#imagine getting a text from your old friend like “hey we haven't really spoken for a while but instead of just talking i wanna hire you!”

[fruit-snacker]

I always decide to get major hair changes AFTER I get pictures done

[willykappymarnsmatts]

Wish It Was Real: Chapter 3 (A. Matthews)

Gif by @nylanders

Usually on Saturdays Auston and I would hang out at home all day, listening to music and doing chores around my apartment until it comes time to get ready to go to the arena. It's abnormally quiet in the apartment this Saturday, with no Aus bouncing around the halls, trying to distract me while I fold the laundry, blasting music until I yell at him to turn it down.

I miss him. It's only been a couple of days since I've seen him and I miss him. I don't bother turning on music, but I go around the rooms, picking up old glasses and plates to wash before I get ready to go. I shake my head and wonder how terribly wrong I read the situation on the couch with Auston. I spooked him, and now he'll never look at me the same ever again. He's probably disgusted with me. He's never expressed he wanted anything more with me, our relationship seeming strictly friendly until the fake-dating. But apparently, the entire thing was acting. If he's going to give me the cold shoulder from now on, I don't know how much longer I can go playing pretend with him.

•••

AUSTON’S POV

Why the fuck did I run off like that, I think to myself, lying on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I've picked up my phone at least a hundred times, opening her contact on my phone, wanting more than anything to text her, to see her.

To hear her voice.

But something stops me every time. Something inside me makes me throw my phone across the room and try to force her out of my head. I can't get her out, though. She's all that I can think about, has been for years. Stupid fucking flings don’t even come close to making me feel the way I do when I’m around her, when she smiles at me and its like time stops, when she jokingly flirts with me when we’re alone. The way she's been looking at me, while we've been pretending, I literally cannot focus. It takes all my fucking willpower not to kiss her while we’re in the company of the team, or her friends.

When she's wearing my sweats, her hair hanging loose with no makeup on, I can't think straight. When she dresses up to go out somewhere, I imagine my hands roaming her perfect body, the things I'd do to her if I could. She makes my heart stop. She's funny, and kind to literally everyone, she's loyal, beautiful…

She’s my fucking favourite person and I want her all to myself.

I'm gonna make her mine. I'm done playing games and pretending and flirting. I sit up on my bed and push myself onto my feet to get ready to go to the arena. I'm not going to wait around anymore.

•••

Y/N’s POV

I smile politely at the people who make eye-contact with me on my way to the section where the guys buy seats for the WAGs. I take a deep breath when I see the group of blondes chatting and drinking a few metres away. I nod at the strangers in the seats between me and the girls and slide past them when they get up.

“Y/N! Hey!” Paige exclaims when she sees me. She gets up from her seat to hug me and sits back down, taking her purse off my seat so I can do the same. I wave at the group, and while most of the girls are nice enough to me, Steph glares at me slightly. I shake my head to myself, but my face breaks into a smile when Paige turns towards me. “So, how are things going with Auston?” She drawls. Paige had quickly become my closest friend out of the girls when Kasperi started dating her. They have an on-off relationship, and when they're on I see a lot more of her, but she's probably the only one out of the girlfriends that I keep in touch with outside of with the guys.

I grimace slightly, and her face falls. “You know how the guys all went out for Will’s birthday the other night?” She nods, her eyes searching mine. “Since that night, I haven't seen or heard from him. I know he’s alive because he’s been posting and the team hasn’t posted a fucking announcement that he died, but he’s been ignoring me for what seems like absolutely no reason.” I pout a little, this being the first time I've spoken the situation out loud, even in its half-truth.

“Want me to get Kappy to kick his ass?” She asks, her expression sombre until she sees my face light up and I giggle. We laugh and continue to chat until the lights dim and the light show begins on the ice. We whoop and cheer with the rest of the arena, and Paige and I yell especially loud for Kap, Mitch, and Will. When Auston’s name is announced and the arena starts to shake, my heart dips and breaks a little. He gives a small nod to the arena, which is displayed on the scoreboard, then looks in my direction. I watch him as he squints to look for me in the crowd, as he does every game I come to, but instead of smiling and waving when he sees me like a little kid, he nods to himself and looks away.

My heart breaks and I slump in my seat a bit, which catches Paige’s attention. “Hey, what's wrong?”

“He barely even looked at me.” I admit, and she puts an arm around me and rubs my shoulder. Her bracelet catches on a loose thread of my jersey, and she grins a little.

“His name is still on the back of the jersey you're wearing. Everything is fine. He would’ve taken it with him when he left if he didn’t want you to wear it. And you're going out with him tonight, right?” I nod, still frowning.

“Okay, so then you talk to him tonight. Ask him why he's being a little bitch. And if he does break your heart, I swear I’ll get Kap to beat his ass.”

I giggle again at the thought of the two best friends having it out. “Thanks for being such an amazing friend,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“Babe, you never have to thank me for that.”

The game speeds by and it’s halfway through the third period with the guys down by one to the Panthers. Auston gains possession of the puck and skates into the opposing end. He passes it to Mitch, who passes it back to Auston, who skates around a defenceman and shoots from his backhand…

The arena starts to shake as people jump up from their seats and scream and cheer. I stand up and clap as the guys jump on Auston in celebration. As he skates towards the bench, he looks in my direction and winks, and butterflies blossom in my stomach. Paige sees, and she wraps her arms around me in celebration.

Mitch scores the game-winning goal seven minutes later, to which the fans erupt, and the game ends three minutes after that. Everyone is ecstatic and I leave our section and go into the concourse with Paige on my heels.

“Do you need anything before you go to see him?” she asks me, gently fixing my hair.

“I think I'm okay,” I laugh. “We’re not meeting for the first time or anything.”

She nods and pats me on the shoulder. “Have fun, don't let Steph drag down the night too much.”

I nod and she kisses me on the cheek before letting me find my way to the stairs to get down to meet Auston.

Most of the security recognize me, so I don't have to pull out my access card, but there's always a few new guys who assume I'm a fangirl going to harass the guys. I groan and fish around my purse, but before I can find it someone comes running down the hall and envelopes me in his arms. “Auston!'' I exclaim and hug him back.

“See my goal? Just for you,” he winks, easily falling into fake-affection.

“I saw,'' I grin, and he plants a kiss on my forehead, right in front of the security guard. He clears his throat and Auston nods at him, then wraps his arm around my shoulders to lead me to his car. When we get in, my smile falls, but his doesn’t.

“We can't just act like nothing happened,” I frown.

“Why not?” he jokes, but immediately drops it. “I know. I'm sorry for the way I acted, I really am. I was stupid, I just freaked because-” he cuts himself off when Mitch bursts into the back of the car, a huge grin on his face.

“Mitch! Game winner!'' I smile and high five him, and he pats himself on the back.

“No big deal,” he laughs. Stephanie steps into the car moments later, and the light mood darkens slightly, but I'm able to ignore the glare she gives me.

“Where are we going?” I ask Auston, telling him with my eyes that our conversation is not over.

“Uhm, the usual place.” I nod, my lips in a tight line, and Auston nods back, expressing that he gets that we’re gonna talk alone.

The night is far from over.