you had feelings for me, too, but when you kept telling your mom we were just friends, I figured I could wait it out a little longer,” he references all the times you complained about your mom jumping to conclusions. “I kept lying in wait, trying to find the perfect moment to make my move, and then you got hurt. I was so worried when they told me you fell and they had to take you to the hospital. Got scared it was my fault, that I told you the wrong thing during a skating lesson, or I pushed you to skate on your own before you were ready,” he starts rubbing his thumb across the back of your hand.

“When I realized you would need major help while your arm was in that sling, not even being able to brush your hair by yourself, I knew this is where I could tell you. Maybe bring it up when I was braiding your hair, or slip a note in your bagel bag one morning. Hell, I even thought about spelling it out with sushi pieces that first night, but figured that might be a bit tacky,” you laughed at his words, remembering wondering what was taking him so long to bring your food to you. “But then, every time I thought about it, I chickened out. The closest I ever got was the moment in your kitchen, every muscle in my body screaming at me to just lean in and kiss you,” your laugh is cut short at his confession. “When you pulled back before I could, I assumed you didn’t feel the same way, so I left. I was embarrassed, not wanting to sit in the rejection any longer. But this week, being away for so long after spending nearly every day with you for the past three weeks, I knew I had to tell you.”

You’re glad he was as affected by not being around you this week as you were, not feeling as pathetic anymore.

“Was going to tell you when I walked through the door actually, but then I saw Nicole here and didn’t want to do it in front of her. That worked out great, didn’t it?” he laughs at the situation, Nicole clearly having different plans.

You scoff out a “Yeah, clearly, considering she railroaded me without me even knowing.”

“Well, I’m very glad she did, because now I can stop talking about you like a lovesick puppy to them,” Nico tells you, confirming your earlier feeling that Nico brings you up during ‘girlfriend talk’.

“My mom is so totally going to freak out when I tell her we’re dating,” you tell him, stopping yourself. “We are dating, right?”

Nico laughs as he brings his hands up to cup your face, pulling you in for a kiss, his lips as soft as you imagined they were. He keeps the kiss light and sweet before pulling back.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” your cheeks flush, earning another laugh from the man in front of you.

“C’mon, I’m tired and would love to sleep in an actual bed tonight. We can talk details tomorrow, girlfriend,” he emphasizes the word. “Right now, I need cuddles and sleep,” he stands, holding his hand out for you to grab as you stand, leading you down the hallway towards your bedroom.

Thinking back to what lead you to this moment, you giggle quietly to yourself, finding it a little comical that it took you literally falling on the ice and injuring yourself to realize you’d already fallen there once before.

[solarmorrigan]

Hands Where I Can See Them, Part 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Here’s the thing: Jeff isn’t actually a meddler by nature.

He’s perfectly content to let people be. He keeps himself to himself and is happy when others do the same. It’s not that he’s never curious, it’s just that he asks personal questions sparingly. And he’s probably going to ask them even more sparingly in the future, because the last time he’d asked one, he’d accidentally broken up one of his best friend’s relationships.

In fairness to Jeff, that relationship was going to blow up sooner rather than later (that is, in fact, exactly what Eddie had said to him when they’d talked a few days after the incident in question; Eddie had even said that he thinks he’d needed the wakeup call, though he’d have preferred it hadn’t happened the way it did – the way that hurt Steve so much. All the same, he seems determined to make things right, so– maybe not the worst thing in the world?), but still, Jeff feels a little… guilty isn’t quite the word, but he doesn’t have a better name for the squirm of emotion in his gut when he catches sight of Steve at Melvald’s one evening.

He hasn’t seen Steve in over a week, now – not since he’d abruptly left Eddie’s place after being unceremoniously informed that his boyfriend (Jeff’s pretty sure that’s the train Steve had been on) is apparently not actually his boyfriend.

And it isn’t as though he or Gareth or Oliver had really hung out with Steve sans Eddie before, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be willing; Jeff’s experience with Steve Harrington in high school had been peripheral at best, and though he hadn’t had the best impression of him at first, he’d actually come to enjoy his company since he started hanging around Eddie after that disaster of a spring break. He doesn’t know much about D&D (though Jeff suspects he knows a lot more than he lets on), and he’s not particularly into fantasy or sci-fi, but he does have a bizarrely encyclopedic knowledge of sports, and had been excited to learn that Jeff is into baseball and hockey.

He's just as bitchy as Jeff had always thought he was, but he’s also unexpectedly kind, and funny in a way that had caught all of them off guard, and largely seems like a solid sort of guy.

And Jeff just feels kind of shitty that the last time they hung out had ended the way it had, that’s all.

That is his main excuse for why he approaches Steve in the cereal aisle at Melvald’s at 8 p.m. on a Friday.

He clears his throat. “Hey.”

Steve turns, brows furrowed as he looks to see who’s trying to get his attention, clearly not expecting any kind of social encounter, but his expression clears a bit when he sees Jeff. “Oh. Uh– Hey,” he says. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I don’t seem like the type to eat breakfast cereal?” Jeff teases, and a little bit of the tension in Steve’s shoulders seems to ease away.

“More like I thought I was the only person lame enough to be grocery shopping on a Friday night,” he counters with a smirk.

“You might be,” Jeff says, though he keeps his voice warm. “I just stopped in to pick up some snacks for the weekend after– uh,” Jeff stops short; shit, why did he bring that up?

Steve stares at him for a moment, calculating, and Jeff sees the moment he makes the connection.

“Hellfire tonight, right?” Steve asks, his tone almost unnervingly neutral as he looks back towards the shelves.

“Yeah,” Jeff says, still watching Steve carefully. “Just ended about half an hour ago.”

Steve gives a slow nod. “How was it?”

And – well, there are two options from here. Jeff could take Steve’s polite interest at face value, tell him it was a good session, and let them both awkwardly get on with their nights, or… He could be truthful, and maybe see how Steve’s really doing (which would also be awkward, so it’s not like Jeff really has much to lose).

“To be honest? Not great.” Jeff shrugs. “Eddie hasn’t been in good form lately.”

He can see the curve of a sad sort of smile cross Steve’s face, just briefly.

“That sucks, man. Hope he, uh… gets his head back in the game soon, I guess?” Steve offers.

Whether he does or not will probably be entirely dependent on how his plans to fix things with Steve play out; Eddie hadn’t told Jeff much (apparently, he’s done accidentally flying his dirty laundry for the time being), but he had said that Steve had asked for a little time, and that they would be talking again soon.

“I think he’s working on it,” Jeff says, rather than digging into that particular can of worms. “And, uh… How are you doing?”

“Fine,” Steve says a little too quickly. “I’m fine.”

Jeff pauses for a minute, pursing his lips and staring up at the ceiling. Is he really doing this? On a Friday night at fucking Melvald’s?

“It just sucks,” he finally says, “that…”

“That you all had to see that I’m actually an oversensitive loser when you realized I’d basically made up an entire relationship and then ran out over it like an idiot?” Steve suggests, his tone so false and light that it sets Jeff on edge.

“That Eddie couldn’t see that he had something really good in front of him. That he completely fumbled it,” Jeff corrects him.

It’s only after he’s spoken that he remembers they’re in a public place, and that talking to one guy about his relationship with another guy isn’t particularly safe. He glances around, hoping it’s not too little, too late, and is relieved to find that the store is just as empty as it had been when he’d first stepped in. When he looks back to Steve, he finds him staring, brows furrowed like he’s trying to puzzle something out.

“Isn’t Eddie one of your best friends?” Steve asks at last.

Jeff shrugs. “Makes me qualified to point out when he’s been an idiot.”

Steve says nothing, just pins Jeff with that confused stare for a moment longer before turning back to the shelf, as if he might finally decide on what cereal he wants.

“If it helps at all,” Jeff says, more quietly this time, “the reason we were even talking about it is because I asked Eddie how it was going – the two of you dating. We all thought you were. We were– well, probably not just as surprised as you, but pretty damn surprised when Eddie said you weren’t.”

“That… actually does. A little,” Steve answers softly, cutting a quick glance at Jeff. “Thanks.”

Jeff shrugs. “It’s just– Eddie’s not– he’s not a bad guy. He gets caught up in things, and he forgets to pay attention, but he wouldn’t do something like that on purpose.”

“I know,” Steve says, not quite sharp, but not quite gentle, either.

“Sorry, I’m not… trying to talk him up. I swear I’m not here advocating for him, or whatever.” Jeff sighs. “You’re totally within your rights to tell him to fuck off—hell, you can tell me to fuck off—I just wanted to say that if he tells you he’s sorry, if he says he wants to fix it, he really does mean it.”

“Yeah. I know,” Steve says again, and this time he sounds gentle – a little soft and distant.

Jeff reaches up and clasps one hand over Steve’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before releasing him. “Anyway, if we’re not going to be seeing you at any of the regular places, you should come over and catch a game sometime.”

It seems like a given that Steve won’t be sitting in on anymore Hellfire sessions for a while, or coming to see their gigs at The Hideout like he had been (he’s already missed one, and they had all pretended not to notice the way Eddie had completely ignored the side of the room with the table where Steve would usually sit and watch), but Jeff finds himself unwilling to let go of his friendship entirely.

“Yeah?” Steve asks, glancing over again.

“Sure.” Jeff shrugs. “Offer stands. Gareth and Oliver’d be happy to see you, too.”

“They’re not into sports,” Steve says.

“But they can be bribed with snacks,” Jeff answers, and Steve gives a huff of a laugh.

“Cool,” he says, the first real smile Jeff’s seen from him all night beginning to cross his face. “I’ll give you a call sometime.”

Jeff smirks at him. “Will you have your people call my people?” he teases, and Steve reaches out to give his shoulder a light shove.

“Fuck off, man,” he snickers.

“Only because I have other things to do,” Jeff says, heading back down the aisle the way he’d come. “Night, Harrington.”

“Night,” Steve calls back after him, sounding a bit lighter than when Jeff had found him.

Feeling a little lighter himself, Jeff snags an extra package of Ho Ho’s on the way to the register. He figures he’s earned it.

Part 6

-

Tag List (Now full, I'm sorry! Drop me a line if you want off the ride): @bushbees @y0urnewstepp4r3nt @gleek4twd @hellfireone @westifer-dead @anne-bennett-cosplayer @starman-jpg @mugloversonly @swimmingbirdrunningrock @alycatavatar @y4r3luv @rhapsodyinalto @vinteraltus @lilpomelito @tillystealeaves @noctxrn-e @pearynice @giverobinagfbrigade @novacorpsrecruit @hotluncheddie @strangersteddierthings @alongcomesaspider @theheadlessphilosopher @jettestar @rajumat @garden-of-gay @jamieweasley13 @dam28lh @oldwitcheshat @lololol-1234 @perfectlysensiblenonsense @salty-h0e @r0binscript @mavernanche @back2beesness @a-lovely-craziness @paintsplatteredandimperfect @redbullgivescaswings @emmabubbles @heartstarstar-blog @thesuninyaface @thatonebisexualman @fruitandbubbles @erinharvelle @m-owo-n @theystoodandplayedwithsilence @surroundedbyconfusion @luthienstormblessed @3ldr1tchang3l @pansexuality-activated

[adorethedistance]

First I Love You - Jamie Drysdale x Reader

Hockey Masterlist

Warnings: swearing, mentions of anxiety, sexual references.

Words: 1677

Summary: First I Love You - After a day that gets increasingly worse, Jamie plans a date night to indirectly celebrate your two-month anniversary.

A/n: Cherry is back with a fic after a month of radio silence in typical aodre the distance fashion lol. Anyway! This has been in my drafts forever and I hate it, I can't proof it due to writer's block, and I'm honestly just done staring at it so here ya go!

You can read part 1 of the series of firsts here. The next and final first on the list is first time which is of course gonna be a lil smutty. I might write some Trevor pieces in the interim just depending how I'm feeling.

Today is just one of those days. My class ran much longer than usual and I had to stay after to ask my professor questions before the midterm that night, then I didn’t have time to make myself lunch so I grabbed the pizza rolls from my freezer to heat up at work, then I burned the pizza rolls beyond consumption and did not have any back up food, then I was starving and stressed and unable to use my time at work to study for the exam. I was crying in a puddle of stress and tears. And Jamie didn’t miss a beat. 

Upon hearing how horrible my morning and afternoon had been, he ordered my usual meal from In-N-Out and brought it to me at work so I wouldn’t starve. Then, he offered to make me dinner after I finished my midterm and I tearfully and appreciatively accepted. These little actions of consideration are what have made me fall deeper and deeper in love with Jamie. 

We reached our two months anniversary today but I didn’t make a big deal about it. I feel weird about potentially being one of those couples that celebrates every tiny little milestone like it’s the biggest thing in the world. Still neither of us have said “I love you” yet. But if Jamie continues caring for and about me like this, I’m not sure much longer I can hold it in. That’s why I decided I would tell him tonight.

After cooking dinner for the two of us, and pouring a congratulatory glass of wine to celebrate the 95 I got on my midterm, we laid down on the couch together. Happy and fed, I rest my head on the expanse of his broad chest. Jamie presses a kiss into my hair, bringing his left arm to drape over my shoulders.

“God, 2 months already?!” Trevor asks Jamie incredulously, making me roll my eyes at the playful jab.

“Don’t sound so surprised, Zegras.”

“You’re just mad cause you can’t pull.” Jamie’s accusation makes me laugh at the offended look on Trevor’s face. 

“Don’t get it twisted, I can pull.”

“You just can’t get them to stay?” I ask innocently, absentmindedly messing with Jamie’s fingers. Jamie laughs heartily. He interlaces his with mine to give my hand a gentle squeeze. “But to answer your original question, yes, it’s been 2 months already.” 

The scruff of my boyfriend’s 5 o’clock shadow brushes the back of my hand as he kisses the flat part of my knuckle. Trevor, observing the entire action, leans over the kitchen trashcan and pretends to throw up. Jamie merely laughs and I roll my eyes once more, “Shut the fuck up! You are so dramatic.”

“And for what?” Jamie chimes in which makes me smile to see he’s been picking up some of my mannerisms and phrases as well. That’s been my favorite part of dating him so far. The way his music taste slowly infiltrates mine. The way he now keeps a trashbag in his car after realizing how useful the one in mine is. The way he’s wearing the soft blue hoodie he lent me, for the reason that it now smells like me, which is why I had stolen it from him in the first place.

“I’m happy for you guys, really,” Trevor grabs his car keys from off the granite kitchen counter, “Thank you for rubbing salt into the open wound.”

“Oh my god-” Jamie starts.

“Get out of here!” I finish for him, urging Trevor to leave. 

“I’m gone!” He obliges. Then, Jamie kisses my head again, prompting me to sit up. 

“Did he say where he was going?”

“Mmm… no, actually. If I had to guess, he’s probably going golfing with the guys.”

“No way, he was dressed way too nice for golf…” I trail off, racking my brain for where he could have possibly been headed. Shrugging off the idea, I straddle Jamie’s hips, and look down at him. I smile. Overcome with the warm sensation of staring at my boyfriend. Jamie nudges me with his hips, indicating he would like me to lay back down. Before I comply, I pull my hair back tying it out of the way so I’m free to kiss Jamie as much as I please. He watches my every move, eyes flooded with adoration.

“At practice this morning, McT said he…” Jamie trails off mid sentence. As he was talking, I finished tying my hair back and then leaned down as he had wanted me to. He’s looking at me with eyes slightly widened and lips parted in surprise. 

“What?” I ask, concerned as to why Jamie stopped talking. He simply says,

“You’re really pretty.” The seemingly arbitrary declaration makes me laugh but does nothing to aid my confusion.

“Okay?”

“You’re just so pretty I think I short-circuited.” The earnest confession makes me smile and giggle, so I press a soft kiss to Jamie’s lips.

“You’re cute. So what did Mason say?”

“Oh yeah, he said that he wants to meet you.”

“Really?” I ask, rubbing my thumb over Jamie’s cheekbone. He kisses my palm before responding,

“Despite how much you and Trevor bully each other, he’s told everyone on the team about how cool you are. He kinda took the liberty to do it himself since I do gush about you, but I get shy about it.” Jamie is uncharacteristically speaking out loud his stream of consciousness, and I take a back seat to admire how talkative he can be when he’s with me. A stark contrast to the shy, almost silent boy I’d had my first date with. Noticing how much he’s talking, Jamie ends his rambling but I smile softly, encouragingly,

“It’s unfortunate that the ‘cool girl’ is seemingly the only archetype that consistently receives approval from men, but it is true nonetheless.”

“Yeah, like, it’s not that I need his approval, but it is nice when your boys like your girlfriend… Well, it’s what you said, you just said it better. I’m mansplaining aren’t I?” He asks, bashfully. I roll my eyes and appreciatively kiss his lips once more.

“Get out of your head, Drysdale. Do you have anxiety?” 

“Shut up. I think you’re the only person I’ve ever met who can always tell when I’m overthinking.”

“Maybe I’m just the only one with the audacity to comment on it,” I playfully propose, smiling when I succeed in making Jamie laugh. 

“I don’t think so.”

“We’ll agree to disagree. It’s unlikely, but not impossible.” Dropping the bit, Jamie and I smile at each other, melting into a comfortable silence. He looks at me with soft eyes, pink blush creeping across his cheeks the longer I continue to stare. I rest my left hand on the side of his face once more. I brush my thumb over his cheekbone again, and rub the top of my fingers repeatedly against the stubble adorning his jaw. Jamie lifts his eye brows before saying,

“What, do I need to shave?”

“No. I just like the way it feels.”

“Oh, hey, you said you’re done with school by mid december, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“My mom asked if you were coming to Christmas this year.”

“Did she really?” Jamie hesitates a moment before his brows furrow in sincere disapproval.

“You’ve been my girlfriend for two months now. She will not shut up about meeting you.”

“What? Why?” He then blushes fiercely and cowers his head into the large hoodie he’s slouched on. Jamie doesn’t meet my gaze as he talks,

“I told her all about you the other day.” I bite back the giant smile that prods at my features before replying,

“What did you tell her?”

“Just stuff about you!”

“What stuff about me?!”

“I told her you’re a student and what you’re studying. I told her where you’re from and what your family is like. And I told her about how I stare at you between red lights when we’re going somewhere.” The last piece of information makes me laugh and I tilt my head in confusion.

“How did that last part come up?” It was a simple question, really. One that I hadn’t even bothered to put a lot of thought into; one that came from my basic stream of consciousness. And certainly not one that I imagined would ellicit such a reaction from Jamie. His eyes widened and softened all at once, his blush glowing brighter across his cheeks, and his lips parting to allow the irregular pace of breathing he had now adopted.

“I guess… I called her because I was unsure of what I was feeling…? I was kinda freaking out about it. As I told her about our first date, she said that just talking about you made me visibly happier. She noticed that, even though I wasn’t aware of how happy I’d gotten. Then she demanded to meet you as soon as possible…” Jamie sheepishly looks up at me after finishing his mini monologue. The traces of endeared happiness immediately vanish and Jamie looks at me horrified. In describing how happy I make this boy, I felt tears welling up on my lashes, relieved to be experiencing something so thoroughly mutual.

“Oh my god, please don’t cry I’m sorry!” I laugh through the tears and playfully smack his chest.

“Jamie…”

“You make me really happy, Y/n. Like, really really happy-”

“I love you,” I blurt out. I’m a bit stunned and honestly scared of how quickly this confession escaped me. But I know it’s true. And isn’t that the scariest part?

“I love you too.”

“Really?” I ask through unrelenting tears.

“Yes,” Jamie rests his hands on the tops of my hip bones, “I kind of lied by saying my mom said I looked happy… She said I looked very in love, but I didn’t want to be too forward and say that if you maybe didn’t feel the same way.”

“Bro, you worry so much, are you sure you don’t have anxiety?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

***

a/n: copy pasting tags is the best thing that has ever happened to fic writers I think.

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Top Shelf Love: Chapter 2

A/N: Has anyone else been watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Just Me? I haven't decided yet who I want to be in the final ever since my Canes have been eliminated... Anyways! All this to say that it's been fun writing this hockey fic while watching hockey, and I hope everyone enjoys reading this latest chapter :)

Read on AO3 // Chapter Masterlist // Previous Part // Next Part

Cassian

Despite having played the Kraken in Seattle once last season, Cassian has to admit it’s pretty nice being on the home side of Climate Pledge Arena. Sure, playing in a place like Madison Square Garden most nights was a dream, one he held since he was just a boy, but there’s something to be said about all the upgrades and modernity that a newer arena has to offer.

Following the director of team services out of the elevator, they come to a set of frosted glass doors, the Kraken logo split between the two. As they step closer, the doors automatically slide open, revealing the locker room, and Cassian barely swallows down an impressed whistle. It’s certainly spacious, even for an NHL locker room, LED lights and the Kraken logo displayed on the ceiling. At least, he won’t have to worry about stepping on it here.

“Valdarez.”

Cassian turns just in time to see a tall man walking toward him, blonde hair cut short and beard trimmed to just a stubble along his cheeks. His grin is wide and easy, revealing the chipped upper tooth on the left side. It’s easy enough for Cassian to recognize the captain of the team, Fionn Donoch. He still remembers watching him lift the Cup back when Cassian was just a teen.

“Wanted to make sure I came down to meet you myself,” Fionn continues, holding out his hand for Cassian to shake.

“Are you sure you didn’t just want to come down and remind me who’s really in charge here?”

Fionn laughs good naturedly at the joke, slapping Cassian on the back. “You’re going to fit right in here. So, what do you think so far?”

Cassian glances around the locker room again, thinking back to the practice facilities he’d toured earlier. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice, all the fancy arena upgrades.”

“Definitely not the worst place to call home, right? Listen, they don’t have the ice down yet, but I can still show you if you want.”

At Cassian’s nod, Fionn leads the way out of the locker room. They pass through a glass lined hallway, Fionn explaining how during game days, it’s lit with blue LED lights, how fans typically line the other side, banging the glass and getting the boys going. Then they’re stepping onto the home bench and the arena floor, and Cassian gets to appreciate what the view will be from ice level. He turns slowly in a circle, taking in the stands, the scoreboards, the afternoon light streaming through the wall of windows.

He takes a deep breath in, and for a moment, he can almost hear it. The blare of the goal horn. The roar of the crowd. He can almost feel the cool bite off the ice against his cheeks. Can almost feel the surety, the peace that comes from having it beneath his skates, from the comfortable weight of a stick in his hands.

“Have you met with Miller yet?”

Cassian shakes his head of the daydream, turning back toward Fionn. “Yeah, I met with the whole staff earlier this morning.”

He and Fionn continue to talk shop, talk the system, before making their way together toward the garage and their cars. Or, in Cassian’s case, his rental car until he’s able to secure a new apartment and get all his things shipped out. He supposes he should check in with that realtor Eris connected him with again.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out,” Fionn tells him, offering another easy grin as he hits the remote of his car. “Even if it’s just food recommendations.”

“Thanks, but I’m actually meant to be meeting up with a friend after this. She’s going to give me the whole tour of the city and all that.”

“She, huh? Let me know if I need to pass her number along to the wife. I don’t think they’ve done dues yet for this season.”

Cassian chuckles at the teasing smirk on Fionn’s face, the implication of his words. But then he thinks back to Nesta. Thinks back to the photos of her Instagram, to those icy blue eyes and that damn expression on her face. He can’t deny there’s been a low, simmering heat in his gut all morning, sparking at the fact he finally gets to meet Nesta, finally gets to witness that fire in person.

“Only if I’m lucky.”

~ * * * ~

Large, looping letters declare Grumpy & Sunshine Books above the door, the window display to the left of the door decked out with an artsy display of flowers and hanging book pages. Cassian glances down at the phone in his hand, the Map displayed on the screen there, confirming he’s in the right place. With a nod, he pockets his phone and presses forward, stepping through the front door.

The scent of paper and ink greets him as soon as Cassian steps inside, along with something vanilla. A candle that he can’t see? There’s a table display of books immediately inside, and Cassian casts them a cursory glance, taking in more looping text and what looks to be a variety of cartoon characters on the covers. He weaves around shelves and more table displays, past a wall of vines and succulents and a pink neon sign declaring Most ardently.

And at the very center of the store, Cassian finds the register and the woman he’s looking for bent over a book behind it. Cassian had known Nesta was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen since he first saw her picture, but seeing her in person is another thing altogether. Seeing her standing there in front of him almost has him wanting to drop down to his knees right there in the middle of the bookstore.

Her hair is braided back in an intricate updo, but with her head bent down, a strand of golden brown hair tumbles down her temple and kisses her jawline. Deft fingers brush the hair aside and behind her ear absently, further revealing the sharp cut of her cheekbones. When she turns the page of her book, her lips part, eyebrows jumping, and Cassian thinks he might give anything to see her eyes properly, to see if they spark and flare along with whatever she’s just read.

He’d give anything to have those eyes on him.

“Reading on the job?”

Nesta snaps her book closed, her attention finally rising, and Cassian gets his first look at those blue eyes he’s so often thought about. They’re a similar shade to Feyre’s, sure, and yet so different somehow. They seem to burn with a silver fire that leaves the cool shade of them looking like a storm roiled sea, especially when that gaze narrows on him, her lips pinching into a scowl.

Cassian doesn’t let the reaction deter him. If anything, it only stokes the embers in his own chest, beckoning him into the flames. He closes the final few steps between them, leaning against the register counter with a smirk.

“Nesta Archeron,” Cassian greets.

“Cassian Valdarez.”

His name falling from her lips shouldn’t sound as sweet as it does, especially with the clipped tone she speaks it, but a zing of electricity still skitters down Cassian’s spine nonetheless. What would it take to have her saying his name again? To have her sighing it? For him to taste it?

“So you do know me, then?” Cassian drawls, daring to glance down at her book. A Calanmai Secret. “And yet, you couldn’t answer any of my texts.”

Nesta crosses her arms, leveling him with a hard look that Cassian is sure is meant to send him running. “Most people would take that as a hint. Yet here you are. In my bookstore.”

“Feyre said you’d show me around the city.”

“Feyre asked me to show you around. I don’t recall ever agreeing.”

“I’m starting to think you’re the grumpy on the sign outside,” Cassian chuckles softly, hoping to at least earn the hint of a smile at his teasing joke.

Instead, Nesta settles both hands on the register counter, leaning forward. “Buy something. Or get out of my store.”

Cassian tilts his head, taken back by the harsh reaction. He’ll clearly have to work harder to get her to smile or laugh. Challenge accepted. Already, he can hear Az’s voice in his mind, making a dry comment about his taste in women. Already, he can see the way Rhys would roll his eyes.

“Fine,” Cassian says easily with a shrug, stepping back from the register counter. “The historical section is…?”

Nesta merely points to a bookshelf to his left, so Cassian turns his attention toward it. He grabs the first book within reach, the spine a blue and green. He’s intent on striding right back up to Nesta and proudly purchasing the book, but then he catches sight of the cover. Of the shirtless man that takes up the cover, the model’s skin clearly oiled up so every ridge of muscle is on full display. A tartan hangs low on the man’s hips, and just above the man the title is scrawled, Highland Escape.

“This… is not what I meant.”

Rather than direct him toward the historical fiction section, Nesta crosses her arms across her chest, her lips tugging up into a smirk. And, oh, there’s a real challenge blazing in her gaze now, that fire that had called to Cassian even in photo form sparking in her blue eyes. It’s beautiful, that look on her face, daring him to play.

He glances around the bookstore again, this time with fresh eyes. The greenery on the walls, the different table displays, the pink neon sign with an Austen quote. Of course. He’d heard of bookstores like these, ones that specialize in romance novels.

When he looks back toward Nesta, she has that same daring expression on her face, her smirk already starting to grow as though she’s won. As beautiful as it is, as beautiful as she is, Cassian refuses to back down. Heat flares through his chest as he fights back a smirk of his own, more than ready to keep this game of theirs going. He clears his throat and turns back to the shelf, sliding the book in his hand back into place. He takes his time reading the different titles along the spine before finally settling on a different book, tugging it free and sidling back up at the register counter.

“I’ll take this one,” Cassian tells Nesta with a grin, sliding the book across to her.

Nesta hums, glancing down toward the book he’s selected. Viking Bride. Cassian waits for the mask to slip, to see a hint of a reaction take over her face, but she’s nothing but cool and silent as she rings him up. The transaction complete, she tucks his receipt into the cover of the book, sliding it back over to him.

“Have a nice day,” Nesta offers, her tone mockingly sweet.

Cassian reaches for the book, his fingers brushing along Nesta’s own until she snatches her hand away. “You know, I’m beginning to think you don’t like me.”

Nesta snorts and rolls her eyes. “Whatever gave you that impression?”

“Oh, yeah, Nes, you’re a real ray of sunshine right now.”

“Don’t call me that.”

There’s no stopping Cassian’s smirk at earning that reaction, a little tidbit he tucks away, even as he continues, “but it’s not really fair, is it? I mean, you don’t even know me. This is literally our first time ever meeting. What could I have possibly done?”

Nesta’s face falls, a new emotion flashing through her blue eyes. It’s certainly the cool, haughty mask slipping away, but not how Cassian wanted. He frowns at the sudden change, but before he can even begin to attempt to decipher what that emotion is, what that expression could mean, Nesta turns away from him.

“If I give you a tour of the city, will you leave me alone after that?”

~ * * * ~

Nesta

Nesta doesn’t know what she expected. She knew, in the back of her mind, that despite never responding to a single one of Cassian’s texts, that that wouldn’t be the last of things. But she can’t say she expected him to show up at her bookstore. Didn’t expect him to stride in with a smirk and an easy confidence, to almost proudly buy a viking romance novel.

She wants to hate that he still looks as good as the last time she saw him at Feyre’s engagement party. His hair is loose, dark curls hanging around his temples and tumbling down to his shoulders. His eyes are a hazel as bright as Nesta remembers, a maze of greens and golds that seem to spark with a flickering flame. And that cocksure smile has no damn right being as attractive as it is.

She wants to hate the way he didn’t back down from her ire, from all the quips she threw his way. Instead, he only seemed to rise to meet her, seemed to enjoy it as though it was a game between them. She wants to deny the way his fingers brushing against hers sent a shiver ricocheting up her arm and down her spine.

And he doesn’t even remember her.

She’d felt stupid that night in New York, but she feels even more stupid now. She certainly hadn’t expected an apology or anything, but this is like a slap in the face. And on the heels of that churning feeling roiling through her gut is anger. It burns red hot through her veins, flaring like a wildfire that licks between her ribs.

“If I give you a tour of the city, will you leave me alone after that?”

Cassian clears his throat awkwardly, that cocksure smirk finally slipping. “You want me to leave you alone?”

“What are you doing here?”

Nesta’s attention snaps toward the new voice, finding Emerie standing just inside the door, her brown eyes narrowed on Cassian.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Cassian answers easily despite Emerie’s clipped question. He holds his hand out toward her to shake, but Emerie doesn’t take it. “I’m Cassian.”

“I know who you are,” Emerie tells him airily, stepping behind the register counter.

She reaches out as she passes, fingers curling around Nesta’s wrist and squeezing lightly. It’s a silent question out of view of Cassian’s eyes, to check that she’s alright. Nesta meets her best friend’s gaze and offers the smallest hint of a nod.

“You do? Are you a hockey fan, then?” Cassian asks, unaware of the silent conversation happening without him.

Emerie snorts at the implication. “No. There’s only one hockey fan in this bookstore, and it’s not me.”

“I feel like you don’t like me either…” Cassian comments quietly, tilting his head slightly. “Is everyone the grumpy on the sign? You might want to consider a new name if there’s no sunshine.”

“Gwyn is the sunshine, and trust me when I say you’re lucky that you don’t have to deal with her.”

Nesta has to press her lips together to keep from laughing at the way Cassian’s eyes widen slightly in horror. It’s certainly not a misplaced expression. Gwyn was one of Nesta’s first friends when she first moved to Seattle, and while the redhead is one of the kindest people Nesta has ever met, she’s also the fiercest. Beneath all the bright smiles and easy laughs there’s a viciousness that can and will be released, especially when it comes to those Gwyn cares about.

“I don’t know. You said there’s one hockey fan, right? And I’m guessing it’s this Gwyn. Maybe I do want to meet her. We can talk all things Kraken.”

“Gwyn’s a Nashville fan,” Nesta informs Cassian. “They’re her hometown team.”

And dedicated to her hometown team she is. Nesta doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the first time she and Gwyn went to grab dinner at a sport’s bar, the first time witnessing the way Gwyn ranted and shouted at the large television on the wall.

Nesta waits for Cassian’s face to drop again at this newest tidbit, but what she doesn’t expect is for his grin to grow wider and stretch across his face, for the golds of his eyes to glint. He looks like a child that just stepped foot into a candy store, like this is exactly what he was waiting for, and it has Nesta frowning in confusion.

“My brother plays for the Preds. Azriel. You know, if she wanted, I could probably get her a signed jersey.”

“Gwyn would absolutely lose her mind,” Emerie comments under her breath.

“And what’s the price for this signed jersey?” Nesta dares to ask, squinting suspiciously at Cassian.

Cassian shrugs a shoulder, all faux innocence. “Well, you clearly don’t want to give me a tour, so how about just dinner? You can give me a list of your recommendations then.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“A dinner for a jersey. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Don’t you think, Nes?”

Nesta sighs, shaking her head. “Fine. One dinner and in exchange, you’ll get a Nashville jersey signed. By the whole team.”

Cassian’s smile twists into a smirk, gaze flickering and darkening as he holds his hand out across the register counter. “It’s a bargain.”

Nesta already knows she’s going to regret this, but she reaches forward, sliding her hand into Cassian’s. His fingers curl around her own with ease, his grip surprisingly gentle. His hand is so large compared to her own, practically swallowing hers whole, and the callouses slide against her palm when she pulls her hand back. She has to forcibly shove down a shiver before it can skitter up her spine in reaction.

“Let’s go, then,” Nesta says, gathering up her things where she stored them beneath the register.

She and Emerie share one final look before Nesta leads Cassian out the door and back onto the street. Thankfully, it’s a short walk to one of the local restaurants that focuses on PNW cuisine, a good introduction for Cassian to the city and area.

“So, I have to ask,” Cassian begins once they’re seated at a small table near the back of the restaurant, the waitress vanishing with their drink order.

“Ask about what?” Nesta asks, not even bothering to look up from the menu even though she already knows what she’s going to order.

“About the bookstore.”

Nesta’s gaze flicks over the top of the menu in her hands, eyes narrowing. “Some people like to read, meathead.”

Cassian tips his head back and lets out a booming laugh, earning a few curious looks from the other tables. “Did you really just call me a meathead?”

“I’ve seen you play, seen you fighting other players on the ice.”

“Are you watching my games, sweetheart?” Cassian asks, leaning across the table to smirk at her, those hazel eyes of his glinting in amusement again.

Nesta rolls her eyes, leaning forward as well to sneer, “you wish. I told you, Gwyn is a Nashville fan. I occasionally watch a game with her.”

Cassian hums, and Nesta bristles at the way he continues to eye her. Something about those hazel eyes is almost unsettling, as though he’s looking through her in a way no one ever has. It takes everything within her not to shift in her seat, to simply turn her attention back to her menu.

“History.”

Nesta looks up again with a frown. “What?”

“History,” Cassian repeats, leaning back casually in his chair. “That’s what my degree is in.”

“I thought hockey players got drafted at eighteen? That’s what Gwyn has always said at least.”

“That’s true, but not everyone joins the NHL right out of the draft. I played for my college team for two years before I was finally called up.”

“And what? You magically finished your degree in two years?”

Cassian laughs again, this time a low chuckle that’s surprisingly warm, that practically wraps itself around Nesta’s limbs. “Lucky for me, there’s this really amazing thing called online classes.”

“Oh.”

Nesta doesn’t know what else to say to that, but thankfully, she’s spared when their waitress returns to their table, ready to take their food orders. When she steps away again, Nesta no longer has her menu to use as a distraction, has nowhere else to look except at the man sitting across the table from her. The low light of the restaurant cuts shadows across his cheeks and jaw, the candles on each table flickering in and deepening the hazel of his eyes. The large span of his hand is on full display as he curls his fingers easily around the bottle of wine he ordered, filling Nesta’s glass before he fills his own.

“You never answered my question,” Cassian tells her, setting the bottle back down. “About the bookstore.”

“I told you, some people enjoy reading. Myself included.”

“Yeah, but I remember Feyre talking about how you went to law school, that you’d be terrorizing courtrooms and making everyone regret going up against you. So, what happened? How do you go from lawyer to bookstore owner?”

The urge to lash out, to make a snapping reply that diverts the conversation, claws up Nesta’s throat. She rarely talks about it, about him. The reason she made the move to Seattle in the first place, leaving a gaping wound as big as the distance between them with her sisters. The reason the dream she thought she had, the dream she swore she always wanted, shattered between her fingers like glass, shards cutting deep and leaving her bloodied. The reason she retreated and fell back into the shadows, that Emerie and Gwyn had to pull her out.

There are days where it all still feels so raw, no matter how much time has passed. Days where a sickening feeling will churn through her gut as soon as she opens her eyes. Days where she can still hear his voice, still feel his hands. Days where the voice in her mind morphs into her own worst thoughts, into her mother’s clipped, cool tone.

“My life fell apart, and I decided to open a bookstore with my friends,” Nesta finally answers with a derisive drawl. “Happy?”

Cassian’s face falls, lips tugging down in a small frown. “What does that mean?”

Nesta doesn’t want his pity. It’s the one thing she hates most, people looking at her with pity in their eyes. As though they feel sorry for her, as though she’s weak. When she finally walked away, finally got out, she swore to herself that she would never be weak again, and she’ll be damned if she starts now.

“Last I checked, I don’t have to tell you my whole life story. I answered your question, did I not?”

“Nes–”

“You get one dinner as part of our bargain, remember? Do you really want to ruin it?”

—

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[rowdyluv]

‘Is your Brother Luke?’ Part 2

Summary: The parent’s of the mother of Luke’s daughter discuss the details of losing their daughter. Semi-Luke’s reaction to Lillian and the loss.

Warnings: story of death by genetic condition leading to health complication, rough pregnancy/delivery, heartbreak, handing over parental rights — grandparents, not breaking up but just leaving them, , — possibly more.

🌻💚🌻💚🌻💚🌻💚🌻💚🌻💚🌻💚🌻💚🌻

Jack was only used to having his teammates or a girl he managed to pick up at the bar over. So he wasn’t quite sure how to host two strangers. His teammates helped themselves and the girls he brings home are usually helping themselves to him.

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly he spoke up, “would either of you like something to drink? I don’t have much. Water, Gatorade, beer?” He tried to laugh it off as if he wasn’t trying to hide the fact he was shaking from head to toe due to his nerves. “We’re okay, thank you.” The couple sat on the loveseat across from where he stood. “I, uh. I didn’t get your names earlier either…” Jack let his words wander off into the quiet of the apartment hoping that if they didn’t want to share with him they wouldn’t close down on him. “Phillip and Ruth Weaver.” Ruth gives Jack a soft smile. Jack feels inclined to reach across and shake Phillip’s hand as it now feels it is an official meeting.

“So Jack, you asked about what happened to our little girl.” Phillip said while making direct eye contact with him. All Jack could do was nod. His nerves are making their way back. “In short, she passed away a couple weeks ago.” Phillip kept his eyes on Jack, but Jack couldn’t look at him or at Ruth. He looked everywhere but at them. He felt like he could be sick. Jack had been silently hoping and wishing since the moment at the door when they said she was gone. That meant she just got up and left. Gave up her rights. But deep inside he knew it meant this. It always meant the worst.

When Jack went to talk next each word came out stumbled over and he was positive that neither Phillip or Ruth understood him. He had asked what happened, needing to know more. He couldn’t be left in the dark.

“Our sweet Lyla Grace was born with a genetic disorder known as Vascular Ehlers Danlos. It’s a recessive gene and it happened to skip current generations, until our baby girl.” Ruth picked up explaining as Phillip doesn’t seem to be able to get past the sentence he just dropped. “Her specific type of Ehlers Danlos is often referred to as the most serious. Vascular Ehlers Danlos affects someone’s blood vessels and their organs. Lyla had many surgeries due to ruptures.” Ruth continued explaining.

Pausing for a moment to gather herself, Jack took the time to breathe. He hadn’t necessarily been holding his breath but it sure felt like it. “When Lyla told us she wanted to go off to Michigan for college we were not for it at first. She was our baby girl. Way too fragile. The girl barely bumped into anything and she bruised like she was hit by a linebacker. But, she convinced us in the end.” Ruth gave a soft smile looking at Lillian who was beginning to stir.

“It wasn’t long after freshman move in she called me all giddy about this boy she had met. Told me his name was Luke, that he played hockey for the college, and that he was the one. She swore by it after only hanging out twice. She was so sure of it. Two days later I started to get pictures of the two of them and it continued. Your brother no doubt loved our Lyla Grace.” Ruth kept talking while she wrangled Lillian out of the seat before she started crying. “He took immaculate care of her. Any time she was sick, he made sure she had what she needed. If he had to leave for his commitment to hockey he took her to the hospital to make sure she was safe. It was sometime in between St. Patrick’s day and the end of the school year when something shifted in Luke. He still treated her right but he wasn’t around as much. It was like he started the shutout process then. When the frozen four rolled around and the loss happened, he just vanished. Three days later is when I get the call from her about the positive test.”

Jack still felt as if he could throw up. He’s heard all about this girl. All about how Luke is going to find her after his rookie season. How he’s going to make it right. How she’s it for him, he’d never been in love before her. Jack has no idea how he’s going to tell his baby brother that he not only had a baby with her and missed it but that she’s gone.

“But..how did she?” Jack asked the open ended question that they each knew what he was needing to know. “We all knew she should not have even thought of keeping her pregnancy, but she was so sure that Luke would come back to her. She was determined to keep going. She carried little britches here almost full term. 35 weeks was when she was delivered. The whole pregnancy was hard. In and out of the hospital because of the risk of hemorrhaging, the stress on her heart, the overall health risk Lyla proposed with the pregnancy. Delivery we were all on pins and needles about her heart. When The delivery was over and clear aside from the excess bleeding she experienced. We thought we made it through and all was good, we never expected it to be 7 months later when the problem showed up with her heart.” Ruth looked like she would break at any moment. She was hanging on to her granddaughter, the only thing left of her daughter. “All the pushing during delivery had created a tear in her heart. The lifting and holding of Lilly put a strain on her and made the tear bigger. We noticed the change in color of her body and took her to the hospital. While waiting for her scans is when she coded. They couldn’t do anything, it was too late.” Phillip finished for his wife with the most monotone voice. Jack hadn’t noticed he had got up and started putting together some sort of baby bed. “Jack, one of the hardest things I have ever had to do is put my baby girl to rest while holding her baby girl. We are not handing her over to Luke because we do not want her. We are handing her over because we are not capable of taking care of her the way she needs us to. Luke is her dad, she already lost her mom. This precious little one needs at least one parent in her life. Luke can provide for her plenty.” Phillip explains to Jack placing a hand on his shoulder.

Jack’s mind is spinning. He’s trying to absorb everything. Clearly they’re wrapping up the visit and are about to leave. He’s not ready to face his brother with the news. He needs to stall them.

“I want your alls contact information. I will make sure you still get to see Lillian and I will arrange all the travel for when it’s planned. You can’t write her out of your life.” Jack talked so fast the couple laughed. “Slow down honey, don’t panic. We appreciate it. We only live about 2 hours away in New York.” Ruth assures him. She places Lillian down in the pack and play Phillip just assembled.

The three of them share goodbyes and their phone numbers. Shutting the door behind him and locking it. Hopefully for the night. Jack runs his fingers through his hair and lets out an instead groan.

“Hey who was just here? And why is there a baby?” Luke asks sauntering down the stairs. “Oh! You’ll love this. So will Quinn let’s call him.” Jack can’t do this alone, so he FaceTimes Quinn. “What’s up with you two? Jack has shit eating grin on, and Luke looks confused.” Jack snickers slightly and Luke repeats his question from moments before. “Jack who was just here and why is there a baby?” Jack moves his phone to sit against the TV as he picks up Lillian and holds her out so her face is next to Luke’s.

“Quinn, meet your niece, Lillian Wren Hughes! You’ll never who the daddy is! I’ll give you a hint. It’s not me BUT he does play for the New Jersey Devils” Jack is full on cackling by now and turns Lillian to show Luke his baby. “Luke Warren Hughes, what did you do?!” Quinn asks from the phone. “Quinn I know you don’t get much action up there in Vancouver and all, but he part—“ before Jack could finish his chirp on his brother about his sex life he hung up.

“Did you say Lillian Wren?” Luke asked taking the 7 month old from his brother. “Uhm, yes? Is that all you’re fixated on you don’t want to know the mom or how she got here?” Jack tried pressing him. “I know who the mom is.” Luke countered. Staring at his little girl as she gives him a smile that shows her one bottom tooth growing in. “You, you do?” Jack asked, swallowing hard. “Yeah, Lyla and I said if we were lucky enough to have kids and had a baby girl her name would be Lillian Wren and if we had a boy it would be Leland Gray.”

Luke was lost in his memories. It’s killing Jack he has to break his heart. Break the fantasy he knows Luke is already creating in his mind. “So who were the older people and if she’s mine and Ly’s where is Ly?” Luke stopped looking down at Lillian to meet his brother’s sad stare.

“They were Ruth and Phillip Weaver. Lyla’s parents. They brought Lillian to you because…maybe I should take Lillian and you sit down before I tell you.” Jack reaches for the baby ask Luke jerks away. “I’ll sit with her. Now tell me.” Luke wasn’t a fan of how soft Jack had suddenly turned or how sad he looked. “Luke, you know Lyla was sick.”

Luke nodded slowly already piecing together what Jack was going to say at the end of this all.

“Carrying Lillian was very hard on her. She was in and out of the hospital. She delivered early. The doctors were worried about her straining her heart while she delivered. Her mom said she had excess bleeding after the delivery but her heart seemed to be okay.” Jack’s mouth felt like sandpaper. Luke could barely breathe. Lillian was pulling on her daddy’s curls. Something new to explore. “It was unknown that she actually had a small tear in her heart from straining and pushing. The months following with bending and picking up little bit, the tear got larger. Her parents said they took her to the hospital the moment they saw a change in her color. But it was too late. I…im sorry Luke but she’s gone.” Jack barely made it through the last part before he had to get up and wrap his younger brother in his arms.

Sobs rattled through Luke. He kept repeating how unfair and cruel this all was. Lillian taking in her surroundings. Jack felt useless and horrible because he had to be the one to deliver the news.

“Jack, please call mom. Please get her the first ticket here. I need her. She’s going to kill me. But I need her.” Luke begged.

What Luke didn’t know was Jack had already booked his mom’s ticket when the Weaver’s were there.

[couldawouldashoulda50]

Previous parts 1 2 3 4 In continuation of @misshoneyimhome's birthday celebration, here is Part 5 of The Sweden Chapter.

A/N - I'm going to try and limit overstating that I really struggled tying up this part up. I'm not sure why, and I hope the story somehow rises above that vibe.

I have truly appreciated the thoughts and feedback that I have received - I think I obsessively consider each option for Loren and William, and incorporate how I feel it might fit into the story that's mapped out in my head.

The boutique scene came from an anon ask asking what William might think seeing Loren in these fits. Thank you nonnie - I hope you'll enjoy that part.

Notes and Warnings - profanity, alludes to smut. I think that's it.

Word count 9.5k

18+ only please.

Once the dust settled in the days after Loren's initial arrival, William and Loren quickly established a blissful and comfortable routine that suited their typical easy-going nature. As much as Loren appreciated the opportunity to sightsee, she told William she was far more interested in just experiencing the normal day-to-day activities of living in Stockholm.

The days were filled with the best food combined with incredible company—William's friends and family had effortlessly endeared themselves to Loren and she to them. When they found themselves alone, the magnetism of their intense attraction was evident. Inside his apartment, every surface was fair game to give in to their steamy passion for one another. In the outside world, the two had their ways of showing their deep affection for one another through discreet touches and long, lingering gazes.

Time was flying by. As Loren approached the halfway mark of her trip, thoughts of leaving—not just William, but Sweden in general—filled her heart with despair. She had genuinely fallen hard for the city, William's inner circle, and most of all, William himself.

William often relied on his actions to articulate his feelings as opposed to words. Each morning he woke up with Loren, he pulled her body tight against his, savoring her presence and feeling happier than he had in ages. And he had much more planned for her stay—including a surprise 3-day side trip to Paris beginning the following day. William was quick to realize that the idea of him and Loren spending true uninterrupted alone time together could only occur in the offseason. In Toronto, the pressure of his hockey career often dictated how he and Loren spent time together and it left little room for spontaneity.

He just hadn't figured out when to spring the surprise on her.

Before their Paris departure, however, Loren, William, his siblings, and about a million of their extended friend group would be converging on an up-and-coming nightclub, where Malin's friend would be spinning popular dance and R&B tracks from the early 2000s for the club's inaugural "Ladies Night." Loren was particularly excited for that evening, as the opportunity to simply dance the night away had eluded her for years.

While William dressed for his pending golf tee time later that morning, she lay in bed regaling him with some of her wilder nights out when she was younger and far more carefree.

Under the light cotton sheet, William's eyes were riveted to Loren's silhouette as she swayed to an imaginary rhythm, playfully demonstrating her dance moves. Her tousled hair, alluring smile, and the suggestive way her eyes roamed over William from head to toe nearly persuaded him to cancel his golf plans. They'd already shared an almost-too-loud, passionate encounter that morning, but he could easily forgo golf to spend the day worshipping her—an activity he'd already planned for their Paris trip.

He pounced back onto the bed and crawled on top of her, kissing her everywhere his mouth could access as he groaned the most delicious and filthy ideas into her ear. Loren kissed his neck and grabbed his ass, pulling his hardness against her covered pussy. As bad timing would have it, William's phone chimed announcing the arrival of William's golf foursome. He moaned into her mouth, backed himself off the bed, untucked his shirt to conceal his burgeoning erection, and blew Loren a kiss before heading out the door.

Loren turned to face William's side of the bed, sheets still bunched and crinkled, the damp spot from their shared orgasms from earlier beginning to fade. She pulled William's pillow towards her body and buried her face into its softness. Whether he wore cologne or nothing at all, she cherished his scent as she smoothed her hand over the light cotton pillowcase. Loren then noticed the note William had written her which had made its way to the head of the bed during their amorous morning activities.

William had written the note first thing that morning after deciding to take the dogs for a walk alone. Loren, nearly as deep a sleeper as William, hadn't stirred from her slumber when he'd pulled her close upon waking. Knowing how little sleep she had over the years with the kind of hours she worked—plus the lingering jet lag—he wanted her to rest when she had the chance. When he returned with some breakfast fare, including a ristretto for Loren, she was still sound asleep in the exact position from when he left. Before making breakfast for Pablo and Banksy, he placed the note, the ristretto, and a nutrient dense smoothie that he has wanted her to try on her bedside table. He kissed her forehead gently, left the bedroom and headed out to the kitchen.

Loren awoke a few minutes later and as her eyes focused, she saw the note. His handwriting wasn't messy but it wasn't neat either—something that seemed to accurately describe his housekeeping tendencies as well. The note itself held such a sweet sentiment that made her beam, but it was the little drawing at the bottom that made her laugh. He drew her sleeping in bed with a dream bubble just above it with the caption "Oooo—Willy Nylander is so sexy." Well, yes, indeed he was…she couldn’t agree more.

With the note in her hand, Loren remained in bed, smiling as she listening to William talk to the dogs, followed by some off-key singing. Padding back into the bedroom, once he saw Loren was awake, he climbed across the bed. He gently took the note out of her hand and casted it aside while wishing her a rather sultry good morning. Within seconds, the little clothing William was wearing and the zero clothing Loren had on made for a quick and passionate reunion of body parts. Needless to say, Loren and William lit each other's flame of deep sexual desire, and soon the two were in the throes of not just hot sex—it was hungry, intense, and unbridled lust that was on full display between them.

Lying there, grinning giddily with the memory of their energetic morning encounter, Loren gently pulled the note towards her. She decided it would make a perfect keepsake to take home. Throughout her time with William, she had collected a few mementos, each one she treasured for different reasons. The experience of spending time with a Leafs superstar was something she'd never anticipated, and she knew that years from now, when her tits sagged down to her knees, these little reminders would help jog her memory (at least on a superficial surface level), having “amour fou” with a gorgeous Swedish hockey player.

With care, she tucked the note into one of her suitcase pockets.

Loren lounged in bed, sipping the smoothie William had left for her. She then savored the ristretto, following it with another healthy gulp of the nutritious concoction. As she mentally mulled over her outfit choices for the evening, Loren realized she needed more information about the club's style. She quickly sent a message to Michelle, asking what she planned to wear that night.

Loren was pleasantly surprised when Michelle offered to come over and assist her in choosing the perfect outfit for the evening. Michelle's intention wasn't merely to help Loren pick out somethingto wear. She wanted Loren to outshine Isla; she felt that if Loren looked her absolute best, they could indirectly address Isla's attitude from when they first met. It might sound mean-spirited but Michelle had been witness to far too many of Isla’s antics to sit idly by and let her bulldoze the kind and positive people of the world.

Loren kicked into high gear knowing she only had about thirty minutes before Michelle would be at the door. She swiftly changed the bed, hopped into the shower, got dressed, semi-dried her hair and applied the most basic of make-up to help even out her skin tone. Pablo and Banksy sat atop the fresh sheets, watching Loren dart around the bedroom as she readied for Michelle’s arrival.

Michelle entered the apartment with some more caffeine laden drinks. She postured for a quick hug from Loren and knelt down to greet both dogs. The two women fell into an easy exchange of how her stay with William had been so far. Loren laughed at Michelle’s reaction as she told the story of taking a lengthy dip in the freezing water at the lake house. Like William, Michelle, albeit impressed, thought Loren was nuts. Loren detailed meeting William’s closest friends and Michelle was in agreement with Loren’s kind assessment of Malin, Lisa and Ingrid.

Anxious to see what Loren had in mind to wear that evening, they entered William’s bedroom, beverages in hand, followed by Pablo and Banksy close behind them. Loren had laid out some ideas for the evening, all of which Michelle liked, yet the options seemed to somewhat underwhelming. The outfits were very nice, but Michelle desperately wanted to push Loren’s boundaries a little and coax her to embrace the idea of wearing an absolute show-stopper of an outfit.

While Michelle had been exposed to Isla’s total lack of couth or humility, she observed that Loren’s personality was brimming with politeness and free from vanity. It stymied Michelle that with Loren’s body type, and a face reminiscent of the classic supermodel from decades past, that she was so humble. If only Michelle could show Loren the full extent of her stunning potential.

Loren looked at Michelle with a mixed expression of concern and hopefulness that she would like what Loren had selected.

“I really do like the strapless body suit and slacks - and the blue dress with the thin straps is really nice…,” Michelle paused, choosing her words carefully, “but could you humour me a little and let me take you shopping? Honestly, you can make anything look amazing but I just want to experiment a little. What do you think?”

Loren's mind flashed back to her friend Chelsea's advice about branching out and being more daring with her wardrobe. With no plans until William's return from golfing, Loren jumped at the prospect of shopping with a female Nylander.

Michelle and Loren and their contrasting styles and personalities created an interesting dynamic. Michelle, like all the Nylanders, exuded an air of confidence and effortless sophistication. Michelle’s personal taste leaned towards an edgy, street-inspired style. Loren found Michelle to almost have a regal demeanor - a stoic disposition that was refreshingly straightforward. Michelle was a Nylander but did not grow up in the spotlight like her half-siblings did. She saw life in clear-cut terms and with the support of her mother, father and her extended family, she forged her own path in life.

Beyond their similar age, Michelle felt an instant connection with Loren even though they seemed to possess opposing personalities. Loren's gentle disposition provided seemed to perfectly compliment Michelle's more assertive nature. As their conversations became more detailed and elaborate, Michelle admired the subtle yet profound strength that she saw in Loren’s quiet determination. As Loren talked about her past and current life journey, Michelle was deeply impressed with Loren's ability to blend gentleness with an unwavering inner strength. Michelle smiled to herself as Loren seem to emulate the gentleness that she often found so challenging to emulate.

The boutique where Michelle and Loren ended up was one that Michelle had frequented many times. She knew this would be the perfect spot to bring Loren, as she had a strong and trusting rapport with the sales team.

As they perused the racks, Loren looked a little uncertain as her eyes immediately focused on the plunging neckline of the sleek tops. Loren had naturally shapely and full breasts which she was low key really happy with but felt sheepish about flaunting the girls proudly at a club. At the same time however, she found herself warming up to the styles and loved the neutral colours which heavily complimented her golden and olive skin tones.

Sensing Loren's hesitation, Michelle introduced Britta, her favourite and most trusted sales woman. Michelle and Britta were teaming up to find something for Loren that didn't just have a wow factor….they wanted Loren to go full bombshell.

With their combined expertise, Michelle and Britta began scouring the boutique for the perfect outfit. They pulled sleek dresses, sultry tops, and form-fitting bottoms, each piece carefully selected to accentuate every curve of Loren’s body. As they presented their choices to Loren, her eyes widened with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Michelle understood Loren’s trepidation but gently encouraged Loren to step out of her comfort zone, assuring her that tonight was the perfect opportunity to embrace her inner confidence.

Armed with an unsure “wish me luck” expression, Loren pulled back the curtain of the fitting room. Smartly, the area had soft, recessed lighting which cast a flattering glow. This was in stark contrast to the unforgiving fluorescent lights which Loren was accustomed to in the chain store dressing rooms.

Perhaps the most ingenious aspect of the fitting room design was the deliberate absence of mirrors within the enclosure itself. This clever arrangement served a dual purpose: it prevented customers from making hasty judgments about their appearance before a trained eye could fully appreciate and assess the ensemble. As customers stepped out to view themselves in the strategically placed mirrors outside, it allowed for a more objective evaluation of each look - free from the immediate self-criticism that often accompanies trying on new clothes.

As she slipped into the sleek, mineral-colored dress, she felt the soft, high-quality fabric hug her curves in all the right places. The texture and fit of the garment alone were enough to elevate her confidence.

Gathering her courage, Loren emerged from behind the curtain. The reaction she received uplifted her confidence even further. Michelle and Britta’s eyes widened in astonishment, their gasps of admiration filling the air. The transformation was so dramatic that for a moment, it seemed as if time stood still. Loren could feel the weight of their gazes, a mixture of awe and pride radiating from both women.

Loren's cheeks were flushed a vibrant shade of pink - a reaction not only from the enthusiastic hoots from Britta and Michelle but also from her own internal realization. As she caught sight of her reflection, it dawned on her that the dress was doing more than just flattering her figure - it was showcasing the results of her recent dedication to fitness in a way she hadn't anticipated. The cut and color of the dress accentuated every toned muscle and elegant curve, revealing a physique that even Loren hadn't fully appreciated until this moment.

As Loren turned to face the mirror, she couldn't suppress the smile that spread across her face. She felt a perfect balance of edgy and sensuality, a combination that made her feel both powerful and feminine.

Michelle wasn’t just impressed, she was truly taken aback. “Well, someone didn’t skip leg day…,” she remarked.

Studying her reflection, Loren turned from side to side. She just couldn’t get her head wrapped around one part of the dress. There wasn’t just a “little” slit in the dress that exposed a tiny bit of leg. It was a slit on steroids. A very noticeable gap that she was convinced would expose the apex of her thighs with every movement.

Loren turned Britta with a look of concern. “Ummmm… so, first….how…how does one deal with undergarments with this situation,” motioning to her general pubic area, “And how am I going to dance without constantly flashing my….c u next Tuesday - I mean, it’s a beautiful dress but yeah, there’s not a lot left to the imagination…” Loren said apprehensively.

Michelle and Britta exchanged knowing glances. "There’s a few different options, so try not to focus on that. As for dancing - unless you’re planning on getting wildly drunk - everything should stay covered. Even if it doesn’t, a little peek never hurt anyone,” Michelle winked.

Loren shook her head and laughed softly. With a hint of sarcasm, she wondered whether William would share the same attitude about potential wardrobe malfunctions.

Looking at the price tag of the dress, she instinctively recoiled at the cost but then realized it was in Swedish Krona. When it came to spending, Loren had programmed herself long ago to not splurge on anything unless she absolutely needed it.

However, she came to Sweden armed with one of her biggest financial achievements from her discipline with being so strict with her finances.

A credit card she still held under her name, the same card her ex-boyfriend had exploited, maxing it out without her consent or knowledge. The deception turned out to be the first of many as she uncovered layers of his betrayal and infractions against her, both personally and financially.

This credit card, second only to her mortgage in size, represented the heaviest financial burden Loren had to bear alone. Every time she saw the card, it served as a stark reminder of her ex-boyfriend's profound betrayal, stirring up a nauseating mix of anger and resentment.

Through strict discipline and a level of frugality that surprised many, Loren had finally cleared the credit card debt. She vowed to use it again only for necessities or the occasional well-deserved treat. As she admired the ensemble coordinated by two women who had been so encouraging, Loren decided it was time to gift herself a completely new outfit. This one would make her feel alive and maybe a little more daring—a look she hoped William would, as Chelsea had delicately said to her months before, "cum in his pants the second he sees her."

Given the evening's forecast of cooler temperatures and the threat of showers, Loren also selected a beautiful overcoat in neutral tones to match the dress. The coat quickly became her favorite purchase of the day.

As Loren and Michelle prepared to leave the store, Britta wanted a promise from Loren to return before her trip back to Toronto. Loren was so dazzled by her experience with Britta that she eagerly agreed, hinting she might visit more than once. This dose of retail therapy had clearly worked its magic—Loren found herself eyeing other eye-catching pieces around the boutique. Loren’s excitement for fashion was definitely reborn.

Seeing it was time that most were enjoying fika, the two stopped first at a quaint coffee bar for one of their signature beverages, and then for some ice cream before heading to William's.

The hours had passed quickly, and Loren had all but forgotten to check her phone until it chimed with a text from William. Although she had let him know that she and Michelle had gone shopping, he was wondering where she was. William had already been home long enough for a nap and his message carried an underlying hint that he had missed Loren being in the bed with him.

Michelle motioned for Loren to hand her phone over to her as a smirk spread across her face.

Loren's eyes grew wide as she watched Michelle call her younger brother. She hoped he wouldn't answer with some hot opener as he did sometimes.

"I was hoping you'd be home already… I need my mouth on your pus—"

Instant regret fell upon Michelle's face as she shoved the phone back to Loren, muttering in Swedish loud enough for William to hear most of it.

William laughed—he wasn't able to fully piece everything together, but he assumed, at the very least, his sister had heard far more than she wanted to.

—

After a post-sex nap and a rather amorous dinner in bed with William, Loren leisurely started to get ready for the evening. She stepped into the shower and began to mentally plan her entire look between hair, makeup, and accessories. The excitement she felt made her almost giddy as she thought about getting a little buzz going and dancing with people she had met in William's friend group who had made her feel very comfortable and at ease.

Through the plumes of steam, a naked William emerged. He stepped into the shower and immediately grabbed Loren to devour her neck.

William said that the night was shaping up to be a much larger gathering than initially planned. Isla was coming with some of her friends as well—something Loren already knew, but a pang of anxiety still rippled in her stomach. William quickly mentioned that Isla had been warned by Alex that she was so far out of line with the way she treated Loren during their first introduction. Alex had also told Isla she had pegged Loren all wrong, and that she should maybe try and talk to her first before making assumptions about her.

As the pair washed each other between gentle kisses and some brief playful fondling, Loren suddenly realized that Margot, William's one-night hook-up in Saint Tropez, would likely be there.

The confidence that Loren felt earlier that day while shopping quickly evaporated. The thought of being in a group with Isla AND having to meet a girl that William had fucked not long ago made Loren's stomach twist into knots.

William immediately sensed the change in her demeanor as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

Loren looked at William with a concerned expression that, while remaining absolutely stunning, worried him as well. "So… I'm guessing Margot will likely be there tonight, right?" she said quietly.

Her question nearly took the breath out of William's lungs—he had forgotten about Margot.

William's eyes remained fixed on Loren's as she struggled to mask the growing disillusionment she felt about the evening.

All William could do was nod his head and hope that Margot didn't show.

Loren's unease stemmed not from any concern that he might have feelings for Margot, but more from the two mental images she had of William—the player she admired from afar and the man she had fallen for. Tonight, however, these two personas in Loren's mind were now going to collide right in front of her eyes, in a club, where William would undoubtedly be the center of attention.

She was very aware of the countless men and women that would be drawn to William, seeking some kind of interaction and attention.

Rather than risk feeling vulnerable or trying to fight for attention, Loren decided to stay on the fringes of William's inevitable spotlight throughout the evening and focus on enjoying herself. She accepted this as part of William's superstar life and felt grateful she could choose to remain on the periphery of the constant camera flashes capturing his every move.

William held her and spoke affectionately, reassuring her that everything would be okay.

Loren shelved the uncertainty, leaned into him, and decided to do her best to regain control of herself in this situation and do the best she could to just go with the flow.

Part of Loren regaining control was meticulously ensuring she looked flawless from head to toe. She knew that feeling self-assured in her appearance would boost her faith in herself—a reinforcing cycle of outer versus inner confidence she hoped would carry her through the evening.

After applying one last layer of lip gloss, Loren emerged to see William scrolling through his phone as he waited for her.

"Okay—I'm all set, I think," Loren exhaled as she slid her cell phone into her clutch.

Her outfit was mostly covered by the light and flowing overcoat she had bought. Even still, William was totally unprepared for just how fucking gorgeous she looked.

He sat for a moment, literally stunned, with his mouth agape as he visually absorbed every detail.

William stood up, adjusting the crotch in his pants to accommodate the rush of blood to first his cheeks, and then down to his dick.

"Loren—fuck… I'm… totally speechless…"

He opened her coat slightly to take a better look.

How she looked in that moment completely rattled William to his core and left him breathless.

“You can thank Michelle - her and her friend Britta were the ones that convinced me that I might be able to pull this off. You know as well as I do that this is sort of beyond my normal crocs and leggings,” Loren chuckled.

William mused that he might have to thank Michelle both genuinely and sardonically, for Loren was definitely going to be on a number of radars, all evening long.

—

Going out with the Nylanders and their seemingly endless circle of friends was an experience Loren could hardly have imagined. Even more impressive was their ability to all arrive within 15 minutes of each other. With Malin and Erik orchestrating the transportation logistics over the group chat, Ubers of the appropriate passenger size were ordered by neighborhood. William, Loren, Malin, Erik, Michelle, and her boyfriend Tomas shared one Uber. The three younger Nylander sisters and a few of their friends arrived in another, and so on down the line.

Loren breathed a subtle sigh of relief when she learned that Isla and her group of friends would be arriving a little later, along with Alex and a few of his close friends. While Loren felt she could handle an evening of snide remarks and sneers from Isla, it was the added presence of Margot that gave her a sinking feeling. Loren was almost certain that at the very least, Margot would be visually striking, but it was the other thoughts twisting in her mind that exacerbated her worries: Who initiated what between them. Was he immediately aroused by her. Was he vocal. Was the sex amazing. Did he want more after they were done.

As though he could sense she needed his reassurance, William softly grabbed Loren's hand, pulling her body towards him as they waited for the rest of their group in the parking lot behind the club.

"No shade to the other ladies, but you're in a whole other league... you're so fucking beautiful," he murmured in her ear. She felt his palms gently but firmly holding her around her waist.

He kissed her softly on her mouth - his tongue lightly grazing hers. His mouth moved slowly up her cheeks that felt warm to the touch, and landed on her forehead. Loren’s feelings of uncertainty began to float away, but an uncertainty of a different kind began to take root in William’s gut. It was a foreign feeling - one that William had begun to quickly examine in his mind.

As he and Loren stood together with his friends, her, now with her back to him as his hands instinctively stroked her hips, he felt so lucky to have her there.

As her body leaned back against his, William realized that the moment Loren stepped into the club that night, her radiant aura and effervescent personality would captivate everyone's attention.

William reflected that he had been that guy, once upon many times, standing along the dance floor watching the most beautiful woman in the place enchant every man. He also remembered the aftermath—the moments where he had turned on his own charm and wooed those same women into his arms, and his bed, at the end of the night.

With his hands circling more firmly around Loren's abdomen, he was struck with an unsettling realization. "His" Loren would be that woman—the one who would command attention and lingering glances without even trying or wanting to. He could see it all playing out in his mind: eyes following her as she passed them by, conversations suddenly halted so they could gawk at her face, her body. Admirers would approach her all night—offering her drinks, trying to strike up conversation, or worse yet, placing unwanted and unprompted touches on her body while she danced. Some guys might remain lusting over her from afar, but William feared there might be just as many who would try to shoot their shot with her.

That's when William realized it. That feeling that had begun to gnaw at him. A hint of jealousy that he had never experienced before, threatening to undermine his usual confidence. The time he and Loren had spent together during this trip had been nothing short of magical. He knew he had never meshed so flawlessly with another—outside of his family and close friends, of course. Loren could be his friend. She had been his confidant on multiple occasions. He craved all of her—mind, body, and soul. The thought of men watching her, approaching her… fantasizing about what they would do with her—given the chance—tied his stomach in knots.

Though they were slated to leave for Paris the next afternoon, suddenly it could not come soon enough. He felt the urge to convince her to come home with him that very moment instead of going dancing. He wasn't sure if the emotions swirling around in him were born from possessiveness or protectiveness of her, or a mixture of both, but the more he thought about the "what ifs," the more dread he felt inside.

While William pondered these thoughts, another Uber pulled up with the last of their group that had planned to enter together.

Rasmus, his girlfriend Lisa, Emil, Anders, and Ingrid all stepped out of the vehicle, thanked their driver, and made their way over to the awaiting group. Ingrid and Lisa immediately honed in on Loren's ensemble, gushing over her appearance. Loren looked back towards William and gave his hands a gentle squeeze of affection before stepping away to embrace the two women. Emil and Anders greeted William and then moved to Loren, each giving her a warm hug. Rasmus draped one arm around Lisa and the other around Loren, sighed, and in a droll tone said toward William, "Got my dates for tonight."

William just laughed while he searched for a clever comeback. "You wish," was all he could think of as they all walked towards the entrance.

Security opened the side door to the venue where Malin met up with her former co-worker, turned DJ, who lead them down a dark corridor. Laser lights of every colour cut through the shadows and the pounding bass with heavy reverb ricocheted off of every surface.

It was still early by night club standards as they passed by empty seating areas which lead to an expansive room boasting vaulted ceilings and a massive dancefloor. The group was led past the long black and gold bar to a roped off section which had magnums of champagne resting on beds of ice.

Coats were checked, champagne was poured and the music pulsated with rhythmic dance mixes of the past two decades.

Malin grabbed Loren’s and Lisa’s hands as they followed her friend to where he and another DJ would be working their magic with their complex control boards and multiple turntables. Introductions and greetings were exchanged, with Loren and Lisa meeting Sergio and Zack.

Sergio first spoke in Swedish to Loren, and when she apologized half in Swedish but followed up in English, he asked her where she was from.

“Canada - I’m Canadian,” Loren said smiling. Sergio’s face lit up as he turned to Zack, motioned to Loren and repeated where she was from.

Zack adjusted some slide levers and as a new mix began, he spun a new vinyl record on its edges before placing it squarely on the turntable. A the familiar beat of blockbuster hit soon pounded throughout the space while the ladies whooped and danced behind the DJ’s.

They made their way back down to the dance floor, and it wasn't long before all the women in the Nylander party were out on the floor, their enticing moves on full display.

Despite the impeccable attire, flawless hair and makeup of all the women, each striking in her own way, Loren still stood out in the growing crowd.

The men watched from the sidelines, sipping their drinks and admiring their respective girlfriends as they bounced and swayed. William's eyes were locked on Loren, her fluid movements mesmerizing him as he watched her body. She was already fully integrated into the group of women as they each showed off their moves playfully as they whooped and hollered at each other encouragingly.

Loren's vibrant smile and infectious energy seemed to illuminate the entire dance floor. She gathered up her long, layered mane in her hands to cool off, but through William's eyes, she only grew hotter by the second. He couldn't help but notice the intensifying glances she was receiving from small groups of men lining the floor's perimeter. Rasmus, standing next to William, followed his friend's gaze—first to Loren, then Lisa, and finally to the men watching their girlfriends dance. Rasmus nudged William and nodded toward the bar, suggesting they get a drink and loosen up. Their ladies were just having fun and didn't need to be subjected to their men watching them like hawks.

As one song blended into another, the ladies decided to take a break and return to their exclusive cordoned-off area. Upon arrival, Loren's stomach flipped when she spotted Isla surrounded by her friends—all sleek, slender, and unmistakably Scandinavian.

Loren's eyes searched the space for William, but he, Rasmus, and Anders had ventured elsewhere. As she entered the area, she felt Isla's stares like daggers slicing her skin. Michelle and Ingrid noticed Isla's snide expression and muttered under their breath that they'd gladly slap that scowl off her face.

Loren did her best—she tried to smile and acknowledge Isla and her friends as she walked towards Michelle and Ingrid, exhaling deeply when Michelle handed her a full flute of champagne.

"Fuck—she really can't stand me, can she?" Loren said rhetorically.

Ingrid shook her head at Loren. "No, this isn't about you. She's threatened by you, plain and simple."

"But why? She's beautiful and so unbelievably stylish—she literally looks perfect to me. I have nothing on her." Loren looked around, avoiding eye contact with Isla's group. She silently wished William was nearby, just for a quick affectionate glance to help ease her growing anxiety. "I actually think she's brilliant for following her path with her vintage clothing channel. I could never put together outfits the way she can," Loren concluded.

Michelle scoffed and shook her head at Loren. “How you still pay her compliments after she’s treated you so badly - Loren - you are really something else,” Michelle said with admiration.

Soon Loren once again was surrounded by the women she was completely comfortable with. They chatted easily and moved their hips to their favourite songs as more drinks were poured and served.

Isla’s friend group was an energetic bunch, with Isla as its leader - her wild side was beginning to make an appearance as boisterous voice carried throughout.

But what jolted Loren is what Isla had begun to announce to her friends, loud enough so Loren was sure to hear.

“…they’re not even dating - Alex told me….William said point blank to him that she’s NOT his girlfriend.”

As the music continued to vibrate in the background, Isla paused as someone asked an inaudible question.

Loren’s cheeks began to burn as Lisa turned to her, having heard Isla’s scathing commentary.

Isla eventually resumed, talking overtop the bass line. “….No - no….he said he’s single - he’s not dating her exclusively….”

Loren heard Isla’s laugh as she followed up with what Loren could only assume were further remarks bordering on savage, about Loren’s character.

Loren tried not to wilt from the words uttered by Isla. Lisa leaned into Michelle, speaking into her ear about Isla’s ultimate rudeness and removing Loren from the situation.

Just as the women were about to depart, Alex came up to the group, greeting everyone with hugs. He embraced Loren and speaking into her ear, he told her how amazing she looked.

Blushing, Loren thanked him as he pulled her close again. “Have you seen William around?”

They turned to scan the club, peering past bodies and over people’s heads.

Loren finally spotted him, her face once again flushed hot when she saw Erik, William and Rasmus mingling and laughing with a group of women at the bar. The owner of the club seemed to be making sure that William and Rasmus were receiving preferential treatment by the myriad of scantily clad female servers.

Loren bit the inside of her lip, willing herself not to react but after Isla’s statements about what William and her were - and were not - it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

Lisa acted quickly - first telling Michelle that her William’s an idiot and that she and Ingrid were going to take Loren and try and track down Malin and the other Nylander sisters.

Michelle, having just about enough of everyone’s bullshit decided first to deal with William. She drew her boyfriend close as she quickly summarized the most recent events. She had to scold Tomas not to get involved as he was at the ready to give Isla a piece of his mind. She followed up with an appreciative kiss as she adored his protective intentions.

William smiled at Michelle as she glided up towards him at the bar. William suddenly got the impression that the smile Michelle returned his way was not necessarily a friendly one.

Michelle's slightly harsh tone confirmed her displeasure. "Enjoying yourself with these ladies?" she asked pointedly.

“Nah - it’s not like that. The owner is just doing his thing…we just got to talking a little bit while we got a drink.”

Michelle’s annoyance was beginning to show. “Oh - I assume you’re getting Loren something while you were back here too?”

“Well - yeah, actually…I need to ask her what she wants. She still dancing?”

Michelle smiled, but William knew it now masked growing irritation. "Oh, I actually don't know if she's in the mood to dance right now, since our other brother's girlfriend decided to mouth off about you. What was it again? How you told Alex that Loren's not your girlfriend and that you're 'certifiably single,'" Michelle said matter-of-factly.

William’s jaw clenched as he looked around to try and find Isla.

“Don’t you dare say anything to her. I don’t know what’s in your head but the last thing you should do is cause a scene - you know Isla won’t go down without a fight, no matter how wrong she might be. It will embarrass Loren more,” Michelle warned William. “Just leave it - I’m going to say something to her…and it will be brilliant because that’s me. You and Alex drew the short end of the sticks in the intelligence department and you’ll fuck it up so badly the second you open your mouths.”

“Jesus Michelle - okay, I get it” William chuckled before continuing “….but the worst fucking part is I had said all of that shit BEFORE Loren came here. She might not be my “official” anything but fuck - I want to spend more time with her - wanted to spend the time that we hadn’t gotten the chance to do back in Toronto. Until she understands more about my life and how it will affect hers - I…just wanted more time. I don’t think she wants to rush anything either….”

Michelle thought for a moment and for once, she agreed with William - but she would never let him know that. She stepped away while still looking at William and then at Rasmus. “You guys are really so fucking dumb.”

Rasmus's expression shifted to one of mild offence, and his shoulders hunched forward defensively. He turned to William and silently mouthed, "What did I do?"

As she started to walk away, Michelle then spotted Isla and a couple of friends heading to the ladies room.

Round 2 Michelle thought to herself.

Isla and Michelle had never quite seen eye to eye. Michelle didn’t care about Isla’s career path on reality TV, nor did she care about Isla’s future career as a stylist and fashion influencer. All she cared about is how Isla treated her extended family.

At best, Michelle had learned to accept Isla for who she was, as long as Alex was happy. She'd become skilled in dealing with Isla by simply ignoring her sometimes oblivious backhanded comments. However, this situation with Loren had gone too far. Michelle's protective older sister instincts kicked in, prompting her to intervene before William and Isla could have any kind of public confrontation.

When Michelle opened the ladies room door, the conversation between Isla and her two friends immediately ceased.

Michelle smiled and coolly greeted the women turning to look at her reflection in the mirror that spanned the width of the wall above the sinks.

Speaking Swedish, Michelle asked if they were having fun.

Isla cautiously replied that they were and asked the same of Michelle.

"Oh, I was having a phenomenal time with Loren and the girls. Did you say 'Hi' to Loren at all?"

One of Isla's friends scoffed.

"Oh—right, I forgot. You can't stand her," Michelle said calmly. "And stomp on her every chance you get," she added.

Isla shook her head. "Oh my god—it's not that bad. Poor little Canadian girl can't take a joke?"

"No one, least of all you, should be joking about anyone's private relationship. Not everyone wants to put every piece of their relationships—oh right—and their drunken hook-ups on TikTok."

Isla had no defense on that one, since she had done exactly that with Alex previously.

"And despite all of your bad behavior, do you know what Loren said about you?" Michelle wasn't waiting for a response and immediately divulged how Loren managed to compliment Isla, calling her brilliant for her fashion talents, someone who always looks so perfect and stylish. Michelle incorporated some additional slags that Isla made about Loren which Michelle had heard through the rumour mill, and continued to chastise Isla. Incidentally, Isla’s friends, who stood by watching her get an earful, silently agreed with Michelle. They knew Isla wasn’t all bad - she had good qualities but each one of them had their own war stories with their friend. They just took the good with the bad.

Once Michelle finished saying what needed to be said, she wished the ladies a good night and walked out.

Judging by the stunned look on Isla's face, the message seemed to be received. Of course, Loren's appeal to Isla's vanity, spoken to Isla on Loren’s behalf by Michelle, worked like a charm.

With her work done, Michelle approached Tomas as he, William, and Rasmus stood scanning the throngs of dancing bodies. Rasmus pointed out Alex and his good friend Linus on the other side of the dance floor. As the group crossed, William spotted Emil and Anders people-watching at another stand-up table.

While William chatted briefly with Alex about what Isla had said to Loren, he focused more on Emil and Anders two tables over. Leaned up against the table, the two men seemed to be deep in conversation. He tried to see what his two close friends were gesturing towards before he interrupted Alex's story and said he'd be right back. Alex's speech was slurred, so William figured his abrupt departure from the conversation would quickly be forgotten.

Not wanting to be saddled alone with his inebriated brother, Rasmus told Alex to pipe down and told him to follow William.

William walked up and patted Emil and Anders on the back. He motioned to Emil. “How’s your night going? See anyone you like?”

Emil shot William a knowing smirk, as though the answer was too obvious, and took a swig of his beer. “Not anyone that seems to be available - yet, anyway.” Emil chuckled at William’s unserious warning that he’ll pop him one if he keeps going down that path. The longtime friends already had a sidebar discussion, clearing the air between them. Emil and William valued their friendship to let resentments continue to fester.

“Saw Loren and Lisa - they really look amazing tonight,” he said to both William and Rasmus, who had joined them.

William’s face lit up. “Oh yeah - we’re looking for them….where are they?”

Emil motioned with his beer. “I think Lisa’s talking with Ingrid - but it looks like Loren is still talking to -”

Anders interrupted and swatted William’s arm. “It’s Simon Lööf….dude - fuck, we’ve been watching him and his boys watch the girls for awhile now. He finally went up and started talking to Lisa and Loren - well, I guess just talking with Loren now.”

Simon Lööf was an extremely handsome, Swedish triple threat of actor, model and rather good hockey player in his own right. William watched as Simon continually leaned over to say something to Loren, and she would then respond, smiling her beautiful smile back at him.

Emil nudged William’s arm. “She looked a bit upset earlier - did something happen between you two?”

“It’s kind of fucked up…I’ll tell you later, man.”

William continued to watch Loren and Simon's exchange. Simon was obviously very invested in Loren, but William couldn't discern much from Loren—she always smiled and seemed engaged when talking to anyone, so he hoped it was just her merely having her usual warm conversation. Regardless, watching Loren from afar, talking with a gorgeous guy—who was already pretty successful and whose star was still rising—left William restless and wanting to interject. Would it appear to Loren that he's insecure and jealous or simply wanting to be next to her?

Before William could make a move or just remain standing with Emil, Zack and Sergio, the evening's DJs, took to the microphones and reminded the crowd it was "Ladies Night," announcing, "All the ladies need to be treated right—especially the single ones!"

They told all the ladies that are single to come out onto the dancefloor - and for them to put their hands up - showing their ringless ring fingers, implying that if the guys want them, they’re gonna need to put a ring on it.

Emil glanced at William, wincing slightly as they watched Malin and Ingrid coax Loren away from Simon and onto the dance floor, only to slink off and abandon her there.

The DJs had defined "single" as completely unattached—making Loren the sole member of their friend group who fit the bill. William's heart sank a little as he watched Loren standing there, labeled as a single, unattached woman. He couldn't help but feel a sense of regret, thinking that if he'd stayed by her side instead of being drawn away by the club owner's offer of free drinks and other distractions, she might not be on the dance floor now, the target of so many eyes ogling her, advertising she is single.

On cue, the opening for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé could be heard, with whistles and cat calls coming from the crowd.

Loren and another woman of similar age quickly found themselves at the center of the "single ladies" group. Their moves meshed surprisingly well, especially for strangers who had just met on the dance floor. Having met the DJs earlier, Sergio grabbed the microphone from his platform and pointed at Loren, while hollering, "Ahhhhh—yeeeeeeeeeeees—Oooooohhh Canada, gooooo Canada!"

Despite never being fully comfortable in any spotlight, Loren was having a blast. She had forgotten about Isla, about Margot, and about seeing William surrounded by women. She wasn't even quite sure where William was in the club, but she wasn't overly concerned at that moment. She knew at the very least that she was surrounded by amazing ladies in her group who had her back—ladies whom she hoped to forge long friendships with.

But what truly shocked everyone was watching Isla's venture onto the dance floor toward Loren. In her own way, she sought forgiveness by dancing alongside Loren, offering additional moral support. Isla added her own flair and attitude to the movements, which seemed to complement and coincide with Loren's.

William watched Loren—her body movements were seductive yet elegant as she lost herself in the rhythm. He was just as surprised as anyone to see Isla grinding up against Loren. While it was a truce offered by Isla, it was Loren who, all along, never allowed herself to be dragged down by the drama. Instantaneously, Loren just let it all roll off her back. In this case, killing Isla with kindness won out over the meddling bullshit that had been thrown her way.

She looked so carefree—William worried that if he approached her after the song, he would burst that bubble—that her demeanor would change.

As Beyoncé sang her final "uh-oh," which blended as sound bytes well into the next song, Loren hugged her new single dancing friend and wished her a good night. Isla pointed in the direction of Malin and the others who were now dancing off to one side of the main dance floor.

There were throngs of people everywhere as the music continued to pump out heavy bass beats. As Loren approached the group, Malin—who may have had too many Swedish Margaritas—threw her arms around Loren and told her what a good sport she was—and that she was too hot not to be out there shaking her tits.

Among the women she stood with, Loren was the most sober of the bunch. Although she was having fun, she began to feel lonely for William and became anxious not knowing his whereabouts in the club. She wasn't thinking one thing or another necessarily—she was just anxious to find him.

She took her phone out of her clutch and began typing a message to William, unsure if he would see it. It was a sweet and simply put message that she was missing him and was trying to find him.

Loren told the ladies that she was going to look for William and disappeared into the crowd. She did her best to scooch behind bodies, being careful not to step on anyone, be stepped on, or get jostled around as she shimmied through the crowd.

Loren was trying to navigate through the dancing bodies, all the while, hands belonging to inebriated men began trying to pull her into dance with them or touch her body. It was only for a handful of seconds, but after a number of hands clasped onto her inappropriately, she was desperate to find William.

She thought she had caught a glimpse of Emil when another hand pulled her in his direction.

Loren looked up to see Simon. "I was just coming to find you—see if you wanted to have a drink with me? Your dancing, by the way—was awesome."

Loren looked up at Simon's face and smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry—thank you, but I really need to find my—"

She saw another figure approach. It was William, and she had never been so happy to see him.

He could see Loren was a little frazzled. "Hey—I've been looking everywhere for you," William chuckled in a light and friendly tone.He and Simon proceeded to do quick but amicable introductions in Swedish, as Loren stood next to William. She wanted his arms around her so badly, but she just smiled as they wrapped up their conversation.

William gently placed his hand on her back as Loren said goodbye to Simon. He watched as William guided Loren over to the tables where the rest of William's crew stood.

The guys applauded Loren for her showmanship on the dancefloor as she laughed and covered her face with a slight show of embarrassment. William leaned in close and almost felt her body vibrating with adrenaline.

He looked down at her smiling. "Single Ladies, eh?"

"Yeah, well—wasn't that like your go-to karaoke song a few years ago? Fuck, I could have used some back-up out there with the hand movements…" Loren feigned doing the classic Beyoncé hand movements from the song.

"Well, you almost nabbed a Swedish movie star—that was Simon Lööf, y'know," William said coyly, his hand starting to travel lower, resting just above the roundness of her ass cheek.

Loren shot an unconcerned look at William. "No idea—I couldn't really hear him anyway."

William's hand began to travel around her waist. Although the music continued to blare and the crowd danced and bounced to the rhythm, the room felt almost serene when she felt William press his body tightly behind hers.

He kissed her shoulder and, as quietly as he could, which really was just yelling at a lower volume, asked her if she wanted to go and get a drink.

Loren smiled and fished her phone out of her purse and texted him a response.

L - A drink, a dark corner and you—preferably in that order.

William read the message over her shoulder and gave her waist an affectionate squeeze. He took her by the hand, and within minutes, the drink had been drunk, the dark corner had been easily found, and William Nylander, with such fervor, nearly had Loren lifted off the ground against the wall as he kissed her passionately.

He suddenly broke the kiss, his lips still traveling down her neck. "You'll need to pack a few things tomorrow morning," he said as he nipped her at the base of her neck.

She gasped at the sensation and breathed out, "Why?"

"We're going to Paris—we fly out tomorrow afternoon."

The stunned look on Loren's face as a smile teased her lips was everything William wanted to see.

He nuzzled her by her ear. "I just want to spend a few days totally alone with you. We can do whatever you want, even if it's nothing."

"'That' will never be nothing. 'That' is the best something in the entire universe," Loren said suggestively.

William moaned. "What the fuck are we doing here still—let's just go say goodbye and get outta here," he said with a chuckle.

As they made their rounds, with some of their group opting to leave at the same time, a pair of blue eyes watched Loren and William from afar. As Margot stood at a nearby table nursing her drink, she watched her crush, William, walk away with her. Ever since Isla pointed Loren out to her earlier on, she watched - with a heavy heart - William watching Loren.

Margot almost approached William a couple of times throughout the night since it seemed he and Loren weren't exactly together at the club. But each time, he either moved or she could see his eyes fixed on Loren.

She knew that William was completely enthralled with Loren, and she knew he never once looked at her the same way, even when he was inside of her. But yet, it's all she could think about—his kiss, his hands, and him being inside of her.

The only thing that made her feel better was knowing Loren only had another week or so in Stockholm and then she would be heading back to Toronto.

Margot mused she might still have a shot with him before the summer ends.

[artificialstardust]

Puck You

Hockey Player!Nick Folio x Reader

WARNINGS: hockey fights, backshots, oral (f receiving), creampie, biting, drinking, missionary, excessive use of “good girl” and “fuck”, possessive Folio

You were sitting in lower bowl waiting for the game to start. Your boyfriend Nick was a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They had just finished up warmups so it’d be another 15 minutes before they went back on the ice. Tonight they were playing the Carolina Hurricanes, a rival for them.

Nick had told you earlier in the day that if Sebastian Aho said one small remark during the game, he was beating his ass. You’re holding him to it knowing that he most likely will. It happens pretty well every time they play the Canes. Aho never knew how to keep his mouth shut. Within time, the boys came out and lined up for the opening and for puck-drop.

The first period went relatively smoothly. The score being 1-1 and just slightly chippy from both teams. The second period being 3-1 ____. The Canes weren’t too happy about it either. Their boys getting visibly frustrated when they played even though there was still another period left. You could see Aho starting to say some shit to the guys as well. Throwing some more shoves than the first period.

The third period was definitely the most eventful. The score being 4-2 at the ten minute mark. Aho and Nick’s lines were both out again. You could see the two yelling at each other during plays. Nick was keeping his cool the best he could, until Aho checked Guentzel into the boards pretty hard. As soon as he did, Nick had both gloves flung off and had him by the shoulder pads, gripping him by the collar. Before Aho could even get his gloves off, Nick had landed a solid hit to his cheekbone. It didn’t take but a second for Aho to get his gloves off and throw one back at him. Nick had always been pretty good at avoiding most hits towards him, Aho only being able to land a couple. Nick had managed to land a few more solid hits before Aho was on the ice. Nick skated off towards the penalty box, his cheek being split a little. His helmet was off at this point, in his hand from where he picked it up. He threw his head back and then pushed his hair back out of his face, absolutely soaked from sweat. You could tell he was still fuming. He slammed the door closed behind him, both players receiving a two minute minor for roughing.

After that, the period stayed chippy, but ended with the Pens winning 5-2. You left your seat and went to where the families could meet with the players and talked with the other hockey wives and girlfriends. Eventually the guys started walking out. Nick walked up to you, wearing the suit he walked in wearing. He pulled you into a hug and buried his face into your neck. “The son of a bitch wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. Before he thew Guentzel into the boards he started making remarks about you” he mumbled. “You know he was only saying it to get to you babe, it’s okay” you told him, wanting him to calm down. He shot you a look, silently telling you that you’d talk about it at home.

The drive home was pretty quiet. You held his hand, trying to give him comforting touches. You got home and he unlocked the front door, holding it open for you. The two of you walked inside and he couldn’t help but smirk at seeing his last name on the back of your jersey. He closed and locked the door after he walked inside, kicking his shoes off by the door. He shrugged off his blazer and rolled the sleeves of his white button up to his elbows. “Go on upstairs for me baby, I’ll be there in a second” he tells you gently, pulling you in and kissing your temple. You hum in response, kicking your shoes off and then going to your bedroom.

He walked into the kitchen, getting himself some ibuprofen to help with the dull throb from the cut on his cheek. Then he grabbed a glass and poured himself a glass of whiskey. With the glass in hand, he headed to the bedroom. By the time he made it, you had taken your pants off. You were in the attached bathroom taking your makeup off, still wearing the jersey. He walked up behind you, setting his whisky on the counter, then wrapping his arms around you. “Love seeing my name on this jersey. Another way to make sure people know your mine” he mumbles, pressing lazy kisses to your neck.

You smiled at his words and actions. “So what exactly did Aho say to you?” You asked, wanting to know. He exhaled heavily before speaking, “fucker was saying that he could take you away from me. Saying that he could fuck you better, love you better. I tried to not do anything so he would think I wasn’t bothered by it, but then he threw my boy into the boards and that’s what did it for me. So I put his ass in his place” he said lowly. You were stunned a little bit by the fact that Aho thought it was okay for him to say that during a game of all places.

You turned around in his arms, hands coming up to cup his face. You noticed the broken skin, feeling slight relief that the trainers cleaned it up a bit. “Baby, you are the only one I want. Aho is a fucking bitch that likes to run his mouth.” He smiled at your words, looking down. He looked back up at you and kissed you softly. He picked you up my the thighs, setting you on the counter. He leaned around you and grabbed his whisky, taking a drink before holding it up to your lips. You took a drink, the liquid burning down your throat, warming you up instantly. He took it back and finished the rest of the glass. His eyes darkening as he looked back down at you. “Even after you saying that, I still think you need reminded as to who owns this cute little pussy of yours sweetheart” he grumbles against your neck, placing open-mouthed kisses.

He picked you up by the thighs again, carrying you to bed. He laid you down, taking his time to kiss on you. He pushes the jersey up, seeing that you already took your bra off. He didn’t think too much of it because he knows you like to sleep the jersey from time to time. He grins to himself, then leans down to swipe his tongue over your nipple. His hand moving to grope your other breast. Fingers rolling the hardened nipple between them. He nips and sucks on the underside of your breast, drawing whines out from you. He switches sides and does the same to the other. Before he pulls off, he bites gently at your nipple, drawing a small cry from you.

He sits back on his heels then looks at you, his hands on the waistband of your panties. “Can I take these off baby?” He asks. He’d always been adamant about asking to take them off, even when you told him he could just do it. You nodded your head, replying a verbal yes to him, Nick pulls them off, putting them in the pocket of his slacks. He puts his hand on your inner knee, spreading your legs gently. A blush spreading across your cheeks as he stares at your pussy, licking his lips. He leans down, pressing kisses up your inner thighs, taking his time, teasing you. “So wet from me princess. You look so fucking pretty from this angle” he smirks at you, blowing air gently at your exposed cunt. The action makes you whimper, trying to close your legs a little. He holds them open and then presses a kiss to your clit. He ghosts his lips over it, looking up at you, then licks a stripe up your pussy, sucking on your clit after as he catches it in his mouth. A light moan comes from you. “Jesus Nick” you breathe out, your head laying back against the pillow, enjoying the moment. Your hand moves to rest in his hair. You can feel him smile against you, he brings his hand up, tracing his fingers around your opening, then sinking a finger inside. A groan coming from your lips from the feeling. He licks at your clit while playing with you, watching your reactions. Your grip getting slightly tighter on his hair. He adds a second finger, doing a ‘come here’ motion with them, trying to work you towards your orgasm.

Moans from the back of your throat come from you, your hips starting to move to meet his movements. “Gettin’ close for me baby? Gonna cum on my face?” He teases, already knowing the answer. You nod quickly “uh huh” you choke out. He sucks on your clit a little harder, pushing his tongue onto it repeatedly to add a little more pressure. “Cmon baby, cum for me. Give it to me, wanna taste you” he groans against you. You do as he instructs, you pull his hair and press your head back into the pillows. Your thighs clench around his head as you cum, strings of moans coming from you. “That’s it, good girl. Good fucking girl for me” he says lowly against you, tongue fucking you through your orgasm.

After the waves pass, he pulls off of you, wiping your cum off his mouth on his arm. He leans up to you and kisses you, letting you taste yourself on his tongue. He pulls away, letting you take his shirt off. He gets up off the bed and tugs his slacks and boxers off, then crawls back onto you. He rests his weight on you, letting you feel his cock against your stomach.

“M’gonna be so fuckin deep baby” he leans up a little bit. He puts his thumb to right above where his tip rests on you “see baby? So deep in that pretty little cunt” he mumbles against your lower neck.

You whimper as he speaks. “Nicky please, I want it” you mumble against the side of his head. He pulls back and ghosts his lips over yours, teasing you. “Yeah? Want me to fuck you baby?” He says lowly. You whine and nod your head. He grabs his dick, lining it up with you. He taps it against you, then sinks in slowly. Both of you sharing a moaning at the feeling. He gives you slow, deep thrusts, wanting you to feel every inch of him. One hand on your waist, the other against the headboard to hold himself up. “Fuck you’re perfect. Like god made you just for me” he groans, his head falling forward. His hair falling in his face.

Your hands move to grab his neck, pulling him down to kiss you. He moans into the kiss, loving the attention. “Harder Nicky, please” you beg slightly. “Yeah?” He asks, starting to fuck you harder “want me to rough you up a bit?” His thrusts are hard and deep now, his tip hitting the spot you love. “Fuck, god yes” you moan out. Your eyes closing, head leaning further into the pillows. He leans down and starts to nip and bite at your neck. The hand that rested on your waist moving to hike your leg up over his hip, holding it there.

The new angle causes you to moan louder, your pussy fluttering against him. You move your hand down to play with your clit, your mouth gaping open at the added stimulation. “He could never fuck you like this. I’m the only one that can make you feel good. You’re mine. This pussy, in mine” he eventuates his last words with harder thrusts, causing you to moan louder. “Just you Nick, only you” you breath out.

He pulls out and flips you onto your stomach. Before you even have time to whine about feeling empty, he’s filling you back up again. Fucking you how he wants to. His thrusts are desperate, hard and fast. The jersey falling to gather around your waist. He places his hand between your shoulder blades and pushes your chest down to the bed. He then wraps on arm around your waist to play with your clit, the other holding your hip, pulling you back into him. He watches as your ass ripples with each thrust. He’s drinking in the sounds of your moans and whines, getting drunk off of them.

“God you look so pretty like this. Fucked out look on your face, my jersey on you, my cock deep inside of you. Wish I could see it everyday baby” he groans. He brings his hand off your hip and lands a smack against your ass, gripping onto it. You start fucking yourself back onto him “m’so close baby” you say. “Yeah? Gonna cum on my cock like the good girl you are princess? Give it to me, lemme feel it” he groans. Almost instantly, you grip the sheets in your hands, fucking yourself back against him more as your orgasm takes over you. Whines and moans rip from your chest. “Fuck Nicky, oh my god” you cry out. Nick moans as he feels you clamp down onto him. He fucks you through your orgasm, then puts both hands on your hips, fucking you roughly, chasing his orgasm. “God baby, where do you want me?” He asks. His breathing becoming labored. “Inside baby. Want you to fill me up” you moan out. As soon as you say the word, his chest is pressed against your back as he gives a few sloppy thrusts, cumming deep inside of you. He’s whining in your ear, working himself through it.

He stays there for a few minutes, catching his breath. He leans up, pushing his hair out of his face, then watches as he pulls out, groaning when he sees his cum leak out of you. He gives your ass another smack, grabbing onto it. “God I’ll never get tired of seeing that” he chuckles to himself.

He gets off the bed and tells you he’ll be right back. He comes back after a few minutes with a couple bottles of water, some snacks, and a warm washcloth. He helps you to lay on your back, then cleans you up. He hands you the water, already having the cap off of it for you. He kisses your forehead then goes and grabs a fresh pair of panties for you, helping you put them on. He cleans himself off, then pulls on a pair of sweats. “Doing okay baby? Is there anything else you want?” He asks, wanting to make sure his girl is good. “Yeah baby, I’m okay. I would love if you came back to bed though” you smile at him. A grin forms on his face and he crawls back into bed with you. You move to cuddle up to him, laying on his chest. He runs his fingers through your hair, pressing another loving kiss to your forehead. “Yeah, Aho could never do that shit” you laugh. He leans his head back and groans then laughs with you. “Jesus, enough about that bitch” he jokes, then tilts your chin up to kiss you. “You know I love you right?” He asks against your lips. “The most.”

[ladylooch]

You, Me, and Mexico [Lucie x Connor] - Part 2

A/N: The conclusion of Mexico and the true formation of Lucie and Connor as we know them now. This is spicy and sassy and hectic like our two young lovers were. I am in love with this. I hope you are too 🥹

Word Count: 7.8k

Lucie has never heard a pack of National Hockey League players so quiet before. 

But she also hasn’t seen them this hungover either. 

Their Mexico Allstar break is proving to be the ultimate competitor for these rowdy and untamed boys. Even Lio is no match for the lime, tequila, and hot sand. The only one who seems relatively unscathed this morning is Connor who sits on his chaise two down from her, reading.

Between Lucie and Connor, Lio’s muffled snores vibrate the towel beneath his face. To his left, Lucie holds her Kindle up with one arm. She swipes her thumb across the page, willing herself to get lost in a Texas ranch fantasy, but finding it difficult with how swelteringly hot the sun is on her body. She glances down at her calves, frowning at the pink patches beginning to shine through. 

Damn her dad and his pastey genes.

All she wanted was to come back from Mexico bronzed and gorgeous, but her Swiss heritage has something snarky to say about her every attempt at collecting the sun’s rays.

Lucie glances over at Lio who is more Swiss than her, gloriously tanned from all angles without a hint of sunburn on him. 

Hmmm, maybe it’s not the Swiss in her. Maybe it’s the American?

As casually as Lucie can muster, her brown eyes trail beyond her cousin to his All-American roommate. The one who two nights ago seemingly changed the trajectory of their trip, then disappeared into the night again like whatever that was didn’t happen. At least this time she had a beach full of witnesses to know it wasn’t all a dream. Lucie purses her lips ash the thought, letting her gaze trail along the strong muscles on Connor’s body. 

He sits shirtless to Lio’s left, navy swim trunks hugging all the right places. They bunch up at his mid-thigh, barely holding together over his thick quads. One of his feet is planted on the chaise, knee bent at an angle so his fingers can dangle off his leg. This makes his thighs look even bigger, almost like tree trunks. Lucie’s head lulls slightly to the side involuntarily, remembering those beneath her own when she straddled his lap the other evening. 

A dangerously hot thought on an already hot day. 

Frustration tightens the back of her throat, remembering how long it’s been since she’s been touched. Or at least was until Connor lit her skin on fire then ran away without finishing the job. 

Chicken. 

As understanding as she was that night, her annoyance and frustration is all that appears today.

Lucie slides her sunglasses-covered gaze away, trying to focus back on her Kindle again. But then, she can sense Connor’s movement out of the corner of her eye and her eyes instantly drift again. Connor flips the page in his book, pinching and tugging his bottom lip as he dips his face further into the spine. He is wearing an old Rockies hat that has his dark curls going crazy around the edges from the humidity and swimming earlier. 

Lucie watches as Connor blinks, bringing his gaze to the pool in front of them where a few kids splash in the water. Then his gaze goes right back to the worn pages in his fingers. Lucie wonders if he has read this book a few times or if it’s his first time. 

She wishes she didn’t feel too awkward to ask. 

Like a bitter cycle she knows too well, Connor has been avoiding her since their run in on their first night. Other than the longing glance across the table or the hesitant goodnights they say to each other, he is dodging her like she crossed an invisible boundary again. Her only solace is that any woman who comes up to him, and there have been plenty, is turned away quickly or blatantly ignored. It gives Lucie hope. Like maybe he is waiting for her to make the next move.

A bead of sweat drips down Lucie’s spine from her hair. She sighs, slapping her Kindle down and grabbing the teal scrunchie from her wrist. She tosses her hair up into a bun then stands. Her bright pink bikini bottoms back are tugged back into place, sitting more appropriately on her hip bones. She stretches her arms, making her breasts pull tight against her chest. Connor glances over at her, then quickly looks away when their eyes meet. Lucie sighs, rolling her eyes and announcing to no one in particular that she’s going into the pool.

“Don’t drown.” Lio mumbles to her without opening his eyes.

Lucie tosses her sunglasses onto her white towel, then steps towards the edge of the pool. The stairs are on the other side, but a ledge running along the sides makes it easier to enter from anywhere. She glides into the cool, crystal water, instantly sagging in relief at the chilling sensation on her skin. She seeps in further, sinking down until her shoulders skim beneath the water, then back up, happy the breeze off the ocean seems to be picking up. She kicks across to the other side of the pool, then sneaks a glance back over to her group.

A corner of her mouth tilts up when she notices how hard Connor is focusing on his book now. His eyes do not float away, even as other noises call for his attention. A group of people walk by, but again Connor stares hard with his nose in his book. Lucie giggles to herself, realizing that she hasn’t seen Connor turn the page much since they got to the pool and she shrugged off her cover up. 

To test her theory, Lucie flicks water up with her foot, seeing if she can get droplets close to their group. The droplets fall just to the edge of the pool, so she goes closer, trying again. She is right in front of Connor, tempting him, pushing herself further out of the water so her bikini top rises into the air, showing two distinct points in the front. 

Connor’s gaze stays on the book like they’re glued, but he shifts his legs around, pulling the opposite foot up and letting the other one down. His tongue runs along his top teeth, strong jaw zig zagging to both sides like it’s bothering him. 

Lucie floats to her back, careful to keep her hair out of the water. Her legs drift back up to the top of the water then she flicks again, grinning when she watches the streak of water wet the concrete then disappear onto Connor’s chaise. His blue eyes fly up as the droplets hit his foot. Lucie can feel his eyes everywhere. They’re generous and starved, roaming all over her exposed skin before he cocks his head to the side at her. 

“Accident.” She shrugs innocently.

“Mhm.” She faintly hears him grumble. She sucks her cheeks in, making her dimples pierce further into her cheeks. Then with his eyes still on her, she flicks again, bigger this time, laughing at his deeper frown. His eyebrows pull together, looking dark and menacing beneath the shade of his hat. But there is no mistaking the look of desire that swirls over his face.

Lucie swings her foot down as Connor goes back to his book. She flicks again, this time getting a big splash on his ankle that makes Lucie snort in surprise. Between his knees, she can see the sparkle of droplets on his phone. Oops. 

Connor snaps his book shut, standing up. In one motion, he’s heading towards her, whipping his hat off and jumping into the pool. Lucie squeals in surprise as his splash slaps her in the face. She barely has time to wipe her eyes before Connor’s arms swoop under her waist, lifting her easily into his arms. She immediately feels his hard erection against her. 

Lucie gasps at that and the proximity of his lips to hers. She glances quickly towards the rest of their group. All of them are still asleep on their chaises, Lio included.

“Hi.” She says to him.

“Hi.” He responds quietly, almost subdued as he drinks her in. His grip on her waist shifts as his hands skim down to her ass. He rolls her hips into his, making Lucie inhale heavily through her nose. “You wanted attention?” He murmurs. Lucie laughs. 

“I need some every day. It’s a disease.” She bats her lashes at him. He smiles genuinely, laughing while running his hands from her butt to the backs of her thighs. His thumbs swipe across the top of her skin, making her core tingle. “And you’ve been avoiding me again.” She points out bluntly.

“I’m not...it’s just.. Lio.” He shrugs.

“Lio has been drunk, high or getting laid the entire time we have been here.” Lucie rolls her eyes at his favorite excuse.

“Yeah but that’s his norm, so it’s not like he doesn’t see the way I can’t stop staring at your ass.” Lucie’s cheeks turn pink, warming under the knowledge of him looking at her, soaking her in like she wants him to. She brings her fingers up his biceps, threading them around his neck. 

“You like what you see?”

“You know I do. Plus, I’ve got you all figured out, Lucie Hischier.”

“That makes one of us.” She drawls back. Her fingers glide through his hair as she takes another peek at the group. Still clear. She leans forward, on the opposite side of his neck then runs her tongue from the dip of his collar bone to his ear lobe. 

“I want you, Lucie. I wasn’t lying about that the other night.” His voice is liquified with need, edgy but smooth, almost a groan when she sucks his skin into her mouth for a moment. 

“What’s so bad about here?”

“You deserve better.” He murmurs, gripping her face gently in his wet palm. 

Better? How could anywhere else be better? Lucie can still feel his hearty grip on her ass as he ground her into his cock the other night. That felt pretty damn good to her, Mexico or not. 

“I don’t understand you.” Lucie groans. “You may be the only man, a hockey player to boot, who won’t fuck the willing girl in his arms.” 

Connor’s eyes darken at the dirty slip of her words. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you, baby?” There is an edge to him now, a dark one that Lucie wants to explore further. 

“Yes.” She snaps tightly, pressing her breasts into his chest more.

“Would like it if I slipped this bikini to the side and took you right here? Hm? Made you be quiet while I sink my cock deep into your wet pussy?” His voice is low and gruff as his eye roam over her face, watching every flicker of pleasure melt her brown eyes into liquid chocolate. 

“Mhm.” She whines through her bitten lip. 

“I could do it, Luc. I could fuck you here without anyone knowing.” Goosebumps thread down her limbs as she looks into his eyes. Lucie becomes lighter in his arms, looser as she tries to drop her hips to roll against his erection again. He leans in close. Lucie doesn’t care enough to look over at their group again. This is it, she thinks. He’s finally going to-

“AH!!!!” She screams suddenly, feeling herself being propelled through the air. Then she’s sucking in water from her open mouth. The water pulls her under, swirling around in white bubbles as she forces herself back up to the surface. She gasps, shoving the loose hairs from her bun off her face. 

Through her saltwater haze, Lucie glares at the retreating back of Connor Wood. She gapes at the group of laughing NHL players, all now wide awake at once, including her cousin who is sitting up, choking from laughing so hard.

“Woody, you got her so good.” Lio bellows. 

Rivers of water run down Connor’s hairy legs as his feet lead him back to his chaise lounge. His white teeth dazzle against his tanned skin and his blue eyes softly glisten. Quickly, he sends an apologetic look her way. All the heat that had been building between them has vanished for Lucie. One minute he’s whispering dirty thoughts in her ear and the next he is chucking her across the pool to get away from her? Who’s the one playing games now? She already had months of groveling and running after a man who didn’t deserve her. She was young then, didn’t know better like she does now. She is not doing it again. She is not going to continuously run after this guy, especially after he has turned her down twice. 

Connor is right in that way; she does deserve better.

“My little sister could have thrown me farther than that.” Lucie chirps when she gets back to her chair. Lio tosses her towel to her, assessing her as she wipes off. 

“You good?” Lio asks her. Lucie scoffs, snatching her cover up off the chaise.

“Yeah, but I’m done for the day.” She hastily tosses her stuff into her pool bag. “I’ll see you guys for dinner.” She calls breezily over her shoulder as she pulls her cover up back over her right shoulder. 

“Lucie, I’m- I’m sorry.” Connor says, folding his towel over his waist as she walks by. Lucie cuts a glare his way as she continues towards the exit of the pool area. “Luc? They were looking. I had to do something.” He mumbles to her. Lucie balks at that, scoffing. She whips around so fast her bag slaps against her butt.

“This is, like, a game to you, isn’t it?” Connor’s eyes dart nervously to the side then he shakes his head no. She steps closer, licking her lips and lowering her voice so it’s only between them. “I’m nobody’s secret, Connor.”

Then she twirls back around and leaves him staring at her perfect ass sashay away from him.

 - - -

Connor should have known better than to poke at Lucie this afternoon. The only thing it taught her was how damn easy it is to get his attention. So when the idea of hitting another beach party was floated at dinner, it was Lucie who immediately jumped at it. She happily put up with all their jokes and pokes about her wet t-shirt entry from earlier in the week. Because she knows exactly what her game plan is tonight.

Use any willing male on the beach to show Connor Wood exactly what he is missing.

He thinks he can play games and be aloof and then also cockblock her from anyone else the rest of this trip? Fine. Then he can watch her work a room and get him in a drunken jealous tizzy before it ends with her walking away from him. 

Her target was Javi, the local bartender who’s shift ended an hour ago. She batted her lashes and let her dress dip dangerously low over her cleavage until he agreed to stay. All he had to do was change and then he joined her on the beach, hand slipped into hers. Lucie didn’t have to know where Connor was to feel his gaze following them. But Lio’s loud shout and wave pointed out where they were a while ago. Lucie just doesn’t care enough to go join them. Instead, she is savoring Javi’s hands on her. She loves the way he flirts with red zones while staying firmly in the yellow spots on her body. It makes her feel sexy, restoring the confidence that Connor literally drowned in the pool this afternoon.

It’s not until Javi is pulled into a work emergency off the clock that Lucie saunters back towards her group. She is exhausted and parched from dancing, but feels free and gorgeous. Not even Connor’s glower can take that away from her. His thick brows squiggle over his blue eyes, waves crashing in them like the inky ocean hitting the beach to her right. Lucie smiles at him easily, a little wickedness seeping into her cheeks like her dimples. 

“Having fun?” Connor asks, licking his top teeth after a long pull from his Modelo. 

“Tons of it.” She answers breezily, then leans down to grab her watered down margarita. She takes a sip from the lime green straw, then tosses it back down on the table when its completely drained. “I think I’ll go have another round of that.” She flirts at him, running her fingers through her brown hair that has curled up nicely in the humidity.

Before Lucie can even take a step, her fingers are collected in Connor’s and he pulls her back into his chest.

“Stay here, Princess. I’m not running across the beach to save you again.”

“Aww, but last time it was so Baywatch.” She pulls away from him, stepping to leave the group again. “I’m fine, cowboy. Stay here and keep moping if that's how you want to spend your night.” Lucie can feel more than hear his growl as he wraps his arm around her stomach, pulling her firmer to his chest. She resists letting her shoulder droop into his body, but notices he is rock hard. He shifts her so his bulge settles perfectly between her rounded cheeks that taunted him earlier at the pool.

“Lucie. You take one more step and I’m going to throw you over my shoulder.”

“Yeah, then what?” She snaps. “You gonna throw me into the ocean over there to drown me out of your mind, Woody?” He says nothing, but his chest swells and deflates rapidly into Lucie’s back. She rolls her eyes, then bucks her hips back so he lets her go completely. She turns around, setting her hard glare on him. “Quit with the games. Make it worth my time or leave me alone.” He continues to watch her, blue gaze steely yet wild. His untamed curls blow in the beach breeze, shirt flapping open more to expose his tanned and toned chest. He is freakishly still. Lucie scoffs, waving at him over her shoulder to go back to Javi. 

Suddenly, her knees are taken out from under her. She squeaks, then is flipped to her stomach over his shoulder, looking down at Connor’s ass and the worn boardwalk. Connor’s flip flops slap against the bottoms of his feet with each step. Lucie struggles in his grasp. He tightens his grip on her thighs then calls back to her.

“Don’t make me tie you up to keep you still.” 

“Everyone is watching you haul me away!” Lucie shrieks, looking at the group of hockey players laughing. Lio, drunk and high, lifts his hand and wave. Lucie lifts her middle finger back at him.

“Get your teammate!” She yells at Lio. He yells something back that Lucie can’t hear. “Connor, put me down.” She directs back to the man under her thighs.

“No. I was clear with you. You took one more step.”

Lucie hangs quietly over his shoulder for the duration of the walk to the elevator. It’s a waste of her breath to continue complaining, no one is going to save her. Once they get to the bank of elevators, Connor puts her feet back on the ground.

“I can run faster than you. Don’t even try.” He warns. Lucie rolls her eyes. What does he have to be mad about?

The walk down to her room is equally quiet as he waits for her to fish her card out of her back pocket. She doesn’t, standing there with a glare on her face and arms crossed across her chest.

“Open the damn door, Lucie.” He hisses at her. She scoffs, stepping back. He reaches for her, then glides his hand down her back to her ass, puling out the white card and swiping it quickly. He shoves her through the door. 

“You have some damn nerv-”

The rest of the word is cut off by Connor’s frantic kiss. He grips her body, twirling them both so he slams her up against the closed door. Nothing about it is gentle or nice. It’s angry and punishing just like his thigh grinding between her legs. Lucie moans, getting turned on by the hard press of him to the apex of her thighs. 

“Fuck.” He growls, letting his hands roam her body. He grips her breasts tightly, then dives back in to kiss her hard. Her head bounces on the door as he makes out with her, stretching her mouth open to accommodate his hurried pace. 

“You have some damn nerve dancing with that guy all night.” He finally says to her, pulling back to look into her face.

“Why do you care? There were a hundred women on that beach you could have instead.”

“Why are you acting like I actually would want anyone here who isn’t you?” He laughs like something about this is funny.

“Because your signals are all over the place, Connor! One minute you’re moaning in my ear and the next you’re throwing me across the fucking pool.”

Connor crowds her up against the door, pinning her there easily with one thigh. His hands dash through her hair as he leans down.

“I should make it clear to you huh? Take your right here against the door.” 

“See like that. Why are you all over the place?”

“Because this is a bad idea, Luc. So fucking bad.” He whispers on her mouth, swiping his lips across hers with each word. Lucie opens her eyes, taking in his long lashes kissing together as he tries to hold back from taking her. Goosebumps pimple along her limbs as she tangles her fingers in his curls. “Because once I have you, I’m not going to want to stop. Ever.”

“Please?” She asks. “I’ll be worth it. I promise.”

All his resolve breaks. 

“You ask so sweetly.” He moans. “Innocent. Like you don’t know what you do to me. But you do, don’t you?” He kisses down her jaw, leading to her throat. “Know how much I want you. You know I can’t breathe when you walk into the room. Too distracted with how beautiful you are.” His words muffle into her skin but Lucie hears them clearly. She's drunker on them than tequila could ever make her.

“I want you to have me.” She whispers into his ear, then sucks his ear lobe into her mouth. His forehead drops to her shoulder briefly. 

“I wanna taste you.” He says. Lucie’s eyes widen in alarm and he picks up on it. “Those Swiss boys don’t eat pussy do they?” He kisses her lips. She blushes, then drops his gaze. He chuckles, taking her chin in two fingers. “You gonna get shy on me now?”

“You don’t have to.” She says quietly. Connor laughs, genuinely, shaking her breasts against his chest as he starts to kiss down her neck. 

“I’m gonna change your whole world, baby.” 

It feels like an out of body experience to Lucie as she watches him kiss down her body. He gets to her shorts, tugging them down to expose her yellow, lace panties. He peels those off more delicately, kissing everywhere he uncovers. Her eyes flutter shut as he kisses at the crest of her pussy lips, letting his tongue tease the slit for a moment before he pulls her underwear all the way off. Once they collect around her feet, his blue eyes go to her glistening core. 

Between them, Lucie’s breasts shudder as she gulps in air. With his eyes on hers, he leans forward. His tongue falls out of his mouth then strikes up her already soaked slit. Lucie’s head finds the door, smacking against it as her eyes screw shut. 

“Um.” She starts to speak, then loses her train of thought. “Oh.” She hears herself moan. 

He pulls away, then bring his hands up to her core, crudely pulling her puffy lips apart with his thumb and pointer finger. He looks drunk when their gazes meet, then he holds hers as he goes in for his next taste. Lucie’s eyes squeeze shut as his lips engulf her clit, giving her pulsating sucks and then a long lick of his tongue. 

“Fuck.” She growls then inhales, moaning out her exhale as he presses his mouth in more. 

No, Lucie Hischier has never had her pussy eaten before, but she can’t imagine the boys before Connor could have done it like this. He knows his way around the female anatomy. Maybe that should bother Lucie, but right now, all she can care about is getting her fingers into his curls to hold him in place. 

“Talk to me, Luc.” He says. Nothing about it is a beg. It’s a demand. Like if she doesn’t comply, this whole illusion of a dream will rupture. 

“Feels… mmm, amazing.” She sighs.

His lips collect her clit again, almost nipping it into his mouth. Her knees shake, threatening collapse as her hand falls from his hair to his shoulder. Connor leans forward, collecting her calf over his shoulder, then putting a steadying hand on her other thigh to hold her upright.

“Ah, oh, oh, oh oh, ohhhhh.” Lucie squirms against his mouth as he eats her like a dripping summer popsicle in the thick of summer. “Ohmygod.” She chokes out. Her core clenches uncomfortably tight. Her hand dashes into her own hair as her head ricochets off the door again.

“That’s it, Luc. Tell me how good it feels.” He snakes his tongue back to her entrance, lazily fucking her with his tongue before going back to her clit to finish her off. 

“So fucking good, Connor. Please, Please. Please. Please. Don’t-“ Lucie can only pant the rest of the way up to her high. Her bottom jaw unhinges as she whispers out a final moan of Connor’s name then collapses over the edge. Her thighs go ridged. The leg over this shoulder clamps around his neck to hold him to her pussy as she grinds into his face while she finishes.

“Fuck, baby.” Connor moans, coming out of her folds for air. His tongue snakes out, doing one last slurp up her slit. She shakes in response and Connor grips her hips to keep her upright. He untangles himself from her legs, then kisses his way back up her body to her mouth. “You wanna taste what I do to you?” He asks her. Lucie's response is to latch her lips to his. He tastes sweet and tangy, like her and the beer he had earlier.

“My turn.” She demands, biting at his bottom lip, then sinking her knees into the soft carpeting at their feet. Connor hesitates, almost looking like he is going to say no, but then she cups his hard cock over his shorts and he grunts like that alone might make him come. 

Hurriedly, Lucie undoes his shorts. Maybe another night she would tease him, but not when he is constantly on either side of the line, tip toeing over just to throw himself back to the safe side. No, tonight, she wants a taste. 

Pushing down the waistband of his bottoms, Lucie watches with excited, dewy eyes as he springs free. His firm length slaps against his abdomen, leaving a bead of pre-cum there. Her eyes fixate on it, then she moves her tongue to collect the white circle. Connor’s hand goes into her hair, gathering it all in his fist. Lucie kisses around the right side of his shaft, teasing him by ghosting her lips over the ridge of his head. She continues down the left side, then goes right for the kill, sucking a testicle into her mouth. Connor rocks back on his heels for a minute before he coughs.

“Aw fuck. You know how to suck cock don’t you, Princess?”

Lucie doesn’t respond with words. Instead she kisses back up his shaft to collect only his head into her mouth. She sucks, watching him squirm at the sensitivity, then she breaks eye contact to take him fully down in one drop of her head. Connor’s hand on her hair squeezes so tight it hurts. It fuels Lucie further, bobbing her wide, wet mouth up and down. The room fills with his cock meeting her stretched mouth. Drool drops down Connor’s shaft, collecting on Lucie’s hand as it strokes up, forcing the velvet skin to meet her mouth with each thrust. 

“Oh.” Connor groans. Then moans her name loudly, so loud that anyone walking by in the hallway would surely hear it. Heat flutters in her core, igniting again at how expressive he is. With each pump of her hand and mouth, Connor praises her. He begs her to keep going. He compliments her mouth and hand. He brings the hand not in her hair to her throat, feeling her deep thrust him down. 

“Do that again and I’m gonna cum in your mouth.” He growls through mashed teeth.

So Lucie does, then guzzles down the white ropes that shoot in a desperate release from him.

“Holy…”

Connor frees her from his hands, dashing them through his wild curls as he looks down at her. Lucie comes off his cock, settling her thighs back on her bare heels. He watches her through half-mast lids, observing as she licks her lips then wipes her chin with the back of her hand. He blinks, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling as his mouth drops open in awe. Then he reaches down, pulling her back onto her feet in one swoop. Lucie peers at him with shy eyes, suddenly feeling self-conscious at the way he is looking at her. 

“I’m never gonna be able to forget how good you are at that.” He admits. Lucie smiles, cheeks turning slightly red at the compliment.

“You want to?”

“No. It’s just gonna make it hard to do things like have you over at our place for dinner, or play hockey, or sleep.” Lucie chuckles, dropping her forehead to his chest. He takes the opportunity to wrap her in his arms. She runs her hands up his big back, breathing in the scent of him as she does. Connor’s mouth comes to rest on her hair. 

Lucie tries to fight the yawn tugging at her mouth, but she can’t. It comes out unwelcome, like the buzzkill it is. Connor squeezes her tighter, then releases. He reaches between them, tucking his softened form back into his shorts. Lucie steps back, swallowing, before looking up at him with curious brown eyes. 

“I don’t wanna go.” He answers honestly. “But I should.” 

“Don’t.” Lucie whispers, being brave and asking for what she wants.

“Okay.” He nods, giving in instantly. “How do you sleep?” He gestures to her body.

“With pajamas.” She chuckles, then walks across the room to grab them. Connor follows her, taking them from her hands. Together, they work her night clothes off. Connor’s eyes linger and his hands wander to her breasts and ass, giving generous squeezes and strokes to them. Lucie’s skin is on fire as he kisses her on the mouth, thumbing her nipples after getting her fully ready for bed.

It isn’t long before they fall into bed together, feet to each other’s heads, having a quick midnight snack of each other’s sex again. The spoken desire of Connor to not go all the way in Mexico is held like a promise between the two of them. 

After another orgasm for them both, Connor pulls on his boxer briefs and replaces Lucie’s pajama bottoms. Then he collects her to his chest, fastening his nose into her hair. 

As Lucie falls asleep on his body, she silently prays that the cycle has been broken. That the game is officially over and they both came out winners. She hopes when they go home tomorrow, time moves forward with more moments like this with him.

If it doesn’t, this game might finally end with Lucie firmly in the loser’s column. 

- - -

Lucie’s eyes burn as she waits at baggage claim with Lio and Connor after their flight landed late in NYC. Lio is hungover, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. Connor stands still, feet spread wide apart, saying nothing. Lucie glances at him. The last good look she got of him was his retreating back leaving her room this morning.

On the flight home, Lio sat in Lucie’s row. Connor sat behind them and seemingly slept the whole flight. Truthfully it was hard for Lucie to see him, which is why she drinks him in now before they go to their separate neighborhoods. He looks so good again today- comfortable and cozy. Lucie knows now how homey and safe that chest feels after waking up on it this morning. She wants to curl into it tonight instead of her cold, lonely dorm bed. 

“That yours?” Lio asks of the pink suitcase twirling around the metal slats. Before Lucie can answer, Connor steps forward and grabs it for her. His bag is right after hers. Then Lio’s comes through a couple more twirls later. They all silently head towards ground transportation to find a few cabs. 

When they get to the curb, Lio hails one down for her immediately. He pops the back door open for her as Connor wheels hers and his bags behind the trunk. Lucie looks at him over the trunk of the car. There is a slight smirk on his face and a sparkle in his eye that wasn’t there before. He puts her suitcase in first then his next to it. 

“Bye, Lee.” Lucie says, distractedly. She gives him a hug. “I’ll see you… when I do.” She shrugs, knowing now that the Allstar break is done, the difficult stretch of the season will begin. 

“Yeah, I’ll text ya. Hopefully you can come to one of the games this weekend. Back to back Friday and Saturday.”

“I can Saturday for sure.”

“Cool, I’ll send tickets. You want two?”

“Yeah, I might bring a friend.” She confirms. 

“Sounds good.” Lio steps aside, then glances over at Connor. “What are you doing?” 

“I’m going to ride into the city with Lucie. I’m seeing a friend.” 

“I shouldn’t expect you home?” Lio smirks.

“Ah, I don’t know. I’ll let you know. But first, I’ll get Lucie back safely.” 

“Sounds good. See you.” Lio murmurs, then rolls his bag down to the next cab. Lucie slowly slides into the backseat of the cab with Connor going in the other side.

The first few turns out of the airport are silent. Lucie’s mouth suddenly feels dry. All the teasing and pleasure they had in Mexico was wonderful, but never going the whole way with him has left her with a greedy ache between her thighs. The thought of him finally soothing that ache tonight has spikes of pleasure shooting through her body. 

“Am I the friend?” Lucie wonders as the cab merges onto the road outside the airport. Connor reaches over, grabbing her hand off the seat next to her thigh. He laces their fingers together, kissing along her knuckles. She melts into his touch, reaching for his thigh with her other hand. 

“Yes. I need you. More than I’ve had you. I can’t wait anymore. We are back home and I want you as soon as possible.” 

“My roommate…”

“Plenty of time for her to leave if you text her now. Or I can tell her to get lost when we get there.” Lucie giggles at his directness.

Rather than argue, Lucie texts Daniella that she needs the room. She receives an immediate thumbs up then the bubbles continue to pulse on her screen.

Please tell me you’re finally getting Connor in your bed. I’ll be at Dre’s for the night.

Lucie’s eyes widen and she clicks her phone screen to dark, hoping Connor didn’t see that. 

“We good?”

“Yeah.”

Connor gives her an assuring smile, then sets their laced hands on his left thigh. The rest of the drive is quiet. Connor plays with her fingers. Lucie leans her head on the back of the seat, closing her eyes and feeling the bumps and shake of the car as reassurance that this is real. Every so often, she opens her eyes to see Connor looking at her in the dark cab. As they crawl the last few blocks, he rubs her cheek with his thumb. He leans across the back seat kissing her longingly.

When they get to her place, Connor pays the fair and tip, then grabs their suitcases out of the car. He follows Lucie’s lead to her dorm. His nose comes to the back of her neck as she puts the key into her door. His lips plump in a kiss that has her hands shaking while she flips the lock. She leans back into his body, feeling the bulge of him pushing into her butt. His free hand wraps around her, pressing into her stomach to keep her close as they walk step to step into her room. The door shuts behind them. Lucie swallows hard, wheeling her bag over towards the closet. She kicks her shoes off, then turns to look at Connor. 

“Gonna tell you right now that this won’t be enough.” He murmurs. “I’m going to need you time and time again. I’m already insatiable when it comes to you, Lucie Hischier.”

His long strides carry him quickly across the room to her. He holds her cheeks in his hands, stroking along the bones below her eyes. His blue eyes swim with desire as he looks down into her face. She watches as his lips fall towards hers. She collects them on hers, inhaling heavily at how good it feels. Her arms instinctively wrap around his shoulders. His come to her lower back, respectfully pulling her in as close as he can. 

“Do you.. have a condom?” She asks.

“Yeah, that’s why I had to bring my bag with.”

“Did you bring those to Mexico for me?”

“Yeah.” He admits. “But I am serious. I didn’t want it to be like that. In a resort… like it was some vacation fling.” He shakes his head. “This has never been a game to me. I’m sorry if ever made it seem like I didn’t want you. You’re all I want, Lucie.” 

“You said it wasn’t good enough for what we are going to be. So tell me, what are we going to be?” She whispers, running her hands down his shoulders to grip his biceps.

“Everything.” He says confidently. “It’s the only thing worth risking this for.” Lucie smiles, then nods before Connor kisses her again. 

He steps forward, gently guiding her hips back towards her bed. Lucie grips his upper body tightly as he carefully lays her on the comforter. Their lips suck each other up like it’s been days apart when it’s been mere hours since they touched last. They’re addicts for each other. Lucie understands what Connor means when he says insatiable. She feels it too. Everything about his touch and presence lights her soul on fire. 

Connor pulls away, reaching for the hem of her NYU sweatshirt. He lifts it up over her head, exposing her bralette below. He smiles at her perky nipples teasing him like they did days ago through her wet t-shirt. He cups under her right breast then brings his mouth down to it while maintaining eye contact with her. Lucie bites her bottom lip, savoring the sparks of pleasure that shoot down to her clit from his hearty suck. He pulls the bralette to the side completely, then continues his play.

He moves on to the other nipple, painting it with his saliva before releasing it with a loud pop. Between her legs, Lucie pulses painfully. Her walls collapse inwards, convulsing angrily around nothing. Connor pulls his sweatshirt and t-shirt off, then walks over to his suitcase. He unzips the front pocket, pulling out an unopened box of condoms. Lucie watches as he brings the whole thing over, setting it on the nightstand. Then he gathers Lucie in for another kiss. 

“Connor?” Lucie mumbles against him.

“Hmm.”

“We have waited long enough to have each other this way.” She points out. “Suit up.” He grins, chuckling too as he reaches for her sweatpants. He pulls them off in one swoop, taking her panties as well. He makes quick work of his remaining clothes too. After, he spreads her legs wide so his eyes can feast on her slick, puffy folds. He strokes his cock in his hand, sighing when Lucie drags her fingers over her slick flesh to tease him. 

“You are so damn sexy.” He drawls, then reaches for the box of condoms. He opens them quickly, fumbling with getting only one foil wrapper out. They all explode out of the box at once, creating condom confetti. One lands on Lucie’s stomach.

“This one has been chosen.” She picks it up, handing it to him.

Connor smiles, ripping the gold open with his teeth. He spits out the top, then rolls the latex down his thick shaft. He maneuvers Lucie back on the bed, kneeling between her spread legs. He tests her hole carefully with one finger, then two. Lucie clamps around them instantly, making Connor close his eyes in pleasure. When he opens them, his pupils are blown so wide they shine black. 

He leans down, kissing her again while edging the head of his cock through her folds. He collects her wetness, teasing them both until he perches right at her entrance and pushes in. The first stitch of pain makes Lucie clam up. She resists digging her nails into his shoulders. 

“ S’okay.” He reminds her quietly. He brings his thumb down to her clit, rolling it delicately. Then he pushes in a little further, keeping a stroking pattern going on her sensitive bud. 

“Ohm-mygod.” Lucie stutters as he fills her fully. His attention on her clit has wetness forcing from her like a wave. Her pussy clamps around him, sending her eyes to her brain for a moment. “Fuck that feels full.”

“You’re so tight.” He agrees. “Gonna give you a second.”

He leans down, sucking up her left nipple, rolling it tight between his lips. Connor’s lips never stray from hers long. They may wander down and curve over here or there, but they crave hers too intently to be gone long. 

“You’re so beautiful.” He mumbles into their kiss. “Can’t believe the prettiest girl on the beach is here with me.” Lucie smiles, giggling happily as she accepts the complement. His sweet touches and words have the stitches of discomfort dissipating to nothing. She hooks her ankles together on his ass, giving him a limit for how much she wants him to pull out. “You like it deep, baby?” Lucie nods. “Mmm, I’ll give you what you need. I’ll learn you fast, Luc. Promise.” He mumbles into her mouth. He gives her another peck, then pulls up and away to adjust the angle. Lucie quivers as he begins to press deeper into her. 

“Oh.” She moans, stretching out so her back can curve slightly. Connor grips her breast, looking down at her with hazy eyes. He lick his lips, beginning to pant as his speed goes harder. The clunky wood bed frame rattles against the wall, but neither of them can find the grip on reality to care. All that exists is the places their bodies are conjoining together. 

“Damn, you feel so good. So worth the wait for this.” Connor groans. “So perfect, Luc.” 

Lucie begins to pant. Her vision blurs as she breathes hard and fast, feeling the building of her orgasm deep in her core. It twists and pulls and grows ravenous for release with each stroke of his big cock inside of her. She is dripping down her swollen lips and his tight shaft. It collects on his balls where he can feel it without obstruction, making him chase for more.

“Fuck.” He growls down at her as they both feel that first pull of her orgasm. “That’s it, pretty girl. Come for me. Please.” He begs her. Lucie’s never had a partner who’s begged for her to come. His hands grip her hips greedily, pressing into her hip bones as he keeps the perfect tempo and angle for her. Lucie’s head flies back, eyes closed, back arching up off the bed. Connor catches her body, holding her there as she quakes against his sticky skin.

“Holy fucking- fuuuuuuck.” Connor drawls out into her neck. Her muscles contract around the latex again, savoring the feeling of his fullness in her tight hole. 

“Ohmygod.” Lucie chokes out, her fingers dash through his hair as he collapses forward, spent from the ribbons of cum he left in the latex. 

“God damn.” He groans, doing micro pumps into her to prolong both of their orgasms. He stops when he’s too sensitive to continue. 

Lucie collects him on her chest like a prized possession. Her arms tighten around him, lips dropping on his cheek where his head is buried in the pillow beside her. He turns his head, chasing her lips on his as if he hasn’t had enough of her yet. His hand cups her cheek, thumb stroking over the pink he put on her skin. His nose runs down her mouth and chin, letting his forehead hit her mouth instead. Lucie can’t help but smile. She’s never felt this complete and connected after sex before. 

“Is your roommate coming back?” Connor eventually wonders, pulling slowly out of her. 

“No, she went to her boyfriend’s.”

“So we have the room to ourselves?”

“Yeah.” She smiles. “But we should put clothes on. Just incase.”

“Okay.” He kisses her forehead, then helps her get up.

They both change back into their clothes, then Connor holds the covers up for Lucie to slide into. Her dorm bed is entirely two small for two people let alone one who is a professional athlete.  But it keeps them close so neither of them mind. Connor encourages Lucie to turn over to be little spoon. She tucks her butt into his lap, then curls her knees up, wiggling back into him. He holds her hips steady, giving them a squeeze as a warning.

“Didn’t realize you were a one and done kinda guy…” She trails off. He moves his arm down so his hand can cup her right breast. He pinches her nipple, making Lucie squeeze her thighs together. 

“Only on days I have long flights.” He mumbles, kissing the back of her neck. “Remember that for road trips.”

Lucie’s heart skips a beat, thinking about him coming home to her after being on the road. She wants that. Badly. 

But for now, she will settle for this- his warmth heating up her back, limbs tangled with hers and soft breathing synchronized with the same pulls of air as her. 

Lucie closes her eyes quickly. She feels so safe and comforted in Connor’s warm embrace. 

She couldn’t fight it much longer if she tried.

[luke-hughes43]

Just Friends | edwards x Luke!twin | Part 2

Here is part 2 of the Ethan fic, hope you enjoy!

Part 1 | Insta Edit

~You are Luke Hughes’s twin sister and play hockey and softball at the University of Michigan. You’re very close with Luke given that you’re twins. You are best friends with teammate, Ethan Edwards. You and Ethan were always flirty with each other but strictly friends. Since returning to campus for your second year, things between you and Ethan have been a little too flirty. One day, everything changes.~

This is Part 2. Takes place sophomore year.

September, 2022

Morgan’s POV

So today is September 9. It’s mine and Luke’s birthday. I woke up super early and jogged over to his room and knocked on it. He opens it and smiles, “Happy birthday twin!”

“Happy Birthday twin!” He gives me the biggest hug before dragging me inside. Me and him have a thing where we always want to be the first one to say happy birthday to each other on our birthday. 

We check our phones and find the happy birthday texts from mom, dad, jack, Quinn, and both teams. There’s 50 texts for both of us to go through. But there’s one in the hockey chat that catches both of our eyes:

j bone🦴🏒: party tonight at the house for the Hughes’s. 

grano🏒: party starts at 9, the birthday kiddos don’t have to bring their own booze

keato🏒: so the rest of you idiots make sure you chip in enough booze to get both of them drunk as fuck. coach cancelled morning lift so we can get hammered tonight

moyle🏒: I do need like 3 or 4 volunteers to stay sober and keep an eye on everyone and make sure people get home safe. 

chic🐥🏒: and invite all the girls that you know and have them spread the word. I don’t wanna look at you ugly fucks all night long. (except you morg)

Me and Luke both audibly laugh out loud at that text chain. So looks like I know what I’m doing tonight. I text the girls on the team about the party and tell them that they can all come, even if most of them hate me. Luke then hands me a bag and says, “Here. Happy birthday.”

“Thanks. Here’s your present. Open them together. One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

We open our presents at the same time. I gave Luke a new watch with “born together, die together” engraved on the band and a huge block M in the middle of it. I can tell he loved it because he had a huge smile on his face. I open his gift and it’s a ring. There’s two birds on it and the band has the same thing engraved in it. I slide it on my finger and it fits perfectly. He probably asked mom for my size. I say, “Luke, this is beautiful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He says and we hug. Dylan finally gets up and says happy birthday giving us both hugs. I say, “I gotta go. I have lift in an hour. I’ll see you tonight.”

*Later on that night*

I’m at the house for the party that J Bone, Keato, Grano, and Moyle are throwing me and Luke. Surprisingly, my teammates came. I made sure to hide any alcohol I drank just in case. I don’t trust them to not tell coach. And I’m good at playing off being drunk if I have to.

I finally see Ethan for the first time today. He hugs me and says, “Happy birthday beautiful.” That’s the first time he’s ever called me beautiful. It was nice. He whispers in my ear, “I got you something. But I left it at the house so I’ll give it to you later.” I giggle and just nod. I whisper back to him, “I’m a little tipsy but trying to hide it from my teammates. Can we dance so I can let loose a little bit?”

“Of course. Anything for the birthday girl.” He smiles and takes my hand leading me to the dance floor. As far as I know, Ethan is also drunk. I mean I smelt the beer on his breath. He’s behind me with his hands on my hips guiding them to the music. I look up at him and he looks so hot. 

I started admitting to myself a few months back that I have feelings for him. I refuse to say anything because of the team and he’s my best friend. I don’t wanna ruin that. But there’s a mysterious confidence that takes over and says, “You look hot.”

“Not as hot as you morg.”

“Stop flirting and kiss me Edwards.” He leans in and kisses me. Everybody cheers around us and goes back to doing whatever. Sparks fucking flew when he kissed me. I might be tipsy but when sparks fly, you notice and you remember. I’m glad it was Ethan kissing me and not some random guy. Everything with Ethan felt right though. He’s my best friend, but that’s all he ever will be.

January, 2023

Morgan’s POV

It was currently 7:30 in the morning. I just got out of lift and was heading to my car when I see none other than my best friend, Ethan Edwards, leaning against my door. I smile and just keep walking without saying anything. As I get closer, I see the long look on his face. Something’s up. I ask, “Ethan, what’s going on?”

“We need to talk morg.”

“Ok. Can it wait? I have class at 8 and need coffee.”

“I put a coffee in your car, and a bagel with cream cheese so that you eat. You left it unlocked and no it can’t wait. But I’ll be quick since you have class.”

“Ok, what’s going on then?”

“I can’t keep doing this anymore morg.”

I say very confused, “Doing what?”

“Pretending.” He says looking up at me.

“Ethan, what are you talking about?”

“I can’t keep pretending that what happened the night of your birthday didn’t mean anything.” He says looking kinda sad. Maybe ashamed? I can’t get a read on his emotions. “Ethan, we were drunk. It didn’t mean anything. We’re just friends. Now can you move? I have class in 25 minutes and need to change.”

He says trying to get me to stop, “I’m not done.”

“Well I have class Ethan. Can you move so I can go? We can talk after.”

I push him off my car and out of my way before driving to class. What the hell is his problem? Showing up at the end of my lift trying to tell me something important knowing that I have class directly after. Like who the hell does he think he is? The only reason I’m not upset is because he bought me coffee. That boy truly knows the way to my heart, that’s for sure.

*After class*

I get out of class and see Ethan waiting for me outside. I roll eyes and scoff as I walk by him. I hear him come after me. He says, “Morgs, wait. Please?”

“What Ethan? I’m exhausted and trying to go get my bats from your house because I left them there and I need to get cage work in. What is so fucking important Ethan?” I snap at him as I keeping walking to my car. He grabs my hand to stop me, “I can’t keep pretending that your birthday meant nothing to me morgs.”

“Ethan, let go of me. I’m not doing this with you today. I have to be at the cage with Hutch in 45 minutes and I need my bats from the house. Let go and we can talk later.”

“When is later gonna be?”

“Maybe when I’m not so overwhelmed that I want to cry all the fucking time from my six classes and two workouts and practices everyday. How’s that?”

“Morgs…”

“Don’t Ethan. I don’t have time for this right now. I’ll see you at practice.” I push by him and get in my car and drive towards the house that I live at with Ethan. I let the music take over my brain as I drive. When I get to the house, I see that Ethan is there. I mean I figured he’d go home since he lives there. He tries talking to me again though, “Morgs, please. Just give me five minutes.”

“Ethan, no. I already told you that I’m not doing this right now.” I say as I go upstairs to grab the bats that I left in my room. Luke, Dylan, Mackie, and Mark are home and watching this whole thing go down like it’s a movie. I come back downstairs and he’s standing there waiting for me. 

He says desperately, “I just need five minutes. It takes fifteen minutes to get from here to the cages and you speed so I know that you have time to spare to just listen to me.”

“I can’t do this right now. I’m way too stressed to deal with this. I promise we can talk later.” I say as I grab 3 red bulls and head towards the door brushing by him. He yells after me as I approach the door, “Morgs, I’m trying to tell you that I’m fucking in love with you.”

Everybody in the house stops what they are doing, including me. 

“I’ve been trying to tell you for a while. I’ve known since we kissed on your birthday. Actually, I think I knew before that. None of that matters now, morgs I’m in love with you.”

“Ethan, you can’t just drop that bomb on me when I’m walking out the door because you feel like it. That’s not fair.”

Ethan exclaims, “Oh no, don’t throw this on me. You don’t get to do that. I’ve been trying to tell you all fucking day. I’ve been trying to tell you for like a month. You’ve been blowing me off.”

“Ethan there’s a reason for that. I’m a two sport athlete trying to juggle preseason training, mid-season training, practice, games, and a heavy course load so I’m sorry that I’ve been a little flakey lately.” I sigh after I get that out. 

“Did you even hear what I said? Do you even care?”

I yell back, “Of course I fucking care Ethan. I’ve been a little stressed lately so excuse me that being in love with my best friend is on the back burner and isn’t my first priority right now.”

“Are you even listening to yourself right now? I don’t care that you have class, and practice, and workouts that take up most of your time. I don’t care about anything of that because I get it. You forget that I’m an athlete too, sorry not all of us are two sport athletes Morgan.” He snaps, like actually snaps. 

I hear Luke mutter, “oh fuck.” I look at Ethan with daggers. I take a deep breath so that I don’t actually kill him. “I’m not doing this Ethan, especially not if we’re just gonna scream at each other. I have stuff to do. I’m not talking to you until we’ve both cooled down so that neither of us say something we regret.” I say and walk out not giving him a chance to say anything. I sit in my car and cry for a few minutes before going to my cage session.

*At the Cages* 

I’m taking my frustration out at the cages with Hutch. This is the only time of day that I get to hit since we have afternoon hockey practice and I have class in the morning. I confide in this woman like no other. She knows all about hockey and everything with Ethan. She takes notice that I’m hitting everything a lot harder than usual. She asks, “What’s going on kiddo?”

“Nothing. I’m just exhausted. I forgot what preseason is like.”

“Morg, I know something is wrong. We’ve been at this for an hour so let’s take a break ok?”

“I’m fine coach. I don’t need a break. This is the only time of day I have to work on softball so can we please just hit?”

“If you think I’m gonna let you practice like this then your crazy. I know something is wrong. So sit and talk. Now.”

I take a breath and sit down on a bucket with her. I take this time to catch my breath since I was definitely overexerting myself. She asks, “morgs, honey, what’s going on?”

“Me and Ethan kinda blew up at each other today. Badly. We’ve never done that before. And I’ve been flakey with him for like a month too.”

“What’s going on with you and Ethan?”

“He told me that he’s in love with me.”

“Oh. Morg, you’ve been in love that boy for a very long time, why did you get upset at him telling you?”

“How much time you got?” I say and we both laugh. She chuckles saying, “More than you.” That causes us to laugh even more knowing that she’s right. I ask, “Do you really wanna know?”

“I just want you to be ok. Or as ok as a two sport collegiate athlete can be. If that means sitting on a bucket and talking about the boy that you’ve loved for a long time then yea I wanna know.”

“He showed up after lift this morning. Saying how he couldn’t keep pretending that what happened the night of my birthday meant nothing to him.”

“What happened?”

“We kissed. We were drunk, but I didn’t tell you that, and we just kissed. We both had blamed it on the alcohol not wanting to ruin the friendship or anything. And yea I was a little heartbroken but I knew that’s what needed to be done so it was whatever. I brushed him off and told him that we could talk later because I needed to get to campus because I had class.”

“Good. I always tell you girls, never let a boy get in the way of your studies or your softball.”

“Trust me, Ethan won’t, and he knows that. Anyways, when I get done with class he’s waiting for me outside the building. And tries talking to me again. I would’ve been able to avoid talking to him but I left my bats at the house like an idiot.”

“Why were they at his house?”

I explain, “I live there too. None of the girls wanted me at the softball houses so I live with my brother and his friends. I wanted to live with Luke anyways.”

“Fair enough. I take you ran into him at the house?”

“That’s an understatement. Like I knew he would be there because he lives there too but I figured he would drop it because I was very adamant that I didn’t wanna talk to him at the moment. He dropped the bomb as I walking out the door. And I guess I just lost it.”

“What do you mean lost it?”

I smile, “I basically screamed at him. I was so mad, he literally yelled that he was in love with me in front of the whole house as I was walking out the door to come here. He said that he had been trying to tell me for a while or something. So I snapped back at him about how he can’t just drop a bomb on me like that when I’m walking out the door. And how it wasn’t fair.”

“I‘m gonna go out on a limb and say that it didn’t sit well with him?” She said. I chuckles and shake my head no. I say, “God no. That made it worse I think. He yelled back how I don’t get to turn it around on him since he’s been trying to tell me for a month but that I’ve been blowing him off.”

“Well, have you been blowing him off?” She inquires.

I say, “Well yea, but not because of that. I’m two sport athlete and I’m trying to juggle training for two teams, a heavy course load, and hockey games. Plus I’m on track to graduate early from my high school AP credits so there’s just a lot on my mind. It’s not that I want to blow him off and be flakey towards him, I’m just overwhelmed with everything right now. He accused me of not caring Hutch. Like how do I not care? If anything, I care too much.”

“I know. And I’m sure he knows too. It’s Ethan Edwards we’re talking about. He knows you care. He knows you better than Luke does. He knows you better than you know yourself. He probably just said it in the heat of the moment with emotions running high.”

“I mean yea but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. Like, I’m obviously in love with him but with everything else going on in my life, being in love with my best friend is on the back burner. I just haven’t had the time or energy to think about it. Especially because even though I was drafted with Luke, I want my degree before going pro. I want both of them. Because I want a masters in athletic training. So I need to think about grad school now too. There’s just so much on my plate and he’s just not a priority anymore.” I say letting the stress prevail in my tone.

“Maybe that’s why your so stressed.” She says.

“What do you mean?”

Coach explains, “Last season, even with all the drama, you were the happiest I’ve seen you. And I think that it had a direct correlation to Ethan. I had Alex keeping me in the loop last year, and this year McKenna. Anytime you were pissed at Ethan your general mood and attitude were different. Even your game was different. You had some of your best games when you and Ethan were on good terms. You need him Morg. More than you want to admit, and I know that it’s scary, but you need that boy in your life.”

“I know, but it’s so hard. And he called me Morgan coach.”

Her face drops, “Oh.”

“Yea. He’s never, ever called me Morgan. Luke doesn’t even call me Morgan. So now I don’t know what to do.”

“Ok, I’m calling it for the day.” She says standing up.

“What? Why?”

“Because you are in no condition for this and that’s ok. Go home, talk to him, and get your mind right. The only way you’re going to succeed on the ice, on the field, and in the classroom is if you talk to him and get your head on straight. I’m serious go home and talk to him.”

“Ok. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for lift.” She smiles and nods and we just pick up the balls in peace. I grab my stuff and get in my car driving off towards my brothers house. I text Luke:

me: is he home?

moose🫎: yea.

moose🫎: morgy, what the hell happened?

moose🫎: I mean I was there and witnessed it but what the hell happened?

moose🫎: and are you ok?

me: honestly Lukey, I have no clue what happened.

me: is he ok?

moose🫎: no. he hasn’t left his room. 

moose🫎: scratch that. he just came down for food. pls fix this

me: I’m on my way to do that. pls stall him.

I drive to their house as fast as I can. I’m definitely driving too fast but that’s fine. It’s not important right now. I take a deep breath before getting out of the car and then take another deep breath before going inside. I see Ethan in the kitchen talking to Luke. I say to Ethan, “Can I talk to you?”

“Are you just gonna yell at me? Because if you are then no. I’m not just gonna be your punching bag because your stressed, that’s not fair to me.”

“I’m not gonna yell at you.”

“Then yea, we can talk.”

Luke excuses himself and goes to the living room where the rest of the house is. They’re probably there to watch this train wreck go down. My hands are definitely shaking right now. Ethan takes my hand to stop the shaking, “hey, what’s going on?”

“Ethan I’m so sorry about earlier.”

“It’s ok, morgs. I said some things that I probably shouldn’t have too.” He squeezes my hand. 

“No it’s not Ethan. I shouldn’t have said any of what I did. I shouldn’t have accused you of just dropping it on me like that when I know it’s not true. And I’m sorry that I’ve been flaking out and blowing you off recently.”

He pushes the hair out of my face and says, “Hey, it’s ok. I know that you have a lot on your plate. I’m sorry for saying that you don’t care. I know that you care, it was a heat of the moment thing and I didn’t mean it at all.” 

“No, it’s not ok Ethan. Just because I have a lot going doesn’t mean I get to blow my best friend off and take all the stress out on you. I’m sorry for that. I need you, Ethan. I need you and I don’t wanna push you away.” I say crying at this point. 

Ethan pulls me in for a hug and lets me cry into his chest. He pulls away and wipes my tears. He looks in my eyes and says, “You could never push me away. I need you too. Ok? And I love you. So much.”

“I love you too Ethan.” 

He leans down and kisses me. I feel the same sparks that I did 4 months ago on my birthday. They’re obviously good sparks. We kiss for what feels like forever before we both hear Luke say, “Alright, alright. That’s enough. I get that you guys are in love but that’s still my twin.”

“And you’re afraid of her, I’m not.” Ethan shoots back with a raised eyebrow. I giggle and Ethan pulls me into him. I hug him and he holds me like that. Ethan looks at his phone and then says, “Ok, we’ll be upstairs. See you losers later.”

“Door open Edwards. I’m too young to be an uncle.”

“I’ll be sure to relay the information to McKenna that your too young to be a dad so you don’t wanna have sex with her.”

“At least wear protection.”

“Gross dude.” Ethan says pulling up the stairs. He leads me into his room and closes the door behind him. I giggle at that, knowing Luke is gonna go crazy. Ethan lays on his bed and pulls me with him. Once we both get comfortable he says, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“About what?”

“Why you are so stressed that you’re pushing me away?”

“Ethan…” I say trailing off. 

“Baby, I knew you were getting stressed but I was trying to let you deal with it. The guys noticed too. What’s going inside your pretty little head?”

“Between preseason softball workouts, midseason hockey stuff, school shit, games, having to practice on my own for softball, all that drama within itself. And I’ve been thinking about grad school too. There’s just so much going on.”

“Instead of pushing me away, put some of that on me.”

“I can’t do that Ethan.”

“I’m asking you too morgs. At least the stress from hockey. Let me deal with that to lighten your load a little bit. Please baby, I’m worried about you.” Ethan says with a sigh. He rubs circles on my back too. I have to say, I missed this. I missed him. I missed us. I give into him, “Fine. But only hockey.”

“Good. And I’m sorry for calling you Morgan.”

“It’s ok.”

“Hey morgs?”

“Yea?”

“Does this mean that you’re my girlfriend now?”

“Do you want me to be your girlfriend?”

“Do bears shit in the woods?”

I giggle, “then yes. I’m your girlfriend.” He smiles and kisses me, like million times. It’s cute how excited he is. Like a kid in a candy store. He pulls me on top of him into a bear hug. He rolls us over so that he’s on top and then kisses me passionately. He smiles, “Now I get to show you off to the whole world as my girlfriend.”

“Well, Ethan Edwards my boyfriend, has a much better ring to it than oh we’re just friends.”

“Good. Now about the team?”

“Um, I don’t care. I mean our whole class knows that we’re together now so it really doesn’t matter. And I’m sure coach has had his suspicions for a while so it doesn’t matter.”

“Ok.” He said and kissed me again. We stay cuddling in his bed until practice. 

May 2023

Today was the day we were playing UCF in the regional final in Florida for the NCAA tournament. To say that you were nervous was an understatement. Since both the Devils and the Canucks weren't in the playoffs, my whole family was here. Mom, dad, Quinn, Jack, and Luke. I mean, Luke was gonna come regardless, he’s my twin so obviously he’d be here.

Today could be the last game of the season if we lose. I obviously don’t want to lose. The whole team pulled up to Orlando for this, making a headline on ESPN. Straight up. The headline was: “Michigan ice hockey team seen getting rowdy in support of their female teammate who is also a member of Michigan softball at the NCAA Regional Tournament down in Orlando.” Apparently they interviewed like Luke, and Nolan, and Ethan, some of the guys. It was kinda cool. I was glad to have them because they keep me calm, cool, and collected.

Especially Ethan. Ever since we started officially dating in January, everything has been smooth sailing. Which I’m happy about, especially since Luke isn’t going back to AA next fall. He’s signed a rookie contract with the Devils and is moving in with Jack. Good luck to Luke on that.

Anyways, back to the game. Today is do or die. I’m catching and batting third. Like I have done all season as long as I was healthy. I had some back issues and knee issues flare up while I was playing both hockey and softball at the same time. But I’ve been relatively fine since hockey ended. I was probably over working myself.

It’s the like 5th inning or something and I’m up to bat. I hit a hard line drive to the outfield and run to first. I turn to go to second when I feel something click in my knee and it buckles. I instantly fall in pain but crawl back to first. I’m not costing us an out. We call time and the trainer gets me up and off the field.

“What happened?”

“I rounded first and there was a click, it buckled, and then there was a lot of pain.” I say trying not to cry. The trainer says a bunch of things but I’m not listening. I do hear him say, “it could be ACL. Not gonna know the full story until you get back to michigan and get an MRI. For now, here’s a brace and crutches. Ok?”

“Ok.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Just my phone and maybe some gatorade please?”

“Yea.” He leaves the room and comes back five minutes later with my phone and some gatorade for me. “Unfortunately, since this isn’t our facility, I can’t let anyone down here to be with you right now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. Thank you.” He nods and walks out of the room. I immediately let my tears flow. It hurts a lot. Almost as much as when I blocked my brother’s slap shot with my chest and couldn’t breathe. I open my phone and text Ethan:

me: I need you to walk away from my family, more importantly my brothers, and call me. please Ethan!

eddy❤️: ok.

After about two minutes, I get a FaceTime from Ethan. I answer it and he immediately asks, “Are you ok baby?”

I shake my head no, “No. It’s my knee.”

“I figured. Do you know what’s wrong?”

“No, he said that we aren’t gonna know anything until we get back home. How is everyone?” I ask trying to change the subject.

“Freaking out. That’s not important, how are you?”

“Not good. I’m scared and in pain.”

“I’m sorry beautiful. They can’t let me down there can they?”

“No. Since it’s not Michigan facilities they can’t even let my parents down here. It sucks. Because they are still playing so I’m all alone.”

“I’m here. I know I’m not physically with you but I’m right here. Do you want me to get Luke?”

“God no. I just need you Ethan.” I say and start crying. I can’t be alone right now and I wish he could be here. God I need my boyfriend right now. He says, “Hey, morgs it’s ok. You’re gonna be ok. Baby, look at me.” I look at him through the phone and he says, “I need you to breathe for me. Just take slow, deep breaths. Like the ones I make you do before State games. You’re ok.”

I take the deep breaths like he tells me to and I feel a little better. At this point the trainer came back in with Hutch. I say to Ethan, “I got to go Ethan. The trainer and my coach wanna talk. I’ll see you and don’t tell anyone you talked to me.”

“Ok, I love you and you’re gonna be fine.” He smiles and winks. He hangs up before I get to say that I love him too. Hutch and the trainer smile when they realize I was on the phone with Ethan. Hutch says, “We lost 9-4. I’m sorry kid. The season is over. We’re heading back to school tonight. I know that you’re family is here, so you own’t have to return with us if you don’t want.”

“I’m gonna talk to my mom first.”

“Ok. I understand. And I understand if you want to go home with your family. Hey, it’s gonna be ok kid. We’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks Coach. And thanks for a great season.” She nods and pats my back before heading out. She knows that I don’t want any of the girls in here. I can’t deal with all of that right now. The trainer says, “I talked to the UCF staff. They said I can let 3 people down here. Who do you want me to get?”

“My mom, Luke, and Ethan.” He nods and walks out of the training room. I focusing on breathing and calming myself for when they come in. After like 10 minutes my mom, Luke, and Ethan come walking in. My mom instantly hugs me. And then Luke, and then Ethan. He probably holds me the longest.

My mom asks, “Ok, what did the trainer say?”

“He said that he doesn’t really know what it could be and that I need to get it looked at back home.” I say with a half smile. My mom takes a deep breath and says, “Ok. Our flight back leaves tonight, so I don’t know when the team is leaving but we can get you a ticket and figure something out.”

“The team is also leaving tonight so I’ll just go with them.” She nods and says, “I’ll give you guys a few minutes. Feel better honey and let me know about the flight and stuff.” I nod and then Ethan comes over and really hugs me after. Like a bone crushing hug. But it’s fine because I started crying when he hugged me so this hug is hiding my tears. 

He pulls away and wipes my tears. He smiles and says, “We’re gonna figure this out baby. I promise. Together.” I nod and pull him back in to hug him. He lets go and moves so that Luke can hug me again. Luke says, “Hey, it’s ok. I got your back. We got this, together. You’re my twin, and the Hughes Twins are tough as nails. Born together?”

“Die together. Thank you Luke. I love you.”

“I love you too morgy. Let’s get you home yea?” I nod and then we head out. Ethan helps me carry everything to the team bus and stuff. He hugs me and says, “I’ll see you in Michigan, I love you baby.”

“I love you too Ethan.” I kiss him before getting on the bus with the team. I put my headphones in and close my eyes and drift off to my own little world. This is about to be the worst summer ever, possibly longer.

[snugglebug-92]

Please write something with Eddie where the reader decides to jokingly flirt with mark and mark tells him and he takes her upstairs to confront her and ends up fucking her. (Handcuffs included if you are comfy with it)

You had been at the party for about 10 minutes before Ethan left you to hang out with some of the other boys. You sigh watching him leave before going to grab a drink. You open a can of twisted tea and before you know it you are on your third of the night. That's when Mark comes over and grabs the now-empty can out of your hand.

"I think that's enough for now," he says crushing the empty can and placing it in the garbage. You scan the backyard looking for your boyfriend and smirk when your eyes land on him. If he didn't give you attention you would find someone else who would. You rest your hand on Mark's bicep and give him your best puppy-dog eyes.

"But Marky I've only had 3 in the 2 hours I've been here, and if I get too drunk you're big and strong, and you can carry me," you bat your lashes at the boy. He grins shaking his head at you while looking for Ethan.

"Fine if you want more you can be my beer pong partner. Let's go," he responds, grabbing your hand and dragging you over to the table where the game was being played. You go up against 2 frat brothers who at first try to get Mark a different partner but when you sink both of your shots shut up instantly. You and Mark end up demolishing them which causes them to grumble as they leave the table. You and Mark get ready for your next opponents while Ethan starts to look for you getting ready to head home for the night.

"Marky you are a real man," you giggle as Ethan makes his way over to where the two of you are. Ethan takes note of your giggling and makes his way over to where the two of you are. He takes note of how your hand is on Mark's bicep and grimaces.

"You better take her home, Ed. She's starting to flirt with me," Mark laughs while you turn all your attention over to your boyfriend who is finally giving you the time of day.

"Yeah we're going home come on, Y/N," he says walking out of the party. You smile and wave at Mark before heading out the door with your boyfriend. He walks back to the hockey house and marches up the stairs without saying a word to you until you get to his room. He pushes you against the door locking it before looking down at you. He cups your jaw and roughly brings his lips to yours while your hands tangle in his hair. He removed one of his hands from your jaw and grabbed your hands pinning them above your head against the door.

"Ethan I want to touch you," you whine as you struggle against his grip.

"Bad girls don't get to touch," he says as he places wet kisses against your jaw.

"You weren't giving me any attention," you groan as he hits your sweet spot.

"That doesn't mean you have to go flirt with my friends. Now be a good girl and strip for me," he says backing away for you. You slowly take off your jacket and pants. Your bra top gets tossed on the floor leaving you in a pair of panties as you stare at Ethan. He quicks his brow at you and you slide your panties down leaving yourself completely bare. You look at the boy who is still compleatly dressed hoping he will do something. You reach out to touch him but not before he grabs your hands.

"Ethan please," you beg.

"You should have thought of that before you got Mark involved. If it's going to keep being such an issue I'm going to have to tie you up," he smirks, grabbing your jaw and pulling you into a heated kiss. He walks you back to the bed and half throws you onto it while he strips out his shirt and pants. You reach out for him but stop yourself halfway. Not of course before Ethan notices and shakes his head at you.

"I'll be good," you beg trying anything to have him not use the cuff.

"Baby it's what you deserve," he sighs, grabbing them from the nightstand. He places them around your wrists and the bed frame before placing a kiss on your jawline. He runs a finger through your folds with one hand while the other pushes down his boxers. He grabs a condom and rolls it on before slowly pushing in.

"Fuck Eth," you moan as you clutch the bedframe rather than digging your nails into his back. Your eyes flutter shuts as he slides all the way in and he gives you a second to adjust before he rams back in again. Ethan moves his hands so he has one hand on your hip and the other cupping your jaw.

"You're doin' so good baby," he groans as he thrusts into you. You scream having no other way to channel your pleasure.

"Ethan," you moan as your body convulses. He moves one of his hands to your clit rubbing circles on it hoping to bring you over the edge. He's close and he knows with the way you're squeezing him you can't be that much behind him if at all.

"Come on baby cum for me," he says placing his lips to yours. It only takes a few more thrusts for you to cum on his cock. He releases into the condom and stays inside you with his forehead against yours for a few minutes before he pulls out. He takes note of your face when he finally pulls out and kisses your nose.

"Ethan," you whisper.

"Yeah pretty girl," he responds as he unlocks the handcuffs.

"Next time I think you should be the one in cuffs," you half-smile.

"Sure baby," he shakes his head.

[andydrysdalerogers]

Cross-Check ~ Chapter 20

Andy Barber x OFC Leighton "Leia" Andrews

Summary:

Andy Barber is having the best year of his life. His game is on point. It’s gets to play with his best friend and his fiancé just... dumped him?!. 

Reeling from a sudden change in status, Andy decides it’s time to just focus on hockey. Until his best friend's sister comes out with news that rock the entire organizations world., 

Andy has always carried a torch for the untouchable Leighton but in her hour of need, is now the time to shoot and score or risk getting cross - checked again? 

Warnings: Cheating (but not by the MCs); slow burn; friends to lovers eventually; SMUT!; pregnancy; jealousy; handsome goalies, evil exes...

A/N: The tag list is open! Also, so sorry to be behind on this one. Life got in the way for awhile but I'm back!

A/N 2: This chapter has a sister chapter in my other fanfic "Troublemaker". You can check out that out here.

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Banners by me!

Previous: Chapter 19 - Oh Good, You're Home

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 20 – When Two Becomes Three 

Leia 

I’m scared.  

So fucking scared.  

The doctors and nurses are talking to each other as they push my gurney to the operating room. Jeremy catches up to us and takes my hand.  We get to the doors and one of nurses stops Jeremy. “We’re going to get her set up and then bring you in.”  

He nods and looks down at me. “See you in a minute.”  

I keep my eyes on him for as long as possible before the doors closed. They move me into position and drape a barrier between my head and my belly. I hear the door creak open and then I see Jeremy all masked up. “Jeremy,” I say and can feel a tear fall.  

“Hey, everything is still okay. I won’t leave.” He leans over and kisses my forehead. “You’re still the strongest woman I know.”  

“Andy’s going to miss it,” I whisper.  

“I know.”  

“He’s going to hate us.”  

“No, he won’t. He’ll be happy that you and the baby are healthy and safe. Don’t think like that.” He thumbs my tears away. “Don’t cry, he wouldn’t want you to cry.”  

“Ok, let’s get started,” the doctor says.  The phone rings right before and a nurse answers. “Yes? Oh okay, send him up.”  She leans over to speak to the doctor.  

The doctor’s eyes crinkle and she look over at me. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” 

Andy 

Three Hours Earlier 

Morning skate on game day are always light. We never want to expend all of our energy before a game, it's just to get our legs loose from the day before and sleep. I’m excited but a little nervous. I wasn’t expecting Leia to be left alone while I was gone.  I get it, Miranda has a job to do, but it made me nervous. At least until I talked to my girl.  She was bubbly and happy over the phone last night. It calmed me down.  

“Heads up!” Luke ices me as he comes to stop and I laugh, wiping the snow away from my face.  

“Asshole!” I smack his ass with my stick as he skates away. I move to do my laps and shoot at the net occasionally. We have a rookie in net, taking shots as backup to Linus Ullmark since Jeremy is out with a concussion.  I’m talking with the kid when I hear Coach call mine and Luke’s name.  I snap my head up and he waves us over.  I skate to him. “What’s up?” 

“Get your shit together and get to the airport.  Leia is in labor.”   

The world around me stops. She’s in labor. “But she’s early,” I say. This can’t be happening. I’m supposed to be there to hold her hand. To see my daughter being brought into the world,  

“Just go,” Coach orders. “Jeremy is driving her there. Sway, keep us updated.” 

Luke guides me off the ice as Coach informs the team about what’s happening.  “Luke, I...” 

“Don’t freak, just get dressed and grab your phone and wallet. I’ll have the guys grab our stuff from the hotel.” Luke turned to walk back through the tunnel to the ice.  I changed and then call Leia, but she doesn’t answer. No, I have to speak to her, or I am going to lose my mind.  

One of the team coordinators tell us that we have a private plane waiting for us and we take off in a company car. My leg is bouncing in the car, staring at my phone. I try to call again. “Come on baby, pick up the phone.” 

Luke’s phone rings. “It’s Jeremy,” he tells me.  “Hey, let me put you on speaker.” Luke turns it and I can hear Jeremy.  

“Hey, sorry, I saw you calling but Leia’s been having some intense contractions.  The doctor is with her now. I don’t know how much longer she’ll be in labor.”  

“Jeremy, is she in a lot of pain?” I ask.  

“Yeah,” I close my eyes at his response. “They are going to give her a shot or something. She asked me to stay with her.”  

“Ok, don’t leave her alone. We’ll be in the air within the next 20 minutes and we are about two hours away. Jeremy,” I took a breath, “please take care of my family.”  

“I will Andy, I promise.”  

I hang up as we pull into the private terminal. Climbing the stairs, the captain greets us. “Mr. Barber, Mr. Andrews, management informed me of the situation. I’ll get you to Boston as soon as possible.”  

“Thank you.” I took a seat and just stared out the window. My mind was fully on Leia. Our daughter is early, and I don’t know if she is in distress. My mind runs through all the different complications that were in all the baby books I had read. My brow started sweating as I thought of preeclampsia and cord asphyxiation.  

“Andy, take a breath for me.” Luke grabbed my shoulder and I turned to look at him. “C’mon buddy, breathe.”  

“She’s alone and she’s giving birth to my baby and what if everything goes wrong?” I could feel myself panicking and I couldn’t stop it.  

“Whoa, hey, she is not alone. Jeremy is there and while I’ve had my issues with him, he has proven to be a good man. He won’t let anything happen to her if he can.”  

“Luke, why do I feel like this? I’m terrified.”  

Luke smiled. “Because you’re about to be a dad. Soon, you will have two girls to take care of.  They are going to love you so much.” He patted my back before he went back on his phone.  

He’s right. I will have my girls to take care of from now on. And a thought runs through my head. Because, while everyone knows me to be that little girl’s dad, biologically, she isn’t mine.  That isn’t something I had talked to Leia about. And then I thought about the fact that I don’t have any legal rights to take of Leia if something were to happen. I would die if something happened to her.  

But we’ve only been dating for a few months. Though I’ve known her for the better part of 25 years. She’s my best friend for a reason.  She knows me and I know her. And I want to be in her life forever.  

And I know now what I need to do.  

“Hey Luke?” 

“Yeah bro.”  

“You know I love Leia, right?” 

“Duh.” He rolls his eyes.  

“Right. Well, do you think that it would be ok to ask her to marry me?” 

I probably should have timed that better as he was sipping a water when I said that. He sputtered and choked. I patted his back until the red color faded from his face. “You’ve only been together for a couple of months.”  

“Three and we’ve been living together for seven and have been friends since she was born. She’s it, man. She’s the one I have been wanting, who make me the best version of me. I love her and I want to make her my wife. I want to legally adopt our baby and be a family, spiritually and legally.”  

Luke goes quiet for a few minutes as I go back to staring out the window. “Why ask me?” 

I turn back to him. “Luke, you are her family and while I’m not really asking for your permission, I do want your blessing.”  

“Do you have a ring?” 

“Not yet. I was just thinking that I don’t really have rights over Leia, or the baby and I needed to fix that. The first thing I need to do is make her mine, legally. But I know she will never do it if she doesn’t have your blessing.”  

Luke nods. “You’ll still let me crash at your place and let me visit my sister?” 

“When Miranda gets pissed, you can hide at our place.” I chuckle a little. “So...” 

“I’ve always thought of you as a brother.” He sighs. “Just making it a legal thing.” He smiles. “Yeah, you have my blessing.” We awkwardly hug in our seats. 

I start looking at rings online, just to get an idea of what I want and prices when the captain announces our descent into Logan. I take a breath and hope that we are still in time.  

After landing and getting into the private car the team sent, we raced through the street of Boston. As we pulled into the entrance of the hospital, I got a message from Jeremy.  

Jeremy: they need to do an emergency c-section.  They are moving her now.  

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” The car barely stops when I’m running out the door.  “For Leia Andrews?” I ask at the nurse's station 

“Labor and Delivery 5th floor.”  

“Thanks.” I turn to run but the nurse yells. “Sir, I’m sorry but she’s been taken in for an...” 

“I know. But she’s my fiancé and I need to get to her.”  

“Hang on.” She dials a number and speaks to whomever.  She hangs up and grabs a plastic bag with a blue cloth in it.  “Follow me.”  

She walks as Luke and I follow her. “We already have someone in there with her but since your doctor is a big fan, she’s going to allow two. You need to put this on with the hat, mask and gloves right now.” The elevator opens and we climb in as she pushes for the floor.  I pull on the gown and hat and gloves as she ties the straps around me. “Mr. Andrews, I will walk you to the waiting room after to drop off Mr. Barber.“ Luke nods. We get to the floor and see directs me to the right room. 

I take a breath and push my way in. “Oh, good, Andy, you made it.”  I can hear Dr. Montgomery, but I can’t see her.  

“Hey doc.”  

“Andy!” I hear the gasp of my girl and see her turn her head to the left. She has tears in her eyes. “You made it.”  

“I said I would, my queen.” I look up and see Jeremy in scrubs and a surgical hat on her right. “Thank you.” 

“No problem.”  

“Alright folks, let’s get this baby out. Scalpel,” Dr. Montgomery orders.  

“What happened, baby?” I look at her and the tears silently fall. I lean over and kiss her forehead.  

“Her heart rate dropped, and they made me lay on my side to help but it didn’t, so they rushed us over here,” she explains. “I’m sorry Andy, I tried to protect her and...” 

“No, sweetheart, you did a fantastic job. Maybe she’s just being difficult, like you.”  

Jeremy snorts and then coughs while Leia scoffs. “I am not difficult.”  

“And baby is out and it’s a girl,” the doctor calls out.  But then it’s silent except for the beeps of the machines.  

“She's not crying. Andy, she’s not crying.” The look of panic made her eyes search wildly for her baby.  

“I know. Doc?” I saw them move the baby to the incubator that was waiting. She was surrounded by five people, working on my little girl.  

“Andy, Leia, the baby is...” 

And then we heard it, the most magical, joyous noise you could ever hear.  

Our baby crying.  

“Oh, thank God,” I said as I pressed a kiss to Leia’s forehead.  

“I was going to say, baby was having some difficulty. They are going to take the baby to the PICU for some test and observation. I’m going to stay to close.”  

“Can I go with her?” I ask.  

“I’m sorry Andy, but until they know she is stable, they won’t allow it right now. But Dr. Peters will keep you updated.”  

“I think I am going to step out,” Jeremy said.  “Great job mama. I’ll be in the waiting room.” He left and I stayed by Leia’s head.  

“She has to be ok, right? She has to be,” Leia kept repeating softly as tears rolled down her face.  

I tried to distract her. “Have you decided on a name for the Princess?  We can’t keep calling her that or the Baby forever.  She’ll get a complex.”  

“Shut up,” Leia said a watery giggle. “I really like Nora.”  

“I like Avery or Jamie.” I kept running my hand over her cap. “I guess we can wait until we see her.”  

I felt Leia tremble. “Are we going to see her?” 

“Of course we are. Love, she’s going to be ok. You have to believe that because otherwise, we’re just putting bad juju out there.  It's like say, ‘we might win the cup.’ No, we will win the cup. Positivity.”  

“If I could move, I would hit you, Andrew Barber.”  

We were in the operating room for another thirty minutes and then moved to the recovery room. Leia fell asleep from the pain relievers that she was given, and I was just pacing back and forth, waiting for news on my daughter.  An hour later, the pedestrian, came in. “Mr. Barber?” 

I turned to him and paled. “Yes?” 

“Do you want to wake Mrs. Barber?”  

Mrs. Barber. As much as I like the sound of that, it wasn’t the time. “Leia, sweetheart? The baby’s doctor’s is here.” Her eyes fluttered a little and blinked open softly. A smile started to grace her face when the realization of my words hit. Panic filled them but before she could speak, I took her hands. “Everything is ok, please relax.” She nodded and turned to the other man in the room. I sat next to her on the bed and nodded at the doctor.  

He smiled.  “He’s right.  Baby Andrews-Barber is going to be fine.”  

It felt like the pressure on my chest lifted and I could breathe for the first time in hours.  

“She had some fluid stuck in her mouth, which is why she couldn’t cry.  We cleared it, made sure there were no lingering fluid or obstructions.  She pinked up as soon as we had her in the PICU.  I’m recommending that you both stay here for a couple of days just to make sure.”  

“Can we see her?” 

“I’m having the nurse bring her in a few minutes. I just want to explain everything before you see her. She does have a tube in her nose and that’s just a precaution for the fluid.  We’ll probably remove that tomorrow.”  

Leia wept into my side, the stress of everything finally coming to an end. I kissed her head. “Thank you, doctor, so much.”  

“My pleasure. I’ll be back to check on her later tonight.” He walked out and I held onto Leia tighter. The door opened again, and a bassinet came through the door with a nurse. “Hi mom and dad. I have someone that would like to meet you.” She pushed the bassinet right next to Leia’s bed. She lifted her out and handed her to Leia. “Just be careful of the line. It's not connected to anything, but we don’t want to pull it out.” She laid the little pink bundle in her arms.  

Dark lashes caressed her cheek, espresso color hair peeked from beneath a pink cap. Her pink skin glowed and she had a perfect rosebud pout.  She wiggles a little and blinked, displaying Leia’s green eyes copied into her own.  

“She’s perfect,” Leia whispered. “Hi baby, we waited for so long for you.“ She kissed her head, “Andy, she’s here.”  

“She is.” I wiped at my own eyes. “You did a great job, Leia. She’s beautiful.”  

We stared at her for a few minutes before Leia said, “Avery.”  

“What?” 

“Avery Nora Barber. That’s her name.”  

“No Andrews?” 

“No, she’s yours, Andy, She’s a Barber.” She held her out to me so I could hold my daughter for the first time.  She was light in my arms but all I felt was joy.  

And I fell in love. 

“Hi Avery, I’m... I’m your daddy.” A tear fell onto her blanket as I realized I would do anything for this tiny human in my arms. That she and her mother were the center of my world without even trying. “Thank you, Leia.” 

We spent an hour together before Leia told me to take Avery to meet her uncles. I took her in my arms and went out to the waiting room.  When the doors swung open, Luke and Jeremy stood up. "Guys, meet my daughter,” I said with teary pride.  

Luke took the bundle and cooed at his niece. Jeremy peeked over his shoulder. “She’s beautiful Andy. Congratulations.”  

“Thanks Jer. Fuck, thanks for being here with her.” I shook his hand before I pulled him into a hug. “I was calm because I knew she was in good hands.”  I wipe the tears from my eyes.  “Wanna hold her, Uncle Jeremy?” 

He took the little miracle in his arms. “She’s got her mama’s hair and looks like Leia.” He smiles and kiss her forehead.  

“Welcome to the world, Avery Nora Barber.” 

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[h3artz4mikewheeler]

Numb, But I Can Still Feel It

(A short boreo oneshot I wrote)

Two boys laid a carpet, darkness surrounded them the only light coming through the blinds from the moon.

They both stared at the ceiling music playing quietly in the background.

The raven haired boy had a cigarette between his lips, the brown haired boy next to him had a bottle next to him.

That’s how the two spent almost every night.

Those days and nights they are all the same

Laying on the ground or the bed, high or drunk out of the mind rarely ever sober.

Next to eachother, shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm.

They were never to close.

They talk about whatever, never a dull conversation since one of them always has a story.

If it wasn’t Atleats slightly obvious, they loved each other.

More than anyone could imagine, neither of them ever knew though.

But they where fine with that they still would constantly be clingy on to each others side, occasionally when drunk (somtimes sober) sharing a kiss.

Nothing could stop them from loving each other, not there dads, not the fact that one got a girlfriend(that lasted only 2 weeks), not anything.

That’s what made them perfect for each other.

But that’s what ruined them.

Love ruined them, mentally, physically, emotionally, in almost every way.

Because they never tould eachother, they kept there feelings hidden, silently pining not daring to admit there feelings.

Even though they spent every possible second together, have seen each other in there most vulnerable states, they couldn’t.

They were two souls intertwined craving each other’s love and affection, but they knew it was wrong.

They knew they couldn’t love each other, they knew it wasn’t right.

There both boys, boys can’t love each other.

Right?

That’s what they both thought, what was put into there minds as children.

But now there not to sure.

They were never sure, not until the day the brown haired boy left.

-

“Please come with me we can go to school in New York together, I know Somwhere we can stay” the brown haired boy pleaded.

“I’m sorry Theo I can’t just yet” the raven hair spoke sadly.

“Why Boris why” Theo wept.

“I-i just can’t yet, But I swear the moment I’m able to i will I’ll search for you” he walked up to him and placed both hands on the other boy’s shoulders.

Theo looked up at him “promise, please I can’t lose you” he says inbetween cry’s.

“I will I promise” Boris says pulling him into a hug.

A car pulls up, popchyk starts barking.

Theo turns his head to look then turns back to Boris.

The ravens hands are still on his shoulder but he moves one to theos face.

He kisses him.

It was a soft quick kiss full of the past 2 years of pining.

He pulls back after a second, they just stared at eachother.

Theo hesitated before saying “I love you” and running to the car before Boris could say a thing.

Boris watched as his first true love got into the taxi and leave.

Leave him.

He was leaving him.

He coulnt stop him.

Boris felt numb.

Like ever thing around him wasn’t real including himself.

But he still felt everything.

He will make sure he keeps his promise.

No matter what.

HEYYY OKAY SOOO I WANTED TO POST THIS ON HERE BCS I WANT OPINIONS ON MY WRITING SO PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS, ANY TIPS TO MAKE IT BETTER

THIS ISNT MY USUAL WRITING STYLE BUT I FEEL LIKE IT WORKS FOR JUST A ONESHOT ANYWAYS EDIT COMING SOON THATS IT BYEE :p

RECOMMEND LISTENING TO THIS WHILE READING

[bitchinbarzal]

Pt 2 to the lukey gift thing

part one

-

You were watching at home in your apartment with Ethan, Mark and Mackie when USA won.

“and they’ve only gone and done it! Team USA, led by Devils prospect Luke Hughes has won this championship! I know there are going to be two very proud team USA alumn and big brothers watching this right now watching the defensemen score that game winning goal” the commentator announced, the camera showed him bench side and he took a puck from a ref’s hands

“And I’ve got it here! The game winning puck, that beautiful shot by Luke Hughes- oh! It appears this isn’t a game puck! This… this puck says Property of the university of Michigan!”

Your eyes went wide.

That was your puck!

“Oh my god….” You mumbled

The boys gave you a confused look but didn’t press any further.

After the team had celebrated they called on Luke for an interview.

“Hey, Luke congrats! I think we’ve got a pressing question on everyone’s minds here-“ they hold up the puck and Luke smiles “What’s with the puck?”

Luke reaches for the puck “Can I actually have that back?”

“Yeah, for sure!” They hand it over and Luke holds it.

“Um this is the puck I scored my first goal at Michigan with… it’s just special and someone really important to me gave me it before I left so yeah I brought it out tonight for luck! I had to get it weight tested and stuff beforehand to make it legal but yeah a good luck charm I think” he blushed before they continued on with their interview.

When you looked up at the boys in your house they were all staring at you

“What?”

Ethan smirked “You had that puck…”

“No I didn’t” you scoffed

“So if we go up to your room right now there won’t be a space on your desk empty where a puck used to sit?”

Mackie went to get up when you tackled him back to the couch, they all laughed “You’ve got it bad for Hughesy!”

“Shut up!”

They stopped mentioning it but you knew they were still giving you sly looks.

Later that night when you were laying in bed your phone buzzed under the pillow. Lifting it you saw a text.

from: luke hughes

we won. I don’t know if you watched but I did it, with that puck you gave me. I’d really like to take you out when I get back to Ann Arbor if you’d let me. it seems you’re my good luck charm.

You smiled, opting to press the call button.

He picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Luke, hey”

“You got my message?”

You smiled “Your goodluck charm, eh?”

He chuckled “It appears that way, I’m gonna have to keep you around”

“I’m not opposed to the idea” you mumbled.

“Well i gotta go pack we’re heading home in the morning, can I see you when I’m back?” He asked.

“When does your flight land?”

“Um… two in the afternoon” he says, checking his email.

You nodded, before realising he couldn’t see you “Yeah, yeah that’s fine”

Next day, in the arrivals area of Detroit airport you stood alongside the team who held signs intended to embarrass Dylan and Luke.

The signs were along the lines of

“Welcome home from Prison, Duke!”

“Congrats on getting parole Luke!”

You were stood, without a sign watching the doors contently.

When they opened, Dylan’s came out first laughing at the signs and welcoming the boys embraces.

Your eyes waded through the crowds of strangers until they landed on a familiar head of curls. Before you could even comprehend what you were doing you ran at him.

He saw you, dropping his suitcase and hockey bag on the airport floors to catch you as you launched yourself into his arms.

Your hand held the back of his head and your head situated itself in the crook of his neck.

“That was a nice welcome”

Pulling away you chuckled “Welcome home, Hughesy”

Luke’s eyes flickered between your eyes and lips until he launched forward and kissed you.

“Oh my god!” The moment was ruined by Mackie screaming and alerting the boys to the scene infront of them “I thought they hated eachother!”

You turned back to Luke, a blush settled across both your faces and hugged him “I couldn’t ever hate you”

[asunsetgrace16]

☀︎ ▴ ｓｔａｙｉｎ＇ ｓｉｎｇｌｅ ▴ ☀︎

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You swear that you're stayin' single, next thing you know

You meet a girl at a bar and next thing you know

You get her laughin', it's 2 AM

“You can’t be serious,” Adam laughs, “you, give up dating. No chance.”

Luca looks offended, “I swear I am. It’s too complicated, too time-consuming.”

In the dim-lit bar, the brothers stare at each other, Adam unbelieving of Luca’s declaration. In the midst of their staring contest, they don’t see their friends walk over to them until Mark slaps Adam on the shoulder. 

“Hey bud, got an extra seat for us?” Tyler asks.

“Sure thing, good to see you guys again.” Adam says. This is the last free day he has before training camp so he made a pit stop in Michigan to see Luca one more time before the season starts. “Luca was just tellin’ me that he’s done dating.”

Mark scoffs, “I’d pay good money to see him last more than a month.”

“Dude.” Luca deadpans, “I’m done for the season. Focusing on hockey.”

“Seriously? ‘Focusing on hockey’? Dude, you’re not in some romance novel about to be suspended from the team because you were late to practice one too many times. What’s your deal, really?” Ethan asks, setting off giggles from the whole table. Mark has a shit-eating grin on his face and steals Luca’s beer, lifting it to his lips. 

Luca sighs, “I’m just getting tired of hook-ups. Two years in and I want to shake things up a little, get a taste of the bachelor life.” 

This seems to appease the jury as Ethan and Mark relax back into their seats with a thoughtful look on their faces. Gavin and Adam have been engrossed in a discussion about the new players Columbus added over the summer and how they’ll fit into the team and KJ sticking around with his new contract. They catch each other up on their summers, shooting the shit and stealing beers back and forth. Mark and Ethan spend at least five minutes ribbing Luca for his decision to give up dating. Rolling his eyes, Luca heads to the bar to get another round. 

“I’ll take five, please.” He asks the bartender and receives a nod of acknowledgement. Drumming his fingers on the bartop, he sighs and studies the counter intently. A voice comes from his left. 

“What’s so fascinating there?”

Luca’s head snaps up. “Huh, oh sorry. Nothing, just uh, zoned out for a second.”

He studies her for a moment, and she’s a vision. Loosely curled red hair and green eyes, freckles on her nose and playful smirk on her face.

“Happens to the best of us. I’m Maddie.”

Luca is tongue tied, not something he ever finds himself around women. “Uh yeah, all the time. I-I’m Luca.”

They stay staring at each other until Maddie laughs and says, “Sit.”, so Luca sits on the barstool next to her. It’s easy to fall into conversation with her, everything comes so naturally. There’s no doubt that the boys are going to give Luca shit for this, since not even fifteen minutes ago he swore off dating for the season. He must have been talking to Maddie for longer than he thought because at some point Adam comes over and grabs the beers still sitting at Luca’s elbow. 

“-and so, we flew his underwear up the flagpole outside the house.”

Maddie cackles and Luca joins her, both laughing until they can’t breathe. At some point their drinks are emptied, but they forget to order more. Leaning on the counter, Maddie asks, “What are your big plans after university? Do you want to go pro?”

“Every kid dreams of playing pro, but I’ve made peace with it if I never get there. I can just live vicariously through Adam,” he says, “but I really haven’t thought too hard about it lately. But with my major being Sports Management there’s a lot of hockey-related avenues I can take. What are you taking”

Maddie hums thoughtfully, “Yeah, that makes sense. I’m doing a Bachelor of Psychology and am going to get my Master’s after.”

“Wow, impressive. What made you decide on Psychology?”

“A combination of things really. Undiagnosed ADHD in middle and high school and not having super present parents to talk about things with kind of sent my mental health down the shitter, and how brains work has always fascinated me. Memories, fact retention, all of it, and how the brain is affected by mental health struggles.” She cuts off abruptly, used to having people tell her she talks too much.

But Luca is sitting there, a soft look on his face, just soaking up everything she says. “That’s incredible.”

Maddie flushes, but keeps eye contact. Their conversation continues until Adam walks over, breaking them out of their little bubble.

“It’s almost two, we’re heading out.” Adam tells Luca.

“Oh man, we definitely lost track of time. I’ll meet you at the car.” turning to Maddie he says, “I had a great time tonight. I’d like to give you my number, if you want it.”

Maddie dips her chin, silently saying yes. Luca grabs a napkin and scribbles his number down with the Sharpie that Maddie hands him before writing her own down for Luca to take. Carefully, he tucks the napkin away in his pocket while hers goes into her purse, along with the Sharpie. She takes it with a grin, and walks out of the bar with Luca. They stand for a minute before thumbing over their shoulders in the direction of their vehicles. Luca walks to Adam’s car with a dopey grin on his face, completely unfazed at the teasing that he’s about to endure for months on end. He just had the best night of his life in a long time, and got her number to boot. Breathing in the cool night air, he feels like this is right, how things were supposed to be. And now he can’t fuck this up or he’ll really never hear the end of it.

When he is back in the car, he braces for the jokes. It’s dead silent for a beat before Luca turns and looks at Mark and says, “Just shut up.”

Mark holds his hands up in surrender, “Ok man, I’ll let you have this one.”

The ride home is quiet, Ethan is snoring in the front and the radio is playing the Top 40 quiet in the background. Luca takes a full breath, feeling lighter than he has in the past months. Staring out at the streetlights, he can finally see some sort of future for him, whether it’s with Maddie or not. But he really hopes it's with Maddie.