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andreisvechnikov · 2 years ago

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NHL99: Sidney Crosby, icon of his era, never strays from his greater mission

It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since he was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”

At 35, Crosby is the hockey chief of the world, and he lands at No. 4 on The Athletic’s list of the greatest players of the modern era of the NHL. He has won three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, has registered 541 goals, 1,469 points and, quite remarkably, has lived up to every bit of the hype. His legacy is perfectly safe. He simply keeps going at this stage because he loves hockey and is obsessed with winning. Mike Babcock once called him a “serial winner,” which is the perfect description of Crosby. On and off the ice.

On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.

The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.

“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”

It was evident from the very beginning.

Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.

“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”

Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”

‘No child is ever left behind’ Charles Barkley once made considerable headlines for a Nike advertising campaign that stated, “I am not a role model.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”

The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.

Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”

Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”

On May 31, 2007, the Penguins made Crosby, then 19, the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.

The move seemed simple on the surface. He already had become the world’s greatest player and, as a teenager, had just claimed the Hart and Art Ross trophies. His maturity level was uncommonly advanced. He was already a rock star in Pittsburgh.

Easy choice, right?

“Not necessarily,” Crosby said. “It was quite uncomfortable, to be honest. I had never been a captain before.”

Say what?

Well, it makes sense. Crosby was only 16 and 17 when he played his junior hockey in Rimouski. In his younger days of hockey, he always played in older age groups because of his advanced performance. This was very much a new experience for him.

“I tried to learn things from other captains I had in the past and other people who had been captains,” he said. “But at the same time, I wanted to be my own person. I wanted to lead in a way that was natural to me. And you never stop learning. I’m still learning to be a captain to this day, honestly. But I think it was probably a good thing for me, looking back. It helped me grow.”

So did the presence of a fellow icon in the locker room.

Lemieux and Crosby played together in only 26 games before a heart condition forced the oft-injured Lemieux to finally retire for good. On the ice, they only had a few magical moments together, as they rarely played on the same line. Lemieux was slowing down and at the very end.

But before he left, he taught Crosby a few lessons.

“More than anything, he taught me how to stay calm. He was so, so even keeled,” Crosby said. “It didn’t matter what the score was, good or bad. Mario was always the same. He always looked the same, spoke the same. I watched him a lot and I saw how level-headed he was. I think that probably comes to him more naturally than it does to me. I’m probably more emotional than he is. I’m an emotional player. But he taught me how to find that sweet spot. Getting to play with him for a handful of games was a big deal for me.”

Crosby, many will tell you, is the best captain they’ve ever had.

“He’s unreal,” said one of the newest Penguins, Ryan Poehling. “When I got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, I had a text from him a couple of hours after the deal. I remember thinking that it was pretty incredible that Sidney Crosby is reaching out to me that quickly. Then you get to know him, and you immediately realize that this is a special person, that he’s different than anyone else. You can’t fake it. You’re born with what he has, the way he treats people.”

Nowadays, it’s understandable that young players would place Crosby on a pedestal. He’s not only one of the greatest players of all time, but he also treats them as equals.

What might be more noteworthy is that, even when Crosby was essentially a child, he had the respect of his locker room from the beginning.

“He was 22 when I signed in Pittsburgh,” Mike Rupp said. “He’s the best player in the world, this hotshot that everyone is talking about. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. … I could tell you so many nice stories about Sidney Crosby, and they’re all true. But what I realized right away was that, more than anything, Sid didn’t want to be treated differently than anyone else.

Given who he is, Crosby can’t possibly be one of the guys. It doesn’t work that way. He’s Crosby.

And yet, he is one of the guys.

“He just wanted to have fun. Wanted to play mini-golf on the road. He had that little kid smile. He wanted to play the handheld video games on planes,” Rupp said. “He likes to be one of the guys. I think what I’m saying is, he’s not a nerd. He’s not an introvert. But he wants nothing to do with the spotlight because he’s so damn humble. He’s the ultimate captain.”

When you’re a superstar in Pittsburgh, you have certain privileges. Lemieux and Jagr had their share of coaches fired. Some were certainly deserving, of course. But Crosby would never do such a thing. It simply isn’t his way.

He doesn’t demand his friends play with the Penguins. This, in no way, is a typical superstar.

“I was Sid’s GM for a long time,” Rutherford said. “And I can tell you, he never once complained to me about anything. He never once told me to fire anyone, or to trade anyone, or to get anyone in a trade. Never.”

Not until he was asked, anyway.

“Here’s how much respect I have for Sid,” Rutherford said. “At the end of each season, whether we had won the Cup or not, he and I would get together. I wanted his thoughts on certain players on the team and around the league. But he’d never tell me to get someone. He’d never be pushy or demanding. I’d ask him questions about people, and he would answer in his own very polite, very special way. That’s just the kind of man he is.”

Those who coached Crosby often had similar stories.

“He was a dream to coach,” Recchi said. “His relationship with Sully, you know, it’s really special. Those two have a bond. But for all of us on the staff, it was incredible coaching Sid. He asks you lots of questions. He wants your opinion. He’s not going to walk into your office and tell you what to do, or tell you what’s wrong. He asks so many questions and he loves feedback. Not many stars are going to be quite like that.”

Crosby has stated that he’d like to play for a few more seasons, perhaps until he is 40.

It’s unknown precisely when he will walk away or what he will do with his life once he hangs up his skates. Many in the hockey world hope Crosby will remain involved with the NHL in some capacity.

The hockey world, after all, couldn’t possibly be the same without him.

“He just makes you smile when you see him,” Rupp said.

Crosby entered our lives more than two decades ago, a child then. A man now.

A very, very good man.

“He’s just a nice person,” Steigerwald said. “A nice, nice person. The best of the best.”

#the athletic #sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins #nhl

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casorasi · 8 years ago

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Minus Crosby, Penguins edge Capitals 3-2 to take 3-1 lead

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Forget about revenge for the brutal cross-check that knocked Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby out of the playoffs indefinitely. Minus Crosby, Penguins edge Capitals 3-2 to take 3-1 lead

#Minus Crosby #Penguins edge Capitals 3-2 to take 3-1 lead

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holdmeclosertinytaron · 2 years ago

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Chapter Three

A/N: The more I sit with this story, the more I remember how much I loved it the first time I wrote it. I don't love the writing style and I've been switching little bits but for the most part it is how I wrote it the first time, just with a few more edits. I hope you're enjoying it! Don't forget to like, reblog and message about your thoughts! It always really helps :)

Warnings: Explicit language, consumption of alcohol

Word Count: 9.1k

Story Page / FAQs / ETTC chats.

The remnants of fallen autumn leaves that were scattered along the path leading to Taron’s home crunched under Amelia’s feet as she closed the wooden gate behind her. Taron had pointed his cottage out when he walked her back to the village after they’d walked around the wildlife park so that she would know where to go later than evening. He had offered to pick her up but she insisted that she would be okay.

And she had been.

She wore the same bobble hat as she had during the day and had decided to put her earphones in for the walk. The soft melody of David Bowie and Bing Crosby filler her head as she walked, and she found herself humming along. Her walk was pretty quiet minus the few people who waved and asked how she was doing.

The longer she had been in Rivercliffe, the less frequently she was asked for photos or autographed. It had really started to feel like the much needed break that it was. Amelia couldn’t have been more thankful. She was starting to know people by name and she felt as home in the village.

The coffee shop knew her regular order, no matter who was working; Jules at the newsagents knew her typical purchases when she nipped in on her way back from the pub; everyone at the pub knew her regular drink; and everyone at the bed and breakfast knew that on a morning, she would sit in the corner of the dining room with a cup of tea, her book and her toast and jam. She was becoming one of the locals.

The metal of Taron’s doorbell was colder under her fingertips, and when she finally pressed it fully, she could hear Taron’s muffled profanities from inside. She shifted her weight between her feet as she waited for him to open the door. While she walked, she hadn’t noticed the cold so much, but as soon as she stopped it hit her like a wave. The icy, bitter chill to the air froze through her clothes and attacked her bones. It nipped harshly at her nose and she was grateful that her hat covered her ears.

Just as Taron pulled the green door open, she removed her AirPods and shoved them into her pocket without putting them in their case.

‘You’re going to regret that when you need them later and they’re dead,’ Taron laughed jokingly as he stepped back so that Amelia could walk into the cottage.

A furry bundle came bounding into the kitchen as Taron shut the door and slid to Amelia who smiled. It jumped up at her and tried to jump into her arms as she bent down to greet it.

‘Pickle, get down!’ Taron scalded. ‘I’m so sorry. I never asked if you were allergic to dogs. Or good with them in general.’ Taron sounded exasperated, as though he’d made a huge mistake and was risking Amelia walking out of his house.

‘I’m not. Allergic to them, that is. I love them so he’s fine. I never knew you had a dog.’ She continued to fuss at the animal, using both her hands to rub up and down his sides rapidly, but she looked at Taron with a radiant smile. ‘He’s beautiful.’

Taron’s cottage was small, though Amelia guessed he didn’t need a big house if it was just him living there. As soon as she stepped through the threshold and into the cottage, she was standing in the small kitchen. There was a fridge to her right, and in front of her was a half wall of cupboards and worksurfaces. The floor was made up of large, stone tiles though there was a rug under the small dining table in the far left corner of the room. It was a very typical cottage kitchen and Amelia immediately felt relaxed being in the space.

‘You really will regret not putting your earphones away properly,’ Taron chuckled.

‘I know, I do it all the time and each time I promise myself that I won’t do it,’ Amelia replied, taking her AirPods and their case from her pocket to put them away properly. ‘I was awful when I had wired earphones. They were always tangled.’

She pushed her from her feet and placed them next to the door on the mat where Taron’s shoes from earlier in the day were.

‘Pop your coat and scarf on the hooks next to the door.’

When Amelia had removed the rest of her outer layers she looked at Taron who wore jeans and a t-shirt. ‘If you’d have told me that you were wearing jeans, I wouldn’t have turned up looking this casual,’ she breathed in amusement, gesturing to her outfit. When Taron had told her to dress comfortably, she had taken that seriously and opted for a pair of thick joggers and an oversized t-shirt tucked into them at the front.

‘I haven’t long since gotten home from work,’ he replied. I got called back because Pippa isn’t feeling too great. We think she ate something funny when she shouldn’t have.’

‘Oh I’m so sorry. Is she doing okay now?’ Amelia asked as she bent down to fuss Pickle a little more.

Taron nodded, making sure the latch on the door was locked fully before he walked to the kettled and switched it on. ‘Yeah she’s doing better now. The on-call vet is there now making sure that she’s okay and I’ll get updated in the morning. But hopefully it’s all passed now. Do you fancy a cup of tea? I can make one and then go get changed.’

‘Why don’t I make it for you? You’ve been on your feet all day and it’s the last I can do.’

Taron let out a long breath and nodded with a thankful smile. ‘Only if you don’t mind. That would be great.’

‘I wouldn’t have offered if I minded,’ Amelia countered. ‘All you need to do is tell me where you keep your mugs and spoon. Oh, and how you take your tea. That would also help.’

Taron opened the cupboard above the kettled that housed an abundance of mugs of varying sizes and styles, and pulled the drawer underneath the kettle open.

‘There you go,’ he chuckled. ‘Tea and sugar are in the caddies and milk is in the fridge, obviously. I have a splash of milk and two sugars, please.’

Amelia nodded and shooed him out of the kitchen so that he could get changed. She perused the mugs as she waited for the water to boil. Some mugs were dainty, others big and bulky. Some were tall and some were short. Taron had mugs to match any occasion, any season, and any cuppa requirement.

She spent a silly amount of time deciding on two mugs but ultimately chose the shorter white mug with a gold ‘T’ for Taron and a slightly taller, skinnier mug with a gold Christmas tree on it for herself.

The whole tea making process was going well until she couldn’t see a bin anywhere in the kitchen to put the used teabags into. She started to panic a little as she walked in circles.

‘Taron?’ She shouted into the house.

‘Yeah?’

‘Where’s your bin?’

‘Cupboard under the sink, love.’

‘Thank you!’

Once the used tea bags were disposed of, and everything she’d used had been put away, Amelia lifted her cup to her lips to take a large sip. If there was one thing she loved in life, it was the very first sip of a cup of tea. It always reminded her of a quote from Jack Kerouac that she’d read years before.

The first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy.

No matter where she was or what she was doing at the time, Amelia would appreciate the first five sips of her tea. With each sip, she let herself more and more into that state of ecstasy where nothing else around her mattered. When standing in the middle of Taron’s kitchen with the mug wrapped in her hands close to her face, she let her eyes fall closed as she sipped the drink.

‘Enjoying yourself there?’

Amelia jolted at Taron’s voice coming out of nowhere. She almost spilled her tea. Almost. There was no way that she would allow herself to spill her drink. It was much too good to waste by spilling it.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.’

Amelia handed Taron his drink and watched as his eyes closed in joy as he took the first sip. She let her eyes shift from his face down to his feet, taking in his appearance. His hair was fluffy on top of his head and he’d changed into a white t-shirt and black joggers, a very similar outfit to her own. He looked more comfortable than she’d seen him before and she liked it.

Seeing him in just a t-shirt meant that Amelia was able to see his toned bicep more clearly. The curve of his muscle was prominent and she could see it start to strain against the material of his top. Especially as he lifted his drink to his lips.

‘It’s fine. Thank you, again. For offering to have me ‘round for dinner.’ ‘You are more than welcome. I’d pretty much managed to prep everything I needed before I got called back into work so it won’t take too long to cook. You can go and get comfortable in the living room if you’d like?’

Amelia nodded slowly. ‘Or I could always keep you company while you cook, if you’d like?’

The corners of Taron’s lips turned up into a small smile as he nodded, putting his cup on the side and striding to the fridge. ‘I would love that. Thank you.’

******

Taron’s living room was just as lovely as the kitchen. The walls were a gentle off-white colour with the bottom half being wooden panels of the same colour. There were two small sofas in the room, both of them with scatter cushions on them and a cosy blanket draped over the back.

A wooden fireplace sat underneath the TV which rested on the wall, and the fire was already lit, heating the room wonderfully. The same beams that were also on the kitchen ceiling were in the living room and were a darker shade of wood to the window sills and doors, contrasting perfectly.

The living room was a lot cosier than Amelia could have ever pictured. As she walked into the room fully, she could feel the soft carpet under her feet and it was as though she had a slight bounce to her step. She was followed closely by Taron who carried two bowls of apple pie and custard for dessert.

‘The films are in that corner,’ he mentioned when Amelia got to the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Lo and behold, there was a bookcase in the far corner of the room near the stairs that held a multitude of DVDs. She slowly made her way to them and when she stopped, she let the very tip of her finger glide over them. Taron’s collection included almost all genres of film. He had comedies, romantic comedies, sci-fi, a couple of horror films and dramas.

There were two films that caught Amelia’s eyes. Mainly because she had been in them as a young actress and they reminded her of happy times. It took less than a second for her to grab them, along with Love Actually which was what she actually wanted to watch.

‘You know,’ she said gently as she sat on the sofa next to Taron, holding Me Before You up so that he could see it, ‘this was one of my first movies.’

‘No way!’

Taron was shocked. When he first saw the film he could have sworn that Amelia had been acting for years before. Sure, she was young when she was in the film but she looked to be so confident and in her element. Not to mention the fact that she played the part so perfectly that he had fallen in love with her as an actress.

‘Yeah way,’ she replied with a large grin. ‘I was so scared. It was my first audition ever and it was rather scary being on set for the first time. Would you mind if I put my feet up on the sofa?’

She had taken her bowl of dessert from Taron and when he shook his head with a giant smile, she lifted her feet from the ground and folded her legs. Pickle snuggled up next to her and rested his head on her knee, looking up at her innocently. Amelia petted him quickly before biting the first piece of dessert.

Her eyes closed in pure bliss as the sweet dessert filled her senses.

‘Thank you,’ she mumbled.

Her words were soft and Taron could feel butterflies start to flutter in his stomach as he watched her with the same grin she had given him.

‘Honestly though,’ he said after he finished his mouthful of food. ‘I would never have guessed that it was your first film.’

‘Thank you,’ Amelia chuckled. ‘That makes me feel better because I used to analyse every single move I made in it. Like literally every single move.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Put it on and I’ll show you.’ Taron stood from his spot and moved to the DVD player that sat under his TV. ‘Wait, you’re actually going to put it on?’

Taron nodded. ‘I would never tell you this normally, and I will forever blame the fact that I am exhausted after work, but when the film first came out, it was one of my favourites.’

Amelia’s cheeks heated rapidly. She was unable to fathom the way that Taron made her feel. Even with the smallest of gestures or the simplest of words, he was able to raise her heart rate and leave her speechless. Whenever she was around him, she had to make sure that she was paying close attention because she could so easily fall into a trance from his voice alone.

‘Really?’

She was stumped. Beyond stumped.

‘Yeah,’ Taron nodded as put the disk into the DVD player. ‘It still makes me cry even now so be warned.

It was Taron’s turn to feel his cheeks heat up. He couldn’t believe that he would ever out himself like he did with Amelia. And to the person who was actually in the film. The person who made him cry. Amelia found it endearing though. The way that Taron smiled at her gingerly when he turned around fully.

He moved back to his seat silently and sat down. He started the film and took a deep breath. When he looked to his right, Amelia was taking a deep breath of her own and he let out a silent laugh. She looked heavenly with the light from the fire casting an orange glow over her face.

For the first time since they met, Taron had her full attention. He was still nervous though. He was nervous that she was there out of pity because he’d sounded so desperate when he invited her over. Nervous that the feelings he had for her weren’t even a tiny thought in her head.

‘Okay so this bit here,’ Amelia said as she pointed to the screen, pulling Taron out of his trance. Her character was talking to elderly women in a café at the time. ‘This was our first day shooting and I hadn’t met anyone else by that point. It was fucking terrifying. And all I was doing was talking to women.’

‘You wouldn’t be able to tell how nervous you were,’ Taron reassured her, taking a bit of his food before it got cold.

‘Thank you. I hated that costume. It was itchy and made me feel so self conscious all day. I could have cried with happiness when I got back to my trailer and put my joggers and a hoodie on.’

‘You looked really pretty,’ Taron whispered.

‘Hardly. I was a mess. Look at me there!’ She pointed to the screen again where her character was wearing bright coloured tights. ‘That is not the picture of beauty.’

‘You’re always a picture of beauty.’

‘Stop flattering me,’ Amelia giggled. Taron made her feel some kind of way but she didn’t know if he was being genuine with his comments or simply trying to make her feel better.

‘I’m telling you the truth. You’re always beautiful.’

Amelia was at a loss for words. Taron was being so lovely and she struggled to believe a word that left him.

‘Anyway,’ he added quickly. ‘Would you like a hot chocolate?’

******

Me Before You turned into Star Wars which eventually turned into Love Actually. The clock on the wall above the doorway read one in the morning and Taron was half asleep on the sofa. His voice had grown deeper and slower as he tried to chat with Amelia who still had her legs crossed under her and Pickle sprawled over her.

‘It’s late. I should probably head home.’ Amelia leaned to the side to stretch but accidentally bumped her head on Taron’s shoulder. I’m so sorry. No wonder I get called a clutz all the time.’

‘Don’t worry about it. It happens to the best of us.’ Taron’s repetition of some of the first words Amelia spoke to him three weeks before made her smile. He’d done it a few times since they first become acquaintances but each time he did it, she found herself smiling for longer. ‘And as far as heading back, it really is late and I would hate for you to walk in the dark and the freezing cold. So you could always just crash here tonight, if you’d like?’ Taron offered.

He was scared to offer. He didn’t want Amelia to feel obliged to stay simply because he’d asked her. But it was cold and he was worried that she would freeze on her way back. There would be no part of him that would resent her if she decided to head back though.

‘I have nothing here,’ she spoke delicately. ‘I don’t have a toothbrush or pyjamas. And I wouldn’t want to put you out.’

‘You wouldn’t be putting me out,’ Taron insisted.

He quickly retracted back into the sofa at the thought that he could have been coming on too strong. After getting to know Amelia, he came to realise that whenever she said she didn’t want to put him out, she really did want to do the thing that he was offering.

‘I have spare toothbrushes in the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom, and you could borrow one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts or joggers to sleep in/ And I have a spare phone charger if you’d need that too.’

Amelia nodded slowly. ‘Only if it’s okay then. Thank you.’

‘It’s no bother. I’ll grab blankets and set the sofa up for myself and you can have my bed.’

‘No, you have your bed. I’m the one intruding and staying here the night!’ It was Amelia’s turn to insist. Taron worked and needed a comfortable bed to sleep on so that he could be well rested. Amelia herself could nap later on in the day if she needed to but Taron wouldn’t be able to. ‘Please.’

Her words were soft and full of sleepiness. Taron found it hard to register what she was saying because all he could focus on was the velvety sound of her voice as her eyelids worked against her and strained to stay open.

‘I insist that you take the bed,’ he said strongly. ‘I’ve slept on the sofa quite a few times before and it’s actually really comfortable.’

‘Yeah, so I’ll sleep on it.’

Stubborn. The only word Taron could think of to describe Amelia in that moment. Despite her clearly being shattered and her voice weak from drowsiness, she still refused to stand down. When Amelia wanted something, she would do anything in her will to do it. Though she would never push someone too far if she knew that they couldn’t take it.

‘You can have the bed. If I had a cottage with two rooms it wouldn’t be so bad but there’s only one room upstairs other than the bathroom.’

‘Taron, it’s fine. I promise you. I’ll be fine on the sofa.’

Taron had to laugh at their little back and forth.

‘I’ll take the bed,’ he responded finally with a gentle sigh laced with a smile.

‘Thank you.’

‘Are you good to get ready now?’ He asked. Amelia simply nodded. ‘Come on then.’

Taron stood up first and held his hand out for Amelia to take. Her hand was warm in his, and softer than he could have ever imagined. The skin of her palm was delicate as his fingers lightly trailed across it. It was like a fire burning in the tip of his fingers, Amelia’s skin the oxygen needed to make it burn brighter. And hotter.

She smiled at him shyly as she stood up, Pickl shifting awkwardly. They didn’t let go of one another’s hand when she stood. They remained connected as they ascended the stairs and walked into the bedroom that sat to the right of the stairs.

Taron pushed the door closed slightly before standing completely still, his hand still in Amelia’s.

Just like the rest of Taron’s house, his bedroom was light and airy with wooden beams on the ceiling and a dark wooden four poster bed on the far left wall. In the corner closest to the singular window there was a wardrobe bursting at the seams.

The bed was dressed in the loveliest tartan bedding and it had a few more cushions than Amelia’s bed at the bed and breakfast. One cushion that really grabbed Amelia’s attention was a small, cream coloured one with a fringed edge. It was simple and pretty against the bedding, and overlapped the fluffy blanket that sat on the bed slightly.

Taron let go of Amelia’s hand as he started to walk towards the wardrobe. Amelia felt empty. It was as though holding Taron’s hand was all she ever really needed. She felt safe with her hand in his and without it, she felt uneasy. It was strange to her, how she could have been in relationships that lasted years and feel normal when their hands were no longer connected but she’d known Taron for three weeks and she felt something indescribable when she wasn’t around him.

It was like she yearned to be around him and have his full attention. But whenever that happened, there was always something there to ruin it. There was always an underlying feeling of guilt when her attention wasn’t on him and she didn’t want to bring it up in case he felt differently.

‘Joggers or shorts?’ Taron asked when he pulled one of his drawers open.

‘Shorts please,’ she replied quickly. A little too quickly for her liking. As much as she would have loved to wear a pair of his joggers and be completely and utterly enveloped in him, she couldn’t sleep in long bottoms.’

‘Shorts it is,’ Taron smiled. ‘I’ve got this pair with a good drawstring. So hopefully you can get them to fit how you like them.’

Amelia giggled softly, and proceeded to throw her hand over her mouth when she’d heard herself. Taron looked at her with a small grin as he walked back to her and put the grey shorts and black top in her hands.

She thanked him quietly and followed him to the bathroom so that she could get changed.

‘There’s spare toothbrushes under the sink. Pick whichever one you want and pop it in the holder when you’re done. It can stay here in case you need to use it again another time.’

‘Thank you, I’ll be quick.’

Taron was already waiting to use the bathroom when Amelia had finished and she side stepped so that he could walk past her. He looked her up and down swiftly, trying to his amused grin when he saw just how much his clothing buried her figure. Even though she had tied the drawstrings as tightly as she could, she still had to roll the waistband to prevent them from falling down.

‘Sorry if I took too long,’ she said with a shy smile as Taron squeezed past her into the bathroom.

‘No, you didn’t,’ he smiled. ‘Are you sure that you’re happy on the sofa? I would feel so much better if you just took the bed. It truly is no big deal.’

‘I’m being serious when I say that I don’t mind the sofa. There have been so many times at home when I’ve chosen to sleep on the sofa rather than get into bed so I’m fine.’

Taron breathed a small laugh and nodded. ‘Only if you’re completely sure then.’

‘I’m sure,’ she said firmly.

******

3:26am.

The exact time that Amelia woke up from what had been a lovely sleep on Taron’s insanely comfortable sofa. As soon as she peeled her eyes open a tiny bit, it was as though the cold from outside had enveloped her. She shivered dramatically as she picked up her phone, groaning quietly when she saw that she’d only been asleep for a couple of hours.

Not wanting to be rude and turn Taron’s heating up herself, she pulled the blanket further up her body and tucked her legs up to try and retain a little heat. Though it didn’t do much good.

She tossed and turned for fifteen more minutes in an attempt to get back to sleep but it never caught up with her.

In the end, she let out an exasperated sigh and stood up. She made sure to keep the fluffy blanket she had stolen from the other sofa around her shoulders with the unwavering cold that filled the living room.

She tiptoed up the wooden stairs and tried her hardest to not let them creak under her and wake Taron up. Once she made it to the top she took a shaky breath. Taron’s soft snores sounded through the bedroom door and Amelia suddenly felt bad for needing to wake him up.

‘Taron?’ Her knocks were miniscule but she didn’t want to knock too loudly and scare him awake. ‘Taron?’

A few seconds later, the door pulled back and a very sleepy Taron came into view. Amelia felt even worse for waking him up when she saw just how exhausted he looked.

‘Is everything okay?’ He rubbed at his eyes with his fists and yawned around his words.

If Taron’s voice during the day didn’t send Amelia into overdrive, it sure as hell did when he was sleepy. It was deeper than normal, and held an extra rasp that had her stomach clenching. The usual velvety tone was still there but the sleep that coursed through him changed it lightly.

‘I’m so sorry to have to wake you. It’s just that, umm, I’m a little chilly and didn’t want to just turn your heating on. Plus I have no clue how it works.’

She stood awkwardly in his doorway, hoisting up the shorts he let her wear further up her waist and rolling them again to try and get them to stay in place. It took a little while for Taron to respond but Amelia assumed it was just him trying to process what she had said.

In his sleepy state, he hadn’t thought to put a pair of shorts on when he climbed out of his bed, so his black Calvin’s were the only piece of clothing he wore. From moving around in bed and walking to the door, the waistband had shifted lower on his hips and were only just covering his crotch.

His stomach was toned but not super muscular, and his arms were far broader than she had thought. He was almost always hidden under a jumper or a long sleeved t-shirt to shield himself from the cold air when working outside so she hadn’t been able to see just how broad he was.

Her eyes drifted to his legs but before she could get too far, she clocked what she was doing and looked back up, coughing lightly.

Taron still hadn’t responded but he stared at Amelia who wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders and hopped between her feet softly. She tried not to stare back but it was impossible with how amazing he looked in front of her. The light from the moon hit the high points of his cheeks and she could just about make out his eyelashes fluttering against the top of them.

He still didn’t answer. He simply walked back into his bedroom and towards his bed.

‘What are you-’ Amelia trailed off, confused. Beyond confused.

‘Come and get in,’ he said as though she should have known what he was doing. He pulled the covers open so that there was a space for Amelia to climb in. ‘I don’t want you to get cold downstairs and I can’t be bothered going down to turn the heating on right now.’

‘Are you sure? I can always turn it on if you don’t want to go downstairs. It’s no big de-’

‘Are you going to get into the bed or not?’ He replied cheekily, closing his left eye into a short wink.

******

When the sun first started to shine through the thin curtains in Taron’s bedroom, the light hit him in the face and woke him up. Though unlike usual, he was unable to roll onto his side and grab his phone from his bedside table. Unlike usual, there was a beautiful girl in his bed with him.

Her hair had started to fall out of the bun she had put it in before bed and was cascading down her cheeks and over the pillow she lay on. Her top half was still drowned in one of his t-shirts. A t-shirt that would begin to smell like her if she wore it for long enough.

Amelia was still fast asleep when he woke up, her eyelashes fluttering perfectly against her cheekbones. Rather than potentially wake her up by moving, Taron opted to stay where he was with her in his embrace. He smiled down at her before he noticed that he could feel the soft skin of her legs against his.

It hadn’t been until then that he remembered what happened the night before. When the light knocking and soft voice of Amelia woke up from his slumber. He had groggily walked to the door and didn’t put bottoms on. He was embarrassed that he’d opened the door to her like that.

Amelia clearly didn’t mind though. She laid on her front with her right hand slung over his torso and her leg over his thighs. Her head was tucked between her pillow and Taron’s arm, and he could feel her soft breaths against his skin. She was warm against him, a stark contrast from the cold that he was usually met with when he woke up.

Even though it felt strange having her in his bed, waking up to Amelia felt good. He didn’t know how else to describe it. It just felt good. And he wanted to enjoy it.

Amelia sniffled and yawned just as Taron started to draw patterns on her shoulder absentmindedly. She didn’t wake up like he thought she might have. She pressed herself further into him and hugged him a little tighter.

Taron snuggled himself further into the mattress slowly and decided that he would try to get a little bit more sleep before waking up for the day. He leaned his head against the top of Amelia’s and enjoyed the smell of her conditioner.

He was so relaxed that it took him no time at all to succumb to sleep once more.

******

Amelia could feel the heat radiating from Taron when she woke a little while later. She peered up at him and let her eyes wander over his face.

His eyelids had a gentle sheen to them, and his eyelashes fluttered delicately against the tops of his cheeks. His lips were parted slightly, and he breathed deeply, a few snores escaping him ever so often.

Amelia could have watched him sleep all day if she could–with his arms wrapped tightly around her body holding her to him.

The stairs in Taron’s cottage creaked at the centre so she only allowed herself to walk on the outside of them. She only almost fell once, but she swore her life flashed before her eyes when it happened.

The living room was the same as she had left it early in the morning; her phone was still on the coffee table and the blankets were still piled on the sofa. Before she headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast and a much needed cup of tea, she folded the blankets and put them on the end of the sofa before checking her phone in case she’d missed anything important.

As usual, she’d only missed a couple of texts from a group chat she didn’t pay much attention to. The Co-Star notification at the top of her notification centre caught her attention. Think about your future today.

She quickly replied to some texts before she finally sauntered into the kitchen to find something to cook for breakfast. Taron had told her before he headed to bed that she could make herself at home and make herself food if she wanted to.

In one of the cupboards she’d found some flour, and she knew that he had sugar and eggs as she’d seen them the day before. She knew exactly what she was going to make, she just hoped that Taron liked them too.

The sound of pans clattering in the kitchen woke Taron up from his peaceful slumber. He moved his arms to pull Amelia closer to him in his sleepy state before realising that she wasn’t with him and the sounds of the pans downstairs was her.

He fisted at his eyes as he yawned before he stretched and let himself fall further into the bed.

‘Oh shit!’ Amelia exclaimed, capturing Taron’s attention.

He got out of bed and walked to grab some clothes from the pile on the floor. He pulled his joggers up his legs and tied them loosely at his waist before he grabbed his phone and walked out of the room and down the stairs, clicking the heating on as he walked past it.

In the commotion of getting a frying pan out of the cupboard near the oven, Amelia hadn’t heard Taron headed downstairs.

‘Morning,’ he whispered groggily as he entered the kitchen, rubbing at his chest as he did.

Amelia turned to him with a soft smile. ‘Good morning. I thought I’d make pancakes for breakfast but then things started falling. Sorry if I woke you. I’ll finish your cuppa now.’

‘I’ll finish those, don’t worry about it. Pancakes sound lovely, by the way.’

He cradled his drink in his hands as he watched Amelia finish the pancakes. He found it fascinating to watch her move around his kitchen so effortlessly, in his top, as she cooked.

The longer he stood and watched her, the more he wished that he could have that every morning. He wanted to wake up to her pretty face every day and have her potter around the house in his clothes. He wanted to hold her in bed every night and cook with her every evening. He could see a perfect little life with Pickle in the cottage, or anywhere else they wanted to live.

‘Do you happen to have any chocolate spread? Maybe strawberries too?’ Amelia asked as she put the final pancakes onto the stack.

Taron nodded before he pushed himself off the side and towards the fridge and the cupboard next to it.

He really could imagine a life where it was just the two of them forever.

******

‘What about Elijah?’ Autumn asked as the man being spoken about was standing not too far away from the table where they all sat gabbing. ‘He’s a brainbox! Went to Oxford and everything.’

Sada rolled her eyes dramatically at Autumn’s choice of guy for Amelia, whereas Amelia took a deep breath when she saw who Autumn was talking about. She should have recognised him by his name but she didn’t fully know who it was until she saw his face.

It had only been a couple of days since she’d first seen Elijah and the memories were still raw. She felt silly really, because it wasn’t like anything happened for her to feel so weird about him. He was just pushy and she didn’t like it. When she was with Taron for dinner, she explained what had happened and he was devastated for her. He kept apologising for the man’s behaviour constantly, even when Amelia told him not to be sorry because it wasn’t him that had done anything.

‘He’s not really my type,’ Amelia replied gently.

She didn’t feel like she could tell Autumn and Sada why she didn’t want to sleep with him. For one, they’d consumed quite a bit of alcohol in the three hours that they’d been sat in the pub which meant that there was a high chance they would say something. And secondly, if she told them, there would be a multitude of questions and she wasn’t mentally prepared to answer them that evening.

‘Babe, we’re not looking for your future husband, even though that would be pretty damn good if we found him. We’re simply looking for someone you can hook up with for a single night.’

Autumn sipped her pint of Stella as she scanned the bar once more for another potential guy for Amelia.

‘I don’t see why you’re so set on getting her laid, Autumn. What if she doesn’t want to sleep with anyone?’

Autumn looked at Amelia with an expectant look to receive nothing but a miniscule shrug.

‘See!’ Autumn shrieked. ‘She wants to get laid!’

‘No need to tell the entire fucking pub,’ Amelia mumbled as she hid behind her glass. Ever since she and Taron first had a Southern Comfort and coke together, it had been her go to drink at the pub. ‘And I never said I wanted to get laid.’

There was really only one man who Amelia could see herself sleeping with, but there was no way that it would ever happen. Especially with them not spending too much time together. If Taron wasn’t working, Amelia had plans. If Amelia was free, Taron had plans. They text one another a lot but there was nothing more than that.

‘You literally just-’

‘-face it, Autumn,’ Sada interjected, ‘your plan to get her laid is failing miserably because you don’t know her type.’

‘Well if you’re so certain that you know her type, you name a few guys for her then.’

Amelia chuckled as Sada cracked her knuckles in playful competitiveness at Autumn’s challenge.

As Sada looked around the busy room trying to find at least one guy that might tickle Amelia’s fancy, Amelia finished her drink and almost slammed her empty glass on the table. She was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol that was coursing through her. Everything seemed to be moving slower than it had when she first got to the pub for what had quickly become girls’ night.

It was as though she could really feel things properly, every tiny touch being intensified against her body. Even the material of her cardigan against her arms was intense. She was sure that if Taron were to be there that the excited feeling deep in her gut when she saw him would be even more intense.

Voices were almost in slow motion too. But not too slow that she couldn’t understand what was being said to her. It just took her a little longer to process what people were saying and answer. She knew that she would wake up the following day with an incredibly terrible hangover but she was enjoying herself so much that she didn’t really care.

‘Easy,’ Sada started as she locked eyes on a table of lads she knew were around their age. ‘Eoin, Jacob, Duncan, James and…Taron.’

‘Taron,’ Amelia repeated wistfully.

The corners of her lips lifted into a smile as her stomach swarmed with butterflies. No other guy mattered when his name was mentioned, and she wasn’t sure they ever would again.

‘Taron? As in Taron Prince?’ Autumn asked. Sada hummed.

Taron looked like a prince, but that definitely wasn’t his surname.

‘Taron…Prince?’ Amelia asked.

Sada nodded. ‘Which other Taron would I be on abou- oh.’

‘I don’t want to hook up with any Taron Prince,’ Amelia grimaced. ‘Would rather hook up with myself. Wait, that didn’t come out right. I don’t even know what I mean, but I don’t want to hook up with Taron.’

Sada burst into fits of laughter while Autumn shook her head before getting up to go back to the bar. The girls usually spent their time in the coffee shop but after an extremely stressful week, Amelia suggested the pub for a change of scenery. It helped that on a Sunday night there were always rugby players in and so there was plenty of eye candy. Not that any of the three women wanted one of them.

Why they had been together that day, they had spoken about everything. They talked about the argument Autumn and Spencer had the previous night that almost ended their relationship. They talked about Sada and Noelani’s weekend getaway to York for the Christmas markets, and they talked about Amelia’s plans for Christmas when she got home.

The drinks had been flowing freely and none of them could walk in a straight line. They could barely think straight so when a tall, blonde, happy go lucky kind of girl around their age walked into the pub and made a beeline for Sada, Amelia wasn’t quite sure why she felt a pang of jealousy.

‘Rosie!’ Autumn cheered as she got back to the table, placing three drinks on the table before wrapping her arms around the woman. ‘It’s been so long, what are you doing back here?’

‘I came to see my grandparents and take them back to my house for Christmas. How’ve you been?’

‘I’ve not been bad, thank you. I can’t believe you’re here.’

Amelia sat awkwardly throughout Autumn’s exchange with the girl before she lifted her new drink to her lips and downed over half of it. It made a loud noise as she put it back on the table and Autumn turned around quickly to see Amelia sitting awkwardly but with a sweet smile on her face.

‘Oh shit, yeah. Rosie, this is Amelia. Amelia, this is Rosie.’

Rosie’s sickly sweet smile had Amelia rolling her eyes internally. Amelia stood up to join in the conversation but she felt strange about Rosie.

Rosie looked like the kind of girl who would smile and say one thing to your face but give a dirty look and say something completely different behind your back. She looked like the kind of person Amelia couldn’t get along with. Though she still accepted the embrace from Rosie as she forced a smile onto her face.

When Rosie pulled away, Autumn and Sada were both back in their seats so Amelia sat back down and watched as Rosie pulled up a seat next to her.

‘I can’t believe I’m getting to meet the Amelia Bray. You’re a pretty big name with the guys in the village,’ Rosie said.

‘I’ve heard,’ Amelia replied quickly. As much as she appreciate that Rosie was clearly a friend of Autumn and Sada, she couldn’t wait for the leggy blonde to disappear. Being in her presence made her feel uneasy.

‘How long are you here for?’ Sada questioned, trying to change the subject. She knew that Amelia hated talking about herself.

‘I’m only here until the morning. Came to grab my grandad now and then we’re setting off stupidly early so that we can be at mine by lunch time. Speaking of, I should probably get him before he gets another pint.’

Autumn nodded, standing up as Rosie did to hug her one last time.

‘It was lovely to meet you, Amelia,’ Rosie spoke gently through her insane smile as she nodded to Amelia who gave her a smile in return.

‘You too.’

When Rosie had left the pub and Autumn and Sada were both back at the table, Amelia downed the second half of her drink.

‘Rosie used to have a thing with Taron,’ Autumn spoke nonchalantly.

Amelia could feel her cheeks heat up as she tried to remain smiley, even though all she wanted to do was scream in rage. The alcohol was affecting her more and more with each passing minute.

‘It was rumoured that they had a thing, Autumn. You know that nobody but those two know the truth of what happened.’

‘Oh come off it, Sada. She used to go to his house on an evening and not leave until the day after…wearing the same clothes as she was the night before. You can’t tell me nothing was going on between them! She was even there last night. James from the coffee shop saw her leave earlier. Apparently she was wearing Taron’s joggers too.’

Amelia’s stomach sank at Autumn’s words. She sat back and took herself away from the conversation between her two friends. She couldn’t listen to them talking about Taron and another girl.

Only the morning before, Amelia had envisioned a life with Taron; waking up each day to make breakfast and a cuppa for them to enjoy. 24 hours later and Amelia could feel her world crashing around her. If Taron and Rosie were seeing each other, and had been for a while, then not only was Taron a liar, but Amelia was definitely not his type.

She wasn’t as tall as Rosie, and her hair wasn’t blonde. If Taron was into leggy blondes, then there was no point in Amelia fighting for his attention because he clearly wouldn’t want her.

Why would he when he had Rosie?

She was so caught up in her own little world of fighting her emotions and trying not to cry that she hadn’t noticed Taron walking into the pub and to the bar. He walked to the guy behind it, Matt, before turning around and leaning against the wooden structure. It didn’t take long for his eyes to land on Amelia, and he had to fight the urge to smile at her brightly.

He lifted his right hand in a silent greeting but dropped it when Amelia didn’t reciprocate the gesture. Normally she would be more than willing to say hello to him but that day she blanked him. He thought that maybe she hadn’t seen him so he waved again, but still he got nothing in return.

She had seen him when he turned around but she was so caught up in her emotions that she couldn’t bring herself to wave back. It hurt her to know that Taron would never like a girl like her. How could he? She wasn’t leggy, she wasn’t blonde, and she didn’t have the brightest smile in the world.

‘Amelia?’ Autumn put her hand on Amelia’s shoulder to get her attention. ‘You okay?’

‘Yeah. I think I’m going to go back to the bed and breakfast. I don’t feel too great all of a sudden.’

‘Do you want us to walk you back?’ Sada offered, worry evident on her face.

Amelia shook her head, insisting that she would be okay and that she would text them when she got back so they knew that she was safe. They reluctantly agreed to let her go and made sure that she was bundled back up before hugging her and bidding her farewell.

As soon as Taron saw her leave the pub, he threw a £10 note on the bar under his glass and followed her out quickly. The bitter cold of the outside nipped at his cheeks, and he worried that Amelia’s hands would be getting cold as they were never covered when she went out.

‘Amelia?’

He jogged to catch up with the woman who had blatantly ignored him for the first time they had met. When she turned around to face him, she had tears in her eyes and her tongue was pressed to the inside of her cheek. She was trying her best not to cry.

‘What’s the matter, love?’

‘Don’t.’ Amelia’s words were stern as she took as deep a breath as she could and wet her lips. ‘Don’t.’

‘Don’t? Don’t what?’

‘Call me love.’ Taron’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched her. ‘Were you ever planning on telling me, Taron?’

Taron stood in the middle of the street completely dumbfounded. The last time he’d spoken to Amelia, she was so warm and welcoming. But that night there was a chill to her and it wasn’t because of the weather outside.

‘Amelia, you’re going to have to give me more than that.’

‘Were you ever planning on telling me that you’re seeing someone? For weeks now you’ve been flirting with me and wanting to get to know me and spend more time with me but you’re seeing someone. Were you ever going to tell me?’

‘What?’ Taron didn’t know what to say. He was scared to say anything. ‘I’m not seeing anyone.’

‘Oh don’t bullshit me, Taron! I don’t blame you because she’s fucking stunning and I’ll never be that!’ Amelia was slurring slightly and her head had started to spin. The more irate and annoyed she got, the harder she found it to speak.

‘Never be what? Stunning? That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard. You’re so bloody beautiful, Amelia. Can we please go somewhere to talk properly? Or can we talk tomorrow when you’re sober and can communicate properly?’

Taron took a step closer to Amelia but she moved herself back, holding her hand up to tell him not to get any closer.

‘Don’t you dare come near me. Do you hear me? I don’t want to be near you right now, you fucking liar.’

‘Amelia, please. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Rosie,’ Amelia seethed, watching all of the colour drain from Taron’s face. ‘Now he gets it.’

;Love, she-’

‘Is your girlfriend,’ Amelia interrupted. ‘I get it Taron.’

‘No! She’s-’

‘Taron, save it. I don’t want to hear your excuses.’ she was starting to get emotional, her bottom lip trembling and eyes growing heavy with tears. ‘Was I just keeping her place warm? In bed? Is that all I was to you? Someone to play with until she came back?’

‘Oh my god, no!’

Taron tried to step closer to her again so that he could try to get her to listen to him but she moved back once more, almost tripping over a stone in the road.

‘I mean it, don’t come near me.’

‘Rosie is a friend, Lo-Amelia. She’s a friend. That’s all she is.’

‘A friend that you also happen to sleep with? Do you know how fucking stupid I feel right now, Taron? For weeks I’ve thought that for some stupid reason you might actually like me the way that I like you. But all I was, was a fucking idiot. How could you ever like me when I’m not tall, I don’t have bleach blonde hair with perfect roots, and I haven’t got a smile brighter than the fucking sun?’

Tears had started to fall by that point and Taron’s heart physically broke.

Standing a few paces in front of him was the girl who had stolen such a huge chunk of his heart.

Standing a few paces in front of him was the girl that he wanted to spend every waking minute with.

He adored her.

He adored her so much that he’d have walked through fire for her.

But he couldn’t tell her.

He wanted to tell her.

He wanted to say the words he was too afraid to say and then scoop her up and hold her forever. Amelia was the first person he thought of when he woke up and the last person he thought of before he fell asleep. She meant more to him than he cared to admit.

‘I’m not seeing her.’

‘Tell me whatever you want, Taron. I don’t fucking believe you.’

Amelia wiped at her eyes angrily before turning so that she wasn’t facing him head on, too sad to look at him.

‘You know,’ she sniffled, ‘I thought that after years of being used I might be used to this feeling. But this,’ she motioned between the two of them, ‘this feels a thousand times worse. I never thought that somebody like you would ever use me but look how that turned out.’

Taron was stuck in his spot as he watched Amelia walk down the street and out of view. He could see her wipe at her eyes and the soft sounds of her sniffles. Tears had started to fall from his eyes at the thought of Amelia not trusting him anymore. But he couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say to make it better.

Even when people had started to walk out of the pub to see what the commotion was, she couldn’t move. All he could do was sink to the ground in a heap and let out a strangled sob. Autumn and Sada ran to his side and asked what was wrong.

‘She thinks I was using her.’

‘Who?’

‘What?’ Autumn and Sada asked at the same time.

‘Ame-’ He hiccuped. ‘Amelia. She thinks I’m seeing Rosie and using her so I’m not on my own. I’m not using her. I told Rosie last night that I didn’t want to see her. But she didn’t listen. Now look what’s fucking happened. When I find out who told her that I was seeing Rosie I’m going to kill them, I swear to God.’

The tears that trailed down his cheeks were hot and salty.

He hated himself.

Amelia hated him too and that felt the worst.

She hated him.

#taron egerton #taron egerton sex #taron egerton blurbs #taron egerton fanfiction #taron egerton imagines #taron egerton fanfic #taron egerton writing #my writing #ETTC

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hood-ex · 3 years ago

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I don't know if you've seen High Society but I watched it again last night for my birthday and I propose to you High Society as a RoyDick au where Roy is Bing Crosby's character, Dick is Grace Kelly and Kory is Frank Sinatra

Happy Birthday! Hope it was a good one!

I have to admit that it does tickle me a bit to imagine Kory singing "Mind If I Make Love To You" to Dick. Although, he does deserve to be swept off his feet like that 😌. Tracy's line during that scene is actually fitting for dickkory 😆. "I feel very small. Put me in your pocket, Kory."

On the dickroy front, I'm absolutely obsessed with the idea of Dick and Roy cuddling up on a sailboat... maybe minus the singing 😅. But no worries because I can think of like 5 other things they can do besides sing 😏.

#fuck now i'm already thinking about dick and roy's boating outfits #and how they'd push each other in the water #make out. eat. cuddle. ya know. the dickroy life lmao.#dickroy #dickkory #High Society #replies

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huggybug · 2 years ago

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honestly i’ll write for pretty much anyone minus a few which i think i’ve named.

trevor zegras

jack hughes

sidney crosby

patrick kane

i can write for the newly drafted but i rather not (trying to stay with ‘03 guys and up). i’m having a brain fart and can’t think of anymore but i can always just send in a new list later on :)

-nick smut anon

okay i’m literally going to put this in my notes so that i don’t keep asking you😭😭😭

#nick smut anon #answered!

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three-headed-monster · 3 years ago

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please tell me more about your owen power vs hockey canada conspiracy theory i need every single word

*puts on tin foil hat for the tin hatting that will be going on rn*

OKAY so really it all goes back to owen's big decision to not go play in the chl and choosing the ushl and ncaa instead.

because it was honestly a shock to everyone that owen didn't get named an assistant captain. he played 25+ minutes per game on the worlds team last year, won a gold medal, is the first overall pick from the most recent draft, etc etc

there's no valid reason as to WHY he wasn't named an A, he has more seniority over everyone on this team minus cole perfetti, and scott wheeler (THE writer to follow for prospects) had him projected early in camp to be an A. according to scott, it's because his "quiet demeanour" wasn't enough for the team but every single interview done by tsn after the guhle captaincy announcement has said that he's also a quiet leader, so it's not like the team is against that.

hell, the team even seemed surprised that jake neighbours was named an assistant. note the lack of stick taps as he's announced after cole perfetti, plus he told tsn that he didn't even hear his name, indicating he wasn't really expecting it to be him:

not to mention sidney crosby's omnious "even if you don't have a letter, you can still be a leader on this team" which seems specifically pointed towards one certain person.

i don't know but all this evidence points to the boys not exactly expecting it to be neighbours at all, and it raises my eyebrows. because if NO ONE was really expecting it to be neighbours, why was he named A and not owen?

well that all goes back to the classic ✨hockey canada hates the ncaa✨ argument.

now i can't actually confirm if they have a specific bias against the ncaa, but there's a lot of examples of players being screwed over simply because they chose the ncaa route instead of the chl.

especially since canadians defecting to the ncaa is more common now than it used to be, hockey canada has snubbed tons of people from their national team selection camp lists and denied others things such as exceptional status and placement on u18 and u17 teams.

is it fair? no. is it hockey canada being salty? oh absolutely.

they've always given the chl preference (which goes both ways btw the us program isn't exactly fond of their ohl/whl imports either) and this is just them doing it again, because it wouldn't exactly look good on their development programs if they named a captain from the ncaa. case and point, cale makar didn't get a letter when he played for team canada at wjc either

THEREFORE owen power didn't get a letter because hockey canada brass is stupid and doesn't like ncaa, not necessarily because he was less of a leader to the team than jake neighbours, cole perfetti, or kaiden guhle; thank you for coming to my ted talk-

#ask #hockey #team canada #owen power #wjc 2022 #i think i need a tinhatting tag now i do it too much #tinhatting #anyways this is the whole theory #it's mainly just very stupid hockey politics #tbh hockey canada should let the locker room chose the captains #cause i'm sure more than 50% of them would have voted owen over jake #but that's just my opinion

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happer08 · 3 years ago

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im so sorry tumblr wouldnt let me answer the ask but here are my thoughts

"avs just beat the pens, nate victory smut over sid"

Sure a win is a win but Nate hasn't scored since march 21, he wanted it bad; wanted it bad against Sid. He sees the way you and him talk and flirt, its harmless really. Its Crosby the man is ultimately flirtable.

but nates pissed, pissed about the no goals, pissed he didnt get it against sid no matter what the outcome of the game is. but it gets worse when he finds you and sid talking in the hall outside the locker room after the game. sid said something funny so you laughed, of course, and nate didnt like the way you hand came up to his arm and the way youre head tipped back. so as gently as he can he comes up and slips a hand onto you back. explaining to sid that you will be coming with them to pittsburg for dinner since you had been working the night before the game and you couldnt make it. nate encourages you to make the move to go home knowing sid and the pens are headed home too.

nate isnt jealous per say. no that he thinks he is. (hes a little jealous)

it starts with a hungry kiss the second he gets you to the player parking lot. pinned against the side of his g wagon his fingers working under the game used sweater he had given you after the first game you went to after you started dating.

that just leaves you simmering at he pops the door open and ushers you in. the drive home is full of heavy meaningful touches, his hands put in the right spots to drive you insane.

that all changes when nate finally gets you home. shoving you to the wall immediately, his whole huge, thick body pinning you there, his soft pink lips open and mouthing at your throat his hands practically groping you through the jersey and your jeans.

he wants you to beg for him, knowing he is completely in control of the situation and your pleasure. thats what he craves.

next thing you know you are bent over fully on your bed, jersey still on, nates game day suit on minus the jacket and his sleeves are rolled up. a handful of jersey is the thing that has you rocking back and forth on his huge throbbing cock.

"Beg for me sweet girl, want to hear who makes you feel like this"

dirty dirty words, filthy really.

by the end after nates takes his frustrations (and jealousy) and ends up with you and him laying in bed together (naked) pressed against one another, your head resting on his chest while his fingers dance up and down your bare shoulder.

"you'll score soon you know"

he would just grunt then sigh.

"ill get a seperate room in pittsburg when you do on tuesday so we can spend some time celebrating"

#nathan mackinnon imagine #nathan mackinnon #this is a lot #im sorry #answered kinda #anon #sorry tumblr was being really strange #nate is so fucking hot #i was at that game today btw #i love him #imagine #colorado avalanche #imagines #sidney crosby #hes really hot #its becoming a problem #nate mackinnon

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literaryslapshot · 2 years ago

Note

Okay, I fully hope I’m not offending you when I say I wasn’t expecting you back so soon?? Cuz I really don’t mean to offend you!! I also really didn’t mean to write a sugar daddy/girlfriend experience fic feat. Sidney Crosby, but here I am putting off writing the last chapter of it, so. Yeah. Anyways, welcome back! Hope college is going well! (And before I leave, college!Sid was on my mind just the other day)

I mean I did take like a solid 5 months off, minus those two days where I popped in to say hi 😅 but thank you!!

#my asks

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fallinforyou87 · 3 years ago

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Chapter 7

It was Thanksgiving , we pulled in front of my parents house. I took a deep breath.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked

“Are you ?” He asked me.

We walked into the house taking off our coats, I hung them up.

"hi baby" my mom said, walking in the hallway

"Hi mom, mom this is Sidney, Sidney this is my mom Karen"

"Hello Mrs. Taylor" he said

"It's nice to meet you, and please call me Karen." she said, hugging him.

"okay"

"hi" my dad said behind me.

"Hi dad, dad I would like you to meet Sidney, Sidney this my dad Dan."

"hello Mr. Taylor" he said shaking his hand

“Sidney Crosby is my house . “ he said

“Oh god.” I put my face in my face

“nice to meet you, you got skills on that ice."dad said

"Thank you sir."

"Oh my god" Sara said. I looked at her, and grinned

"Sidney this is my sister Sara " I said grabbing his arm. "and Sara this is Sidney"

“Oh wow” Sara said I rolled my eyes.

"Hey everyone." my brother said coming

in the house.

I looked back at him with a mean look.

"Why do you look so pissed off?"

"What do you think?"

"Oh, what is she doing now?" he said, coming up to me. He looked at who was standing next to me, he did a double take.

"Dude, you're Sidney Crosby."

"yeah I am"

"I'm Adam, I'm a huge fan.

"thanks man" Sidney shook his hand. M

"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking at me.

I laughed

"He's with me." I said

"really?"

I nodded.

Around 2:00 we all were sitting in the living room, minus Sara . Me and Sidney were sitting on the couch. My hand was on his lap and his hand was on my hand. Adam was sitting on the other side of me.

"Is he treating you okay?" He whispered

"Adam yes"

"I'm going to check on dinner" my mom said

"I'll help" I said

SID'S POV

I was having a great time with Brittany's family. Her sister is a bit hard to read. Adam is a really good guy and her parents seem like normal mom and dad. Brittany went to help her mother.

"we weren't sure if you coming" he father said

"why?"

"because Karen had to call Brittany a couple times, to see if she asked you."

"She didn't want me to come or something."

"I don't know, I think she was nervous, Brittany can be a nervous girl.” Her dad told me.

"but there is something I want to tell you." Adam said

"You better treat her right."

"I will, I promise. I really like your sister"

"You have to be patient with her, you can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"trust me, I know she has been through a lot”

“She told you”he said I didn’t say anything.

"thanks man, Just don't let anything happen to her."

"I won't"Adam nodded to me

I went out to the kitchen, to see Brittany and her mom were sitting at the table.

"hey" Brittany said,

“hey” I smiled

“Dinner is almost done,” her mom said. Dinner was great, we talked and laughed, her family wanted to know how we met and how things were going. It was a great night.

Britt’s POV

The day after Thanksgiving, Sidney had a game. I went to the arena. I had the same seat as always behind the penalty box. The First period Sidney got the first goal right off the bat. Tyler Kennedy right after that. In the second period sid got another goal. almost at the end of the period. Sidney got a penalty. I Stood up with everybody else.

"boo!!"

He went into the box and he looked up at me and shook his head. I smiled and shook mine. The third period Geno scored. They won 4-1. I went down to the locker room, and waited for Sidney, who was one of the last people out.

"hello" he said to me.

“H-“

"Sid" a girl yelled for him.

"oh vero hey."

"hi" they hugged

"this is my girlfriend Brittany, Brittany this is Vero Marc's girlfriend."

"hi, nice to meet you."I said,

"So you're the one who's making him so happy."

"I hope so."

"Let me tell you I have never seen this guy so happy before." she said. I looked up at him. I smiled and he kissed me on the forehead.

“We’ll i'm glad to hear that.” I put my arms around Sidney's waist.

"So how long have you and Marc been together?"I asked her, and Sidney walked away and left us alone.

"Since High School"

"wow"

"yeah"

Me and Vero talked for a while and we really hit it off. I went to find Sidney.

"hey" I said

"hey you and V really got along, eh." he said

"yeah, I really like her."

, “we should go too."

We walked out together.I smiled and put my arm around him. He held me tight. He kissed me. I put my head to his chest. I didn't want to let go. I took a deep breath and looked up at him.

“Wanna come over ?” I asked him

“Yes” he laughed

Two days later, Sidney went on an eight day trip. We were together, we spent the whole day together. We were at my place sitting on the couch watching tv.

"Britt, can we talk for a second?” Jessica aske coming out of his room.

“Yeah.” I got up and followed her to the kitchen.

"i'm going school" she blurted out

“what?"

"i;m going to school, the next semester after christmas, I know we have a apartment together, and we pay-- "

"no i'm proud of you, you alway wanted to go to school, where?"

"New York"

"New York?"

"yeah"

“New York city?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh wow, ummm did you tell max?"

"Yeah, I don't know what he thinks, he really didn't say anything."

"I'm glad your going"

“Thank you” she said

Sid's Pov

I was lying in my hotel room. My phone rang.

"hello"

"hi" she said in the sweetest tone.

"What are you doing?" I asked

"nothing , i miss you, how about you?"

"i miss you too”

"I looked at an apartment today.” She told me, she Decided since Jessica was leaving for school she didn’t need a two bedroom apartment. A one bedroom would be cheaper. “ I put an application I really like it“

“That’s great baby “

We got back two days later. I got home around 2:00 am. The next morning I went to Brittany. She opened the

"hey" i said with the biggest smiled

"Sidney," she said, putting her arms around my neck. I laughed. I put my arms around her, lifted her and walked into her apartment.

"I've missed you so much" I felt her say on my neck.

She looked at me. I kissed her as hard as I could.

“I missed you too." I said I put her feet on the floor. I looked around and there were packing boxes everywhere.

Britt's Pov

We were sitting on the couch.Watching tv "so Mario having this Christmas Eve party, do you want to come with me?" he asked, rubbing my back.

“ I would love to.”

“Great”

“Is it fancy ?” I smiled

“I wouldn’t say fancy fancy but definitely dress up”

“Alright.”

“Is that okay?”

“Oh my yes that’s fine “

Two weeks later It was Christmas eve I was getting ready I was nervous really nervous but I was worried Sid wasn't looking any better. He has been really tired this season . was wearing a black dress pants, with a red thin sweater.

"hey" he said looking in the bathroom

"hi" I said as I walked out of the bathroom.

"Do i look Okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you look beautiful. How about me."

"handsome." I said, fixing his tie.

"here" he said pulling a box out of his pocket."merry Christmas" he said,

"Sidney, we said no gifts" I told him.

"I know, but I couldn't help myself."

“Sidney" I I touched his shoulder.

"Just open it." He said, I smiled

I took the box and opened it. I saw the most beautiful bracelet.

"Sidney, it's beautiful.....but cant...I can't take this."

"Yes you can." he said, taking it out of the box and pulling it on me.

"thank you" I kissed him.

"your welcome baby.” He pulled me close, I giggled.

"you nervous"

"yes" I nodded

"It’s okay" he said

"are you okay" i asked

“yeah"

"you look really tired"

"I'm Okay, it’s hitting that time in the season.” He rubbed my back, and kissed my forehead “went to head downstairs.” I nodded.

We were there for a while. Vero and I were talking in the corner and Sidney went to talk to somebody. I was kind of day dreaming I felt left out, nervous. I didn't know what to do.I saw two girls standing on the other side of me. I think they think I can't hear them.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know, I think she came with Sid." The blonde said

"There is no way."

"Look at her .. maybe I was wrong I don't think Sid would date someone like that." I pulled my sweater , I messed with the bracelet on my wrais

"Yeah, she is not even that cute."

I didn't know what to do but I had to get out of here. I looked around and I saw Sidney. He smiled at me. I smiled back. I told V I would be back. I looked around again and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I went up the stairs to Sidney's room. I walked in, I looked around, sitting on his dresser were pictures of his mom, dad , his sister and him, and there was one of him and his sister.

"Hey what's wrong" i turned around to see Sid standing in the doorway, looking worried."what's wrong" he asked again

I shook my head and looked at him. "I don't know, I just had to get away for a little bit."

he nodded “britt"

"I'm fine, Sidney," I said walking across the room.

"Brittany, come on, I know something up"

I sat down on his bed.

Brittany?"

"I'm scared, Okay" I kinda yelled feelin

"of what?"

"of us."

"us?"

"you’re the first guy I've ever gotten close to since you know when, the closest I ever got close to any guy. When I was down there. I felt so left out, When I looked at you I knew why I was there. But it also made me wonder why would a guy like you want a girl

like me?” I put my hands to my chest, and looked down at my feet.

“What do you mean?” he grabbed my hands

“I’m a big girl. Average looking.”

“No”he said “ there is nothing average about you, and the fact you're a big girl means nothing, you're sexy babe curves for days and if someone has a problem with that. That is their problem.” He stepped closer to me. “Not ours, and sure as hell not yours. He pulled us over to the bed , and sat down, he put his forehead on my head.

"Brittany"

"huh?"

"I love you" he said I was shocked. the fact that you're a ‘bigger girl’ as you say has a little to do with it. Thought these thighs drive me crazy.” he grabbed the inside of my thigh.” I giggled , I was crazy about this man. He was becoming my world. I turned my head and looked at him.

"I love you too" I kissed him, he put hand around the back of my neck, to pull me close as possible. We pulled apart for air. I ran my hand down his chest

"and I understand why you're scared, and I'm not going anywhere, you can tell me anything." he said, i nodded " You hear me , you can tell me anything, and I'll always be here." he kissed me again.

"Okay" he grabbed my hand “want to head back down.” he walked me down the stairs.

I was there for about another two hours. When I grabbed Sid's hand.

“I gotta go”

“No” he stuck his bottom lip out.

“Yeah.” I said, I had to get on the road to my parents house. “I love you “ I whispered in his ear.

He smiled "i love you too" he kissed me

"Call me when you get to your parents." he pulled me into a hug

"i Will, get some sleep."

"I'll try"

"See you in two days" he kissed me hard.

"Yes” I smiled against his lips.

"bye"

Like a week later , a couple days before we left for the winter classic, we were at my place, now emptier from Jessica moving. .

About an hour later we ordered some food.

"I never knew how to use these things" I said, trying to put my finger right on the chopstick.

"here" Sidney Laughed helping me. "put this finger here and this one here."

"okay"

"Now try it," he told me. I was contrading really hard.

I had a piece of chicken. I went to put it in my mouth, and it flew across the table. I put my hand over my mouth, Sidney busted up laughing.

"it's not funny" I was trying not to laugh.

"yes it is" he said, he picked up the chicken and popped into his mouth.

"I'm just going to stick with this." I said, picking up my fork.

"You know what that might be better for you." he said I laughed." so i got a question i know i should have asked sooner, but Do you want to come to the winter classic?"

"Do I?I've been trying to find a way to go." and I have, and I haven't said anything to him. I was going to try to surprise him, but it wasn't working.

"What do you mean?" he asked

"tickets, money, hotel room, work."

"I can get you a ticket."

"Yeah i was hoping" I laughed

"i can help you with a hotel r-"

"No”

"Britt, come on. It's nothing, I just want you there" he said “there's a family and friends skate and it will be the first time you get a real feel of my world” he took a bit of his food, and lifted his eyebrows.

"oh okay" I rolled my eyes at him. "Now I just have to find out about work."

We cleaned up everything, I was fixing up the kitchen. Sidney came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I smiled softly. He kissed my neck, I swallowed hard.

"I should get going" He said

“What?” i turned around grabbing his hips, he laughed

“Unless you don't want me to leave. “ he gave me a grin.

"No” I started undoing his belt.

Okay" he kissed me, and we made our way to my bedroom.

I called Sidney about three day later, sitting at a booth on my break.

"Baby, i was just thinking about you “ he answered

“Guess where I'm going?" i pretty much yelled into the phone

"Where?" he laughed

"the Winter Classic"

"Really? You got it off"

“Yes sir.”

“Ohh i like the yes sir.” he voice got low, i giggled. "I'm happy your coming"

"me too baby " I smiled,

The couple days before the winter classic, me and Jessica got into our hotel room. We were staying at the same hotel as the team. This was Jessica’s last game before you moved to New York.

"what do you want to do now?" jessica asked me

"We can go watch them practice, Sid said we can come watch."

"Okay" we got our coats on, and I got my hat on. I looked in the mirror. It was a new powder blue color, a 87 on the front. I smiled to myself, and I felt pride for the man I love.

When we got there, and made our way around showing multiple people our passes. We went in, it was amazing, we walked up to the glass, Max was standing there he wasn't playing he was hurt. Sid saw me and waved. I gave him a small wave and smiled.

"I never seen him this happy about a girl." Max said, walking up to us.

"really?"

"Yes, he talks about you all the time." he said , I smiled and looked at Sidney. He looked like a different guy out there (in a good way). The way his body moved, I never really noticed it before. We watched the rest of the practice. they were getting off the ice.

"Hello," he said, giving me a sweaty hug. Started rubbing his face on mine. I laughed, “he looks good on you.” he said “but you know what would look better on you?” he whispered

“What?” He pulled me close and put his lips to my ear. “Me”

“SIdney” i whispered

“Just think about that the rest of the day.”

“You're mean,” I told him, and he kissed me.

"Will you two give it some rest, save some for later." Colby said

I laughed, and put my head to Sidney's chest.He was already taller than me, but he skates one he is towering over me.

"I'm going to get a shower and change and we can go to lunch if you want"

"yes" I said

Almost an hour later, Sid and I were on our way to the restaurant. When we got there he opened the door, put his hand on the small of my back and led me in. When we sat down, and someone boo's. I put a small smile on my face.

"that's not funny" he laughed

"I know, I'm just not used to it. Normally when we walk into place you get gasps, an people staring you down" I laughed

“Well were not in pittsburgh”

“But you're still Sidney Crosby “

“Babe”

“I love you” i said

“I love you too,” he said, “now this is going to be good for us.”

“And you're going to kick butt at the winter classic” i told him, he shook his head “what?”i asked

“I love having you cheer me on”

“I'm your biggest fan right here.”

“God” he smiled “ i love you”

“I love you “

The rest of the day we were together. We checked out my shops, got hot chocolate. Enjoyed the sites. We were lucky Sidney had a lot of down today today. Tomorrow it was the family and friends. I was looking through racks of clothes.

“So my parents and sister are going to skate tomorrow.” Sidney said, stopped and looked at him.

“What?”

“If you're not ready, it’s okay? He told me. “No, i'm excited”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah, I just hope they like me.”

“They're going to love you.” I bit my lip.

The next morning, Jessica and I were getting ready for the family skate. I was messing with my hat.

“His parents,” I said to myself.

“You okay?” jessica asked

“Yes, no I'm going to be” I told her, and I grabbed my coat. “I'm meeting them in the lobby. I have to go. “

“Okay, see you there” i walked into the lobby, i took a deep breath, i looked around and didn't see Sidney yet. I started pacing, back and forth. Back and forth.

“You're pacing” I jumped , Sidney had a hold of my waist, and kissed my ear.

“Hi,” I said, turning around.

"relax" he said

"I'm okay" I took a deep breath , he nodded, his parents were standing behind him

"Mom, dad, I would like you to meet Brittany, my girlfriend, and Brittany. This is my mom, Trina, and my dad troy."

"Brittany, it is so nice to finally meet you." his mom said, going into a hug

"It's nice to meet you too mrs. Crosby” I said, taking in her hug.

"oh, please call me Trina"

“Of course” I nodded "Mr. Crosby, it's Nice to meet you too."

"You too" he said and Sid shot him a look.

"So Brittany what do you do?" his mom asked, we were on a bus on the way to the field.

"I'm a waitress"

"Do you plan on doing that your whole life?" his dd asked

"Dad!" Sid said under his breath.

"I don't really know"

"You don't plan on going to college."

"I.....college...it wasn't right....at the time."

"Dad" Sidney said again but not under his breath.

“It's okay” I touched Sidney's leg. “I don't see the point of a college degree if I don't know what I want to do. I don't want to waste the money.”

We got to the field. . i sat next to Sid on the bench. I put skates in front of me. his mom was on the other side of him, and his dad was next to her, and this girl with blonde hair walked up.

“Hi”

“Taylor .” sidney got up and hugged his sister.”tay this brittany”

“Hi it's so nice to meet you.” she said, sitting next me.

“You too, I've heard alot things about you.” I said, untying my shoes.

“So have i, I can't believe my brother has a girlfriend “ she said, i smiled at sidney, he rolled his eyes.

“Do you need help?” he whispered to me.

“Maybe, i;ve never really done this.”

“Oh my god, i never thought about that.” he said , i looked over at his parents.

"Your dad doesn't like me." I whispered to him, as he was in front of me tying my skates.

"gave him time."

I looked at Sidney and bit my bottom lip.

We got on the ice,

“You're bad.” Sid told me, I had a grip on his arm, he was holding me up.

“The last time I haven’t been skating since, I was like 10.” i said, “ and skating then was holding on to the wall, and going in circles.” I said, he busted out laughing.

Sid's POV

I helped Britt to the bench, and she made her way to the bathroom. My dad skated up to me.

"Dad, gave her a chance." I said, looking at him, he looked at me."Dad, I love her.

"Sidney, I just don't want to see you with one of--"

"She is not one of them."

"You don't know that she seem quiet"

"Dad, she has a past. She can be quiet, but she is independent, smart, funny, and beautiful."

"She's got baggage, are you sure you--"

"It's not baggage, it's her life, it's a part of her." "Will you give her a chance?" I asked him if he wasn't saying anything. "Dad, I love her."

"Of course" he said

"thank you" I nodded and saw someone in the corner of my eye. I looked.

"Brittany" She put her head down. I went up to her.

"How much did you hear?"

"all of it"

"Are you Okay?"

"Yeah I am " she said, she put her hands on my shoulders, and kissed me. “I don't know if i can't go back out there though.”

“Yeah I don't need you breaking something.” I laughed.

“Ha ha “ she smiled “ go skate”

“Yes ma'am” I said, taking off.

Britt’s POV

I did hear everything his dad said, and I think a couple months ago, it would have messed me up, but these last months have made me a different , and better woman and I'm not going to let some words upset me.

"So Brittany" Sidney’s dad sat next to me. "How long have you been a hockey fan?"

“Umm my whole life” i smiled, I grew up as a sports fan and hockey was just on tv all the time.” he dad nodded, and smiled

His dad and I talked like I heard Sidney ask him to give me a chance, and he was. All were standing at the bench again.

"It was really nice to meet you both." I said

"you too Brittany." his mom said, hugging me.

"Brittany, can I talk to you?" his dad asked me.

I nodded, and walked over to the side.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you earlier."

"It's Okay, you were just watching out for your son."

"he Loves you, I can tell"

"I love him too, you raised a good man."

"thank you" he said

"Your welcome, Mr. Crosby, and thank you." i said walking away

"Brittany" I turned around "call me Tory"

I nodded, andwalked and grabbed Sidney hand

"what was that all about?" Sidney asked as we were walking out.

"he apologize"

"He did?"

"Yeah" sidney smiled at me.

I'm laying in bed in our hotel room that night. . Jessica was sleeping. I was wide awake, thinking about Sidney. I truly never felt this way about anybody. At midnight, it was now 2008. there was a knock at the door. I looked at the door.

"Who the hell would that be?" Jessica said half awake.

"I don't know" I got up, and cracked the door to see who it was, then I opened up all the way. I saw Sidney standing there in shorts and a T-shirt.

"Sidney, what are you doing here?"

He kissed me, he put his hand through my hair. I put my arm tight, our lips broke apart. I looked at him.

"what-" I said

"happy New year" he said, I laughed "and I really can't stop thinking about you"

"me too" he put his forehead on mine.

"i love you" I said

"i love you too" He kissed me again

"I'm gonna go back to bed, I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded, and “okay” I smiled, we hugged, and we went to bed.

The next day we were on our way to the game. It was really cold outside. We got our seats. The game started when Colby Armstrong got a goal as soon as the period started. Buffalo got a goal in the second period,nothing in the third. they go into overtime. The snow came down. They went into a shootout. The snow came down even harder. It came down to Sid, he went down the ice and shot the puck, and he put his arms up and started jumping up and down. When he did that I did the same.

Me and Jessica made our way to the locker room. Jessica went to find Max. I was waiting for Sid. He was with the press, he came out of the room.

"you guys won!" I said, i through my arms around his neck

"Yes we did," he said, putting his arms around me.

"your cold" I said rubbing his back

"so are you" I laughed

"All I want is a shower and a hot chocolate." I hugged him tighter

"well you know what go get a hot chocolate and get a shower, and i'll see you when your done"

"Okay" he kissed me and went to get a shower. I watched him walk back into the locker. I was happy for him, and so happy I got to be here for him.

Three days. Jessica was leaving. She was all packed,and her stuff was sent away to her place in NEw york.

"I'm going to miss you" I said

"me too"

"don't forget about me."

"I won't " she said we hugged

"Be careful" i told

" iwill bye" she got in the car with Max, and went to the airport.

The next day I went to look at apartments, and I found the perfect one bedroom apartment. I got so lucky it was ready to move in the landlord is so chill. I picked up my phone and called Sidney.

"Sidney, I'm standing in the middle of my new apartment."

"what?"

"yeah I got in today, i was looking for a while but yeah i found it."

"When are you going to move in?"

"the guy said whenever I want to."

"Need some help?"

"I was hoping you would"

he laughed.

A couple days later we got all the furniture in the apartment, now we were unpacking, it was kind of late. We were in my bedroom. I was putting things on the dresser.

"Now this is hot, eh" I turned around and saw Sidney sitting on the bed , holding one of my bras.

"Give me that" I reached for it, I grabbed it, he still had it, and he pulled me towards him. He laid on the bed, I was on top of him, I put one arm around his neck, I put the other hand on his cheek and kissed him and kept kissing him. He ran his hand up and down my back and legs. I run my hand down his chest. i tugged on his shirt, and pulled it over his head, he did the same to me, we rolled over. He kissed me down my neck. I reached for his belt.

“Night stand draw” i said, he reached over

“Oh my baby is prepared” he laughed, “and now let's break in this apartment.”

“Sidney.” he rolled me over so i was on top.

Sid's POV

The next morning I woke up, I looked over at Brittany. She was still sleeping with just a pair of underwear and my t-shirt. I covered her up more, kissed her on the cheek. she pressed her face into the pillow. I got up and took a shower. When I was done I walked into the bedroom. she was standing there with her back towards me, getting into the dressers.

"hi beautiful" I wrapped my arms around her. she jumped. I laughed as she turned around and put her arms around my neck.

"Well, hello" she said, then kissed me.

Britt's POV

About two week later. I was at a game, i was sitting with Vero, ever since Jessica left me and vero been hanging out alot. It was early in the first period, I watched Sid go into broads, I was waiting for him to get up. He got up on his knees, and got up very slowly, he went to the penguins runway. They helped him go down the runway. I stood up.

"he'll be okay" vero said

"i hope so"

I had to go through the whole game not knowing anything, when the game was over i went to the locker room, i was pacing biting my nails. Max was coming out of the locker room. I went up to him.

"Is he okay, is he in there?" i asked

"okay calm down, they took him to the hospital, to get a m.r.i"

"m.r.i"

"yeah, you know where they-"

"I know what an m.r.i is." I raised my voice.

"just go home, and he'll call you when ever he can"

"Okay" I went home. I waited, waited, and waited. I did fall asleep around three in the morning, on the couch.

The next morning, i got to get ready for work, and I thought about calling him, but he could be sleeping. i was getting to leave, my phone rang.

"hello" I said

"hey babe"

"Oh my god, are you okay?" I asked, I sat on the couch.

"I'll be okay, i got a high ankle Sprain, I would have called you last night but they gave me something that knocked me out."

"It's okay, but you're gonna be okay?"

"yeah"

“I was worried.” i said "how long are you going to be out for?"

"they said about two months."

"wow"

"yeah, tell me about it, I heard you were scared."

"i wasn;t scared, I was worried" I said “I gotta get going, I got to work."

"Okay, I'll call you. I don't know if I can come over today, but I'll call you."

"Oh no i can come to you, let me know if there is anything you need. okay, love you "

"Okay, I love you too."

weeks went by since sidney’s accident, he was in a boot now, we've watched every game together so far. Whether it be on Tv, or at the arena. He now had a key to my place, and spent most of his time there. I got out of the shower, and went to my room. I was getting clothes out of my closet.

“Babe” I heard the door open and close.

"hello" I said, fixing the towel that was around

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" he yelled, walking into my room.”oh” he said, holding an iced coffee, and a bag of something in the other.

"thank you” i said, he smiled, and put the coffee, and bagg on top of the dresser.

“That towel needs to come off.” he told me

“Does it now?”

“Oh yeah.” I stepped closer to me. Grabbed the towel and pulled it off me. He picked me up

“Sidney, you're ankle.” i gasped

“Let me worry about my ankle.” he said, laying me on the bed. He spread my legs wide, and kissed all the way down my chest stopping to suck on one of my nipples and fully handling my other breast, and slowly squeezed it. He slowly worked his way down my body. He kissed the inside of my thigh, then his tongue made its way inside me, my head went back, like I had no control over it. He was controlling my body, and that's what he did for the next few minutes. I completely blacked out , all

I knew it was amazing. As I came my hand grabbed a blanket on the bed, and toes pointed, while my back arched and he was staring up at me with a grin all over his face.

“Happy birthday “ he whispered

“Oh my god.” I laughed , he stood up and I grabbed his hand. “Where are you going ? It’s your turn”

“Baby I’m good it's your birthday “ I got up off the bed and picked my towel back up, and wrapped it around me. Sidney handed me the iced coffee. “I got bagels” he held up the bag.

"okay, so what are we doing tonight" he asked, as we were sitting on the couch , I took the last bite of my bagel

"i don't know"

"well it's your birthday, so we got to do something"

" low key”

“Would you like it to be just us?” Sidney asked

“Please, I would actually love that.”

"you know what I'll be back , Okay" he got up,

"okay? Where are you going ?”

“I said I’ll be back.�� He kissed my cheek, and went out the door.

“What the hell.” I said to myself

A couple hours later Sidney was back with bags of food.

"what are you doing?" I asked him.

"I'm making you dinner" he smiled

"what?" I said as kissed me on the cheek, and went into the kitchen.

"yeah. I'm cooking."

“You know how to do that?”

“Believe it or not I’m not that bad. “

"okay. Do you want some help?" I smiled at him.

"nope, i got it, you go relax, watch TV, read a book, go do something."

“Can I read my book here ?” I asked touching the breakfast bar “ and I can be near you”

“Of course baby”

"Okay" I went to get my book. but it was hard every five minutes he was asking where stuff was. He was rather organized and looked a little out of his element.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Iasmed .

"Yes I’m sure”

"Okay" I said , I looked down at my book, and I saw something sitting in front of me.

“It’s a really sweet wine, I think you’ll like it.” He said leaning across the bar for a kiss.

“Thank you.” I smiled and leaned in for the kiss.

"I'm going back to reading my book." i said,

“Okay” he smiled

About 10 minutes later, he sat a plate down..

“Babe this looks amazing. “

“Thank you chicken, garlic green beans, baked potato, and there's a salad.”

“You're perfect.”

“No that's you.” he said, walking around the bar with his plate and sitting beside me.

"Sidney, This is really good, thank you" he smiled at me,and touched my knee. I kissed him

"I almost forgot." he said, getting up and getting into his coat pocket.

"Happy Birthday" he handed me a box.

“Sidney”

“Open it”

I opened it, it was a gold necklace with a Diamond pendant, with a small 87 hanging from it.

"it beautiful, thank you" i hugged him

"You're welcome, do you like it? "

“ I love it.”

“It's like mine.”

“I can see that.” I smiled "Can you help me put it on?"

"yeah" he put it on me.

"I love it" I kissed him

"I'm glad"

After we were done with the dishes, we put things away. We were lying in bed. He had his arms around my neck playing with my necklace.

"So where did we leave off this morning?" i asked, he smiled at me

Sid's POV

Her arms were around me. I looked down and she was sleeping, and not too much longer I was sleeping.

When I woke up the next morning, I rolled over, Brittany wasn't in bed. I got up and found her in the kitchen with my shirt and a pair of shorts on. She was cooking. I put my arms around her. she laughed and I kissed her neck.

"what are you doing?"

"Well, you cooked dinner and now I'm cooking breakfast."

"okay" I kissed he again

"What are we doing today? I have to work the late shift today." she asked

"the late shift" i said

"yeah"

"you never work the late shift."

"I know"

"Today I have to go to the arena. I got to see the doctor today."

"Okay, when?"

"here in a little"

"Ughh" she leaned her head back on my shoulder.

I went to see the doctor then that night we had a game I wasn't playing of course. I left the game during the second intermission, and went to the diner. There were like two other people in there. Brittany had her back towards me. I sat down. The other waitress came over.

"hi my name is Lexi, how may I help you?"

"I'll start with water.

"Okay coming right up "

I nodded, she walked beside Brittany.

"Guess who I just waited in." The girl wasn't quiet at all.

"who?" Brittany said not looking up from what she was doing.

"Sidney Crosby"

"really?" Britt said, and turned around, and she smiled

"hey" I said

"What are you doing here, the game isn't even over yet." she asked, pointing towards the TV.

"it was boring"

"boring?"

"Yeah" i said, she leaned over and kissed me

"here you go." Lexi came over with my water when she went to put it down, she dropped it. The water went everywhere. Brittany gasped. I jumped up before it got on me.

"oh my god, I'm so sorry"

"Lexi, go get something to clean this up with."

"Sid I'm sorry, she knew."

"it's okay"

After it was all cleaned up, and the shift was over, me and Brittany Left together.

"I'll meet you at your place, I have to go home first."

"okay"

When we were both at her place, we went right to bed

The next morning, I woke up to Brittany mumbling something into my chest.

"what?" I mumbled

"nothing" she said into my chest "I'm so cold" she said pressing her face into my chest. I grabbed the covers and covered her back up and put my arms around her.

"I can't go back to sleep" she said

"me either"

We just laid there.

"How did the doctors go?" she asked, playing with my hand.

"oh, good! He said I could be on the ice within a week."

"that great Sid"

"I know I was thinking, do you work today?"

"Yeah, the late shift again."

"Then today I was thinking of going to the rink to try some skating, do you want to come?"

"yeah"

"Okay" we got up and got dressed.

When we got to the arena. I got all geared up. I came out Brittany was sitting on the bench.

"how's it feeling?"

"pretty good" I was shooting pucks.I went to the runway, opened the door, and grabbed a pair of skates.

"What are they for?"

"you"

"no"

"yes"

"I'm going to make a fool of myself."

"No you're not, it's just going to be me and you out there”

“Remember the winter classic?” i asked

“Yeah, that's why you're going to practice,” I said, placing them in front of her.

“okay”

"That's what I'm talking about baby “ I knelt in front of her , and grabbed her foot "now come on let me put these on you." she smiled at him.

"Okay" I put them on her. we both got on the ice, she was holding on to both of my hands. she almost fell. I put an arm around her to hold her up.

"I gotcha" I said

"I can skate, I just have to get used to it again."

"okay"

"I can mr. Crosby”

"Ohhh okay" i let go of her one hand

“No, Sidney,” She laughed. I pulled her towards me. she lost her footing and she fell into me, when she did I fell, she landed on top of me, We both laughed.she went to roll off of me, and held her tighter. She ran her hand down my face.

"What?" I asked

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course"

"I know, I've told you that I never felt this way about any other person, but every time I look at you my stomach flips, my heart races, and I haven't been this happy in a long time, but.....”

“But?”

“Stop, it's not bad. but I keep waiting for something bad to happen, because this seems too good to be true.

"Britt, nothing bad is going to happen, I'm not going to let anything or anybody hurt you, and I'm not going anywhere, just remember that."

A tear fell down her cheek, I wiped it off, she kissed me.

"I love you" I told her, and slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I love you too."

"and you know what?"

"What?" she smiled

"I'm getting cold."

she laughed "oh yes me too”

She got up and I followed and we stayed on the ice as long as we could until, I took her home so she could get ready for work.

Britt's Pov

Two weeks later me and Vero went out to do some shopping.

"how about this?" Vero asked, she asked, holding up a red dress.

"Hot, Marc would love it."

"you think?"

"yeah"

"So you and Sidney are doing good?"

"were great" i smiled

"You two are too cute together." she said

I laughed “thank you”

“You know what, what size are you?”

“What?” “You need this dress.”

“V , no”

“Yes, you and sidney are new , and you two are most likely still in that stage where you can’t keep your hands off each other”

“What would even wear that too.”

“Come on” she put the dress on the rack, and I followed her into the intments section.

“Vero” i said “no”

“Why not?”

“Because no because just no”

“Girls, you got curves, show them off.”

“I… I can not. I'm too big for that.”

“Stop something like this” she held up a red lace piece, that was so pretty.

“It's classy, but sexy right in the middle.” she said, i bit my lip, and touched it. Next I know the lady was wrapping it up for me.

“I can’t believe I got that.”

“I can” v smiled We went and got something to eat. When we were done we were walking out of the restaurant. I stopped when I saw someone that I haven’t seen in years. I felt sick to my stomach

I stared at him through a crowd of people.

"It can't be" i whispered to myself

"Britt!" Vero yelled for me. I looked at her and looked back and he was gone.

"what were you looking at?"

"Umm nothing" I shook my head.”nothing”

A week later Jessica was visiting. We were having lunch.

"Are you and Max doing okay?" i asked

"good the long distance thing is working okay, you and Sidney?"

I nodded, staring off into space.

"Brittany?"

"Huh?" I jumped “what?”

"you and Sidney?"

"oh great"

"has he moved in yet?" she asked

"what? No!" I said, she laughed.

"I thought since I was gone."

"No, not ready for that” i smiled

"I called Max, Sidney and he are going to join us."

"Okay" I mumbled

"Are you okay?" she asked

"ahhhh...yeah...no.. I think I saw him."

"who?"

"Kyle”

"what?.....Kyle"

"yeah"

"where?"

"at the mall like a week ago I don't know if it was him, but it really looked like him, and i've been freaked - "

"You saw him" I heard a voice behind me, I turned around.

"Sidney"

"You saw him, and you didn't tell me." he said, he looked hurt

"I don't know if it was him."

"you still didn't tell me"

"Sid" he shook his head, and turned around and walked out of the cafe.

"babe?" I ran after him. "Sidney" I grabbed his arm and he shrugged me off.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he turned around, raising his voice.

"i didn't want you to get worked up"

"No, Brittany you could have been hurt" he yelled at me.

"i don't know, if it was him" I yelled back

"That's not the point" he yelled, opening his car door.

"Sidney, please

he shook his head, getting into his car.” i cant talk to you right now”

"where are you going"I asked

"home”

I put my head down and felt a tear go down my cheek. I looked back at him, he closed his eyes, shook his head, opened his eyes back up, and drove off. I didn't go back to the cafe. I went to my car. I put my head to the wheel and cried. A little while later, there was a knock on the door. I wiped the tears off my face, and I looked up. It was Jessica, Max was behind her. She opened the door.

"are you okay?, what happened?"

"I'm okay, I just want to go home." i told her

"Do you want me to take you?"

"no, I'm good, thanks"

I went home and I didn't know what to do.

#sidney crosby fics #sidney crosby fanfiction #sid crosby #sidney crosby imagine #sidney crosby #fanfiction #fallin for you #fanfic

6 notes · View notes

raysofcrosby · 3 years ago

Note

PLEASE! I NEED the first chapter of that Nolan story!

here bestie <3

*this fic was originally written in first person, but i've changed it to third bc i'm slowly starting to enjoy that style more [thanks wltay lol]*

"You mean to tell me, that after complaining all day yesterday about not being able to get some kind of internship with a sports team...Burns comes out of literally nowhere and drops this news on you?" Georgia asked, stuffing another bite of her egg roll into her mouth. "It's fucking destiny."

"I'm srios," Morgan mumbled through the bite of her sweet and sour chicken. "She pulled me aside after class this morning and said, and I quote– I have a friend who works for a local sports team who asked if I knew any students who would be willing to apply for a paid internship and my first thought was you.'" She dipped another piece of chicken into her sauce and shrugged. "So I sent her my portfolio and she submitted it for me."

"Morgan, how are you not freaking out right now?" Carson gasped, almost throwing her chopsticks off towards the window. "I mean, you're just casually chewing on some chicken while talking about applying for your dream job. I'd be crying and doing my happy dance...still."

"Trust me, I cried the moment I left her office. I probably scared some freshmen waiting outside her office, but I definitely cried," She chewed on the chicken and swallowed again. "And then I realized that, hey, I might not get this job position because I'm sure hundreds of other people applied, so let's not get my hopes up just yet."

Carson slumped back into the couch and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you're such a Capricorn."

"Oh please don't get into your astrology shit now Carson," Georgia groaned and leaned over the table to grab a fried wonton. "I really don't need you to read my chart and tell me how much of a stubborn person I am, and neither does she."

Carson leaned forward and grabbed the wonton out of her hand and taking a bite, smiling at her. "Spoken like a true Taurus."

Morgan laughed and shook her head as the two of them continued to bicker. Carson, Georgia and Morgan were roommates and have been roommates for all four years they'd been attending the University of Pennsylvania. It was funny, because none of them ever imagined that they'd be living in a dorm for three people from the very beginning. But life has an interesting way of working out and leading you to the things that you'd come to need, but never knew you would.

With the way they are around each other, you'd think that they'd been friends either their entire lives or at least half of them, but the truth? Morgan and Georgia have been friends for almost eight years after meeting their freshman year at Shattuck-St. Mary's. Though she was from Georgia (ironic, right?), she chose to attend for their prestigious bioscience program, while Morgan wanted to follow the footsteps of her older siblings...minus the whole hockey part.

They didn't meet Carson until move-in day at UPENN. She was a local girl who grew up 30 minutes away from UPENN and had always dreamed of attending. Originally, Morgan and Georgia had applied to be roommates in a double, while Carson had applied for a double as well. But housing mixed up the paperwork and the three of them ended up in a triple dorm room, and they've loved every moment of it since.

Especially as upperclassmen since their triple dorm slowly turned into a three bedroom styled apartment within their last three years.

"So have you told big brother and sister yet?" Georgia asked, taking a sip of her Pepsi.

"No, not yet. I mean, there's really nothing to tell until I get an interview or at least the job."

"I know you didn't want to ask Sidney for some pull over in Pittsburgh, but think about how cool it would be if all three Crosby siblings worked for the Pens!" Carson smiled, picking up some lo mein with her chopsticks. "You three would be my only reason for liking the Pens, otherwise I would be a social pariah to my family."

"Yeah, think about it! The three Crosby siblings all working in different departments of the Penguins organization! Sidney, obviously on the hockey front. Taylor over in Marketing or Business shenanigans, and you, Morgan Crosby, a team photographer!"

Morgan shook her head and sighed. "Yeah it'd be cool, but I don't want to work with my siblings. I want to–"

"Branch off of the Crosby family tree." Georgia interrupted, standing up from the floor.

"Forge your own path to the NHL without the family influence," Carson smiled, joining her as they headed towards her on the couch. "Yeah, we know. But think about it, you guys could become the greatest NHL family dynasty to date."

"I think to fall under that category, Tay and I would actually have to play a minute in the NHL," Morgan laughed, placing her container on their small table. "And you can't just forget about the Howe's, the Hulls, the Sedin's, hell even the Tkachuk's."

"Okay yeah, they're all great and all, but you're forgetting one important thing." Georgia said, shooting a smile over at Carson.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"That you're Morgan fucking Crosby and you take bomb ass pictures of hot ass hockey players." Carson smiled as she and Georgia jumped onto the couch and tackled her. "And that we loveeeeee youuuuu!"

They all burst into a fit of laughter as she struggled to get out from beneath them. That was another thing Morgan loved about their friendship. Whenever one of them was stressed out or down about something, the other two always knew how to lighten the mood and make it all better again. Their laughter eventually settled down as they climbed off of her and dug down into their own cushions on the couch. Morgan leaned forward towards the table and grabbed the fortune cookies, tossing one to Carson and Georgia, keeping hers in her hand.

"So, what do we think the mystic fortune cookie has to say about our futures, hm?" Georgia smiled, altering her voice to go deeper as she wiggled her eyebrows up and down. "Jackpot winner? Dean's list? Perhaps an NHL boyfriend?"

"Hey!" Carson said, sticking out her bottom lip. "Don't poke fun at my childhood diary you jerk, I shouldn't have even sent you guys those pictures of it."

"Cut it out Gia," Morgan said, nudging her with her knee. "We all know that you still think you're going to marry Dansby Swanson."

"Hey," She pointed her finger at her and kept a straight face. "Don't talk about my curly headed, hometown boy like that."

"Just saying, don't crush the hopes and dreams of 8-year-old Carson finding an NHL boyfriend when your dreams of marrying an MLB player are still alive and well."

"So does this mean we get to talk about your undying love for Geno and Tanger, orrrr?" Georgia smiled, taking another drink of her Pepsi.

Morgan tossed her fortune cookie at her and glared. "No, it does not. It was 2008 and I was 11, I grew out of that, thank you."

"Ladies, ladies, let's focus and open up these fortune cookies," Carson sighed, unwrapping hers. "I've got to finish up that paper before 10 if I want a decent night of sleep."

Georgia tossed Morgan her fortune cookie back as the three of them unwrapped the and cracked them, Morgan and Carson both tossing the shell into the bag from the Chinese Take-out, while Georgia munched on hers. "On 3?" Morgan asked.

"1."

"2."

"3."

The three of them all looked at their fortunes, Georgia being the first one to toss hers down onto her lap. "This stuff is so cheesy."

"Oh what? Can't handle the truth the cookie has to offer?" Carson scoffed, leaning forward and picking up her fortune. She cleared her throat and looked at the both of us, smiling before reading the paper. "You were reading the wrong side you dingus. Your fortune says, 'Wisdom is all around you, make sure you pay attention.' I guess the fortune cookie Gods know my astrology stuff isn't shit, huh? "

"It did not!!" Georgia scoffed, leaning over me and snatching the fortune out of her hands, flipping it over and glaring at Carson. "You liar, it says 'A short stranger will enter your life with blessings to share.' I'm sorry, but does this mean I should expect Lucky the Leprechaun to walk through that door sometime soon?"

Carson just rolled her eyes and held her own fortune up. "'You will be successful in love.'" Her voice faded off as she tossed her fortune onto the table. "Well, tell that to the tub of ben and jerry's half baked sitting in our fridge waiting to be devoured."

Georgia and Morgan shared a look, both unsure what to do. Carson's High School boyfriend had broken up with her this last summer after she had found out he cheated on her with some girl in his sister Sorority. She's gotten over him thanks to summer trips to visit Morgan at home with Georgia by her side, but still, the sting was obviously still lingering. "It's decided," Georgia said, clapping her hands. "You'll be my semester project."

"I'm not being your semester project," She picked up her lo mein and sighed. "Again, may I add. Remember Tucker from the spring semester? Yeah, look how well that worked out."

"That's not very Cancer of you," Georgia teased, sighing before waving Carson off. "Okay, so we'll wander away from the frat bros. But there's no discussion, finding you a new boo is my semester project."

"Morgan, please shut her up and read us your fortune."

Morgan just laughed and shook her head, her eyes skimming over the small piece of paper. "My fortune says, 'A dream you have will come true.'"

"That's it? That's all you're gonna say?" Georgia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Morgs. That sounds like a good sign to me," She took a bite of her lo mein and chewed, swallowing soon after. "Like some good Universe vibes about that job you submitted for?"

Morgan sighed and tossed the fortune into the empty container her dinner came in. "Like I said, I'm not getting my hopes up." She stood up and picked up her trash, heading into their small kitchen and tossing it into the trash. "I'm gonna go ahead and call it a night though. I've got some reading to do."

"Literally only a little over a month into school and I'm already over it." Georgia groaned, picking up her stuff. "Schultz has us going over some old cases already and not to mention Burns with the photography stuff. It's already overwhelming."

"I hate us all for being double majors. It's totally throwing a huge dent into our college fun." Carson chimed in as the two of them joined Morgan in the kitchen. Carson reached into the fridge, bringing out her near empty bottle of moscato. "If you need me, I'll be in my room finishing this baby off and watching Grey's...again."

"And I'll be reading on cold cases." Georgia added, heading down the short hallway to her room.

"I'll be crying into my textbooks," Morgan joked, following down the hall and standing in front of her door, which was next to Georgia's. "Goodnight besties, I love you both."

"Love ya lots!" They both called out as they walked into their respective rooms, closing the doors behind them.

When Morgan got into her room, she leaned against the door and sighed. Over her last three years of college, she'd learned to pick up on some designing tips to make her room feel more like home. Her Pittsburgh Penguins decorations on the wall closest to the closet; complete with a signed picture collage of the 2009, 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup teams. On another wall, pictures of her friends and family, both from here and home. Some say it's hard to feel at home in a college dorm, but hers made me feel like she never left. And part of that reason was because of the two goofs she lives in between. Another part, is that her brother and sister both live five hours away in Pittsburgh– which is a nice substitute for the 16 hours away that their parents lived.

She made my way over to her desk and turned on the lamp, scanning her stack of books and picking back up reading where she had left off when Carson said it was time to go get dinner. They'd come up with a few traditions as roommates. Self-Care Sundays, where they indulged in chick-flicks, face masks and wine. Takeout Friday, where they get Chinese takeout for dinner. And her personal favorite, Wine Wednesdays.

Hey, you can never have too much wine, okay?

Morgan flipped her book back open to the marked page and stared at the words, trying to remember where she left off at. She sighed as her phone vibrated on the desk and the screen lit up to show she had a text. She looked over at the screen to see it was from Nathan, her friend turned boyfriend, turned ex-boyfriend just five months ago. He's from the same province as her and works out with her brother in the off-season, which is how she met him. Well, technically they met when they both attended Shattuck St. Mary's together and knew of one another then– but it wasn't until he started working out with Sidney in the summer's that they started to really get to know one another.

Yeah, it's Nathan Mackinnon.

They dated for a little over two years, kind of struggling to make it work during the school year and hockey season since he played in Colorado, but the summers were their saving grace. Until one night they sat each other down and awkwardly tried to have the same exact conversation– 'I think we're better off as friends.' Totally amicable and no hard feelings left, but she'd be lying if she said neither of them were hurt about the relationship ending. They spent a long time loving each other, so obviously there would still be some hurt. She flipped her phone over and sighed. The time read 8:30. She needed to try and get this reading done before 10 o'clock at the latest, then she could get some sleep.

❒❒❒❒

Her eyes were starting to sting from reading so much, but she only had a page left and a notebook full of notes to use later on, so she had to push forward. When she finished reading the last sentence, she leaned back into my chair and stretched, taking a deep breath only for it to turn into a yawn. She closed the book in front of her and looked over at her laptop to see that it was a little past 10. Not too shabby for a deadline, but at least she reached it. She was about to close it when she noticed a (1) on her email tab. She considered just closing her computer and checking it tomorrow, but something in the back of her mind was saying to check it now. So she clicked on the tab and her inbox popped up, showing that she had an email from a Wyatt Coleman, whoever that was.

─

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦: 𝘸𝘺𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯@𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

𝐓𝐨: 𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘣𝘺@𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯.𝘦𝘥𝘶

𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯,

𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 10 𝘈𝘔, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵! 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 11! 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬.

𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶!

𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴,

𝘞𝘺𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯

─

Morgan stared at her computer screen, completely in shock at what she had just read. She had literally just submitted her application THIS MORNING. And now, 12 hours later she was getting a reply to schedule an interview?

"HOLY FUCK!" She yelled, still in disbelief.

Before she knew it, her two best friends came barging into her room, Carson holding the empty bottle of wine and Georgia holding a heavy textbook, both of them raised as weapons. They looked around the room and Georgia sighed. "Listen, it's 10PM, you can't just scream like that."

"I got an email?"

Carson lowered her wine bottle. "I get a little frustrated at the spam of emails Penn sends me too, but I don't scream about them."

"No, I got the email," Morgan turned her laptop towards them and waved at it. "The internship email. They want to schedule and interview on Sunday...with me."

They both came closer and leaned over to her laptop, their eyes reading the screen. Georgia was the first one to break into a smile, Carson falling closer behind her. "I told you they'd want you, you immensely talented human, you." Carson squealed, leaning over Georgia and wrapping her in a hug.

"I guess it's true, being ridiculously talented is in the damn Crosby genes." Georgia laughed, joining in on the hug. "You are going to email him back, right?"

"Um, duh! Just as soon as you two leave my room. Then I'll shoot a text back to Nathan and then Sid and Taylor."

The two of them pulled away and shared a look. "Nathan, huh?"

"Oh piss off and leave my room." Morgan waved, clicking reply onto the email and typing up a formal reply. "Night losers."

They shut the door just as she finished typing up her reply, reading over it and finally pressing send. She let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding and smiled. "Hell yeah."

#anon #answered #end game fic

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