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wonryllis · 3 months ago

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✶ I'LL WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE 、park sunghoon.

( now playing ) i don't wanna live forever : i just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home.

FEATURING 𑁍 。 neighbour!sunghoon in the quiet beach town you moved to spend the summer before your residency starts. away from the pressure of the fast moving world, you find peace in his cliche little adventures and unaccounted flirting. loosely based off the movie 'float'. ( archive? )

GENRE & WARNINGS 𑁍 。 "he's super hot, so why not" trope, suggestive! making out kinda pg filtered, fluff, slight angst but ultimately a happy ending. WORDCOUNT — 2200 dot.

╱╱ NIE NOTES, strongly recommend listening to the song!! draft from march >< i hope y'all enjoy it!! & if you do please leave comments & feedbacks it keeps me going! & lastly please reblog!!

SUNGHOON WONDERS IF YOU WERE DESTINED TO FIND HIM IN THAT LITTLE ISLAND HIDDEN AWAY FROM THE WORLD.

"just jump baby, i'll catch you," sunghoon reassures you for the umpteenth time, extending his hands out as he convinces you to jump from your balcony to his. there's hardly much space inbetween yet you're scared, you've never done this before. and you've never felt this way before.

fear and feelings spinning in the air it's like a coming of age movie, a step into adulthood, a plethora of things you have never experienced and a guy you have grown the hots for, to spice it all up.

"trust me, i won't let you fall," his voice is soft and encouraging, albeit a little flirty.

you could walk up to his door at three in the morning and it wouldn't be a problem. no longer teenagers having secret rendezvous, but sunghoon insists on it being this way— because it's fun, because you are here to have fun, and because he's promised to be the one to bring you fun.

the town of st george was quiet, peaceful and mellow, more welcoming than the bustling streets of toronto where the life of your dreams awaited you. every breeze carried the smell of the ocean, tingling your scent glands with each breath you took. it was refreshing and cozy, it felt more home than your home had ever felt. like a calling of the unknown, it felt right to be there, like everything you had ever needed. a break from med school, and a hot neighbour right beside, your balconies barely you two feet away.

since you first arrived at the town, unsure of your decision to ditch your routine life and the prestigious summer internship, every moment felt like a battle against your morals. but when you looked out the window of your aunt's spare room, gazing over the tiny houses and backyards filled with so many stories, spending a few days without a plan seemed a tad bit more tempting than having to brood over the fact that you weren't supposed to be there.

park sunghoon was one of the first people you noticed there. dressed in a tank top, engine oil smeared all over as he fixed his car, in the rusty backyard you could see from the bedroom window. sweaty and sexy, buff and messily pretty, he looked young: made you wonder of his reasons to stay in a town where the average age had to have been at least forty. filled with people who sought refuge and people who looked for solitude, it was not a place for someone with big aspirations and dreams.

someone much like you.

"see it wasn't that hard," sunghoon whispers, arms holding you against him as you carefully place your feet onto his marbled balcony floor, cozy little plants adorning the corners.

he smiles at you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and carressing your cheeks tenderly. you recall the time you were in the pool together, him teaching you how to swim, holding your hands as you paddled for the first time after an entire month of floating and kicking your feet by the side lessons.

feeling the water splash against your skin, feeling his own skin against yours and feeling your breaths mingle into one another as you made out right after. see it wasn't that hard, his words grazing against your lips.

it felt surreal. like you were doing the right thing. like you were right where you were meant to be.

the little bouts of uneasiness of constantly lying to your parents about your whereabouts and your intership, slowly seemed to slip away everytime you were with him.

you never realized how beautiful life was, how beautiful it was to just be happy and do what you feel like in the moment. and being with him taught you just that. he gave you courage to do what you wanted, the courage to face your troubles and the courage to find what made you happy.

“do you wanna go downstairs? i’ll make us lunch—”

“i just really wanna kiss you right now,” sunghoon's words die down in his throat when you throw your hands around his neck, looping them as you get on your tippy toes to press your lips into his.

the arms around your waist tighten and he immediately reciprocates the kiss, moving his lips against yours, slowly at first. savoring the taste of mangoes you just had together less than an hour ago. lazy licks and prolonged nibbles.

you body pushes foward against his, hands moving to the back of your thighs to pull you onto him as his knees hit the edge of his bed. kiss breaking for a split moment when you plop down on the mattress. foreheads touching and gasping for a long breath before diving right back into the kiss.

this time one of his hands grip the back of your head forcing you closer while your hands busy themselves in pushing under his shirt. gliding from his abs to his chest and then attempting to pull it off of him.

“shit baby, my sister's just downstairs—” sunghoon groans, pulling away in a haste to look into your eyes, feeling crazed at the way you seem to crave him. your warm skin brushing against him, the heat radiating through the pants. body pressing into him in all the right ways— wrong ways considering the situation.

“just a little longer please,” you reach forward, grabbing his face and mumbling against his lips before kissing him again. it is like a new found addiction, like a sparkle in a barren dystopia: intense, morish and the grief of having to leave it all behind. despite the obvious desire rolling off your tongue into his, sunghoon can feel the desperation of the situation where time in your hands stands limited.

where love stands limited and where life, stands apart.

goals ingrained in a space between choices that stand at odds, clashing against everything you have ever known, everything you have ever wanted to know.

there's a longing in the kiss you both are hesitant to address, the inevitable waiting for you at the end of the summer. “you are irresistible,” he pants into your mouth, fingers tracing shapes and squeezing the flesh of your thighs. pausing for a brief second and then leaning back in to press a couple more kisses. eyes closed, holding you in a tight hug after. one that sends your heartbeat to him and his to yours like a sync of feelings deep within your souls.

his thumb comes up to skim against your swollen lips as he mumbles,”i wish we met sooner,” biting the inside of his cheek at thought of you no longer being here by the end of the week. it is gonna be one hell of a hell to get back to a life without you. and as selfish as he wants to be, hoping to convince you to stay, sunghoon knows it is not right.

because unlike him, there is a whole different world waiting for you, outside this little island.

“me too.” the chirping of the birds reaches your ears, echoing in the silence of the room, piercing through the barely audible breathing. something that should only seem to calm you but now that you think of it, every place you would hear it, the sound of sunghoon's raspy voice wishing to have met you sooner would ring at the back of your mind.

from meeting the chickens he raised in his backyard to the story of his unavoidable choice to stay. from his lifeguard job at the beach to his early morning swimming lessons at the resident school pool. from helping him clean his old second hand car to kisses in his bedroom after a swim lesson. your summer was filled with things you never imagined to have experienced. a summer filled with genuine feelings. a place filled with happy memories.

a collision of paths so utterly different from one another, a fate weaved to happen: perhaps you and sunghoon were set to walk together, alongside, hand in hand. but perhaps it was just not the time yet.

there were things you wanted to achieve and places you wanted to be at. for now you would only wait with the hope of meeting him next summer.

“i'll come back, next summer,” you whisper, eyes locked with his, the sunlight from the balcony shining against his brown orbs,”i'll wait for you,” he smiles, holding you tighter.

YOU WONDER IF SUNGHOON WAS DESTINED TO MAKE YOU LOVE THIS LIFE, AWAY FROM YOUR PICTURE PERFECT ONE.

“yellow looks beautiful on you,” you are startled by the brush of sunghoon's lips against your earlobe, feeling his breath graze past your cheeks as he mutters, tone soft yet flirty.

you turn around to face him in a giggle, flustered still, even after all the flirting you went through all along summer. your eyes casting down to look at the flowy swimsuit hugging your body, embarrassment and confidence both tug at your heart.

“and the wet look, suits you,” a teasing gaze moves to scan him, arching your brows as you take in the exposed arms,”so well,” he is dressed in his usual tank top and shorts, albeit wet from what you assume, probably one of his lifeguard saves. skin tanned and shining, water dripping down his hair while he looks at you with squinted eyes..a hypnotic look that holds you back from breaking the eye contact.

“can’t believe you are in front of me right now,” he breathes out, taking a step closer in the sand, chest almost touching yours.

“can't believe it either. it's been a year,” your words tune out in a whisper, like a breeze along the shore, one that held so many hopes.

sunghoon's leans forward, his forehead resting against yours as he a mumbles a barely audible ‘yeah’. hands hesitantly coming up to hold your waist and then looping around in a firm grip.

yellow.

sunghoon spent the entire year looking longingly at all the yellows, yearning to catch a glimpse of you in every corner of the town you had been with him. watching the leaves fall in your aunt’s backyard while stealing glimpses at the window you used to stare at him through. the mango trees right across the road, reminding him of the taste of you, lingering at the back of his throat.

it was hard when everywhere he went he could only picture you by his side. it feels unreal to have you in his arms now, to think that once again, summer had come, and with it, it brought you.

perhaps it is love, that makes him crave you. he ponders, watching the sparkles of summer sun in your pretty and addicting eyes. wondering how he was able to survive a year without looking into them and feeling like you'll suck him in. no he has fallen in love, he concludes.

“you came to watch me flex my muscles, didn't you?” sunghoon asks, playing with the ends of your dyed hair, that looked shorter than he remembered. a sly smirk spreading across his lips, before he ducks down to nuzzle into your neck, leaving little open mouthed kisses against your exposed skin.

“you know i love it,” you tease, breath getting heavier and as his kisses get harsher.

“oh yeah? let's see if you actually know how to swim or you were just oogling me last summer,” your beach bag drops to the sand as sunghoon's arms hook behind your knees and he hauls you up in the air, throwing your body over his shoulder as he runs for the water.

tackling you into the waves, twirling you around and kisses along your face. so many unsaid words growing into emotions. squeals and giggles. a moment where you are in the moment, a moment where you are in love.

the bustling city of toronto housed the future you worked hard for, it kept you busy, it kept you passionate. your big aspirations and dreams, everything you had ever wanted, it held them all. you thought maybe, once you return to the life you knew, you'd eventually forget about this silly little island, and your silly little summer fling. you'd move on and chase the goals that had always defined you.

however, it seemed you failed to realize, that perhaps this was not what you wanted but what you needed and it did not have to define you. it could just be that: a silly little place that made you happy.

the town of st geroge was not a place for someone with big aspirations and dreams, someone much like you. but someone much like you was capable of falling in love with a place like that; and you did. you fell in love with that place. and you fell in love with park sunghoon.

TAGLIST ( open ) @kangseulgithegreat @s00buwu @lilyuwon @pockyyasii @nctislifue @ashtxrie @miniature-tragedy @jayujus @brachives @thoughtsmeander2tumblingblindly @nxzz-skz @shawnyle @potato0579 @enhastolemyheart @ro-diaries @aaa-sia @enhabooks @criminalyun @oddracha @seochangbinnnnnnnnnnn @jayjw16enxp

#enhypen imagines #SUMMER FLING WITH HOT LIFEGUARD SUNGHOON >< lets gaur!#enhypen drabbles #enhypen scenarios #enhypen smut #enhypen sunghoon imagines #enhypen sunghoon smut #enhypen sunghoon drabbles #enha imagines #enha drabbles #enhypen reactions #enhypen angst

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nekovmancer · 5 months ago

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Hello, I was wondering if you could make zenyatta and ramattra with Cyborg!Reader like genji, but their body glows if they have too much energy.

overwatch headcanons: cyborg!reader with Ramattra and Zenyatta

warnings: mentions of violence, trauma and such, a bit platonic and… ye, pretty much fine, nothing graphic

a/n: my love for Zen is 100% dear and platonic yet- well, you guys know. RAMATTRA!!!

will do them separately in the present game timeline and then together back in the monastery and… it’s past midnight here, my eyelids are heavy, but there’s no sleep in between me and writing fanfiction so, sowy for the mistakes ahead, I will correct them tomorrow!! anxiety kept me awake and obligated me to post as soon as I’ve finished, you know

btw!! thanks for requesting. I love to write it and I hope you also enjoy. (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

OPEN FOR HEADCANON REQUESTS! Send yours here, but read rules first

Ramattra

A Ravager was responsible for your body’s destruction, so it’s only natural you’re shaking on its presence

Back when it happened, omnics were still under Anubis’ control, so it’s not like you blame him or any other R-7000 for their doings

Still, you got these chills running down your spine now that you stand face to face to Null Sector’s infamous leader

But the thrill is even stronger when he proves all your believes to be wrong, being to one to extend a helping hand to prevent your body to overheat

As Genji, your parts were substituted with cybernetics: flesh, muscle and metal bounding into one thing to keep your alive

Though, you weren’t lucky to be shaped by doctor Ziegler’s careful hands, which lead to several problems, including the overheating itself, caused by your frenetic running while trying to escape Toronto during the Invasion

Ramattra saw you and couldn’t help but be… fascinated

You were not an omnic, so his helmets were useless, still you’re shaped in metal, no sight of skin showing. A human, without humanity’s resemblance

He caught your heartbeats, their rhythm more and more violent, growing exponentially as the glow from your cybernetics, a flashing red of warning

He’s so intrigued he founds himself kneeling in front of you, one hand reaching out while you press your back to the wall behind you; no way to run out of this

“Hush now. If I was to hurt you, why the ceremony?”

His words had logic, true, but fear was devouring you

The last time you were this close to a Ravager was the last time you still had much of your organic body parts

“I may be of help, if you let me”

What choice did you have anyway? If he didn’t kill you, your body would do the job alone

Ramattra escorts you to safety, and ironically it means the very ships vomiting killing robots a while ago

You stay in his workshop as it takes little time for him to figure out how to cool down your body, and the glow is long gone by the time he’s done

“Not an omnic, yet not fully human… where do you find a place for one as yourself in this doomed world?”

Here’s the thing: you don’t

That’s why you accept his offer to stay, despite all of your fears

In the end, the hands who once destroyed you were the same who saved you from death

Zenyatta

Omnics and humans coexisting peacefully was a metaphor to your own state: both human and machine sharing the same body, trying to not repel one another

A heart of flesh habitating a chest of metal, you tiptoed the lines between the two worlds, but you didn’t felt as part of any of them

Still, you find solace in the words of a monk by the name of Mondatta. He spoke of hope and understandment, of peace above the conflict. Without even knowing, he brought balance to your turmoil; past and present

But hope was a dangerous thing for the ones like you, if there was anyone else sharing the burden of a dreadful existence as yours

And you’re quick out of reasons since Mondatta’s death

You weren’t welcome among the omnics, and humans saw you as a freak. Any chance of normality was eradicated

As a last act of faith, you did Aurora’s peregrination to Shambali. You didn’t know what to expect, but surely the villagers near the monastery left a very bad impression

Along with the exhaustion, you entered the sacred halls with your cybernetics glowing red, a flash of the eminent chaos that would erupt if you’re not stabilized quickly enough

A monk comes to your aid, and by staring at his faceplate alone you can feel something different stirring within you. A long lost calmness tossing your circuits errors aside

You wouldn’t forget his name not even in a million lifetimes: Zenyatta, the one who offered you a place to rest after your journey, and the very first to be interest in you

His genuine interest, plus the care, was touching. No one ever did anything similar to you, not after Talon decided you could still be a soldier even without most of your body

Which led to you running away, not soon enough to prevent Doctor O'Deorain from damaging your body though. Another monster carefully constructed to be Talon’s pawn, no matter how much pain came from it

But you’ve already paid the price for your mistakes, and one thing is for sure: you’re no monster

Among the monks, you could feel that familiar peaceful feeling lingering under your skin, resonating through the circuits of your cybernetics

For once, you did not felt cast aside, most thankful to Tekhartha Zenyatta

His harmony orbs helped to regain a balance you thought to be long lost, and not only: the chaos within you, something you tried to ignore, was embraced as it should be also cherished

“No living being is completely pure, nor completely evil. We’re both our strengths and flaws: to deny one existence in detriment of other is to deny yourself.”

Even the worst of you was forgiven; by him first, and you last. Where you felt shame for your wrongdoings, Zenyatta pathed a lesson that erased your doubts

Through meditation, you found not only peace with your inner self, but with the world surrounding you

The balance of energy through your body presented you with a new glowing: not the crimson red of tiredness and rage, but a warm yellow that irradiates warm as a small sun; the energy of the Iris found you

“My dear friend, I bathe in the light of your soul. May it keep us sheltered during the dark times ahead of us.”

Ramattra & Zenyatta

When the brothers found you, they first thought you were an omnic

Judging by the people screaming around you, tossing stones, displaying the worst of their violence and, of course, the fact your whole constitution was pure metal

It’s only when they take you to the monastery that they knowledge the other side of your face, the one that’s still flesh

No questions were asked, but none of them are naive. Being a cyborg meant something, and this something tiptoed around the lines of violence

And despite it all, cyborgs are quite rare. Especially ones glowing as you did, with your joints pulsating with energy

It was easy to distinguish your humor by the light radiating from your body: usually soft, it could be oversaturated when your humor reached peaks, transiting through a rainbow of colors depending on what you had in your mind

At first, a light tone of red flashed whenever they approached. Despite being your saviors, you still felt a bit of distrustfulness towards them

Humans saw you as an aberration, and you did not have too much time with sentient omnics to put their behavior to test. Not that you felt inclined to do so. To deal with humanity’s rejection was enough

Zenyatta was patient, but Ramattra… no metal in this world could undo the fact you were a human. And he also had his share with humanity to know how incredible terrible they can be

That’s why, maybe, it’s easy for you to approach him

Ramattra resented humanity, despite his best efforts to find harmony through his want for peace and his desire for revenge. Not that you had the guts to do anything but lament over your own dismay, but… you could relate

Zenyatta, on the other hand, touched your deepest cravings for being a better person, standing above those who abused you. You did not wished for violence, despite your rage: to be comprehended was your key

And both of them did it, in their own way

Through your days in Shambali, you felt part of their brotherhood. Not exactly as such, but… cherished. Each of them bonded with you in their own unique way, understanding your pains, your dreams, your wants. Piece by piece, the three of you found a way together

Now, whenever you meditate with Ramattra, concentrating the energy flow in your body, a glowing purple flashed through your cybernetics. But with Zenyatta, a deep golden color showed itself

And that’s why you could never choose. Your love for them was measured equally: if cut in half, one part would still be of Ramattra, and the other would belong to Zenyatta

So when Ramattra leaves from Shambali, and both you and Zenyatta decline his offer to follow his path off the Monastery, there’s no way from you in the opposites side, but through the middle-term

You still dream of the day you three will meet again. For the good or for the bad, you missed them for a lifetime, and to be separated brings up this feeling all over again

Now, whenever you concentrate your energy, it’s grayish: devoid of color, deepness and light

#overwatch 2 #overwatch headcanons #overwatch x reader #ramattra #ramattra x reader #zenyatta #zenyatta x reader

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bitchinbarzal · 7 months ago

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Hell is a dance floor | F Minten

summary: his rookie summer was filled with you. loving you, being loved by you. when he left you didn’t follow and when he came back, you moved on.

Nick had noticed Fraser staring across the bar, mouth slightly dropped as he took in your figure dancing across the room, dancing with your friend.

Fraser’s heart soared when you made eye contact, a smile appearing on both your faces.

Nick pushed him to go speak to you, to get your number.

That’s how the summer of his Rookie year started and ended. With you.

The two of you were in the peak of any honeymoon phase, nobody could break your love bubble.

Neither of you had fallen this hard before, it was confusing, it was scary but overall it was warm, it was home.

He made you feel safe.

Fraser had rented an apartment for the duration of camp only and when he told you he was looking to extend it and stay to be with you, you jumped the gun telling him to move into your apartment for the summer.

You woke in the morning to coffee on the bedside table and sweet notes on the bathroom mirror.

Laying in bed one night, both staring out at the Toronto city night life as he drew shapes into your back with his pointer finger, he said

“You know what heaven feels like?”

“This” you mumbled “This is what I imagine it feels like”

He was a dream.

This was a dream.

Then you woke up.

Toronto didn’t offer him his entry level contract and he headed back to Saskatoon, too far from Toronto.

In a heated moment he asked you to go with him, to which you laughed and told him your life was in Toronto. You could follow him to the middle of nowhere for nothing.

He got quite annoyed, insisting that it wasn’t nothing. This wasn’t nothing.

You fought, you cried and finally finished it with

“It’s been a nice summer, Fras but I don’t think this was made to work”

He went back to Saskatchewan, heartbroken and wondering if he did the right thing.

A year later, they called him, offering his contract. All he could think about was you.

Nick had noticed Fraser staring across the bar, mouth slightly dropped as he took in your figure dancing across the room, back pressed up against some guy.

Fraser’s heart dropped when you made eye contact, his heart physically breaking inside his chest when he saw.

You stepped away from the guy for a moment, you didn’t even know his name. The rest of your night was ruined, those stupid glasses of his clouding your thoughts.

You just went home, unable to continue having fun with Fraser so close and clouding your mind.

As soon as you switched on your living room light the phone rang, startling you.

You picked it up, assuming it was your mom as she has a habit of calling your landline.

“Hey mom-“

“Do you know what hell feels like?” His voice cut you off, a lump forming in your throat. You hadn’t heard it in so long.

“What?”

“I used to think hell was the feeling I got when I woke up every morning wondering why you weren’t by my side or wondering if I should’ve stayed, said no to the blades” he rambles.

“Fras…” you mumble “don’t do this”

“Hell is this” he says, you furrow your brows “Hell is watching you dance with him tonight, watching him fall for you like I did. He can’t love you like I did”

You sigh, dropping your clutch on the island “I don’t even know him, Fraser stop this you’re just hurting both of us”

“I think I heard my heart break tonight y/n”

Tears are gathering in your eyes at the crack in his voice “Fraser, don’t do this to me”

The line goes silent before the says “We had heaven and hell, why couldn’t we find a middle ground? I wanted to be with you”

You shake your head and sob softly “We love too deep to find a middle ground”

“ I guess you’re right” he hums “I love you, always”

You begin to cry again softly, silence between you both

“Fras?” You mumbled, slipping your heels off.

“Hmmh?” He hummed

“How did you know I’d be home to pick up the landline?”

There’s a brief pause on the other end of the phone and he replies

“Don’t walk home alone after drinking baby, turn off the light. Goodnight” and the line went silent.

You gasp lightly, treading through the apartment to your balcony, peering over to see his figure retreating in the other direction.

Walking away again. This was hell.

#fraser minten imagine #fraser minten x reader #nhl imagine

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daeniradraconis · 1 month ago

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The Game We Play - C2.

Author’s Note:

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who’s interacted with my story—liked, commented, or just read along. I appreciate every single one of you!Now, warning… I may or may not have a few more stories in the works with different players and characters. I’ve got a ton of ideas floating around, and after I finish Willy and Odette’s story, I’m definitely planning to build a whole series. Stay tuned for more drama and hockey!I hope you all had an amazing holiday! But if it was more "family drama" than "festive cheer," don’t worry, you're not alone. Good luck with the recovery process—I believe in you. 😅As for the tension between Odette and William, it’s definitely building (slow burn vibes, right?), but get ready for some major plot twists in the next chapter. I may have had a little too much wine during Christmas dinner when I came up with the idea... but honestly? I loved it so much, I just had to include it. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did when I had that slightly tipsy moment of brilliance. 😂

Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy this next part of the story! Make sure to check out Chapter 1 first before diving into this one.

Odette's fingers trembled as she rubbed a small lavender sachet between her palms, the calming scent rising to meet her nose. Lavender had always been her anchor. Her grandmother had sworn by herbs and home remedies, and Odette had inherited that belief. Lavender, chamomile, peppermint, sage—these simple, natural remedies were her lifelines in moments of stress. Quinn used to call her “cuckoo bananas” for it, but she didn’t mind. She swore by it. These things worked.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, tipping her head back against the seat of her old Volvo. The lavender did little to calm the jittery energy buzzing inside her. Her mind raced as she parked outside the Ford Performance Centre.

She ran a hand through her wild blonde hair, the curls sticking out at every angle—a clear sign that she hadn’t had time for her usual morning routine. Luc, her mischievous dog, had managed to tear apart two pillows during the night, leaving a feathery mess in the living room. Not exactly the ideal start to her first day on a new job.

Focus, Odette reminded herself. You’ve done this before. You can handle this.

Grabbing her bag, she slipped the sachet back inside and stepped out into the cold, sharp Toronto air, which bit at her cheeks. Her boots crunched against the frost-covered gravel as she headed toward the entrance. She adjusted her scarf, trying to shake off the nervous energy, and stepped inside.

The lobby buzzed with activity. People rushed in all directions, clipboards and laptops in hand, huddled in small groups or walking briskly toward the elevators. The sound of footsteps on the polished floor echoed, and despite the professional atmosphere, there was a palpable sense of urgency—a buzz of productivity and ambition.

“Odette Beaumont?”

The voice cut through her thoughts, and she turned to see a woman standing in front of her. She had long, dark blonde hair and an effortlessly stylish outfit—flared pants, an oversized cardigan, and big golden earrings that caught the light. The boho-chic look seemed mismatched in a way that worked. She looked about Odette’s age, and her warm smile made Odette feel instantly at ease as she extended her hand.

“Hi, I’m Rebecca,” she said, her voice soft and deep, a surprising contrast to her cheerful appearance. “Social media. Mandy asked me to show you around since she’s tied up with meetings.”

Odette shook her hand, feeling an unexpected warmth from Rebecca’s touch. “Thanks. This is... a lot.”

Rebecca grinned. “Tell me about it. First days are always overwhelming. I’ll keep it easy, though. Don’t worry about it.”

Odette chuckled. “I could use a bit of ‘easy’ today.”

Rebecca’s smile softened in understanding. “I’ve been there.” She motioned for Odette to follow. “Come on, I’ll give you the quick tour.”

The tour was a blur of new faces and names, constant movement. There was Tom, the scruffy guy who clearly didn’t care much about appearances but had a quick wit. When Odette asked how long he had been with the team, he scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.

“Not long,” he said with a wink. “I’m mostly here for comic relief.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s a great writer. The sarcasm just happens to be top-notch.”

As Rebecca led Odette through the office, introducing her to various team members, they passed the marketing team’s desks. Odette’s gaze landed on a woman with sleek black hair, pale skin, and delicate features that made her look almost ethereal. She was striking—like Snow White come to life—but her icy demeanor matched her appearance. When the woman’s eyes flicked over to Odette, it was a cold, disapproving glance that sent a chill down her spine. With a flick of her gaze, she returned to her work, lips curling into a faint frown. The brief interaction left a cool tension in the air, her icy stare lingering long after they’d passed.

Rebecca gave a soft knock on Mandy’s office door before guiding Odette inside.

Mandy’s presence was magnetic—she commanded attention effortlessly. Dark curls framed her face, and her bright brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. She immediately pulled Odette into a warm hug, squeezing her tight before releasing her with a beaming smile.

“We’re so excited to have you with us,” Mandy said, her smile wide and genuine. “Let’s get you all settled today, and then we’ll sit down later this week to go over everything in detail.”

“That sounds perfect,” Odette said, finally feeling a bit of the tension in her chest ease.

The afternoon passed in a blur of introductions, trying to get a feel for the new space. By lunchtime, Odette found herself in the cafeteria, eyeing the menu. A protein-packed dessert was the most appealing option, so she piled it onto her tray and reluctantly grabbed a small serving of greens—more for balance than anything else.

As she made her way to the seating area, her phone buzzed. It was Quinn. She slid into an empty seat by the window, answering, eager to hear his calming voice.

“Quinn! I’m surviving, but barely,” she said, letting out a dramatic sigh.

“You’re a tough cookie, Odie,” Quinn replied, his voice soothing. “Just breathe. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Sure,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “That’s what everyone says. I need caffeine to survive this day... and maybe a little tequila later to celebrate.”

“Tequila? Really?” Quinn’s voice was incredulous. “You’ve got to keep it clean. No more sugary stuff. Your body’s a temple, remember?”

Odette snorted. “Your temple diet doesn’t work for me, Quinn. I need my sugar. Besides, you wouldn’t understand. It’s like you live on air and protein powder.”

“Well, protein powder does wonders,” he teased. “But seriously, how’s the first day? How are the people?”

“Let’s just say I’ve already been side-eyed by someone who looks like the reincarnation of Snow White. And there’s a guy who thinks he’s a comedian,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Should be fun, right?”

“You’ll be fine. Just take it easy, Odie.”

Odette was about to say something more when she noticed a group of players entering the cafeteria. William Nylander led the way, with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner following closely behind. Odette’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes locked with William’s. His gaze widened in surprise, clearly not expecting to see her here. The heat in her chest surged as their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

William froze, then quickly glanced back at Auston and Mitch, muttering something under his breath. His teammates exchanged confused glances before returning their attention to him. Odette took a moment to study them, noting the subtle dynamic between the three. William, tall and confident, walked with an easy, assured stride, almost like a leader. Auston, with his more laid-back presence, followed a step behind but was still very much part of the group. Mitch, as usual, was the one to stir the pot, his grin wide and mischievous.

A beat passed, and then, almost as if on cue, the three of them made their way over to Odette’s table, William leading the charge.

She tried to calm the flutter in her stomach, but it was difficult to ignore the growing tension. She continued her conversation with Quinn, but Mitch’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Quinn Hughes?” Mitch asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at her phone. “Is that who you’re talking to?” he asked, catching the tail end of her conversation with Quinn.

Odette scrambled to end the call before they reached her, fumbling as she tried to say goodbye. Her fingers felt clumsy as she struggled to hang up.

Before she could manage, Mitch reached over, snatching the phone out of her hand with a grin. “Hey, Quinn. How’s it going?” he said, holding the phone up like a trophy. “Ohh, boring. You guys just voice-called each other? What, no video? What a bunch of boomers.”

Odette quickly snatched the phone back, cheeks burning. “Bye, Quinn. I’ll talk to you later,” she muttered, hastily ending the call before Mitch could tease her more. Quinn’s laughter echoed in the background as she cut the connection.

William’s voice was low and smooth, his gaze fixed on her with a playful, almost predatory glint. “Well, well, Odette. What are you doing here?” His tone was light, but there was a subtle undercurrent to it that made her heart skip again.

Odette's pulse quickened, her breath catching in her throat for just a second. “Hello, William. I didn’t think I’d see you today.”

Auston and Mitch exchanged surprised glances. “Wait, you two know each other?” Auston asked, his curiosity piqued. Mitch leaned in, raising an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across his face.

Odette gave a casual shrug, trying to stay cool but feeling her cheeks flush. “Yeah, William helped me track down my dog when he decided to run off a few days ago. We’re neighbors.” She turned to William with a teasing smile. “Though, it’s been a little while since... well, we last saw each other.”

William’s grin deepened, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yeah, about five days. But who’s counting?” His voice dropped just a little, as if the space between them had shrunk. “Didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you to the Ford Performance Centre?”

Odette shrugged, doing her best to act nonchalant. “Starting a new gig. Mandy asked me to come in today. I’m the new team photographer.”

Auston’s interest piqued. “Oh, so you’re working with us now? That’s pretty cool. Didn’t realize they were hiring a photographer.”

“Yep,” Odette replied with a grin. “Guess I’m officially part of the behind-the-scenes crew now.”

Mitch gave her a thumbs-up, clearly amused. “Nice! We need someone to keep track of all our shenanigans.”

William’s grin didn’t falter, but his voice had a playful edge. “No pressure, huh? Just don’t mess up those photos of us.”

Odette took a bite of her protein dessert, trying to keep it together. “No promises, but I’ll do my best. I’m here to make you guys look good in those photos.”

William’s smile shifted, clearly enjoying the banter. “You say that like I’m the problem,” he teased, leaning in slightly closer. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make us look like superstars.”

Odette raised an eyebrow. “I’ll try my best, but no promises. I’m just here to make sure you don’t look too ridiculous.”

Auston chuckled. “Probably for the best. Some of us need all the help we can get.” He nudged Mitch, who pretended to be offended but couldn’t stop grinning.

Odette laughed. “You guys are a mess, huh?”

Mitch’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “You have no idea. But that’s why we need someone like you around. We’ll keep you on your toes.”

William, who had been watching her closely, shifted in his seat. There was something about the way he looked at her, like he was trying to read her—maybe even a little too closely. It made Odette squirm, but not in a bad way. There was a certain intensity in his gaze that made her wonder if he was more than just the easygoing player he appeared to be.

“How’s the transition been?” William asked, his voice softer now, but still carrying that smooth, almost teasing quality. “From ‘just a dog owner’ to working with a bunch of hockey players?”

Odette raised an eyebrow. “It’s been interesting so far. But I think I can handle a few hockey players. I’ve worked with Formula 1 drivers before, and I survived that. You guys are just people, right?”

Auston grinned. “That’s what they all think. Wait until you get to know us. We’ve got... quirks.”

“And we’re way cooler than those drivers,” Mitch added with a grin. “But, uh, don’t mention that to Lando.” He quickly regretted it, realizing he’d said too much.

Odette smiled at Mitch’s sudden nervous shift. She could see why Mitch and Lando were probably good friends—both were a menace to society, in the best possible way.

“Quirks, huh?” Odette said with a quiet laugh. “Not sure whether to be excited or terrified.”

William’s smile softened as his gaze lingered on her, his tone suddenly more sincere. “You’ll be fine. We’re not as bad as you think. Though we’ve got a couple of guys who might make you rethink that.”

Mitch winked. “One of them lives off protein bars and weird smoothies. Don’t ask how he does it.”

Auston joined in. “And there’s the guy who eats the same thing every day. He’s either dedicated or insane.”

Odette’s eyes flicked to Mitch, noticing the glance he exchanged with Auston. These guys weren’t as good at hiding their intentions as they thought. She grinned.

“Well, as long as no one’s eating raw fish at 10 a.m., I think I’ll survive,” she joked.

William raised an eyebrow, the playful grin on his face turning more mischievous. “Oh, don’t tempt us. You’ll see for yourself soon enough. But hey, now that you’re part of the crew, you’ll probably get invited to the next team lunch. Full experience.”

Odette’s eyebrows shot up. “Team lunch?”

Mitch grinned. “Oh yeah. Team bonding. Once a month. But fair warning—it usually ends with a heated debate over the best pizza topping.”

William leaned in just a little closer, and for a moment, the air around them seemed to crackle with something unspoken. His cologne—cedarwood and mahogany—wrapped around her senses, and she almost forgot how to breathe. He wasn’t just close; he was intentional.

“You should come,” he said, his voice low and inviting. “It’s a blast. Just be ready for some strong opinions on food.”

Odette smiled, trying to keep her composure despite the warmth spreading through her. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that. But just so we’re clear, I will die on the ‘Hawaiian pizza’ hill. And I’ll bring my own snacks, just in case.”

Auston nodded. “Smart move.” Meanwhile, both William and Mitch made faces of disgust.

Mitch grinned. “We’ll see if we can convince you to abandon that opinion. Give it a few weeks.”

Odette laughed, but then the atmosphere shifted again. She felt William’s gaze on her, more intense than before, as if he were studying her a little too closely. The thought lingered in her mind as the conversation continued, but she couldn’t quite figure out if she liked or disliked the feeling. There was something about William Nylander that made her wonder if there was more to him than just a hockey player. //// One week later, Odette adjusted her new Sony camera, testing the focus on the players gliding across the rink. The sharp click of the shutter blended with the dull hum of skates slicing the ice and the occasional barked instruction from the coach. It had been a week since practice and the chaos with Mitch, and the team dynamics were settling into something more familiar to Odette. She was seated on a folding chair next to Rebecca, whose casual commentary was quickly becoming one of Odette's favorite parts of the day.

“This lens is a dream,” Odette murmured, snapping a candid shot of a player mid-pass.

Rebecca chuckled, leaning back in her seat. “Wait until the guys start noticing you taking pictures. Mitch will probably start posing like a Vogue model.”

Odette snorted, adjusting the settings on her camera. “Sounds like fun. Do I get to charge extra for dealing with that kind of chaos?”

Rebecca tilted her head, a sly grin on her face. “Oh, trust me, if you survive Mitch, you’ll survive anything. The guy’s a human golden retriever with ADHD.”

Odette lowered the camera for a moment, laughing. “I can see that. What about you, though? How’d you end up in all this?”

Rebecca shrugged, resting her elbows on her knees. “Oh, the usual. Grew up in Toronto, played hockey as a kid, loved it but was... let’s say, aggressively mediocre. Eventually figured if I couldn’t be on the ice, I’d work around it. Social media came naturally, and here I am. How about you?”

“Well,” Odette began, “I’ve known Quinn Hughes for a while now—met him during an art event. We kept in touch, and when I mentioned I was looking for a new challenge, he made a few calls. One thing led to another, and here I am.”

Rebecca froze for a second, her expression shifting into something that looked oddly like shyness. “Quinn Hughes? Like... the Quinn Hughes?”

Odette raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at her lips. “Yeah. Why?”

Rebecca flushed slightly, which surprised Odette. Rebecca always seemed so self-assured, like nothing could rattle her. “I mean, I’m just...a fan. He’s incredible. On the ice, I mean. The way he moves, his vision...it’s unreal.”

Odette couldn’t help but smirk. “You sound like you’ve got a bit of a crush there, Rebecca.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened, and she quickly waved a hand. “Oh, no, it’s not like that! I mean, okay, maybe a little, but it’s just...ugh, it’s weird, isn’t it? I can talk to anyone—players, coaches, executives—but when it comes to Quinn Hughes, my brain just...short-circuits.”

Odette laughed, thoroughly enjoying Rebecca’s rare moment of awkwardness. “I think it’s cute. You’re usually so confident—nice to know you’re human.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Rebecca muttered, though the corner of her mouth twitched with amusement. “Anyway, back to you. What’s Quinn like as a person?”

“Honestly?” Odette said, lowering her camera for a moment. “He’s great. Down-to-earth, a little quiet, but super funny when he opens up. He’s been a good friend.”

Rebecca sighed. “Of course, he’s perfect. Figures.”

Their conversation shifted naturally after that, flowing into more casual topics until Odette leaned closer, lowering her voice slightly. “Hey, was it just me, or did the office feel a little...tense this morning?”

Rebecca hesitated, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Well, there was a bit of drama. PR’s been working overtime this week because Auston had a...situation.”

Odette raised an eyebrow. “A situation?”

Rebecca nodded, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Apparently, some girl from Germany filed a claim against him for sexual misconduct. It’s not true—total cultural misunderstanding. Auston’s mom is Mexican, and you know how he leans into that whole ‘Papi’ persona. He just flirted a little too hard, and it didn’t translate well. The media caught wind of it, though, and now everyone’s in damage control mode.”

Odette frowned. “Yikes. That sounds like a mess.”

“Yeah, it is,” Rebecca admitted. “But honestly, the claim won’t hold up. The girl’s already walked back most of her statement. Still, you know how these things go—the court of public opinion is brutal.”

Odette nodded thoughtfully. “No wonder everyone looked like they’d had a bad cup of coffee this morning.”

Rebecca chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Hockey might look all wholesome and apple pie on the outside, but behind the scenes, it’s just like any other workplace. Drama, gossip, and the occasional dumpster fire.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp whistle of the coach signaling the end of practice. Odette’s camera was already up, capturing the players as they began to shuffle off the ice. She couldn’t help but notice William lingering near the boards, his gaze fixed on her.

When their eyes met, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, subtle but unmistakable. Odette felt a faint blush creeping up her neck and quickly turned her attention back to her camera.

“Someone’s watching you,” Rebecca teased, her voice laced with amusement.

“Don’t,” Odette muttered, her tone half-warning, half-pleading.

Rebecca laughed softly. “Relax, I’m just saying. He’s cute, though, right?”

Odette took another photo, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach. “Doesn’t matter. We’re colleagues. Besides, the Leafs don’t need another PR disaster right now.”

“True,” Rebecca agreed with a grin. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun, does it?”

Odette rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched into a reluctant smile. As the players left the rink, William cast one last glance her way, his smirk widening as if he’d heard every word of their conversation.

Odette sighed, snapping her camera shut. “Trouble,” she muttered under her breath, already bracing herself for whatever came next.

Odette slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped into the crisp evening air. The practice had been exhausting to watch—and photograph—but also strangely exhilarating. She felt like she was beginning to find her place, slowly but surely.

As she walked toward her car in the nearly empty lot, her mind buzzed with thoughts of the day. She threw her bag into the passenger seat, slid into the driver’s side, and turned the key. The engine sputtered, coughed, and then...nothing.

“Great,” she muttered, turning the key again with the same result. She let her forehead rest on the steering wheel, debating her next move.

A light knock on the driver’s side window startled her. She turned her head sharply to see William standing outside, his hair slightly damp from a post-practice shower. He was leaning down just enough for her to catch the hint of a smirk on his lips, the kind that sent an involuntary jolt through her chest.

She rolled down the window, feeling suddenly exposed under his gaze. “Car troubles?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

“Yeah, seems like it,” Odette replied, trying to sound casual and failing. “It’s probably the battery, but I can’t deal with this right now.”

William leaned on the doorframe, his forearms flexing just enough to be distracting. “Do you want to come home by train? I’m heading that way, and...well, you don’t know the city yet, right?”

Odette hesitated, her mind racing. She wasn’t sure what made her more nervous—the thought of navigating the public transit system on her own or spending the next however-many minutes in close quarters with William Nylander.

But then she sighed. “Yeah, okay. Thanks. Let me just grab my stuff.”

A few minutes later, they were walking toward the train station. The night air was cool, and Odette tried to focus on the sound of their footsteps rather than the magnetic pull she felt every time William walked just a little too close.

The train ride started out light—small talk and easy jokes. But it didn’t take long for the conversation to deepen, the space between them feeling both too wide and too narrow at the same time.

“I miss my family a lot,” William admitted, staring out the window at the passing lights. “They’re back in Sweden. My siblings, my parents—it’s hard being away from them. Sometimes, I feel like I’m missing everything.”

Odette nodded, her heart clenching at the softness in his voice. But she couldn’t offer the same sentiment. “I wouldn’t know what that’s like,” she said quietly, her fingers twisting in her lap. “I don’t really...have a family to miss.”

William turned his gaze to her, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“It’s complicated,” she said, her voice tight. “But let’s just say my mother isn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type.” She looked away, hoping he wouldn’t press further.

William seemed to sense the weight of her words and let the silence linger for a moment before shifting the conversation. “So what do you do when you’re not taking pictures of hockey players?”

Odette was grateful for the change in subject. Her face brightened as she said, “I’m really into herbs and homemade medicine. Like tinctures, salves, teas—all that stuff.”

William raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Herbs? Really?”

“Yes! It’s fascinating,” she said, leaning forward a little. “Did you know chamomile can help with anxiety? And lavender is great for burns? Or that thyme has natural antibacterial properties?”

William’s chuckle was deep and warm. “You’re really into this, huh?”

“I am,” she admitted, laughing. “There’s something so grounding about it. It’s like connecting with this ancient knowledge that people used to rely on.”

William’s smile softened. “You’re kind of adorable when you talk about this. Like, your eyes light up, and you get this little crease in your forehead when you’re explaining stuff.”

Odette’s laughter faltered, her cheeks warming. “Don’t make fun of me,” she said, her voice quieter now.

“I’m not,” he said, his tone suddenly serious. “It’s...nice, seeing you like this.”

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air between them shifted. His gaze dropped, almost imperceptibly, to her lips before snapping back up to her eyes. The train rocked slightly as it sped along the tracks, but Odette barely noticed. She felt caught in the intensity of his stare, her heart pounding in her chest.

“So,” she said, breaking the tension with an awkward laugh. “Do you have any random hobbies I should know about?”

William leaned back in his seat, the corner of his mouth twitching again. “Hobbies? Not really. Hockey takes up most of my time.” His eyes flicked to her again, this time slower, more deliberate. “But I guess I like figuring people out. What makes them tick.”

Odette swallowed hard, feeling like the target of some unspoken challenge. She looked down, desperate to calm the heat creeping up her neck.

When they finally reached their stop, Odette wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or disappointed. The cool night air hit her as they stepped off the train and walked toward their building.

They paused at the entrance, standing closer than they needed to in the dim light. Odette could feel the tension humming between them, as if the entire evening had been building to this moment.

“Well,” Odette said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thanks for...uh, rescuing me.”

William’s smirk softened into something warmer, his eyes scanning her face. “Anytime.” He shifted slightly closer, his voice dropping. “You’re really something, you know that?”

Odette felt her breath hitch. He was so close now, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him. For a moment, she thought he might close the gap completely. She could see it in the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes dropped to her lips again, lingered there.

But before he could move, Odette stepped back, her pulse racing. “I—I should go,” she stammered, fumbling for her bag.

William held her gaze for a beat longer, his expression unreadable. “Goodnight, Odette,” he said softly, his voice a low rumble.

With a sharp breath, she turned and hurried to her own door, just a few steps away.Each step felt like she was trying to outrun something—not William exactly, but the way he’d made her feel. By the time she reached her door, her hands trembled as she fumbled with the keys, the cool metal slipping through her fingers before she managed to push the door open.

Luc was there instantly, his tail wagging and his paws clicking on the floor as he greeted her. His icy blue eyes locked onto hers, his head tilting slightly, and Odette could swear he was studying her.

“Hey, boy,” she said, crouching down to scratch behind his ears. Her voice wavered as she added, “Don’t give me that look. It’s not what you think.”

Luc huffed, leaning back as his tail slowed. His expression was almost human—half judgment, half concern.

“Oh, come on,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s going to happen.” Her tone sharpened at the end, as if trying to convince herself more than him.

Luc didn’t buy it. He let out a low grunt and plopped down beside her, staring up with those piercing eyes that always seemed to see right through her.

Odette sighed and flopped onto the couch, dragging a pillow into her lap as she kicked off her shoes. She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, but the evening played out behind her closed eyes in frustrating detail. The train ride. William’s easy laugh. The way his voice dropped when he talked about his family, the vulnerability in his words that made her chest ache.

Then there was the way his eyes had lingered at the door. How the air had grown so thick between them she could hardly breathe. For a moment, she’d thought he might kiss her, and for an even more fleeting moment, she’d wondered what it would feel like.

Her stomach twisted, and her hand clenched around the pillow. No. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t let it happen.

William was kind and charming and way too good at making her feel safe—an illusion she couldn’t afford to buy into again. She hadn’t let herself go there since...

She sat up abruptly, shaking her head as if to physically dislodge the thought. It wasn’t worth dredging up. Not now.

Luc nudged her knee with his nose, pulling her attention back to him. His gaze was steady, questioning.

“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile. “Really. It’s just...complicated.”

Luc didn’t move, his eyes sharp and unyielding.

“Okay, fine,” she muttered, slumping back against the couch. “It’s not complicated. It’s impossible. I can’t...” She trailed off, her throat tightening. She couldn’t go there. Not with William. Not with anyone.

Luc let out a soft whine and rested his head on her leg, his warmth grounding her. She stroked his fur absently, her thoughts racing.

Something about William made her want to let her guard down, and that terrified her. She couldn’t afford to feel this way about anyone, not after...

She stopped herself again, exhaling sharply. This wasn’t about the past. It was about keeping the walls up, staying in control.

Because she’d learned the hard way what happened when she didn’t.

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grantmentis · 3 months ago

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Women's Hockey Roundup: October

Woof, I fell off of these for a while. Blame baseball and college! Anyway, I'm going to just do what happened in women's hockey in October (and maybe the last few days of September) for all leagues. This is only confirmed news and games, so rumors are not included

If you're new, i recap the top stories from around club play women's hockey (so not collegiate) and try to give more detail on european women's hockey, since that's less reported on in north america :-) Feel free to add if i miss anything!

PWHL (USA/Canada)

The PWHL schedule has been released! We have a few TBD's in venues, most likely for playing select games in bigger venues or neutral sites. we do not currently have streaming/television info, so stay tuned for that. There will be a preseason, but not open to the public.

Training Camp Begins November 12, with preseason/mini camps The 19-22. New York's training camp roster is here. Boston's is here. Minnesota's is here. Montreal is here. Ottawa's is here. Toronto's is here.

Nov. 27: Deadline to finalize rosters of 23 players and 3 reserves

Abigail Boreen signed a three year deal with the Montréal Victoire. She played with the Minnesota Frost last year, including in the playoffs, as a reserve player.

Ronja Savolainen signed a three year deal with the Ottawa Charge. She played with Luleä most recently and is a star of the Finnish national team.

Sarah Lefort, most recently with Montréal Victoire, has announced her retirement

The PWHL has begun the process of expansion for 2025-2026, targeting two new cities

SDHL (Sweden)

Fanni Garát-Gasparics signs with Brynäs IF, though is still rehabbing the injury she sustained last year with the Ottawa Charge

Dutch national team legend Savine Wielenga signs with Leksands IF

Rookie Reece Hunt of Luleä is out for the season with a torn knee ligament

Frölunda general manager Kim Martin Hassons is extended to 2028, and head coach Erika Holst is extended to 2026. Frölunda has been massively successful thus far this year, currently in second place in the standings and coming off a big win against firs place Lulëa

While Luleä and Frölunda are at the top of the table, MoDo is making noise in third place, having won six of their last eight.

A couple key story lines: -> Finish National Team forward, Elisa Holopainen (Frölunda) is lighting the league on fire in her first year in the SDHL. She has 9 goals and ten assists in 13 games -> We have a few wonderful comeback stories this year. Hanna Olsson (Frölunda) is back to her old self after missing most of last year with injury, with 16 points in 13 games, good for fourth in the league. Erica Reider, (Luleä) who did not play for two seasons, looks like she never left, currently leading all defenders i the league in points. And Kassidy Sauvé (SDE), who missed almost two full season's with a hip injury, currently leads all goaltenders in save percentage. -> MoDo Hockey is being powered almost entirely by a youth movement: top producers Ebba Hedqvist, Adéla Šapovalivová, Mira Hallin, and Lovisa Engström are all 18 or younger and playing prominent roles on the 3rd place team

Auroraliiga (Finland)

Canadian Emma Hall joins KalPa after playing in the NDHL (Sweden's second division) last year

Kärpät will retire the number 20 in honor of long time legend Saija Tarkki. After 21 seasons with Kärpät as well as the Finnish national team, Tarkki retired in 2019. She will be honored Novembe 23rd.

A Couple key storylines: -> 18 year old Czech forward Barbora Juříčková i having a breakout year with HPK, already surpassing her point total from last season with 22. She joins Emma Ekoluoma (Ilves), who was a star on the U18 Finnish team last year, as one of the young players to keep an eye on in this league -> Kiekko-Espoo sits at the top of the table, with Ilves right behind. Last year's champions HIFK are feeling the loss of several star players and sit in fourth place. -> Sister's Jennika , Joanna and Jatta Ojala all played for the same team together for the first time at the top level for Team Kuortane

SWHL A / Postfinance Women League (Switzerland)

Not technically league play, but since they play in this league too ill put it here: EV Zug won the EWHL Euro Cup, which is played at the beginning of the season including select club teams across europe! They bear the German league's Memmingen to do so. Noemi Neubauerova, who is set to play with the Toronto Sceptres when the PWHL game begins, scored the game winning goal

Sponsor PostFinance announces that in 2025/2026, they will only financially support men's club teams that have a women's counterpart

Nadine Hofstetter of EV Zug is out three weeks with a broken finger. She is one of the team's veteran defenders who also plays for the Swiss national team. Vanessa Ryhner, Nina Harju, and Julia Näf are also out with injury for EV Zug, though Rhyner should be back any day now.

ZSC Lions Fraun is hit with injuries: Slovakian forward Tereza Lahova is out for the year with injury, and Aurela Thalmann and Alena Polenská (aka Alena Mills) are also injured. They are calling up Univ. of Saskatchewan alumni Sophie Lalor

A few storylines: -> Elizabeth Lang (HC Davos Ladies) is leading the league in points in her rookie year and scoring at a goal per game pace. She graduated from University of Calgary last year -> Lara Stalder (EVZ Women's team) continues to do Lara Stalder things and is tied with Lang in goals, but newcomers Michaela Pejzlová (HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls) and Clara Rozier (SC Bern Fraun) who were stars in last year's finnish league are close behind. The top scorer race for this league will be exciting, and that's not to mention old friends like Rahel Enzler and Estelle Duvin, among others. -> HC Davos Ladies is currently at the top of the standings, but EV Zug and SC Bern Frauen are very close behing them -> 18 year old Ivana Wey (EVZ Women's Team) has been off to a blistering hot start, a lot of hype surrounding her after a strong performance at both u18 and senior worlds. Another interesting young player is Lucie Tenenbaum, an American set to play at Minnesota State next year but is spending this year in Switzerland. The 18 year old has 5 goals and two assists with HC Davos Ladies so far

EWHL (Central/East Europe)

EV Bozen Eagles are currently dominating the league, with the help of players such as import Kristin Della Rovere, who has 16 points in 9 games. The Bozen eagles are part of a larger plan to help get italy's women's national team ready for the 2026 olympics

HK PSRZ Bratislava are undefeated thus far this season, after winning last year's title.

Canadian USport alumni are thriving in this league; Cassidy Maplethorpe, Hannah Tait, and Lauren Nicholson among top goal scorers

Slovak Ema Tothova continues to be the young player to watch, after her breakout seeason last year the 17 year old forward has 10 goals in five games. She is also competing in a boy's league in Slovakia while playing in the EWHL

OTHERS

watch this space for Czech forward Adéla Mynaříková to mak the u18 team this year. She's 15 and just steamrolling people in the Czech top league, with 15 goals and 5 assists in 8 games playing against a lot of grown adults

Norweigan forward Une Bjelland Strandborg, who was arguably one of the best NCAA DIII players of all time and graduated last year, is killing it in Germany's league with newly added Austrian team HK Budapest. She has 7 points in 6 games

#pwhl #sdhl #ewhl #aurora liiga #auroraliiga #swhl #postfinance women league #hockey #women's hocky #i am scheduling this at 12pm when i will be asleep #bc im currently writing tis at 3:30 am #so if some major news breaks between now and then my bad

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couldawouldashoulda50 · 4 months ago

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

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

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

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

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

Word count 9.5k

18+ only please.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He opened her coat slightly to take a better look.

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Round 2 Michelle thought to herself.

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

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

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

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

Speaking Swedish, Michelle asked if they were having fun.

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

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

One of Isla's friends scoffed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#william nylander #nylander #william x loren #willy nylander #willy styles #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #hockey rpf #nhl hockey smut #hockey smut

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misshoneyimhome · 1 year ago

Note

Okay I need a lil bit of holiday angst followed by fluff, I’m thinking he’s on the phone with Alex and they’re prepping for the Nylander clan to arrive in Toronto for Christmas! Now you’ve met the family and adore them but you’ve never spent a holiday together and you’re excited as you think this is a huge step in your relationship! So you arrive back home from gift shopping and he’s on the phone and you’re about to pop in to say hello but you overhear him saying how he feels a little apprehensive and doesn’t know how he feels about you joining in on their holiday, big ouch you feel as though you’re rushing into the family and feel badly about planning this whole business, now if you stayed to listen longer you’d know it’s because he knows how much you live your family and he feels bad for keeping you from them for the first time at Christmas and he’s anxious because he wants to make it a perfect first Christmas together as it won’t be the last…but boy has some explaining to do when he finds you crying in your shared bedroom amongst his family’s presents😭

Oh yes! Nothing says Christmas more than a little holiday misunderstanding 😅 bb, I hope this comes somewhere close to your idea, and that you’ll enjoy a little bit of soft!Willy as he tries to comfort his girlfriend ❤️

Words count: 2.3+

➼｡ﾟ

My Only Wish I William Nylander ✿❄︎

"Okay, I think that's the final one," you quietly murmured to yourself while checking your list twice. And then with a contented grin, you set off for home after a successful Christmas shopping spree.

Meanwhile you’d been out hunting for gifts, your boyfriend William Nylander was busy getting things ready for his family's visit.

This Christmas marked your first year celebrating it together, and although it felt like a significant step in your relationship, it just felt right. You and William had been dating for almost two years, and an official couple for almost just as long, so spending the holidays together seemed like a natural decision.

Initially, you were a bit unsure about skipping your usual family Christmas, but with work commitments looming with important meetings on the 22nd and William's home hockey match on the 23rd it made more practical sense to stay put in Toronto. Besides, William had extended an invitation to almost his entire family to join in the celebrations.

Or perhaps, it could have been his sisters' insistence to have everyone together that pushed the plan forward. Nonetheless, they were all set to arrive on the 22nd, catch the Leafs playing against the Blue Jackets on the 23rd, and then Alex would fly in from Pittsburgh, giving you all ample time from the 24th to the 27th to enjoy the Nylander family's company. And this year, you were to be a part of it all.

You were absolutely thrilled. Christmas was your favourite time of the year, and there was nothing you wanted more than to spend those days with your beloved boyfriend. You'd found him the perfect present, or maybe even presents, and you'd also sorted gifts for all his family members.

Despite William's insistence that you shouldn't spend all your time and money on gifts for his family, you couldn't help yourself nor contain your excitement. You were simply too eager and joyous about the upcoming celebrations.

You adored his family, and it seemed they felt the same way about you.

William surprised you by introducing you to them rather swiftly, which was unexpected as he wasn't usually the type to share his personal life so soon. But he was simply immensely proud to have you as his girlfriend, and he just hadn’t been able to resist mentioning you to them. So soon after, he pulled you into a family video call for a virtual introduction. Then, during the following off-season, you spent almost two months in Sweden with all his family and friends.

Returning to the condo, you struggled to unlock the front door while juggling numerous bags and holding your phone in your mouth, but eventually managed to push it open.

"Hey babe," you greeted softly upon entering, but there was no response from William.

Thinking he might be in the bathroom, you carefully set the bags down before removing your coat and shoes. But just as you were about to call out once more, William's voice echoed from the living room.

"I don't know, Alex," you heard William's voice sounding rather intense, almost irritated, you thought. "I mean, I love y/n, but I’m just not so sure about her spending Christmas here with us."

The sudden mention of your name caused you to freeze in place.

Moreover, you were baffled by his words. Why would he suddenly express uncertainty to his brother about you staying for Christmas? You'd discussed it several times, and each time, William had appeared genuinely thrilled about the idea. It was even his own suggestion when you’d mentioned the stress of travelling during the holidays.

His words cut deep, leaving a painful sting in your heart.

"I know, it's just... she's been putting in so much effort, and she seems genuinely excited about the whole thing..." William's voice resonated through the condo. You hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but you merely found yourself unable to move. William was talking to Alex about you, and it didn't sound like a positive conversation.

"No, she's out Christmas shopping right now... I just don't know how to say anything..." William's tone was gentle yet slightly husky, and his voice began to quiver as he talked about you spending the holiday with him.

Listening to one side of the conversation, you felt your heart shatter. Naturally, you couldn't hear Alex's response.

True, you had put in a tremendous amount of effort. You wanted your home to radiate the holiday spirit, maybe going a bit overboard with decorations, perhaps choosing a rather large Christmas tree, and even deciding to prepare every variety of Christmas dishes, blending traditional Swedish courses with Canadian ones.

However, you had believed this was what you both wanted. Although William wasn't adept at planning such gatherings, you interpreted his expressions as pure excitement, reflecting the joy you felt in organising the entire event.

But clearly, you were mistaken.

Perhaps it had overwhelmed him. Maybe this step in your relationship was too significant, and now he was having second thoughts.

"I just feel bad... maybe we shouldn't have agreed to do this..."

Slow tears traced down your cheeks as a whirlwind of thoughts raced through your mind, leading you to regret this entire situation. Your breaths became uneven, your chest felt burdened, and pain pierced through your body, gripping your heart with a deep ache.

This couldn't be happening, you thought.

Closing your eyes, you allowed the tears to flow freely, and gently grasping all the bags again, you quietly attempted to make your way to the bedroom, seeking solace and tranquillity. Peeking into the room, you spotted William, his head bowed, facing the large window of the condo, and seeing it as an opportunity, you tried to sneak past him and into the bedroom.

And as soon as you entered, your body collapsed at the foot of the bed, throwing the bags with you. Nestling your knees against your chest, your back leaned against the bed frame, and you released your sobs.

You felt hurt. Hurt that William didn't share the same enthusiasm about spending the holiday together and hurt that he felt unable to tell you how he truly felt.

"I just feel guilty about keeping her away from her own family, Alex," William confessed to his brother, expressing his concerns about the upcoming days.

"Come on, Willy, if y/n didn't want to spend Christmas with all of us, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to plan it," Alex chuckled lightly over the phone, prompting a gentle sigh from William.

"I guess you're right. She's seemed so excited about it, which makes me happy. I just hope she won't be disappointed. It's her first Christmas with us, and... God, I just hope she'll like it."

Thinking about having you there during this time of year brought a sense of joy to William. You meant everything to him, and experiencing these emotions with you excited him more than anything else.

He knew how much you cherished this holiday. And he had to admit that all the joy and romance of Christmas had a profound effect on him too, despite being a 27-year-old boy who sometimes felt immature and challenged with admitting to his own deep feelings. Yet, deep emotions coursed through him, seeing your eyes sparkle with excitement when you spoke about spending Christmas together and how much you adored his family.

Your unwavering commitment to him and to making the holiday special touched him deeply. And it only had him believe that you were indeed meant for him.

"Willy, chill out, she's going to love it! Besides, she's already spent enough time with all of us, so she won't get scared away," Alex's chuckles echoed in William's ear, prompting laughter from William as well.

"True that," he replied before their conversation gradually faded, and they eventually hung up.

William released a gentle sigh, feeling relieved after his chat with his brother, as it had helped ease his earlier concerns about your decision to stay back in Toronto with him and his family.

But then looking at the time, he found it odd that you hadn't returned yet. You'd been out for hours, and while he understood that shopping could take time, he also knew you had had a plan, so it shouldn't have taken so long.

Attempting to call you only led to voicemail, which started to raise some concern, as he then began pacing around the condo. He should have heard you come in, but as he noticed your shoes and coat by the front door, he slowly realised that perhaps he hadn't heard you due to his phone call.

Contemplating where you might have gone, William made his way to your bedroom, gently knocking on the door.

"Babe, are you in there?"

Startled by William's voice, your heart sank deeper, and you find yourself struggling to speak.

"Yes... um, but please, don't come in here," you managed to say, trying to hide the tremble in your voice.

"Why? What are you doing?"

Your mind felt foggy from crying, and you hurriedly made up an excuse, not wanting William to see you in this state.

"I, um... I'm wrapping your present," you forced out, attempting to conceal the cracks in your voice.

But sensing that something wasn't right, William felt a twitch of concern. It wasn't like you to come home without saying anything to him, even if he was on the phone. Normally, you'd give him a silent kiss before heading off if he was in a call.

But as you’d simply slipped away into the bedroom, he knew something was off.

"Come on, baby, what's wrong?" he asked, his tone tinged with worry.

You attempted to deflect again, trying to get him to leave, but William wasn't easily convinced.

"Nothing's wrong, Willy... I'm just—"

"You're not wrapping my present; you did that just last week," he stated firmly before pushing the door open.

William's heart shattered into pieces as his eyes fell upon you. You were sitting on the floor, surrounded by the day's haul of presents, your eyes red and puffy, clearly showing signs of crying.

"Shit, babe, what's wrong?" William hurriedly sat down next to you, gently wrapping his arm around your shoulder. "Has something happened? Are you okay?"

The sight of you crying almost shook William. He hated seeing you like this, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had caused it.

"It's nothing..." you almost whispered, avoiding his gaze as you felt too vulnerable to face him.

"No, it's not nothing... you're crying, and I want to know why."

Your entire body trembled as you struggled to articulate how you felt. You had overheard his conversation and knew he didn't want you to stay for Christmas. But finding the words felt incredibly challenging.

"Hey," William spoke softly, his finger gently lifting your chin to meet his gaze. "Talk to me..."

It was as if your mouth wanted to slowly form the words your mind had been processing, yet your voice hesitated.

"I..." you softly began, more tears streaming down your cheeks. "I know, Willy... I know you don't want me here for Christmas." Your voice was low and quivering.

"What?" William was taken aback. "What makes you think that?"

"I heard what you said to Alex... that you weren't sure about having me here for the holiday... and that you felt bad because I've gone overboard, and now you didn't know how to tell me that you didn't want to spend Christmas together..." You repeated softly, recalling the conversation between the brothers.

"y/n, that's not... that's not what I meant," William sighed deeply.

"It's okay, Willy, I get it," you continued gently, trying to muster a soft smile. "Maybe it is too big a step in our relationship, and that's alright... I just wish you'd told me sooner, so I wouldn't have gone through all of this and made you feel bad about it."

By now you had surrendered to the tears, letting them flow freely.

"Baby! I want to spend Christmas with you," William spoke more assertively, now understanding the root of the misunderstanding. It pained him to think that you believed he didn't want this, especially when he was overly excited about having you there. In fact, he had been considering it since last Christmas, but he was unsure if you'd be okay with it until you had both discussed it.

Letting out a deep sigh, he felt the need to explain.

"You only heard part of our conversation, y/n/n. I said those things because I feel like I'm keeping you from your family. Believe me, I want nothing more than to have you around and spend these days with you and my family."

Your eyes darted from side to side, searching his for any hint of insincerity but found none.

"Really?" you simply asked.

A wave of relief washed over you as he clarified the true essence of the conversation. Moreover, you felt a pang of guilt for drawing to conclusion based on just a part of the entire discussion.

William couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

"Of course, babe, my only wish this year is to be with you, and I just want you to be happy about it as well," William said, taking your hand and gently intertwining his fingers with yours. "I just feel guilty that you won't be spending the days at home."

"I am happy about it, Willy. I don't want to be anywhere else but here, with you and your family. Please believe that," you reassured your boyfriend. "You've got nothing to feel guilty about."

"Good," he flashed a gentle smile and planted a kiss on your forehead. "I just love you so much."

"I love you too," you softly spoke, leaning into his touch, before the two of you shared a tender kiss.

#my asks #william nylander imagine #toronto maple leafs imagine #nhl hockey imagine #wn88 imagine

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twig-tea · 11 months ago

Text

Canadian LGBTQ+ rights; a whirlwind summary

Back in August of 2023 @wen-kexing-apologist wrote an absolutely stellar piece here, and I didn't want to co-opt it (especially because it was already written with an American gaze and I don't want to pile on/distract from the fact that we're talking about Thai BL) so I decided to make this a separate post. And then it lingered in the sad pile of my drafts. But, I'm gonna post it anyway, and take this as an excuse to talk about Canadian history of LGBTQ+ rights apropos of absolutely nothing except the most recent move of the provinces (specifically Saskatchewan) to use the notwithstanding clause to force through legislation that the courts have said goes against our charter of rights and freedoms--specifically legislation that says a teacher cannot respect a child's pronouns without permission of the parent. This is being taken to court (latest as of this writing is that in Feb 2024 the group fighting the law was granted the right to be heard by the court in spite of the notwithstanding clause being invoked, so there is still a chance of it getting revoked via the courts).

WKA talks about what the conversation was like in the US around queer rights in the 20th century; highly recommend reading the linked post first. In Canada the conversation was a little different though with very similar themes; we had the shift to a focus on "privacy" as the driver of our rights long before the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in the 1960s. So much of the push and pull of our laws around homosexuality and gender identity and expression have had to do with the public vs private.

Sodomy has been illegal in Canada since colonization (earliest known conviction: 1648) but laws against gross indecency, which included dancing, kissing, or touching between two men, didn't get codified in Canada until 1892 (and not extended to apply to women until 1953 (thanks)). While these laws essentially outlawed any physical public affection between men from the turn of the century, the fervor to root out and eliminate gayness from society didn't really reach its pitch until mid-century.

I need you all to know about the Fruit Machine, which was an ostensibly "scientific" detection device to identify and purge gay and lesbian civil servants from the military and public service in Canada. While the machine was built in the 1950s and used through the 1950s and 1960s, the practice of using psychology, polygraphs, and interrogation to force military and public servants to come out and take a voluntary discharge existed through to the 1990s.

Our former Prime Minister PE Trudeau made famous the line "there is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" as part of his so-called decriminalization of homosexuality 1967; this is of course a joke because "buggery" and "gross indecency" stayed on the books for another 20 years, the only difference being they were only punishable if the people involved were under 21, there were 3 or more people present, or the participants were performing these acts outside of their home. You may notice that this meant the policing of public space was where and how homophobia continued to be perpetuated by the state via police.

Highlighting the importance of privacy as a framework for gay rights at this time, The Right to Privacy movement was the name for one of the forerunners of modern Canadian LGBTQ+ rights groups through the 1970s--though worth noting that this group in particular was criticized for its exclusion of WLW and our trans siblings (some of whom of course overlap). The infamous bathhouse raids of 1981 ("Operation Soap"), leading to at the time the largest arrest in Toronto's history, were one of the precipitating factors in the recognizable start of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. In 1986, five years after the raids and thanks to massive effort by LGBTQ+ organizing, sexual orientation was added to the protected list of attributes that it is illegal to discriminate against under the Canadian Human Rights Act (gender identity and expression was added in 2012), and in 1987 "anal intercourse" was made legal for those over 18 (the legal age of consent was made the same for everyone--16--in 2019), and "gross indecency" as a law was finally repealed. The fight for marriage equality was the next step after achieving real decriminalization, and was strongly based on the right to freedom from discrimination as protected by the Human Rights Act.

[Just going to take this moment to note that for some reason they never struck off the law criminalizing sodomy when more than two people are present; this is still an inequality on the books now and people do (rarely) still get charged with it.]

In the late 1980s and 1990s, the censorship fight was most famously held in the written sphere--if you've seen the movie Better than Chocolate, you might already be familiar what I'm talking about. From approximately 1986 through to 2000, Canada Border Services targeted shipments to queer bookstores, holding them up, sometimes destroying the content, putting those businesses at risk, and preventing queer content that passed through border control to be stocked in physical stores. It took the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling in 2000 to shut down that practice as an illegal suppression of a bookstore (Little Sisters in Vancouver, BC, shout-out!)'s right to freedom of expression.

Raids on safe spaces for sexual activity continued to be a driver for action through to the 21st century. The WLW bathhouse the Pleasure Palace (changed from "Pussy Palace" in the late 90s to be more inclusive of our sisters without that particular body part) was raided in the year 2000; 19 years after Operation Soap, and notably the first and last raid on a queer woman's bathhouse in Canadian history. What followed was a massive public coal-raking of police, including the very telling call to action: "out of the bars! Into the streets!" I don't think this was necessarily the intended implication at the time, but looking back the threat was that if we were not given our rights, we would be in everyone's faces (and conversely if we were given our rights, we'd be quiet). The legalization of marriage between any two consenting persons of legal age came five years later in 2005 (I don't mean to imply this effort was the only reason--the fight for marriage equality was active all the way through the 90s and early 2000s; it's just an interesting parallel that two of the biggest wins for equality for queer people in Canada came 5 years after a historic police raid).

One of the factors in gaining acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in Canada was the fight for marriage equality; as it focused the conversation on sameness rather than difference. The queer activism movement here pivoting from messaging around bathhouses and being left alone to marriage equality was an intentional, strategic attempt to be accepted as the same rather than being honoured for our differences. And that fight coming after the HIV/AIDS epidemic and bathhouse raids is no accident as it framed queer people directly in opposition to the stigma of promiscuity that surrounded assumptions about gay people which fed into the lack of support for medical intervention, research, and treatment for HIV/AIDS (here in Canada too, our history is just as gross on that front, people just don't talk about it as much. But Canada followed the US government's example, and so people were left without medical resources for at least eight years in Canada (since the first cases were identified here in 1982) and THREE YEARS after they had been approved by the US--AZT wasn't available in Canada until 1990. Three years in which people died unnecessarily. We similarly approved PrEP four years after the FDA, in 2016. Today, despite "universal health care", if you want access to PrEP, it will depend on the province you're in as to whether you can get it at all for free or whether you need to pay--in my province, it takes 2 months to get free PrEP).

Today, just over 50% of the people with HIV/AIDS in Canada are men who have sex with men; it's estimated 80% of people infected with HIV know their status, of those 75% are being treated, and of those 89% are effectively unable to transmit the virus. In that context, the ongoing fight re: HIV/AIDS in Canada today is around decriminalization, specifically decriminalization of drugs (since ~20% of HIV infections are from IV drug use--one of the many reasons I support harm reduction strategies), and the decriminalization of non-disclosure (since Canada is one of the few places where you can be charged for not sharing your HIV status with a sexual partner). Until very recently, we were also fighting to be able to give blood--it was only in 2022 that men who have sex with men were allowed to donate blood in Canada, which meant every visit to a blood donation clinic involved questions about the gender of your sexual partner(s). And, as mentioned at the top, one of the rights we are fighting to retain right now, is the right to have our gender expression respected without forced outing to a parent or guardian; Once again, the fight in Canada has become centered around the right to privacy.

Slightly tangential to the topic at hand, but I would be remiss in talking about moments in recent history when the law did not prosecute us, but it failed to protect us. In the 2010s, a serial killer was targeting men who he thought he could get away with making disappear; and he was right. The police ignored calls from the community to treat the case as a serial killer for years. Bruce McArthur killed 8 men who had gone missing from Toronto's Gay Village between 2010 and 2017, several who were vulnerable because they were distant from their families (because they were gay and closeted), homeless, and/or in immigration limbo (waiting for status), so it took longer for them to be reported missing. During this time, through to just weeks before the arrest, the Toronto Police insisted in public statements that there was no serial killer.

Black and Indigenous queer people have regularly died as a result of the police being called while they were in crisis. An unnamed trans woman (who was midgendered by the SIU after her death); Regis Korchinksy-Paquet, both in 2020. In 2022, Dani Cooper, queer activist who advocated against police-run wellness checks, was shot and killed by police during a wellness check called for them.

As a positive step, in 2016, Black Lives Matter Toronto staged a protest as part of the annual Pride Parade, making a list of demands, but the one that got the most coverage was the demand to ban police at Pride. This was taken up by the Pride Toronto committee, and since 2017 police have been banned from having an official float or presence at the parade. This has been taken up by several Canadian cities including Vancouver and Hamilton and inspired action in other cities globally.

With that context, in which queer people are rightfully distrustful of police, it is alarming that police-reported hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people (one of the only ways we have of tracking hate crime consistently) had a record-breaking increase in 2023.

In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (the son of PM Trudeau quoted above) gave a public apology to LGBTQ+ Canadians. Here's just a brief excerpt:

"To the kids who are listening at home and who fear rejection because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity and expression; And to those who are nervous and scared, but also excited at what their future might hold; We are all worthy of love, and deserving of respect. And whether you discover your truth at 6 or 16 or 60, who you are is valid. To members of the LGBTQ2 communities, young and old, here in Canada and around the world: You are loved. And we support you."

The important part about this apology was twofold; one, it explicitly named many of the specific instances of oppression I mentioned above, and two, it listed the things the government was doing to make reparations. This included the repeal of the law that equalized the age of consent (which went through two years later, as mentioned above), the pardoning of people who had a criminal record due to unjust laws based on LGBTQ+ discrimination, settlement of a class action lawsuit for victims of The Purge, and a commitment to work towards better resources for mental health and housing for LGBTQ+ people, as well as a committment to continue working to remove the barriers for gay men to donate blood (which went through in 2022). One of the other important achievements was the change to allow an "X" option under gender on Canadian Passports (so the three available options are M/F/X) in 2019 [some provincial gender opt-out options have existed since 2017].

The current government is by no stretch perfect, but it has been good to see some of these moments of our history acknowledged and corrected for. As the global pressure towards fascism continues, it's critical that we remember these changes are the result of hard work, not inevitable "progress", that these fights are ongoing and require our energy, and that change, using a variety of tactics, is possible.

Quick hit facts if you prefer a list to a narrative:

In Canada, it was illegal for men to hold hands with men or women to hold hands with women in public until the 1960s;

The government tried to expunge us from public service in the 60s and 70s;

it was illegal for men to have threesomes until the 1990s;

bathhouse raids were made possible due to legislative inequalities through the 2000s;

Canada took three years longer than the US to approve treatments for HIV/AIDS, four years longer to approve PrEP, and still today access can be complicated/expensive;

it was possible to be of legal age to have sex but not anal sex until 2019;

Gay men were barred from donating blood until 2022;

Canada remains one of the few countries in the world where you can be prosecuted for not disclosing your HIV status (though does not apply if you retain a minimal viral load);

In 2023 some provincial governments tried to make kids choose between gender expression and their privacy (and potentially safety) from their parents; as of March 2024 that fight is still actively being fought.

The take-aways I hope people get from this post:

This history is more recent than we pretend, and is ongoing

Framing gay rights as right to privacy vs right to being not prosecuted for being in public is nuanced and intertwined

Transphobes need to fuck off

Some references/further reading/watching:

Brief history of LGBTQ+ laws in Canada at the Canadian Encyclopedia

The Fruit Machine documentary made by TVO

Article on HIV/AIDS in Canada policy written by one of the policymakers

Timeline of HIV/AIDS Developments (only goes to 2010 so does not include PreP, which was approved in Canada in 2016, four years after its availability in the US)

Article on The Pleasure Palace raid by one of the organizers

Article on the Bathhouse Raids 40 years after Operation Soap

Article on Bruce McArthur's crimes and the review of how police handled the case by former judge Gloria Epstein

Regis Korchinksy-Paquet and the unnamed trans woman dead after interactions with police

Dani Cooper's death

Article about the Supreme Court case brought by Little Sisters bookshop

HIV Non-Disclosure Law Fact Sheet

Article about the end of the blood ban for men who have sex with men

Black Lives Matter Toronto on their 2016 action at Toronto Pride

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's apology

Gender "X" Options on Passports

Stream Better Than Chocolate (you may need to look up where it's available in your region)

Little Sisters Book & Art Emporium

Glad Day Bookshop (Makes a claim for being the oldest queer bookshop in the world; one of the few queer public spaces being maintained/actively protected as more and more of our spaces are eroded, and also just a personal fave so I'm taking the excuse to shout it out too)

#canadian history #lgbtq history #typed so that i can stop thinking it #for reference #long post

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