hello :)

Привет, это Андрей, ты дал мне свой номер в баре?

Andrei watched the text message go through, the delivered sign appearing below the text. He had met the pretty blonde at the bar after she had thrown herself at Brady, eager to get on or under his teammate at some point that night only to turn to the next closest person after realizing he was very much not interested.

Said player just so happened to be him. He was happy to get her number after finding out she was somewhat proficient in Russian, eager to find someone in Raleigh who would at least be able to keep a conversation in his native tongue.

If you were trying to turn my phone off with some weird russian glitch, it didn’t work buddy. Try again.

Quirking his eyebrow at the message, Andrei quickly typed something back.

Is this not Natalia?

Before he had the chance to type a second message, his phone was ringing, an incoming FaceTime call pending on the screen. After a moment of quiet contemplation, Andrei accepted that call and waited for it to connect.

~~~~~~~~~~

The moment you got the text message you knew it was definitely not meant for you. Google translate was able to give you a half translation, telling you the person’s name was Andrei and that you had apparently given him your number at the bar.

The bar you were definitely not in attendance at tonight.

Is this not Natalia?

Guffawing at the message in front of you, barely a thought crossing your brain as your finger hovered over the FaceTime button. Pressing your finger against the screen, you watched as your face appeared, ringing the only sound heard throughout the room. It took a second to connect, anxiously waiting for the person on the other end of the FaceTime to appear.

A man appeared, a very attractive man with cute dimples and fluffy brown hair.

The line remained silent for a moment, the man on the other end the first to speak.

“Not Natalia then.”

His voice was heavily accented, likely Ukrainian or Russian, his words taking a second to break through your concentration barrier. Shaking your head silently, a grimace evident on your face.

“I think Natalia may have given you a wrong number, unless Y/N is the new Natalia,” laughing at your joke, the man on the other end only looked at you in confusion, a sly look taking over his face.

“Ahh, must be fate. You’re much prettier than her, anyways.”

Taken aback by the flirtatious delivery of his words, you were expecting him to apologize and hang up, not attempt to flirt with you moments after he had just found out another woman had given him the wrong number, your number evidently. Frantically searching your head for a response before an awkward silence took over, settling on, “You should see me all dressed up then.”

A small, yet flirtatious grin took over the man’s face. He was either incredibly smooth or incredibly desperate, or both, you couldn’t decide.

“I’d love to see you all dressed up. Thursday?”

Woah, woah, woah. What? Fully expecting this to turn into an awkward conversation with a man who had just been given an intentional wrong number, this direction was the last one you were expecting it to take. His face began to fall as you took a moment to respond.

“I… what if you’re a serial killer?”

You couldn’t think of anything else. Why would such a good-looking guy, with such a cool accent, who was unbearably smooth, want to go out… on a date… with you… after accidentally getting your number?

A deep chuckle left the man, Andrei’s, lips at your words. His English was incredible, likely a testament to how long he had been in Raleigh, but his accent was still thick around his words, made even thicker by the alcohol he had presumably ingested tonight.

“I play hockey, for the Hurricanes. Look me up. Number 37.”

You could tell he wasn’t saying it with a cocky mentality, but as a sense of rejection to your words based on the reasonings that the Hurricanes’ star forward wouldn’t be committing any serial killings while playing professional hockey for them. You had heard of him before, you didn’t know much about the Carolina Hurricanes, but everyone knew about their favourite 21-year-old, and his lacrosse style goals that kept ending up on Barstool’s social media.

“Do you ask out every girl who FaceTime’s you from the wrong number?”

“No, just the pretty ones.”

Well, one date wouldn’t hurt.

1. Videri’s Chocolate Factory

You had been to Videri’s before. Tons of times, eager to get a pack of truffles, late minute Christmas presents, ice cream with friends. It was a common tourist destination in Raleigh, but an even more common date spot for locals and tourists alike.

Thursday had come quicker than you were expecting, the days passing by in a blur as you waited to meet Andrei in person. The two of you texted throughout the week, going as far as to add each other on snapchat and follow each other on Instagram. You couldn’t deny that you were excited for the date, but you also weren’t expecting anything serious to come out of it. He was a hockey star in a city that was becoming more and more obsessed with their players as the years passed. But there was also no harm in going out with a good-looking guy, just once or twice.

You agreed to meet at the factory around two in the afternoon, expecting that it likely wouldn’t be too busy on a random Thursday in the middle of November. The factory loomed beside you as you felt your phone ring, pulling it from your pocket, you saw his contact and immediately clicked the answer button.

“Skipping out on our date right as it’s about to start, Mr. Svechnikov?”

A deep laugh could be heard from behind you, which immediately had your body whipping around to look for the source just to make direct eye contact with the person who was supposed to be on the other line of the phone.

God damn was he big in person.

“Didn’t know if it was you from the back, duh,” rolling his eyes to emphasize the ‘duh’, you rolled your eyes back before ending the call and stepping closer to him.

Andrei did the same, but instead of just stepping closer, he wrapped his arms around you gently and pulled your body closer to his. “Nice to finally meet you… in person that is.”

Pulling away to smile at him, you were met with a dorky grin directed right back. He was much cuter in person. Also much bigger, and it was like his accent was so much thicker than the previous times you had talked to him over the phone. Still easy to hear what he was saying, but the deep drawl of his voice as is, mixed with the accent, sent shivers down your spine.

“You sure we didn’t meet in the bar that night? Maybe I’m secretly Natalia in disguise.”

Tapping your shoulder with his pointer figure, you grinned up again as another wide smile crossed his lips. He was tall, very tall. Definitely more than a few inches taller than your own frame, which pretty much just meant heels could alwaysbe in the equation.

“I’d recognize your pretty face in a heartbeat, can’t trick me, Y/N.”

Winking at you, Andrei gestured with his hand to the entrance of the factory, nonverbally recommending for you to go first so he could follow behind, “I’ve never been here, so you’ve got to be the tour guide today.”

Shaking your head in silent laughter, you quirked an eyebrow towards him.

“You picked the place, and you’ve never even been here before?”

Shrugging his shoulders in response, Andrei just grinned as he looked around the entrance to Videri’s. “Google said we can see how the chocolate’s made… then eat it afterwards. Self-guided means we do it ourselves, no?”

As you nodded your head at his question, you slowly turned your head and observed the other groups of people in the factory. There were a lot of young parents with younger kids, a few couples, but nothing that would likely be considered ‘busy’, which you were grateful for.

“Let’s get a move on our self-guided tour then, Mr. Tour Guide.”

“Oh, I’m the tour guide?” Quirking an eyebrow at you again, Andrei grabbed the closest pamphlet to him that outlined the route that the two of you could take throughout the factory.

“Of course. It wouldn’t be fun if I, the oh-so-knowledgeable person that I am, was the tour guide. That just gets boring. More fun when you can teach yourself while you’re telling me all about it. So, on with it, Mr. Svechnikov.”

The date went by smoothly, Andrei admitting more than once that this was totally against the diet plan the Hurricane’s had set out for him but every time you’d apologize and offer to go somewhere else, he’d shut it down and remind you that it was his idea and that he’d just go a little harder at practice the next morning.

He walked you to your car, only going as far as to press a kiss to your cheek as well as an extra long hug, not wanting to step over any boundaries.

“See you Sunday.”

Looking at him questioningly, “Sunday?”

“Yeah, our next date is Sunday,” rolling his eyes with a large grin spreading across his cheeks at your confusion. “What if I’m busy Sunday?”

Shrugging his shoulders, the grin never wavering on his cheeks, “Are you busy Sunday?”

“I think I have a date with this cute guy, could always fit you in after I guess,” you ended with a wink directed towards him, your own cheeks heating at the mock glare he gave you.

Pulling you into another hug, your head was nestled comfortably under his chin while his arms wrapped around your back with your arms wrapped around his waist. He smelt nice, woodsy but with a strong scent of chocolate after the two hours you had spent in the factory and the café attached obviously leaving its scent on him.

“See you Sunday.”

Andrei bid you farewell with another kiss to your cheek, going as far as to open your driver’s door for you. Watching him walk towards his own car, conveniently parked in the same lot you had parked your own, you tried not to swoon. The date had gone amazing, he was funny and witty and smart, and so god damn good-looking.

2. Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh

“You know, I feel like all your Instagram stories have something to do with art.”

Andrei had convinced you to give him your address, citing the fact that it was far easier to just go to his next planned date in one vehicle, and it saved you from having to pay for parking for no reason. You tried to argue with him, offering to pay for the parking regardless just for him to shut you down after telling you to ‘google me and you’ll see why I’m not letting you pay’.

A middle finger emoji was the only response he received after that, knowing full well you weren’t going to be winning any arguments with the Russian anytime soon. That’s how you ended up in his car, his way of greeting mentioning your love for all things art.

“I just like pretty things, I guess.”

Andrei squeezed your knee with a smirk, “Me too, that’s why I like looking at your face so much.”

Rolling your eyes, you flicked his hand that was still pressed against your knee. It felt nice, you couldn’t deny that. His hand was big and warm, and pressed directly against the bare skin that was exposed by the rip in your jeans.

He didn’t remove his hand from your knee the entire drive to wherever he was taking you. Light chatter mixed with the low volume of the radio made the drive pass by quickly, you barely even noticed Andrei pulling into a parking spot until he was putting the car in park and removing his hand from your knee. Looking outside the dashboard window, you realized you were once again in the Warehouse District of Raleigh.

Andrei was quick to get out of the car and to your side, eagerly opening the passenger side door and offering you his hand with a grin etched across his face. Unbuckling your seatbelt, you gently pressed your hand into his own and allowed him to help you out of the car.

The Warehouse District was bustling, with families and couples alike eagerly walking past you and Andrei as you slowly made your way away from his car, his hand never leaving your own.

“Is the art museum okay? I figured you’d love it… but I don’t know if you’ve been lately… if not we can go for dinner or something?”

Looking down at you, Andrei sheepishly grinned as you slowly got closer to the Contemporary Art Museum. Smiling back up at him, you gestured a quick nod towards the man.

“I’ve been wanting to get back since they reopened, so it’s actually perfect. I’m more worried about you not liking it,” finishing the sentence off with a quick nudge to his side with your elbow, all he did was grin back.

“I’ll like anything we do if it means I get to spend time with you.”

You could instantly feel your cheeks and neck warm at his statement, a small grin forming on your lips. The butterflies that had been fluttering at the bottom of your stomach had just continued to grow since your first date a few days prior. It seemed like Andrei was pulling out all the stops and doing everything he could to impress you. Not that you were complaining, that is. It was a nice change from the typical dating situations you had found

“I planned it all out, I don’t think we’ll have time to look through all the exhibitions. I thought maybe you’d really love the Empowering Women series. So, I uh… kinda planned for just that one.”

Tugging Andrei’s hand through the front door of the museum, you smiled toothily up at him. He was so thoughtful and had put so much effort into the first two dates, you couldn’t help just staring at him in awe, which had him almost immediately quirking an eyebrow at you in confusion.

“Andrei that sounds incredible, I’m so excited. I can’t believe you put so much effort into this.”

Squeezing your hand tightly, all Andrei did was smile down at you. Grabbing a map from the front desk, he quickly sorted through before finding the exhibition he was looking for. Lightly tugging on your hand, you allowed him to gently pull you towards the direction the map was telling him to go.

It didn’t take long to find the Empowering Women series, present in the main gallery of the museum, the photographs lined the wall. You couldn’t help eyeing the ones you could see in awe, and you weren’t the only one. The main gallery was busy, people were eager to see all the collections the museum had gathered since their reopening.

“Do you want to get closer? I don’t mind using a little shoving tactic to get through.”

Winking at you, you shook your head with a small laugh bubbling from your throat. “I have lots of faith you’d have no issue getting through. I don’t mind waiting. Want me to read what the galleries all about?”

Nodding his head eagerly, Andrei knew his English was great and his reading comprehension skills were good, but if he was able to avoid having to use said skills all while getting to listen to you… he gladly take that option.

Pulling your hand out of his, you took the offered paper from his hand and turned to the page that contained the exhibition.

“So, the photographer Alun Be, wanted to depict history of women from Senegal from their perspective. It says here his goal was to highlight the strength and tenacity of the women while allowing them to present and share their own experiences. The exhibit shows their history from the ground up, their perseverance, everything. It was originally created for the United Nations in 2015, but Alun agreed to have it exhibited here.”

Andrei listened along, holding on to every word that flowed from your lips, his eyes never leaving your face as you eagerly read through the pamphlet. He couldn’t deny that everything about you was intoxicating. Your kindness, your graciousness, how excited you got about things, he couldn’t figure out what the feeling inside him that was growing every moment he spent with you, but he wanted to feel it every day.

He didn’t realize you had finished reading until he noticed your eyes observing him curiously, quickly making it clear you knew he was listening, he gestured to the wall to his left. “I can’t wait to get a little closer then, I’m excited to listen to you read all their stories.”

Quirking an eyebrow at him, “Oh, I’m reading all the stories, am I?”

Nodding his head, an exaggerated roll of his eyes while a “Duh” fell from his lips.

“Duh, would much rather listen to your voice instead of my own. I hear my own voice enough,” shaking your head with a laugh, you watched as Andrei gestured with his hand towards the first empty spot of the exhibition. Allowing him to pull you towards it, you eagerly latched on to the first description you could find.

The exhibition was beautiful, every story more empowering and gut-wrenching than the previous. Even Andrei was impressed, soaking up every word you read and every story you passed. You barely realized how much time the two of you had spent exploring the exhibition until you pulled out your phone, the time shining directly at you. It had been early in the afternoon when he had first picked you up, but the 4:57 glared blaringly at you, evidence that the museum was soon to closed.

Andrei had noticed the time too, not realizing how much time had flown by in what seemed like just an hour or so in the building, “Guess we should head out, yeah?”

Nodding your head, you allowed him to grab your hand, entwining your fingers like they had been before. He lightly pulled you towards him, your steps in sync as you both politely thanked the employees at the front desk. You held in the squeal that almost erupted from your mouth the moment you stepped outside, the rain thundering down on the street and sidewalk in front of you.

“Oh my god, the weather network said nothing about rain today!”

Andrei visibly groaned as he looked around, trying to determine the easiest route to get back to his car without getting soaked. Watching the small pout form on his lips, you gently squeezed his hand before a small grin started to form on your face at the idea that was slowly seeping into your mind.

“I have an idea… but you may not like it.”

Before he could question you, you were eagerly pulling him along beside you, almost running directly into traffic as he picked up speed behind you, matching your pace as the rain pounded down on top of the both of you. Wasn’t there some saying that the faster you ran, the wetter you got?

Shrugging his shoulders as he followed your lead, he could feel his shirt sticking to his skin, the squelch of his shoes ringing through his ears as you stopped underneath the first roof cover you could find. You both were soaked, water dripping off every part of your bodies that it could. He could also see the puffs of air leaving your mouth as you tried to regain a normal breathing technique.

He couldn’t help himself, the way you grinned at him, the way your eyes were shining in amusement and joy. He barely even let a thought cross his mind before he was pushing himself closer, leaning down and pressing his lips against yours for the first time.

You took a moment to register what was happening before you kissed him back, your hands snaking up to press against the back of his neck while his own hands pressed against your back and pulled you closer to him. You weren’t a public displays of affection person, but you couldn’t resist the cliché kiss, standing under the only cover from the rain, both of you soaked to the brim, his lips pressed against yours.

Andrei was the first to pull away, your eyes connecting with his when they reopened. A sheepish grin was spreading across his face as he scratched the back of his neck.

“Sorry… I uh… couldn’t resist.”

Shaking your head, you bounced up on the balls of your feet and pressed your lips against his again. Just a small peck, nothing compared to the kiss from just moments before.

“Don’t be sorry, I like kissing you.”

3. Wine and Design

“Andrei… you’re getting the hang of it… I think?”

All the man did in response was groan, his own paintbrush splashing into the red paint between the two of you. You may have been lying… a little bit… or a lot, when you told him he was getting the hang of it. The giraffe you were supposed to be painting, following along with the teacher at the front, looked more like an uneven grouping of lines and paint on Andrei’s canvas.

You could tell he was getting frustrated as he eyed your own painting from the side of his eye, yours looking much more similar to the instructions you had been given by the teacher throughout the process. The both of you were on your final step of the painting, the red undertones around the rainbow-coloured giraffes nose the finale of the painting.

“Brock said his came out perfect. He’s a lil’ fuckin’ liar, I can’t even get this stupid nose right,” Andrei groaned as another splatter of paint came off his brush, the red more on the outside of the line than on the inside.

You couldn’t help the small giggle that fell from your lips, instantly covering it up as you pressed the wine glass to your mouth.

Date three had once again been entirely Andrei’s idea. He had messaged you just a few minutes after dropping you off after the museum, sending you a screenshot of Wine and Design’s website, claiming one of his teammates had told him how much fun he and his wife had the last time they came. You couldn’t even deny the idea, claiming it was such a cute date and you’d love to go with him.

You just weren’t expecting Andrei to have zero artistic ability whatsoever.

Your own painting was finished in front of you, looking similar to the teacher’s but not identical. Andrei’s on the other hand… was definitely not going to be a painting found on his wall any time soon. You could visibly see the exact moment he gave up, the paintbrush dropping into the cup of murky water in front of you.

“It doesn’t look that ba –”

Cutting you off with a small glare, all you did was smile sheepishly at him as the teacher slowly began to make her way around the room. Andrei was trying to subtly hide his body and painting from her impending visit to your station, which was quite difficult with his large stature.

“Oh, yours looks so wonderful, Y/N! The nose is almost perfect. The little lilac colouring you added in is beautiful,” you grinned gratefully at her as she made her way around to look at Andrei’s, the small smile never leaving her lips as she observed it.

“Your colouring is very lovely. You picked some very incredible colours. Although, I think you may have strayed off the giraffe base a bit… I’d say your line work is very lovely otherwise,” Andrei tried to hide the small grin that was slowly forming over his face at her praise, thanking her quickly as she made her way towards the next station.

“See, I told you that you were getting the hang of it,” grinning, he picked up his own wine glass and gestured with his to your own.

Quickly picking up on what he meant, you grabbed your own and gently tapped it against his in a silent cheers before pressing the rim against your lips and allowing the liquid to fall into your mouth. The rosé choice was lovely, neither the sweetness nor bitterness overpowering each other.

Andrei placed his wine glass on the table gently, before turning to the couple at the station beside you.

“Excuse me?” Watching him silently, the couple turned towards Andrei at the sound of his voice, before he continued speaking. “Would one of you be able to take a picture of us, possibly?”

The girl nodded her head eagerly, asking for one of your phones so she could take a few photos. You were a little shocked, to be honest. Usually, you were the one to request someone to take pictures of you with people, especially boyfriends, but Andrei didn’t even give you the chance to think about it before he was inquiring someone for it.

Pushing his own canvas back, Andrei stood up and gestured for you to do the same, before grabbing your canvas from off the table.

“Yours would look much nicer in a photo, mine would get made fun of,” he explained as you nodded your head with a small laugh, grinning up at him.

Grabbing your hand, he pulled you in front of him, placing himself slightly behind you as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders, his hands connecting at the top of your chest as you held the canvas in your hand. You both smiled towards the girl holding Andrei’s phone as she pressed the camera button, snapping multiple photos before handing the phone back. You both thanked her graciously before sitting back in your previously occupied seats.

Andrei thumbed through the photos beside you, showing all the ones he favourited on his phone to you, which you agreed were quite cute and deserved the heart at the bottom of the screen. What you didn’t notice was Andrei moving his phone to the side as he pressed through the settings button, setting his favourite of all the photos as his home screen background.

He couldn’t even deny that he was smitten with you anymore, his eyes watching as you laughed at a comment the teacher said, his own lips quirking up into a smile as he observed you. Yeah, he was in deep.

4. Chez le Svechnikov

Date four was entirely your idea, but Andrei refused to let you host, claiming that he had everything your plans needed anyways and that there was no reason you had to go out of your way to make a mess of your own home when you could just make a mess out of his. You tried to argue against him, mentioning the fact that it was your turn to plan everything and that he should just let you do it, but of course, he shut down that argument easily.

Which is how you found yourself outside of his apartment door, the number 19 staring directly at you as you worked yourself up to press your knuckles against the door. You couldn’t figure out why you were nervous, this wasn’t the first date the two of you were going on, but it was the first date where you were alone, in an apartment with just the two of you.

Working up to it, you pressed your knuckles against the door in three consecutive knocks. The door flew open seconds later, your eyes quickly looking the man in front of you up and down, the grey trackpants framing his legs nicely as the Hurricane’s shirt was comfortably settled across the top of his body. You allowed the grin to take over your cheeks as you made eye contact with him.

“Glad you got the comfy clothes memo,” winking at him, he tilted his head from side to side with a laugh before swooping forward and pulling you into him. Andrei quickly pressed his lips against yours in a short kiss before gesturing for you to come inside.

He closed the door behind him as your eyes observed the scene in front of you. He had apparently got a head start on the idea you had proposed. Two blankets were hanging from a hook on the ceiling, both spread out to look like a fort as pillows and blankets framed the sides and inside of the fort, looking both inviting and comfortable.

“I may have gone overboard… but I didn’t want you to have to do anything. You came up with the idea, I hope it’s okay…”

You tried to hide the large smile forming on your lips with a mock glare, but it was impossible, the cautious and kind eyes Andrei was currently looking at you with broke right through your exterior façade as you launched yourself at him. Wrapping your arms tightly around his body, he quickly snaked his own around yours as you hugged him.

“It’s perfect, you’re perfect.”

Shrugging his shoulders when the two of you pulled away from each other, Andrei beamed at you, “I just like doing nice things for you ангел. You deserve it. Especially for going out with some stranger who texted you… what did you call it… a Russian glitch?”

Laughing at the memory of your first message from the man, you barely even registered the subtle Russian word he had incorporated into his sentence.

“Well hey, maybe it wasn’t a thing in Russia, but I very much remember a bunch of my friends sending me mass text messages in Russian that had some weird glitch that messed with my phone a few years ago, drove me absolutely nuts.”

Andrei wrapped his arm around your shoulder as he pulled you into his side, “Don’t worry, the only Russian I’ll send you is very lovely things that google translate won’t be able to work with.”

“Guess you’ll have to teach me Russian then,” nodding his head eagerly at your words, Andrei pulled away so he could help you remove your coat and bag, draping both across the island in his kitchen.

“Maybe one day. It’s not a very easy language, but I’m a great teacher.”

You would be lying if you said you weren’t excited for the day he finally started teaching you some of his native tongue. You knew Russian was one of the more difficult languages to try to learn if you didn’t have a previous understanding, but you had all the faith in the world that he would be able to manage some teachings of it.

“I can’t wait. So, what’s the plan for tonight?” Questioning him, you observed the area that contained the blanket fort, the television in direct view of the pillows that were pressed up against the front of the couch.

“I was hoping for cuddles, snacks and a movie, but if you had something else in mind?” Wagging his eyebrows at you, you rolled your eyes and shoved your elbow into him gently.

“I get to pick the movie then.”

“Deal.”

That’s how the two of you found yourselves wrapped up amongst the blankets and pillows, your head pressed against his chest as the tips of his fingers gently drew circles across your shirt-covered back.

Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson’s characters from ‘The Longest Ride’ were displayed on the screen in front of you. You weren’t even sure what had happened throughout the movie, the warmth of Andrei’s body and the occasional kisses he would press against your head, or the tip of your nose, or your lips continuously distracting you.

It was like he was trying to drive you insane on purpose, his hand moving under your shirt to run circles directly on the skin of your back. It was an innocent movement, but it sent shivers down your spine and elicited goosebumps across your skin.

“Are you cold?” Andrei looked down at you curiously, a look of concern evident in his eyes.

Shaking your head, you tried to ignore the rush of heat that was slowly climbing up your neck from being caught shivering at his actions.

“Are you sure? You shivered?”

“It was uh… um… it was from like… you touching my back? Kind of just sent shivers up my spine a bit.”

You could see a small smirk forming on his face as you observed him from just a few inches below his face. He was attractive from every angle, and it kind of made you hate him a bit. Only a little bit.

“Oh, am I making you shiver, Ms. Y/L/N? What if I kissed you? Would that make you shiver more?”

Andrei didn’t give you a second to answer before he was tilting your chin up and closer to his face, eagerly pressing his lips against yours. This kiss was different than all the previous kisses you had shared. More fire, more energy, more passionate.

One hand gently pressed against your cheek while the other remained on your back, you were unsure of where to put your own hands as your lips moulded eagerly against his. Allowing his tongue to slip in against yours, both tongues fought against each other as your hands found a place amongst his hair.

You found yourself moving so you were more in his lap, than pressed against his side, his hand moving to grip the side of your waist as the other remained on your back, trying to pull you even closer than you already were. Your own hand continued through his hair, the other awkwardly trying to find a place somewhere else.

Barely even registering the fact Andrei’s hand had disconnected from your back, you squeaked into his mouth when you felt him entwine his fingers with yours. He pulled away and pressed the back of your hand to his lips, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath, your own doing the same.

“God, I could kiss you forever,” he groaned as he pressed his forehead against yours, gently bumping his nose into your own.

You laughed gently, pressing a small peck to his lips before climbing off his lap and back into the spot against his side. You didn’t want to push any boundaries, or get too far ahead of yourself, and it seemed he had the same mentality as he wrapped his arm around you again and pressed the side of his head against the top of yours.

“Would you maybe want to come to my game Friday? Against Detroit? Geno, Evgeny, my brother, he plays for them, and I’d really like for you to meet him. Only if you want to, of course.”

His request had you looking at him in shock, you knew how important of a person Evgeny was to him, how much he looked up to and admired his brother, and he wanted you to meet him? Already? You couldn’t say no, though, the puppy dog eyes Andrei was giving you were impossible to say no to, which is how you found yourself agreeing to meet one of the most important people in his life, in just a few short days.

+ 1 The Game

Your body was practically shaking as you made your way towards the suite Andrei had instructed you to find, detailing every step you had to take. You knew it was the wives and girlfriends suite, something he and you had not discussed in the short time you had been seeing each other.

You were greeted with the sight of a bustling suite the moment you entered the room, children zooming past in front of you while girls were stationed across the room, eagerly chatting with one another. You didn’t even know where to start, your palms beginning to sweat as your heart started to race at the idea of trying to figure out what to do.

“Y/N, right?” Looking towards the sound of the voice, your eyes connected with a brunette’s, a large grin plastered across her face as she looked at you.

Nodding your head, a few other girls looked towards you curiously.

“I’m Gracia, Brady Skjei’s fiancé. Andrei told him to tell me to watch out for you, said you may be a bit nervous coming into the ‘wolfs house’ as he so called it, don’t think the kid knows the sayings actually the wolf’s den but I’ll give it to him.”

Laughing at her words, you instantly felt yourself relax as she slowly began introducing you to the other women in the room. Each time she introduced you as ‘Andrei’s girlfriend’, you felt your heart beat a little extra fast inside of your chest, not having it in you to correct her.

Once the game began, she encouraged you to sit down next to her and Jamie, Brock’s girlfriend. They both were easy to get along with, eager to get all the details of yours and Andrei’s ‘budding relationship’ as they kept calling it. You told them everything, from the accidental text message to the blanket fort Andrei had made in his living room for you just a few days prior.

“Oh my god, I’m so telling Brock all of this. He’s being outplayed by a 21-year-old and he’s gotta know it,” both girls were swooning at all the things you told them, and you couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face every time you mentioned him.

The game went by smoothly, the Hurricanes coming out on top with a 4-2 win. All the wives and girlfriends were eager to get downstairs to their men, excited to know the boys would be happy and that everyone was in for a good night.

Going down to the players area with Jamie and Gracia was nice, both were lovely and were excited to get the chance to have someone new to talk to.

“Are you excited to meet Geno? Andrei’s apparently been talking about it since you said yes. Apparently, you’re the first girl who’s ever met his brother this soon,” you felt yourself shuddering a bit at the blonde’s words, a small grimace crossing your face. If either girl noticed, neither mentioned anything as they waited for you to respond.

“I’m really excited. Evgeny means a lot to Andrei, so I’m really honoured he wants me to meet him already. I just hope he doesn’t hate me or anything.”

A loud laugh was heard from behind you, the same laugh you heard the first time you met Andrei, which had you whipping around to make eye contact with the man in question. His hair was wet, the smell of soap wafting through your nose as he pulled you into a hug, the beaming smile never leaving his lips.

“Geno will love you, мой дорогой,” pressing a kiss to the top of your head, you waved goodbye to Jamie and Gracia as Andrei eagerly pulled you along and towards the Red Wings dressing room.

Feeling your anxiety rising again, Andrei could sense something was off as he gently continued to squeeze your hand, the smile never wavering from his cheeks. Your eyes made contact with the man coming out of the room at the end of the hall, before you felt Andrei’s hand slip from yours as both boys yelled words in Russian that you couldn’t understand.

Their bodies connected in a large hug, both eager to get reacquainted with each other after weeks apart. Both Svechnikov’s were talking too quickly for you to even comprehend what they were saying, their words flying in one ear and right out the other as you observed their interaction.

You didn’t realize both men were looking towards you until you watched Evgeny get closer and closer, his arms eventually wrapping around your body and pulling you into a hug.

Unsure of how to proceed, you wrapped your arms around him back in a quick hug before he was pulling back to observe you.

“I can now agree little brother, very pretty, what are you doing with this nerd?”

Ruffling his brother’s hair, Evgeny grinned as Andrei swatted at him before moving back towards you and pulling you into his side.

“It’s those puppy-dog eyes. They’re hard to resist,” a loud guffaw came out of Evgeny’s lips as he mockingly clutched at his stomach, a grin falling across his cheeks.

“Oh yes, those sneaky little eyes that used to get him out of trouble when we were kids. You just wait, they’re going to suck you in until you’re too far gone.”

A few more players began making their way out of the dressing room the Red Wings had been assigned. Filip Zadina made his way out of the room, which had Andrei gently leaning down to let you know he’d be right back, and informing Evgeny to play ‘nice’, before quickly making his way towards the Red Wings forward.

“He’s obsessed with you, you know? He doesn’t usually talk about girls, it’s always just been hockey, hockey, hockey. But then one day you got mentioned and ever since, almost all of our calls have been about you… and a little bit about hockey.”

Your cheeks warmed at the confession falling from Evgeny’s lips. “I… I really like him. Your brother’s a really amazing guy.”

“Well yes of course, I taught him to be amazing. I was amazing first, and then he was amazing second,” winking at you before he continued speaking, Evgeny gestured with his thumb towards Andrei.

“My brother never changes his lock screen from those photos of our home, he gets homesick even if he won’t admit it. Yet, he changed it three dates in with you, to a picture of the two of you. I can guarantee you that he likes you quite a lot.”

Smiling gently at his words, Andrei made his way back towards you, pinching his brothers arm as he passed beside him. Evgeny swatted at him, missing him by just as inch as Andrei once again made his way towards his side.

“Geno, we’ve got to get going. Flying out tonight instead of in the morning.”

Evgeny nodded towards the staff member, before pulling Andrei into another hug, and then leaning over to pull you into a hug right after.

“Она то, что тебе нужно. Ты хорошо к ней относишься, Андрей.”

Andrei nodded his head, before Evgeny once again turned towards you.

“Follow me on Instagram, yeah? We’ll chat about Andrei; I’ll tell you all the embarrassing stories I can remember. It was nice finally meeting you,” smiling back, you repeated the sentiment and agreed to follow him on Instagram the moment you could.

The two of you watched as he walked towards the end of the hall and disappeared around the corner, a sad smile crossing Andrei’s face.

“When do you get to see him next?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Andrei opened his palm up for you to entwine your fingers as he looked down at you, “A few weeks, I think. I think the next game is in Detroit, I’ll check later. To the car?”

Agreeing with his question, the two of you walked side by side, with your hands entwined towards the parking garage. It wasn’t a long walk, the comfortable silence following you both throughout the halls of PNC Arena. He was quick to open your door for you again, waiting until all limbs were in the car to close it.

Once he was inside and buckled up, you turned towards him, a small grimace on your face once again.

“Andrei, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, мой дорогой,” squeezing your knee with his open hand, Andrei’s eyes were focused solely on the road in front of him.

“I… Gracia, Brady’s fiancé, she was um… introducing me as your girlfriend to everyone and it’s just… it made me think. What like… what are we?”

The words took a few seconds to stutter out as you gently wrung your hands together and tried to focus on everything that wasn’t Andrei’s expression. The silence that followed prompted you to knaw on your bottom lip, the nerves bubbling up inside of you.

“Well, I kind of thought we were dating, no?”

Shrugging your shoulders, you braved looking towards him and made eye contact slightly as he tried to focus on you and the road simultaneously, “I wasn’t sure, I guess. We never really labelled anything.”

Andrei’s usual parking spot was in sight already, the drive a quick one from PNC Arena. The silence that followed your question and subsequent statement had you shifting uncomfortably in your seat until the car was put into park, and Andrei was swiveling around to look at you.

“Y/N, I like you a lot. A lot, a lot. I’m sorry that I didn’t ask you before I told everyone and put a label on it first. I told Brady you were my girlfriend, that’s why Gracia was introducing you as such. That was my mistake. Can I ask now? Or are you upset with me?”

Vehemently shaking your head at his words, “I’m not upset with you at all, of course I’m not. Please ask… only if you want to, obviously.”

Andrei laughed as he leaned over to gently peck your lips, his hand that was previously on your knee moving so that he was able to cup your cheek.

“Will you be my girlfriend? Officially be my girlfriend?”

Nodding your head quickly, “Of course, I’d love to be your girlfriend, Andrei.”

Pressing his lips against yours against, a smile was permanently etched on both of your faces as you did so.

“Please don’t tell Evgeny I told everyone you were my girlfriend before I even asked. He’ll make fun of me.”

Translations

Привет, это Андрей, ты дал мне свой номер в баре? – Hi, this is Andrei, you gave me your number at the bar?

Ангел – Angel

мой дорогой – My Dear

Thankfully, when your brother went off to college, the chaos calmed down and you could finally eat through an entire bag of chips by yourself without worrying one of them would snatch it from your hands. Then, you went off to college and the guys became nonexistent. Now, your parent’s home served more as a vacation spot rather than home, but that also meant you had to go back to sharing spaces when your brother brought his old buddies over.

You knew the only reason they spent so much time at your house was due to the large pool in your backyard, but the summer time was almost unbearable with how much they were in it. Every turn around the corner you were met with one of your brother’s friends.

They whispered about you behind your back, and especially your brother’s back, among themselves. Mostly, they were brief comments about how your figure had really filled out since you were sixteen. It was a complete one-eighty from when they saw you last, but they’d rather be dead than caught trying to flirt with you. It was simple bro code, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t look and appreciate your body.

You weren’t oblivious to their stares. They probably thought they were inconspicuous or not noticeable, but you weren’t dumb. The extra attention was flattering even if you weren’t going to do anything about it. If you were to get with any of your brother’s friends, it was going to be Tyson Jost, but he hadn’t spared you a second glance since seeing you again.

Tyson had been the only one of your brother’s friends to ever catch your eye. He was always handsome, but beyond that, he was so fucking nice. He didn’t partake in the teasing the rest of your brother’s friends gave you, and he didn’t think you were a burden every time you needed to catch a ride somewhere. He never went out of his way to speak to you, but he never treated you badly.

And you wanted him so bad.

He was just as respectful now as he was back then. Even after years of playing in the NHL and making millions of dollars, the fame hadn’t changed him. His arms had gotten bigger and his thighs more muscular, and his scruff was doing nothing to cool your sinful thoughts, but he was still just as kind.

Out of all your brother’s friends, he was the only one that didn’t irk the shit out of you. If anything, you kind of wished he would say something stupid so you could kill your stupid crush.

It was another hot day, the summer sun beating down on you at what felt like a thousand degrees, and you were taking advantage of the nice weather by lounging by the pool when a chorus of deep voices sounded from the sliding door.

You peeked one eye open under your sunglasses to see five idiots in swim trunks try their hardest not to let their gazes linger on you as they filed outside with a case of beer in hand. Your brother wasn’t with them, presumably still in the house, but Tyson pushed past all the guys and pulled out the lounge next to you.

“Beer?” Tyson asked, holding out a Coors can, and you thanked him as he slid the cold metal into your hand.

The other guys were still looking at you from afar, and you couldn’t stop your eyes from rolling behind your sunglasses.

“Tell your friends they’re gonna catch flies if they don’t close their mouths,” you said, flipping over to your stomach.

You weren’t expecting Tyson to respond, but you were happily surprised when a hearty laugh sounded from his throat. Your head rested on your arms, face turned towards Tyson, and you let a smile quirk at the ends of your lips.

“I’m sorry they’re idiots,” he apologized half-heartedly.

“Not your fault,” you said. “I hope the company in Colorado isn’t as idiotic as the one you keep here.”

“Hate to break it to you, but guys of all ages are stupid,” Tyson explained, glancing over to you. His hair was curly and looked so soft you were half tempted to reach over and run your fingers through it. It was much longer than the cut he used to keep in high school, and you were a fan of this current length.

“I hope they don’t play beer darts at least,” you commented, referring to the night before when the guys sat out back for two hours playing that dumb house party game and progressively getting more drunk throughout it. Nick had taken one straight to the shin, and you could see the bandaid over his leg from your view across the pool.

“Not that stupid at least,” Tyson chuckles. “College boy stupidity is a different kind of stupid.”

“Don’t I fucking know it,” you groaned.

You watched the guys, now joined with your brother, shotgun a beer and jump in the pool in quick succession.

“You know, we’ve known each other for years and I don’t think we’ve ever had a proper conversation,” Tyson says after a minute of silence, and you peer at him over the rim of your sunglasses. He leaned back against the chair, sunglasses on and beer in hand.

“I don’t think I’ve had a conversation with any of you that didn’t consist of whining about how you had to drive me to school or to the mall,” you teased.

“Hey! I never said anything,” Tyson said in defense.

“True,” you conceded. “You were the only one that didn’t piss me off back in the day.”

“I tried my hardest not to,” Tyson laughs.

I wish you would’ve tried harder to talk to me.

“Tyson! Get your ass in the pool!” Your brother interrupts, causing both of your attention to snap back to the crowd in the water.

“I think we’re good out here,” Tyson called back, and a few of the guys took the time to splash water at you.

There were loud boos shouted your way, but they left you alone after that.

“How’s school going?” He asked.

“It’s fine,” you answered cautiously. “Stressed about what to do after graduation this year, but other than that it’s all good. How is Colorado? What are the mountains like?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t do a lot of hiking,” he grins. “You should visit some time though if you’re into that. I’m sure I could scout out a few trails to take you on.”

“Really? I’d love that. I’ve barely traveled,” you admitted with a sigh. Being broke and in college with loans to pay off didn’t leave you much opportunity to do much sight-seeing.

“Of course, you can always crash at my place too if you need a place to stay,” he offered, and the gesture warmed your heart.

“Maybe I’ll make a trip later this summer then,” you thought out loud.

“Yeah?” Tyson smiled. “I think you’d love Colorado.”

“If it’s good enough for you then I’m sure it can’t be that bad,” you mused.

“Tyson!” Your brother shouted once again. “Stop flirting with my sister and get in here.”

You knew he was joking, but that didn’t stop the heat from flooding your cheeks in embarrassment. No one would be able to tell since the sun had your face feeling hot all day, but Tyson only laughed and set his empty beer can on the ground beside him.

“Why don’t you text me later if you’re still serious about Colorado?” Tyson suggested as he sat up to his full height. “Oh, and maybe we can just keep this between us?” He looked a little sheepish then, asking you to keep quiet about a possible trip where you’d see him, but it sent tingles throughout your body.

“Of course,” you replied. “I’ll text you later.”