Stroopwaffle King

Valorie hadn’t intended to be late and it meant that she was immediately the centre of attention when she walked into the café. She spotted the table of her friends that was discretely to the side and out of the way, though that discretion flew out the window when Amber and Valorie squealed as they saw each other.

They rushed to close the distance, throwing their arms around one another in a hug that only remained upright because Mike was standing close enough by to keep them that way. Valorie, after pulling away from Amber, greeted Mike with a more subdued but no less friendly hug.

Neither Mike nor Amber were who she’d noticed first, though, because the third person at the table was Nathan MacKinnon and he was a man who was impossible to miss.

Despite how much she wanted to step forward and greet him in the exact same way, Valorie wasn’t sure where the boundaries were, so she opted for saying, “I would have thought you’d be far too good to hang out with us lowly commoners.”

Nate smirked, looking as if he’d been expecting it, but it wasn’t him who spoke next.

“We haven’t seen you half as much as him in the last seven years,” Mike said, thumping his hand across Nate’s broad chest. Valorie was momentarily distracted by just how broad it was; those years had been very good to him.

Mike continued, “Dogg knows where he came from.”

“Yes, yes, I’m the worst,” Valorie said with an eyeroll as she pushed everyone back to their seats. Nate paused for long enough that Valorie greeted him with a hug and a lingering kiss on his cheek.

Valorie sat opposite Nate, tucking her legs underneath her own chair to avoid accidentally entangling them with his—the length of his was a memory firmly engrained in her mind.

Immediately it became clear that the conversation was not going to trend towards the Cup like she’d been hoping. It was far and away the most exciting thing she could think of for any of them to talk about, but she supposed that everyone had had the same thought since Nate arrived back in Nova Scotia.

Instead, Amber lifted Valorie’s wrist to get a closer inspection of the bracelet she was wearing and the boys leant in, too.

“Got to keep the jewellery, I see,” Amber said, her voice slightly awed. Valorie couldn’t blame her.

“Everything but the car,” Valorie said. “It would have been useless up here anyway. Definitely not meant for winter tyres.”

“You should have kept it and flipped it,” Mike said, tapping against the table in thought. “An Audi, wasn’t it?”

“Porsche.”

Mike whistled low and impressed, Nate’s eyebrow twitched—Valorie almost missed it—and he leaned back in his seat. Valorie could only imagine what cars Nate was driving around Colorado or Nova Scotia. As nice as her Porsche was, she was sure it paled in comparison.

Valorie pulled back her hand, hiding it away under the table to stop Amber playing with it any longer.

“You still wear what he bought you?” Nate asked, his voice curiously tight as his eyes flicked between her face and where the bracelet was hidden under the table.

Valorie thought for a moment, cataloguing everything she had put on that morning. “I think everything I’m wearing was a gift from him. It wasn’t a bad break up; no bad memories associated with any of it.”

Until that moment, Valorie had been perfectly comfortable with the idea of it—her entire wardrobe had been bought by her ex so she didn’t have much choice anyway, but under Nate’s careful gaze every inch of fabric felt suffocatingly heavy.

“Why did you break up?” Amber asked. “It sounds perfect.”

“I wanted to come home,” Valorie answered simply, one shoulder rising in a shrug as she tried to casually avoid eye contact with her friends.

“He had enough money; you could have come home whenever you wanted.”

“What? You think I’ve been back, like, twice in seven years because that’s what I wanted?” Valorie asked, somewhat viciously, directing her words and the accompanying glare at Mike. “There was always someone to meet, something to do, somewhere to be and I couldn’t ever get away. I missed home.”

Mike, rightfully chastened, lowered himself down in his chair just enough to let Valorie know he regretted what he’d said. Nate and Amber were sitting in an awkward silence and Valorie had to speak just to move them along.

She continued, “And I was bored as hell. I was asked if I’d be interested in the Real Housewives of Miami reboot and if I stayed much longer I would have said yes just to have something to do.”

Amber’s laugh was raucous, eliciting the same from Valorie, and she said, “You’re too young to be on that show.”

“That’s most of the reason I said no!” Valorie shrieked, still laughing. “That and I was actually a housewife? The other women on that show have, like, careers and are important and aren’t just sitting at home complaining about doing yoga.”

“I’d watch a show that was you doing yoga.”

Three heads turned to Nate, all barking out surprised laughs at his deadpan voice accompanied by the casual expression that remained on his face—almost as if he hadn’t said anything at all.

Mike thumped Nate across the chest, as he’d done earlier, and said, “We all know you would, Nate.”

“That’s really it, though?” Nate pressed on, not even looking at Mike as he thumped him back, “You couldn’t come up with a schedule where you got to come home more?”

“It wasn’t going to work,” Valorie said firmly. Nate tilted his head but was kind enough to not press her any further.

Despite all the talk of Valorie living a lavish lifestyle, when it came to ordering food she was conservative with her money. She didn’t have a choice when that money was coming out of her own, not very large bank account. It didn’t matter in the end, because Nate quickly took over and promised that he’d pay after ordering a ludicrous amount of food all the while flicking his gaze to Valorie every few seconds.

After they’d finished eating—having spent so long that it was clear they were only being allowed to stay because they were with Nate—Mike and Amber hurried off before they were late to see Amber’s parents, leaving Nate and Valorie on the sidewalk out the front.

“Where are you living?” Nate asked, his keys twirling in his hands. “Do you want a ride?”

Valorie nodded, surprised but please, “Oh, yeah, thank you. I’m staying with my parents. They haven’t moved.”

He didn’t say anything as he started moving towards the parking lot behind the café. It hadn’t changed much since they were 16, slowly walking back to Nate’s second-hand truck after a date neither of them really wanted to end.

“You’re back with your parents?”

“I haven’t had a job in seven years, nobody will hire me, and nobody will let me lease a house without pay cheques so…”

“That’s rough.”

“It’s fine,” she insisted. Nate’s face screwed up, so she added, “I still get on with my parents so it’s really fine.”

The Porsche Cayenne he led her to wasn’t so much a surprise, given the dealership that would have jumped at the chance to have one of their vehicles driven by Stanley Cup Champion Nathan MacKinnon—it was, however, a reminder of the 911 she’d left behind in Miami.

Of everything she’d left behind in Miami.

They were sitting in the Cayenne out the front of Valorie’s parents’ house, her hand on the door handle, when Nate said, “I’ve got room at my place if you want it.”

“That’s really sweet of you, Nate,” she smiled back at him, appreciative, “but I don’t have any money to pay rent.”

Valorie opened the door and looked back into the car when she was standing upright, to thank Nate for dropping her off.

“I don’t need rent from you.”

“Nate.”

“Just say the word, Val.”

Moving into one of Nate’s spare bedrooms was easier than Valorie had anticipated; Nate picked her up a few days after he dropped her at her parents’ home in Crichton Park, loaded some bags into the trunk and unloaded them into a bedroom with a lake front view in Grand Lake.

He’d declared that everything in the house was hers if she wanted it and raised a challenging eyebrow when she walked into the wine room and declared that she’d start with the most expensive bottle and work her way down—she knew exactly which one it was, too, even with a cursory glance at the bottles lining the walls.

“It’s probably not as nice where you lived in Miami,” Nate said as he finished the tour.

Valorie laughed, “The lovely Mediterranean Revival home that he gutted and turned into a Hypermodern nightmare so the inside and the outside clashed? The one that didn’t even have a view of the beach? I’ll miss a lot of things about Miami but that house is not one of them.”

“I didn’t know you cared about that stuff.”

“Architecture?” she clarified, waiting for Nate’s slow nod before she shrugged. “I had a lot of time to kill.”

Valorie spent most of that first day on the deck overlooking Grand Lake, it wasn’t quite warm enough for her to venture into the pool, but it was perfect to just sit and watch the water and the occasional jet-skier zip past.

Nate left her to her own devices for what might have been a few hours before he joined her and started asking questions about what she’d like for dinner so that he could head to the store.

“You gonna cook for me, Dogg?” Valorie asked, tilting her head over the back of the chair so that she could see Nate properly. “What if I want risotto?”

There was a brief moment where it looked like Nate’s brain short-circuited before he collected himself and said, “I can offer you steak or chicken breast. Salad or vegetables.”

“So many options,” Valorie said, a small laugh in her voice, as she pushed herself off the chair. “If you cook the steak, I’ll make the salad.”

“Sorry, there aren’t more options.”

“Two more than I’d be able to offer.”

The admission didn’t seem to surprise Nate, who just accepted what Valorie had said without question—Mike and Amber had surely passed on a few things about Valorie’s time in Miami and the chef she had was one of their favourite thing to bring up.

Valorie used Nate going to the store as an opportunity to wander through the house. It wasn’t as large as she was expecting, so it didn’t take very long at all—especially not when she avoided Nate’s bedroom out of respect for his privacy. She opened every cupboard in the kitchen, just to make sure she knew where everything was kept, and then unloaded the dishwasher when it beeped at her incessantly. In the fridge was an open bottle of sparkling red wine, so Valorie helped herself to a glass on the balcony while she waited for Nate to return.

The calmness of Nova Scotia was something Valorie had forgotten she’d missed until she was back; even in the height of summer, with the excitement of the Cup coming back, she was more relaxed than she’d ever been in Miami.

When Nate returned Valorie greeted him with a big smile as she raised the wine she’d poured herself—her second of the afternoon—and he returned it without hesitation.

She continued to drink as they made dinner, her easy and boring salad taking no time at all, and Nate cracked a beer while he grilled and then opened a new bottle of wine for them as they ate on the balcony overlooking the lake as the sun slowly began to set.

Despite the view she had—she’d been staring at it all day, after all—Valorie couldn’t help but watch Nate as he ate, mostly scrutinising the lines of his face that were so much different to what she once knew.

“You keep looking at me like you don’t believe I exist,” Nate said. Valorie didn’t even flinch; another two glasses of wine making her particularly carefree.

“I don’t know if I do,” she admitted, sighing as she realised that even his voice had changed. “I’ve seen you on the TV and in photos and everything but for the past seven years the image of you in my head has always been you the last summer I saw you. You were a kid and now you’re a man and I really don’t know how to deal with that.”

“Yeah,” Nate agreed, his voice a lot softer and more serious than it had been. “I know. I get it.”

Amber and Mike came over to spend time on the lake not too long into Valorie’s time with Nate. It was a perfect day, which Valorie had come to expect, and being out on the Sea Doos was the perfect way to spend it.

It was nice to have company.

Nate had taken to visiting his parents’ house if he was going to see them. He always offered for Valorie to join him, but that felt like it was encroaching on boundaries she wasn’t even sure they’d set. She’d tried, though, to get him to invite them over only to be met with a shake of the head—maybe he was worried about different boundaries being breached. Valorie didn’t know.

Amber and Mike were good company, at least. Valorie was always happy that Amber had stuck by her even when she wasn’t around. Mike… Mike she could take or leave depending on the day.

“Why’d you really leave what’s-his-face?” Mike asked, apropos of nothing and a few beers deep.

Amber glared at him, though it went unnoticed. Nate sat up a little straighter and Valorie couldn’t work out if it was Mike-related or Nick-related.

“I already told you,” Valorie said, forcing a polite twinge into her voice even if she was dreading whatever might come next.

“Yeah, but there’s gotta be more to it,” Mike argued.

“Why?”

“I love this place, but if Amber wanted to move to, I don’t know, LA and never come back I’d do it in a heartbeat. And with the money you had? Easiest decision I’ll ever make.”

“He doesn’t want kids,” she relented, though it was not without steeliness as she tried to put a definitive end to the topic. “No amount of money was worth not being a mom.”

“That’s some serious self-control,” Mike said, shaking his head almost as if he was in awe. “I can think of a lot of things I’d give up for the life you were living.”

“It’s all Valorie ever wanted,” Nate said, his voice deep and low. “She was born to be a mom.”

Valorie’s gaze moved slowly to Nate as she replayed the words in her mind. He hadn’t moved from how he’d been sitting at the start of the conversation, hadn’t even looked away from Mike. She wanted him to look at her, to make eye contact to be able to get a read on him; to see if the skip it caused in her heartbeat was for an actual reason.

“It took you seven years with this guy to work out you were on a different page?” Mike asked incredulously, earning a half-hearted shrug from Valorie who looked back to him with hesitation.

“He said he was undecided. I loved him, you know? I was willing to wait it out in the hopes that kids would be on the table.”

Mike then agreed, “I’d wait seven years if I spent the entire time being a trophy wife.”

“It wasn’t about all the material possessions,” she snapped. “I know that’s what it looked like, but I’m upset you all think I’m a gold digger.”

“If the Louboutins fit,” Mike said with an eyebrow waggle.

“We know you aren’t a gold digger,” Amber said, finally, and firmly, contributing to the conversation, “or you wouldn’t have come back.”

Mike leaned back in his chair, pointed up at Nate’s house watching over them and said, rather loudly, “Right into Nate’s sweet digs.”

His loudness was met with silence, thick and tense, and the three people that stared at him didn’t seem to bother him at all.

“Do you even like me, Mike?” Valorie asked, tired.

“Come on, Val. I’m just joking around.” He added, after a hearty hunk across the back of the head courtesy of Nate, “I’ll cool it.”

The weather had turned quite quickly and quite dramatically—what had been the perfect weather the week prior had turned so miserable that Valorie was looking out the floor to ceiling windows as if her death stare could part the black clouds.

Nate was somewhere on the island doing something hockey related that he’d told Valorie about the night before while she was half asleep on the couch, so she was, once again, left in the house to her own devices.

A second car had appeared in the garage a couple of days after her arrival and Nate had assured her that she could drive it whenever she needed; Valorie was going to avoid driving it as long as she could.

The wine room was taking more of a hit than Valorie had expected when she’d joked with Nate about drinking it all; she had very few places to go, and her mother was more than happy to drive to Grand Lake to pick her up if there were family plans so she rarely had to drive, so the day drinking was getting more out of hand than she wanted to admit. It was a similar problem to Miami, she was realising, but Nate’s house wasn’t filled with quite so many time-wasting objects and there was only so much baking she could do when Nate rarely had any visitors.

Her response to the door opening had become Pavlovian, especially since being confined inside by the rain. Valorie was on her feet, pretending to walk to the kitchen to refill her glass of red, so that she’d be able to start a conversation with Nate when he walked in.

Only, it wasn’t Nate.

“Uh… Sidney. Hi. Nate’s not here. I’m Valorie—Val,” she said, all in a rush, putting her glass on the counter and desperately hoping she didn’t have red teeth.

“Nice to see you again, Val,” Sidney said, polite and friendly. “Nate told me to let myself in; he’ll be back soon.”

The shock and awe Valorie felt being around Sidney—Sid—had disappeared after exactly one summer of learning that he was nowhere near as cool as she had built him up to be. That being said, she had not expected him to remember her for a second.

“Do you want some cookies?” she asked, quickly, noticing that Sid was hovering uncertainly. “I made way too many.”

Sid smiled, nodded, and sat down at one of the bar stools on the other side of the counter while Valorie plated up an assortment of ginger snaps, Florentines, sugar cookies and Afghan biscuits all while trying not to let the wine she’d been drinking rattle her.

“Killing the boredom of being stuck inside all day?” Sid asked, drawing the plate towards him and inspecting his choices as if she was going to stop him at one.

“It’s what I do and what I’ve done for years now.” Valorie shrugged. “I drink and I bake.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I say that sounds… underwhelming.”

“Oh, no!” Valorie gasped instantly. “I mean, I got really into yoga and reading, too. I wasn’t just some boozy housewife. I love to bake, though. I could do it all day. Wine?”

Sid agreed to a glass, and Valorie pretended that she didn’t know he was doing it so she wouldn’t be drinking alone.

“Are you happy to be back here? Back home?” Sid asked around a not-yet-finished mouthful of ginger snap. “You’ve been gone a long time.”

It was, to say the least, unnerving to have Sidney Crosby—anybody, really—sitting across from her and calling her out for being gone. They weren’t friends, like Amber and Mike, or whatever else, like Nate, and she couldn’t wrap her head around why he would care to bring it up.

She took a healthy sip of her wine, savouring the taste for longer than was strictly necessary and said, “I was always trying to get back. It just never… It was hard to get away. I’m glad to be back.”

“I’m sure the island is happy to have you back,” he said, removing the unease in Valorie’s stomach flawlessly as he looked out over the deck to the lake. “Sorry the weather didn’t hold up for you.”

“It was nice for a while,” she conceded, following Sid’s eyes, “and at least it’s the same all day. I was really not impressed by Miami deciding there was a torrential downpour every afternoon after the perfect morning. Seven years there and I never got used to it.”

Valorie moved their conversation to the couch, carrying the wine with her while Sid carried the cookies he was slowly making his way through. She let Sid talk about his off-season plans, to what he’d already done since returning to Nova Scotia, noting that he was absolutely downplaying the vacation he and Kathy had taken and skipping over the extraordinarily nice or expensive parts. She loved Antigua, knew it inside and out, but was happy to let Sid tell her what he thought was appropriate—he may have been happy to ask her why she’d been gone so long but it was clear not much more information than that had made it his way.

By the time Nate was home—his definition of ‘soon’ stretching Valorie’s just a little—she was desperate to just be anywhere that wasn’t near anyone, not just Sid and the way he knew too much yet absolutely nothing. She excused herself within moments to use the bathroom, heading downstairs to her ensuite.

On her way down the staircase, she heard, the beginning of their conversation:

“Val was just filling me in on her time in Miami.”

“She really enjoyed it, right? It sounds great.”

“That’s… one way to put it.”

Walking through Halifax with Nate by her side was an experience. He’d mentioned it in passing, that people were more interested in him than normal, but Valorie hadn’t taken it to mean it was quite so relentless.

Kids wanted their jerseys autographed, everyone wanted a photo and every other person wanted to stand there on the street with Nate and listen to him recount his entire career from Bantam to what training he’d been doing since he got back to Nova Scotia.

Their trip into Halifax had been for no reason other than the sudden realisation by Nate that Valorie hadn’t left the house in an alarming amount of time outside of her new part-time job at one of the local hobby stores, so it wasn’t like the constant stopping was preventing them from doing anything in particular.

It was, however, resulting in Valorie entering a lot of stores that she otherwise had no intention of going into just so that people could gush over Nate. And at least one purchase of a dress she didn’t need.

One person who stopped them was a classmate from high school who stopped them to question Valorie about her disappearance just as much as she stopped to gush over Nate. Valorie didn’t even remember her name and the woman hadn’t taken the time to introduce herself.

“It’s so cute that you’re back for Nate, though,” she said. “I always knew you guys would end up in the same place.”

“Well, that place is home for us, so.”

“Oh, I know, but I heard all about you in Miami and obviously Nate’s making magic in Denver so it’s just nice to see you two in the same place again.”

“Yeah, it’s great,” Nate said, nodding even as he was subtly moving out of her way and directing Valorie in the same direction. “We’ve gotta head off, though. It was great to see you again.”

“Of course, sorry! You must be so busy! We should definitely catch up!”

There was more nodding and agreeing as they walked past her, Valorie checking back over her shoulder quickly in one last attempt to help her remember?”

“What was her name?” she asked Nate when they were well out of earshot.

Nate admitted easily, his face lighting up with a guilty smile, “No fucking idea.”

Valorie walked into him as she laughed, unable to control herself as it erupted from her mouth. Nate laughed, too, the guilt shifting from his face and they were holding each other up on the sidewalk as they struggled to breath.

The laughter continued, albeit subdued, as they made their way to the one thing they’d agreed upon getting: ice cream. It was an otherwise peaceful work, seemingly already having run into everyone who wanted a few minutes of Nate’s time.

Being out in public with Nate was different to being alone with him at home, Valorie noticed, and it was different to how they’d been as teenagers. He always carried himself with a confidence that was beyond him in years, almost a quiet arrogance as he always knew where he was going to end up—Valorie would have given anything to know when the arrogance disappeared. Was it because of the Cup win? His accomplishment proof enough that he was everything he ever said he was going to be. Was it seasons earlier when it didn’t look as clear?  

At the ice cream shop, Nate ordered Butterscotch ripple and then laughed under his breath as Valorie ordered Maple Walnut.

“Why is that funny?”

“You’re so Canadian.”

Noting the children around, Valorie glared at him, mouthing ‘fuck you’ before she continued out loud, “I’m going to enjoy all the maple flavoured things. You can’t stop me.”

“I wouldn’t dare. I will laugh at you, though.”

They sat on a table out the front, Nate saying hello to a few starstruck kids as they did so.

“What are you staring at?” Valorie asked, her cheeks warming up under Nate’s watchful eye.

“Just wanted to see if you were still a psycho who bites their ice cream.”

Valorie made direct eye contact with him and bit into the top of her ice cream, causing Nate to shudder dramatically.

Halifax was bustling in a way that Valorie had never seen. The decision to not have the parade in Cole Harbor was purposeful, a clear differentiation from Sid’s parades and a nice thank you to Halifax for his time with the Mooseheads.

She made her way through the crowd unimpeded, even as she headed towards the rooftop she’d been told to head to near the end of the parade route, overlooking City Hall.

Nate had let Valorie know that it was where Sid would be, hidden out of sight—a decision he’d made himself. He hadn’t even relented when Nate, drunkenly, begged him to be beside him; Valorie was grateful that Sid had the awareness to decline.

Sid was already at the rooftop with Kathy, set up with a table, chairs and some food and drink to get them through the parade and the speech Nate was going to give after.

“I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” Valorie said sheepishly, unsure if Nate had told them she’d be there. “This is where they sent me.”

“More than okay.” Sid pulled up a chair from the group of them nearby. “You didn’t want to be down there with him?”

Valorie stepped to the edge of the roof, taking in the swathes of people lined along the streets. Sid and Kathy were both watching her curiously as she turned back to them and took a seat, putting Sid in the middle.

“It wouldn’t feel right. Nate and I aren’t anything, you know.”

“That’s not true, though, is it?” Sid asked. “Or you’d be in the crowd, not up here.”

Valorie froze in her seat, only her eyes moving to follow Sid’s hand as it disappeared beside him and came back with a cooler bag that he pulled wine from.

“Do you moonlight as a shrink?”

“For Nate, yeah, I feel like I do.” He carried on, no beats missed, “I don’t have red, will white do?”

It played in her mind as she drank her wine and ate from the platter that had been set up. Nate hadn’t offered for her to be by his side—she would have turned it down immediately even if he had—and when he’d suggested she sit with Sid it felt, to her, that was the next best thing.

She wasn’t overly talkative during the wait, choosing to just stare out over the edge of the roof at the other side of the street and the people who were in nearly chaotically good spirits. She was hearing vague parts of the conversations Sid and Kathy were having, and answering questions when asked, but for the most part she was lost in the magic of the Stanley Cup being back in Nova Scotia.

Valorie had been in Cole Harbour for Sid’s 2009 Cup Parade as a small and spindly 13-year-old, watching the Cup from a distance.

That morning she’d been able to run her fingers across the engraved names.

“Is it the happiest you’ve ever been?” Valorie asked, not even bothering to quieten her voice so that Kathy wouldn’t hear. “He doesn’t talk about it as much as I thought he would.”

Sid shifted his entire body to face her and Valorie immediately felt like she was about to get a talking to; she forced herself not to shrink.

“If you want him to talk about it you have to let him know he can. I promise you he won’t shut up about it.”

“Oh. Does he think I don’t care? That’s not true,” she said, worried. “I don’t want him to think I don’t care.”

The timing was on point for the parade to enter their vision, no longer just the distant sound of the band. Even as Valorie continued to think about the possibility that Nate didn’t know how much she cared about what he’d achieved, she couldn’t help but be delighted by the sight of Gabe and Cogs very, very drunk in the first carriage that came through.

When Nate came clearly into view, the Cup held high above his head, Valorie felt her heart swell and tears prick the corners of her eyes.

“It is,” Sid said, barely audible over the band and the crowd. “The happiest I’ve ever been.”

Nate had a million things planned for the rest of his day; had a lot of people to introduce the Cup to. Long after he had disappeared from the parade and after the streets of Halifax started to clear, Valorie remained on the roof with Sid and Kathy, swapping stories until their skin was turning pink.

The fact that Sid remembered her, let alone willing to talk with her like an old friend, was still very much blowing Valorie’s mind but it wasn’t something she was going to draw attention to lest it ruin the chill vibe they’d settled into.

They walked to the bar where the party would really kick off, Sid easily blending into the small crowds still milling around Halifax—the occasional person shouting at him, at everyone near them, at the wind. The excitement felt like it was never going to leave.

Waiting for Nate felt like an age, somehow felt even longer than all seven years Valorie had been away. Maybe it was sitting beside an already very drunk Mike, or maybe it was the intense anticipation coursing through her because she knew that Nate could walk through the doors with the Stanley Cup at any moment.

Maybe it was that she was pulled into a conversation with Gabe Landeskog who looked only marginally more sober than he had in the carriage; the beers he was double fisting were sure to fix that.

“Long time no see, Valorie,” he said, his tone giving no indication whether that was good or bad. “All the way back at Nate’s first game, right?”

Valorie was hesitant to respond, and opted for an honest, “That was the only one I got to, yes.”

“He missed you a lot that year.” Gabe paused to drink from one of his beers and Valorie waited for the rest of the thought. “The year after, too, but different.”

“I missed him, too,” Valorie admitted readily; that wasn’t something she’d ever been shy about.

Gabe nodded at her, then raised his chin to say hello to someone who had just walked into the room—it wasn’t Nate, Val checked—and then put his beers down on the table between them so that he could collapse into the empty seat.

“It’s good you’re back together. He’s really happy about it.”

“We’re not—he’s happy because he’s done the one thing you guys aim to do. He’s beaten the final boss. The Elite Four were no match for you guys.”

“No, no, sure he’s happy about that.” Gabe insisted, “It’s a different happy now. A more complete happy.”

“I don’t think you’re making any sense. You should go drink some water.”

Gabe protested, downing one of the beers in a matter of seconds as if that would prove he didn’t need water. Her lip quirked up at the action, both from amusement and bemusement.

Nate finally walked in, well after everyone else was a few drinks in and getting rowdy. His arrival increased the already loud bar enough to make Valorie cover one of her ears while raising the other into the air as she joined the hollering.

Nate finally walked in, well after everyone else was a few drinks in and getting rowdy. His arrival made it worse in that the noise levels were high enough to make Valorie cover one of her ears while raising the other into the air as she joined the hollering.

He and the Cup were moved around the room like he was in a pinball machine, from person to person, from shot glass to shot glass, until at last he was in front of her. The Cup had been deposited somewhere else in the room and Valorie didn’t care enough to locate it; after all, she wasn’t there to see the Stanley Cup.

With a lack of hesitation that couldn’t even be passed off on any drinking she’d been doing, Valorie threw herself at Nate, overcome by the need to make sure he knew she cared about what he’d achieved.

Nate wasn’t immediately ready for it, Valorie’s arms around his neck as she pulled him closer, but he soon realised what was happening and moved his arms around her waist to pull her off the ground.

“I’m so proud of you,” she said, breathless and rushed into his ear. “You’re so good at—at hockey and at knowing me and at taking care of me. But hockey, Nate. I want to hear all about it, okay? Probably tomorrow so I can appreciate it, but I do. I watched it. All six games. I cried I was so proud of you. I am so proud of you. You’re so good.”

“You watched?” he asked back, his warm breath brushing over her own ear and causing her to pull back with her head tilted and her face contorted.

“Yes, Nate. Of course. I thought you knew. I didn’t think I had to tell you.”

Nate pulled her back in, his face buried in her neck. The room may as well have been empty with the way all of Valorie’s senses honed in on Nate—he’d showered before coming, put on cologne that made her head spin, and his warm breath fanned across her neck which made the spinning worse.

If a loud, roaring round of applause hadn’t broken out, Valorie could have stayed pressed against him all night. As it were, though, she pulled back in a dramatic fashion and put a reasonable distance between them before contributing to the clapping—putting gross enthusiasm into it.

Nate laughed, then made a few embarrassed gestures of acknowledgement, before accepting a beer that was being handed to him.

Valorie disappeared, leaving Nate to be bounced around the room again, and hid away with Amber and Mike. They were good and spoke to their other high school friends, all of whom were surprised to see Valorie in the flesh. Luckily for her, the Cup was more than enough of a distraction from any of them asking her what she’d been up to while she was gone.

As the night grew later, it became very clear that Nate’s long day was catching up with him. He was trying, valiantly, to be the last person kicking at the bar, though his demeanour was getting progressively testier as time passed.

“I’m gonna head out. Do you want to come or stay?” she asked, brushing her hand gently over Nate’s shoulders.

“You’re leaving?” he asked, sullen, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her towards his chair. “You should stay.”

“Amber’s driving me home—if I leave you here can you get home?”

“You should stay,” he repeated, eliciting a laugh from the group he was sitting with.

Valorie laughed with them and ran her hand over his head, insisting that she was leaving whether or not he was coming with her. He hummed, resigned, but let her go so that she could follow Amber outside.

Valorie waited against the wall outside, her head resting back against the cool brick, while Amber went to get her car—Mike went with Amber, mostly because Valorie refused to be the one responsible for him keeping to the sidewalk and off the road.

The door opened and Valorie turned her head, expecting to just wave to somebody as they left, and was surprised to see Nate stepping out.

“Everything alright? You coming home?” she asked, reaching out to him without a second thought. Nate went to her easily.

“I’m going to stay for a bit longer,” he said, standing in front of her. He wasn’t boxing her into the bricks but he was definitely close enough that it wouldn’t take much at all to get there—Valorie thought it would be nice if he did.

“Why are you out here, then?” she asked, her fingers resting in his belt loops.

“I need to…”

Nate didn’t finish his sentence, just lowered his head little by little. Valorie tilted her chin up, pushing back against the wall to get a bit more height.

He wasn’t the same Nate she’d kissed at eighteen—he was broader, bigger in every sense and it was intoxicating to be pressed against the wall by the Nate she’d come to learn. In her mind she was expecting desperation, a need to make up for lost time. It didn’t come, though, and yet Valorie still felt lightheaded when he broke their kiss.

“Will you be in my bed when I get home?”

Valorie scoffed, a little disappointed, “Nate.”

“Not for like—I just want you there. I always want you there.”

She breathed out an “okay”, and kissed him again before sending him back inside to be with his lingering friends.

When he was gone and her head was clearer, Valorie opened her eyes and jumped off the wall at the sight of Amber’s car in front of her and Mike hanging out the passenger’s window.

She pushed Mike back into the car on her way to the backseat, asking before she even sat down, “How long were you there for?”

“Saw it all, babe,” Amber said, beaming into the rear-view mirror. “Never been happier to roll up on two people hooking up outside a bar.”

Valorie knew the second she woke up that things were different. The most immediately apparent difference was the snoring coming from beside her, accompanied by the warmth of an arm over her waist and a chest pressed against her back. Even the mattress underneath her felt different.

Then there was the fact that Nate had kissed her the night before, the catalyst for the other changes she supposed.

It wasn’t a bad different was her first major takeaway, and she relaxed back into the mattress. She couldn’t just lay there forever but she could for a little longer and enjoy the all-encompassing presence of Nate.

She had a fair idea of what time he usually woke up but couldn’t translate that into what might happen when he was hungover—which he was sure to be, and she couldn’t begrudge him that—so after lying in long enough that an ache started to settle in her sides, Valorie pulled herself out of Nate’s embrace and decided to start making breakfast.

Nothing fancy, of course, but she could whip up bacon and eggs and put some pods in a Nespresso machine without too much hassle. She hoped that the smell of food would wake him up, whether he was up to eating it or not and her hope was fulfilled when he wandered out while she was eating her own plate.

“You told me you couldn’t cook,” Nate said, dropping an easy kiss onto Valorie’s head as he passed her to the kitchen.

“I can use a fry pan.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Eating across from Nate, with him smiling at her in a way he hadn’t since her return, was exactly what Valorie had been after and hadn’t known. Listening to him tell her all about the things she’d missed when he was off doing Stanley Cup things and filling him in in return. Everything he said was perfect and when he moved into telling her about the Cup win itself—“You have to do it again so I can be there.”

“I’ll give it my best go.”

Valorie grinned, picturing it all in her head. She held the image in her mind as she cleared the table and it all came crashing back down when she looked at Nate over the kitchen counter as she realised that their future relied on them talking about the new state of their relationship.

“We probably need to have a conversation or two,” Valorie said hesitantly, eyeing Nate over her coffee to check for any reaction at all. When he didn’t so much as blink, she added, “It’s just been like… six weeks and I don’t actually know what we are to each other.”

He wasn’t pleased, mumbling, “Do we have to have that conversation?”

“If we’re going where I want us to, then yeah, Nate.”

That caught his attention enough to have him properly look at her, no longer buried in his coffee. His question came slow and unsure, yet simultaneously hopeful, “Where do you want us to go?”

“I want us to be together again.”

His previously wary face transformed into a smile, small and barely noticeable. Valorie smiled back at him as she continued to drink her coffee. She didn’t know how to start whatever conversation it was that they needed to have—conversations were one of their strong suits as teenagers, Valorie was able to frame things in the perfect way or ask just the right questions to get Nate talking.

Just as she was trying to come up with a way to get him talking, Nate was the one who spoke first.

“Why’d you move to Miami with him?”

Valorie froze. It made sense, in hindsight, that Nate would be the one leading the conversation when she was the one who’d left, and yet it was still like being doused in cold water to have the question asked of her so directly.

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, and provided the simplest explanation she had, “I thought I was going to marry him.”

“I thought you were going to marry me.”

“Obviously that didn’t happen, Nate.”

“Yeah,” he said, because it was entirely obvious that it hadn’t happened and the look on his face showed that he didn’t like to be reminded of it. “And I’m still trying to work out why.”

“Nate, it was seven years ago.” She added, stressed, “We were kids.”

“I still don’t know why you broke up with me, Valorie.”

“Valorie?” she all but screeched, her full name coming from his lips sending a horrible quake down her spine and through her body.

Nate powered on, “You broke up with me and you left and to this day I don’t know why that was.”

“I wasn’t happy, Nate.”

The abrupt silence was worse than the conversation. Valorie sat there, wishing she could take back those four little words—she would if she’d known just how instantly Nate would close up.

His entire face, which had at least been showing his unhappiness and discomfort, was no longer telling her a single thing about how he was feeling. Except with that, she knew exactly how he was feeling.

She opened her mouth, ready to try and do damage control, to try to take it back so that he wouldn’t look like that, except not a single word came out.

Nate beat her to it, though, the sadness gone from his face but still very present in his voice. “Why didn’t you talk to me? I know that the long distance wasn’t great—why didn’t you talk to me?”

“None of it was your fault, Nate,” Valorie stressed, reaching across the table towards him even though he was out of reach. “You were the best thing I had going at the time. I couldn’t keep a job and I couldn’t continue with college because I kept failing the classes and I needed to leave so that I could work on all of that and not drag you down with me.”

“Did it work?”

“Yeah, over the next twelve months I learnt a lot, I grew a lot. I actually was going to ask if you wanted to try again when we were both back here the next summer, but you brought a girlfriend.”

“Rachel.”

“She was lovely,” Valorie said, truthfully.

“Why didn’t you talk to me?”

“And fuck up the thin hold you had on your mental health by dragging you down with my problems?”

“Breaking up with me and then ghosting me did a pretty good job of that.”

Valorie finally pulled her hands back to her lap, knowing that that one sentence was a sure sign that Nate wasn’t going to hold them. Him leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest made it even clearer.

She didn’t know what to say, no amount of explaining was going to be enough and she didn’t want him to think she was making excuses. At the time it had felt like the right thing to do, breaking up with him without any real reason, in the years that had past she’d come to her own realisations that maybe it wasn’t.

Nate’s voice was gruff when he asked, “When did you meet Nick?”

“The first year I was gone…” Valorie said with a sigh. “Sometime in early 2015. Before I came back that summer. We weren’t together at that point because I thought… I thought we—” she gestured between herself and Nate “—could try again. But you know…”

“Rachel,” Nate filled in, uncrossing his arms.

“Rachel. So I went back to Miami, I found Nick because he’d been good to me while I was there but we’re here now anyway. You and me.”

He nodded, still expressionless. Valorie’s leg twitched under the table, up and down repetitively, as she tried to will herself to let Nate be the next person to speak.

“You and me?” he asked, after a long silence.

“If you still want me.”

Nate sighed, pushing his chair back and standing. Valorie watched him, worried that he was going to walk away from the table—from their conversation. He walked around the table towards her, though, and Valorie didn’t have to be told to stand and meet him halfway.

Nate didn’t have anything special planned for his birthday, much to Valorie’s horror. He was going to see his family for lunch—with an invite extended to Valorie which she was more than happy to accept. She couldn’t help but laugh when she arrived and saw Sid and Kathy sitting at the table on the back porch.

“You’re almost like a second father,” Valorie joked, in lieu of a proper greeting. “You’re just everywhere. All Nate’s big moments.”

“I’m really not that old,” Sid argued.

“I was thirteen when I watched you bring the Cup to Cole Harbour. That makes you pretty old.”

He scoffed, “I turned 22 that year.”

Valorie hummed and nodded knowingly, “Old.”

She watched him roll his eyes, noting the affection on his face, and moved on to greet Kathy properly.

It was, otherwise, an uneventful lunch. Valorie was appreciative of the invite, more than pleased to finally be with Nate’s family—back with Nate’s family, and being treated as if she’d never left in the first place. Her smile was ever present, only growing as she watched Nate shift uncomfortably while Happy Birthday was sung at him. Especially when she knew she was going to sing it at him again that evening.

They stayed there until late in the afternoon and Valorie tried not to let her impatience show because she liked spending time with his family, with Sid and Kathy, but she had plans for dinner that she didn’t want to mess up. Nate knew, though, at least vaguely, so they left early enough that Valorie could relax.

When they got home, she banished him to his bedroom so that she could start to cook and set the table with the fancy table setting she’d bought the day before. She was meticulous about their dinner, returning to the recipe far more than was probably necessary to ensure that it was exactly how it needed to be, and felt a true sense of pride as it all came together.

“Can I come back out?” Nate asked, still hidden behind the wall.

Valorie looked around her, taking in the pan she was using and the cleanliness of the kitchen before she told him that he could.

He bypassed the set table, walked straight towards her, and peered over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. His laugh was gentle and sincere.

“Are you making me risotto?”

“I’ve been practising,” she admitted. “When I went to Amber’s the other day we did a test run and it was actually pretty good!”

She giggled as Nate pulled her back from the stove and turned her around, kissing her so sweetly that she nearly melted into a puddle at his feet.

The whole shop stood still, except for the large bouquet of roses that was being walked to the counter; a deep red expertly pruned and assembled. Valorie knew exactly who they were from before they had even reached her.

Everyone huddled around the vase, customers included, as it was set down on the counter in front of Valorie. She knew who they were from without even looking at the note they came with, but there was a sudden hush when her co-worker read out the note on the card: Happy Birthday, mi amor. Love always, Nick.

“You sure that says Nick?” one of their customers asked—Valorie vaguely recognised her from school, though she was positive they hadn’t been in the same year. “Not Nate?”

“I mean—”

Valorie snatched the note more aggressively than she’d intended, saying, “Nick is a friend.”

The side eyes she got from both the customer and her co-worker were far from subtle but Valorie just buried the note in her pocket and carried the vase into the back room.

They—like everything Nick bought her—were gorgeous. He had somehow managed to send her the most perfect roses from Florida and she didn’t want to think about how much money had gone into them. Every day with Nick was filled with unnecessary luxuries and that only increased tenfold on her birthday.

Until the roses came along, Valorie’s day had been uneventful. She woke up early enough for her half-day shift at the hobby store—granted to her by her boss who was horrified that she hadn’t already asked for the whole day—and discovered that Nate was already awake and making her breakfast, and he planned on driving her into Halifax.

It was the most thoughtful gift she’d received in years.

He picked her up after her shift—and after her co-worker tried not so slyly to ask more questions about the roses—and Valorie was met with a bouquet of flowers as she opened the passenger’s side door. She rushed to sit in the car, pushing the vase of roses between her feet on the floor and reaching for the pink hydrangeas Nate held.

“Oh, they’re beautiful,” she gushed, hugging them to her chest as she inhaled. “Did you have to ask someone about my favourite flower or did you just remember?”

Nate mumbled, “Remembered.”

“I can’t believe it, that’s incredible.” She leaned across the centre console to kiss him and got his cheek when he turned his head but she was too distracted by the flowers to notice. “Should I look into the meaning behind these or are they just beautiful?”

Nate started the engine, keeping his eyes firmly on the road in front of him, and Valorie tried not to read into his tense jaw. Or the way he moved his hand to the steering wheel when she tried to hold it over the gearshift.

“Who did the roses come from?” he asked as they pulled into his garage after a painfully silent car ride.

She answered, cautiously, “Nick.”

“How does he know where you work?”

“I don’t know? Insta? I don’t care about the roses, you bought me hydrangeas.”

Nate only said, “okay” before he got out of the car and left Valorie sitting in it by herself. She watched him walk into the house with slumped shoulders and an aching chest before she tried to manoeuvre herself out of the car with the vase of roses and the very large bouquet of hydrangeas.

She put the roses on the kitchen counter and then scoured Nate’s cupboards for a vase so she could put the hydrangeas at the centre of the dining table. She passed Nate on the couch as she walked to the stairs, leaning down to kiss the top of his head and thank him as she did so.

Valorie tried to put it to the back of her mind as she got ready for her birthday plans—Amber had planned a whole afternoon and evening for her and Valorie had been planning her outfit for a week. It wasn’t going to be as extravagant as anything she’d done in Miami, which she’d assured Amber was more than fine, but it was her first birthday in Nova Scotia in years and her first birthday back with her best friend so she was going to make the most of it.

Putting it to the back of her mind worked well until she ascended the stairs and saw that Nate hadn’t moved from his position on the couch.

“Amber and Mike will be here soon—are you ready?”

Nate sunk further into the couch, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and his chin nearly buried into them which led to a mumbled, “I’m not really feeling it; you have fun.”

“You’re not feeling it?” she asked, hating the way her voice cracked in time with the crack in her heart. “It’s my birthday?”

“You go have fun,” he said, still into his arms. “Don’t worry about me.”

Valorie had never felt more pathetic, standing behind Nate when he wouldn’t even look at her, dressed up in one of the nicest she’d brought with her from Miami and had taken so much care with her make-up—not dressed up entirely for Nate but she definitely wanted him to at least look at her. Maybe even appreciate the effort she had gone to.

“Nate, I—I want you there,” Valorie said weakly, moving closer to him to see if she could get him to turn around. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want to go out again today.”

Valorie gave up with one last desperate look at Nate and she walked immediately through the front door to wait on the doorstep for Amber and Mike. She wasn’t going to cry about it, even if the furious blinking was barely stopping her—before Amber and Mike pulled up she pulled on her sunglasses and took some deep, centring breaths.

When Amber and Mike did pull up, this time with Amber hanging out the passenger’s side window and jumping out to pull Valorie into a tight hug as she screamed Happy Birthday in her ear, Valorie’s smile was genuine.

At least, it was until she climbed into the passenger’s seat at Amber’s insistence and they sat in the car for a few moments in silence.

“We can go,” she said, hoping that the crack in her voice wasn’t noticeable to anyone but herself.

“What about Nate?”

“I don’t want to talk about Nate.”

“I’ll fight him if you want me to,” Mike offered, completely sincerely, reaching down to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Can’t promise I’ll win but I’ll give it a go.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him and I don’t want to think about it for the rest of the day.”

Not thinking about it for the rest of the day was much easier said than done. It put a clear damper on the mood despite the smile Valorie was forcing into her face. For a few blissful moments she did forget, was able to just enjoy the company she was with and the drinks in front of her—and then it all came crashing back down on her with a heartbreaking thud.

Amber tried to talk about, to get an explanation as to why Valorie was upset and Nate wasn’t around and each time she was shut down by Valorie repeating that she didn’t want to talk about it and that she just wanted to enjoy her birthday.

There wasn’t much enjoyment happening, though, with Valorie staring morosely into every rum and coke she was drinking. They’d had Happy Hour cocktails, eaten some of the best steaks Valorie had ever come across and moved on to another bar to continue their night—it was everything Valorie hadn’t realised she missed and it was still being ruined by Nate.

Amber tried again, waiting until Valorie’s glass was empty, and Valorie reacted by standing up and saying that she needed some fresh air. When Amber tried to follow her, Valorie insisted that she was going alone.

Although Valorie had decided to go outside just to get away from any more questions, the fresh air did help. She hadn’t quite realised just how much the alcohol had gone to her head until she was confronted by the breeze coming off the river.

She rested her forehead against the cool bricks of the external walls, her arms crossed above her head, and counted her breaths in and out.

“Val?”

Valorie whipped around, her forehead and forearms scraping against the bricks, and was met with Nate’s concerned face.

“Thought you didn’t want to come out again today,” she said tersely, inspecting her forearms quickly and cringing at the grazes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, readily, without prompting. “That’s pretty up there with the most asshole things I’ve ever done.”

“You made me feel like shit.”

“I know. I didn’t—I’m sorry. I don’t have any excuse that’s good or justified.”

Valorie shuffled her feet, getting to the point where she was regretting her heels, and lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

“I’d like to make the rest of your birthday better,” Nate said, visibly shrinking in and making himself smaller and less intimidating. “If you’ll let me.”

“I really don’t feel like I should forgive you, you know?” she huffed, throwing her hands in the air.

“Okay, that’s fair. I can go home.”

She sighed, “No, I don’t want you to go home. I—I’m really happy you’re here even if you weren’t before.”

The corner of Nate’s mouth lifted tentatively, “Yeah?”

Valorie nodded, and broke the rest of the tension between them by stepping into his space and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She relaxed into him, at the feel of his arms around her and the smell of his cologne filling her head. It was going to warrant a conversation, she knew that, but if she could enjoy the rest of her night she would do just that.

She led him back into the bar by the hand, having already been subjected to a brief twirl as Nate told her how good she looked, much happier and lighter than she had been when she’d walked outside.

Valorie, never one to be held down by a hangover, woke bright and early the next morning. Nate was still dead to the world beside her, a pillow pulled over his head to block out whatever noises he’d heard that she hadn’t.

It was bright outside when she left his room with her clothes bundled in her arms, unable to lie there and wait for him to stir, though the clock near the staircase told her it wasn’t even seven.

She had a quick shower—the hot water tap barely turned—and changed before she went in search of her bag, keys and phone and left a note on the kitchen counter for Nate that she was heading out but wouldn’t be long.

The roses had never left her mind, not with the weirdness they’d caused, and seeing them standing tall and proud on the kitchen counter made her know that she was making the right decision.

She wrote another note, tucking it into the flowers and made her way to her parents’ house to leave the roses and the note on their doorstep.

Mom, I think you can take better care of these than I can. Love you xxx

The round trip didn’t take overly long, so Nate wasn’t moving about the house when Valorie returned. She made herself a coffee and sat on the balcony, the caffeine working in combination with the slight breeze to keep any hangover symptoms at bay.

“Where are the roses?” Nate asked, startling Valorie when she hadn’t even heard the door slide open.

She waited until Nate was sitting sidewards on the recliner beside her before she said slowly, “With my mom. She loves roses.”

“You didn’t have to get rid of them.”

“I’m not attached to them… They were clearly making you uncomfortable, so it’s fine.”

Nate hummed, then said softly, “Thank you.”

Valorie smiled at him, grateful for the admission no matter how vague. She stood up, only to sit back down on Nate’s recliner after moving him so she could sit between his legs and relax back into him. She reached for his hands and wrapped his arms around her body.

She didn’t expect him to say anything else, happy to push the conversation they had to have to later in the day and just enjoy a quiet morning. Nate didn’t have the same desire, though.

“A guy doesn’t just send you roses on your birthday if he’s not trying to get you back.” He was speaking into her hair and if he hadn’t been so close Valorie wouldn’t have heard him at all.

She squeezed his arms and said, “If I was going back to him, I would have any of the half dozen times he’s already asked.”

She hadn’t mentioned it to Nate—to anyone—that Nick was sending things to her parents house, not many, but enough that she’d had to call him to put her foot down. The earrings he’d sent that matched the bracelet she’d been wearing the first time she’d seen Nate back in Nova Scotia were the final straw there. She’d never worn them and hadn’t put the bracelet back on, even though it was her favourite piece of jewellery.

Nate’s hesitation was evidence enough of his worry and was only amplified by the way he was holding her close and still speaking into her hair. “He’s not wearing you down?”

“Not in a good way. He seems to think that if he throws more money at me and reminds me of the life we had together and the future we could have; that I’ll just forget that I want kids.”

“Promise?”

“Remember that conversation we had? After the Cup Day? It’s you and me. I’m not going back to him.”

Nate’s forehead came to rest against the back of her head; Valorie could feel his relieved sigh.

The summer was dangerously close to ending. Valorie was counting down the days until she and Nate got on a plane to Denver, excitement and trepidation filling every ounce of her body and only getting more and more intense whenever she saw him.

There was something on her mind, though, the cause of the trepidation. A question she’d been holding onto for far longer than she intended and a question she knew she needed to ask before they left for their new life together—it couldn’t be another conversation that happened after the fallout.

Nate had just finished up his last training session with Andy, and Valorie smiled at him and only briefly cringed when he leant down to kiss her despite the sweat rolling off his body.

Andy followed Nate in, greeting her happily, none the wiser to her inner turmoil—though how could Andy be if Nate didn’t have a clue? He said goodbye to Valorie, that he’d see her when Nate was back in Canada, and she waved at him as he left.

She sat on the couch, staring blankly at the television, and listened to the shower in Nate’s ensuite turn on. With a quick inhale and in an unexpected moment of courage, she decided to join him.

“What a surprise,” Nate smirked, watching Valorie drop her clothes as she entered the bathroom.

The water was nearly unbearably hot though she didn’t falter, immediately wrapping her arms around Nate. He followed suit without missing a beat and Valorie relished in being able to rest her head against his chest and hear his steady heartbeat over the water.

“What’s brought this on?”

“You did an interview a few years ago and I can’t forget it,” Valorie said, taking a deep breath. She was thankful that the shower was hiding the wetness in her voice. “That you don’t like kids? And I—I need to know if that’s still true before… I don’t know.”

“I was never sure about having kids, I’ll be honest,” Nate said, slow, measured, and most definitely confused. “But I always knew that if I was going to have kids it was only going to be with you.”

“Okay. That’s—okay.”

Her relief was immeasurable—she had known it was causing her a lot of inner stress but to have it roll off her shoulders was nicer than she ever could have imagined.

“I love you.”

Valorie pulled away from Nate’s chest, blinking through the fall of water over her face, another sigh leaving her body. She pressed up on her toes to kiss him, unable to express herself in any other way.

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It wasn’t that she didn’t like returning home for holidays, it was just a huge ordeal every time it happened. Not only was it a 3,000 mile trip, there was always ice and snow to contend with. Coupled with her well-meaning, albeit overbearing, neighbors, the holidays get to be a bit much for her to handle. Still, there’s something wonderful about the tranquility of home. Refreshing, really. With a year as stressful as 2020 had been, it was a blessing to be able to return home for the holidays.

Her first true day of Christmas break, her mother begs her to go to the store for her: there’s so much baking to prepare for, and while she is happy to do the shopping for her, she knows it’s so she won’t see her wrapping presents. Even at 26, her mom insists upon marking her gifts ‘from Santa’, and the nostalgia of it always makes her smile. So, against her better judgment, she ventures out to the closest Sobeys. She has her jacket and scarf pulled tightly around her, unwilling to admit to herself she really can’t take the cold anymore, but mostly wanting to hide to be in and out as quickly as possible.

She grabs a cart on her way in the store, unlocking her phone and holding it open in front of her, eyes sweeping across the list her mother had sent her with. It isn’t terribly long, thankfully. She makes quick work of grabbing what she needs, moving down the aisles long ago committed to memory with ease. Various other things get tossed into the cart as she moves: chocolate covered pretzels, a case of Diet Coke, her favorite cheese crackers.

When she reaches the wine aisle, she shrugs to herself, deciding it’ll be best to have some on hand, in case of an emergency. She grabs a bottle of Roscato for her mom, and two bottles of cab for herself. Once they’re safely in the cart, she makes her way to the checkout line. There’s quite a few people crowded there, and she tries to maneuver around to a shorter line, her brow furrowing when she spots a rather large looking man a few feet in front of her.

As she gets closer, realization washes over her. “Nathan MacKinnon,” she stops in her tracks, heart swooping in her chest. “As I live and breathe.” It comes out before she really even processes what’s happening.

He turns, almost as if in slow motion, his eyes widening when they land on her. “My god, it’s been ages. What are you doing here?”

She smiles slightly, suddenly hyper aware of how messy her hair is, and the fact that she hadn’t tried very hard when getting dressed this morning. “Could ask you the same thing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you home for Christmas.” She knows for a fact she hasn’t. It was the one reprieve of being back in Cole Harbour - Nate was never here.

“Yeah, I’m usually not,” he shrugs. “I uh, you know with the year as crazy as it’s been, and the season being pushed, I’ve actually been home most of the year. Hanging out with Andy, Sid, Jack, Pete...” There’s a longing look on his face, mirroring the ache she knows is lingering in his chest. There’s an identical one inside of her, and she knows she’s to blame for the pain Nate’s dealing with. This wasn’t a particularly easy run in for either of them, but it’s almost refreshing in a way? She doesn’t care about the buddies he’s spending his time with, she would’ve asked if she did, but it’s obviously important to Nate she know, and she doesn’t want to read too much into that. Maybe he wants her to know he’s not spending time with another girl, and she hates that part of her is hopeful because of that but it’s not fair to be. She can’t expect him to stay single forever, simply because being here and seeing him has every feeling she’s ever felt for him rushing back.

“Sounds like you’ve been busy,” she laughs. “I’m really glad I ran into you.” There’s a surprising amount of truth to that. God, it’s been almost eight years since she’s seen Nate, even in passing, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t followed his career. She’s from Canada for Christ’s sake, of course she follows hockey.

“I am too,” Nate grins. “Hey, you should come by later. There’s a few people coming over, no one you hate,” he raised his eyebrows and she can’t help but laugh. “No expectations, just drinking and fun. It would be nice to catch up.”

Without hesitation, she’s blurting out, “I would love that.”

“Great!” Nate exclaims. She can practically see him center himself in that moment, try to keep it together.

“I’m staying at my parents’ house,” she offers. Though I would much rather be with you, her mind continues, and she shakes her head to try to clear it. “Are you still two doors down?”

Nate reaches a hand up, rubbing the back of his hand awkwardly. “Nah, I bought a house when I signed with the Avs. It’s a bigger one, out on Albany Terrace. I think you’ll like it.”

She smiles brightly. “I’m excited to see it.”

“Yeah?” Nate mutters.

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I’ll text you the address,” he offers. “Guess that means you have to give me your number.”

___

She makes a substantial effort to not show up right at 8 pm. It’s difficult, as she’s been a compulsively early person her whole life, but this time it feels necessary to be “fashionably late”. It helps that she fusses with what to wear for over thirty minutes- this shouldn’t be a big deal, and she doesn’t want it to be, but that doesn’t change the anxiety that’s swelling in her chest. She tells herself this isn’t anything to stress, it’s just catching up with an old friend and if things are awkward, she can always leave. Still, as she pulls up to Nate’s house, she realizes there’s a part of her that’s a tiny bit excited.

She takes in a slow breath as she kills the engine, nodding to herself as she climbs out of the car and heads up the walkway. She’s clutching a bottle of Jack Daniels in her left hand, never showing up empty handed instilled in her at a young age. She rings the doorbell, glancing around curiously as she waits. Her heart is pounding, and she’s ready to turn and bolt back to her car when the door swings open.

Nate’s standing in front of her, a soft smile on his face. She lets her eyes sweep over him, admiring the beige cable knit sweater straining over his shoulders. He looks so relaxed, so incredibly casual. “Hey! So glad you made it. Come in.” He steps aside, closing the door behind her. “That a bottle of Jack?” She can’t do anything but nod, holding it out to him wordlessly. “You haven’t changed a bit,” he laughs. “Everyone’s in the living room. There’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

Nate leads the way through the house, stopping briefly in the living room on his way to the kitchen. “Hey guys!”

She peers around him, relieved to see there really wasn’t anyone she hated in attendance. Pete, who she's known her whole life and his girlfriend Hannah are first to greet her, ushering her to sit beside them.

“Hey squirt, it’s been ages,” Pete teases.

“You forget I’m older than you,” She laughs. “But yeah, it’s been a long time.”

“Where are you living now?” Hannah asks.

“Florida. Been there for almost five years.” She falls quiet then, eyes glancing at where Nate is still standing.

He fidgets, and clears his throat. “I’m gonna grab a drink.” With that, he disappears around the corner, and she’s left to slump into the couch.

For a while, she mostly listens to Pete talk about his job, or the crappy apartment Hannah’s parents are begging them to move out of. It’s only a matter of time until they end up engaged, she knows, and she’s happy they’ve found happiness. It does little to help her feel like less of a leper, though. As soon as she’s able to find a break in their one-sided conversation, she jumps on it, taking the opportunity to disappear into the kitchen. Nate’s on one of the other couches, talking to Andy about getting a Call of Duty game going, and that’ll be enough to keep him occupied for hours. No chance he’ll notice her absence until she can figure out what the hell she was thinking showing up here tonight.

She heads straight for the freezer when she enters the kitchen, pulling out the bottle of Jack, and grabbing a solo cup laid out on the counter. She drops a handful of ice into the cup, followed shortly after by a hefty pour of the dark liquid. She brings the cup to her lips after taking a long drink.

“Jack on the rocks, eh?” A voice behind her asks.

“‘Tis the damn season,” she mutters, turning to spot Sidney Crosby leaning against the doorframe. She raises her cup to him, taking another long drink.

He lets out a honking laugh, eyes sparkling. “It’s nice to see you again.”

She quirks an eyebrow, “didn’t really think you’d remember me, to be honest.” She had only encountered Sidney a handful of times, and she never thought she’d left much of an impression. Truth be told, she was always a little star struck around him- it was hard not to be.

He furrows his brow, frowning. “Come on, I met you a bunch of times when you lived in Pennsylvania. And Nate talked about you nonstop when you were-“ he trails off, shrugging.

“Pen pals?” She offers. She can tell Sidney doesn’t see it as bitter. There’s a sadness in her voice she probably won’t ever be able to shake when she’s talking about Nate.

He shakes his head, but doesn’t push her, thank god. Instead, he steps into the kitchen, pours himself a cup of Jack on rocks, and clinks his cup against hers. “Here’s to escaping hometowns,” he toasts.

She grins. She takes another long drink, frowning at her cup when she realizes it’s nearing empty. “I think I may get drunk tonight, Sidney.”

He offers her the bottle, “I’m with you. Let’s do it.”

Surprisingly enough, Sidney Crosby is the one to save her from the awkwardness of the evening. True to his word, he does stay in the kitchen and drink with her. They talk about everything from Sid’s most recent cup wins to why on earth she decided Florida was a good place for her to settle down. They tread very carefully on any conversation that can take a turn to Nate, and she’s thankful Sidney read the room. He’s quite fun to be around once you chip away the exterior and he lets his guard down. They relocate to the table in the corner, and keep the bottle of Jack between the two of them, both casually refilling their cups as the night wears on.

When the bottle is almost empty and she can feel her head swimming, she jumps at the sound of another person entering the kitchen. “Ah, this is where you’ve been hiding.” Nate takes the seat beside her at the table, his leg bumping against hers as he maneuvers his chair. “Should’ve known you’d ditch me for Crosby.”

Opposite them, Sidney snorts. “Nah, just needed a drinking buddy, is all.”

“Sid is surprisingly good at drinking Jack,” she offers.

“Yeah?” Nate grins. “Seems like you’re pretty good too. Have you eaten anything?”

She taps her finger against her lips, considering, before shaking her head dramatically. “Nope.”

“Maybe we should fix that...”

Again, she shakes her head. “No room for food. Just alcohol.”

Nate smiles at her, and even in the haze of the alcohol, she feels her heart warm. It’s that same fond smile she’d loved so much when they were together, and she knows she can’t let her mind run away from her, but at the moment, she can’t rationalize why that’s the case. “In that case, let me break out the good stuff.” He stands up, heading to the cabinet above his stove. There, he grabs a fancier looking bottle, a dark brown liquid sloshing around as he carries it over to the table. “Crown Royal XR, so you never forget where you came from.” He takes the liberty of pouring her and Sid a glass before fixing one for himself, and reclaiming his seat.

She sniffs the liquid in the cup, eyes widening. “Ooof.”

“Don’t quit on me now,” Sid goads. He nudges her with his elbow, giggling.

She shakes her head adamantly. “Momma didn’t raise a quitter,” she announces. She raises her glass, waiting as Nate and Sid follow suit. “Here’s to Cole Harbour’s golden boys.” She sees Nate roll his eyes, but he’s smiling when he brings his glass to his lips.

She takes a long drink, her tongue flicking out to lick her lips. “Oh, that is really smooth.”

“Everything’s better when it’s Canadian,” Sid pipes up.

She giggles at this, which makes Nate quirk an eyebrow. “There’s no arguing that point, Florida.”

“Come on, Florida isn’t that bad,” she insists.

Nate looks to Sid, then back to her, shrugging. “The fact that you have to say it that way doesn’t help your case.”

“It doesn’t snow there!”

“Boo,” Sid says.

“How do you even survive without hockey down there?” Nate adds.

“Shut up, there’s hockey! My friend Nick would argue Tampa is a huge hockey town. Wait- oh my god!” She cuts herself off, looking around excitedly. She pats the pockets of her pants, pulling a face when she can’t find her phone.

“What are you doing?” There’s a distinct amusement in Nate’s voice.

“Where’s my phone? I wanna FaceTime Nick. He always gives me shit about knowing y’all. He pretends he doesn’t believe me because he’s never met you, so somehow that means I haven’t? I don’t even know...”

“Nick your boyfriend?” Nate grumbles, voice low.

She just snorts out a laugh, and takes her phone when Sidney slides it over to her. She clicks around on it for a second, then the distinct sound of a FaceTime call fills the room. She drums her fingers against the table impatiently, eyes lighting up when the line clicks on.

“Hey!” An excited voice fills the room.

“Hey Nick! What’re you up to?” She keeps the phone close to her, keeping Nate and Sid out of the frame.

“Well, it’s almost one in the morning on winter break so obviously I’m drunk with Garrett.”

“Tell him I said hi,” she insists.

“Sure. What’re you doing?”

Her eyes light up again, and she grabs her glass excitedly. “I’m also drunk, but I wanted to show you who I happen to be drunk with.” She downs the rest of the liquid in her glass and slides her phone back farther on the table, angling the camera to capture all three of them in the frame. “I give you Nate MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby.”

“Holy shit. That’s- fucking hell, that’s actually Sidney Crosby!”

She chuckles, turning the phone to face Sid and he waves awkwardly. “I told you, you don’t grow up in Cole Harbour without knowing the pride and joy of the city.”

“But you said you’d only met him a few times! And Nate MacKinnon too, what the fuck...”

“In the flesh. Oh, and Nate wanted to know if you were my boyfriend before I called.” She peers over at him, watching his cheeks flush pink. He opens his mouth to protest, but Nick quickly cuts him off.

He laughs, shaking his head. “Just one of my best friends, dude. You have my blessing. I know she would love to date a hockey player.”

“Yeah? Good to know.” Nate smirks.

“On that note, we’re going back to drinking now. Just wanted to humble brag real quick.” She flashes a toothy grin. “I’ll make them get dinner next time they’re in Tampa. Maybe you and the whole crew can come along.”

“Yes, totally! Have fun! Merry Christmas!” She wishes him a Merry Christmas back, and she’s ending the call, she hears Nick muttering to Garrett: ‘yes that was Sidney fucking Crosby’. She drops her phone down onto the table then, glancing over at Nate expectantly.

“So that’s Nick, my not boyfriend. He’s a big Lightning fan, and he hates the Penguins.”

“Charming,” Sid laughs. “Seems nice though.”

“Nick’s the best,” she agrees. “He and Danielle get me through living in Florida.”

“Ah, so you do admit Florida sucks?” Nate presses. He offers her another drink, and she nods eagerly. When her glass is full, he raises his to her. “Fuck Florida.” She taps hers against his, smiling widely.

“Fuck Florida, indeed.”

___

Another hour slips by as the three of them sit in the kitchen. The rest of Nate’s house is quiet, save for the inevitable hockey talk they’ve slipped into. Nate’s sobered during their time sitting there, his attention focused mostly on her and her half hearted responses. Poor girl is exhausted.

“Time for me to head out,” Sidney mutters. He pushes his chair back from the table, clapping a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Uber’s outside. Thanks for having me, Nate. Nice catching up with you.”

“Bye Sid!” she brightens up, waving her fingers as he giggles and heads out the door. “Then there were two.”

“Sure I can’t interest you in some food?” Nate offers.

She shakes her head adamantly, eyes glossy, head swimming. “No, I told you... no room for food.” She rests her arms on the table, dropping her head down on top of them and peering up at Nate curiously.

He chuckles, resting a hand on her elbow. “Okay, time to get you home.”

She pulls a face, nose scrunching up in disgust. “Naaaate,” she draws out, “no.”

“Come on,” he laughs. “I’ll even tuck you in.”

She narrows her eyes at him, still frowning, “you promise?”

“Cross my heart.” He offers her his hand as he stands, helping her to her feet as soon as she agrees. He hooks her arm through his when she sways, trying to keep her steady on her feet. “I’ve got you.”

It takes some maneuvering, and a lot of patience on Nate’s part, but eventually, he’s able to get her into the front seat of his truck. He buckles her seatbelt for her when he slides behind the wheel, starting the car as she starts complaining about how uncomfortable his seats are.

“Good thing your parents live less than three minutes from here, huh?” He teases. He glances at her out of the corner of his eye, seeing her head slumped back against the headrest.

She’s quiet for a long time, and he has to tear his eyes from the road to make sure she hasn’t fallen asleep. When he does, he catches her gaze. “Nathan?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.” She mumbles.

“You don-“

She shakes her head, eyes squeezed shut. “No, Nathan, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I walked out I just- fuck, I didn’t want to be a WAG. I didn’t want hockey above all else, always. It wasn’t fair for me to do that.”

He’s quiet, hand gripping the wheel a little tighter. “Well, it wasn’t fair of me to make you feel like that would be your reality.” He hesitates, taking a slow, deep breath. After a moment, he nods to himself. “We can call it even.”

He offers her a shy smile, and she can’t stop herself from returning it. She unhooks her seatbelt and slides closer to him on the bench, resting her head against his shoulder. “Deal. Thank you, Mack.”

___

When they arrive at her parents’ house, Nate kills the engine and lets out a sigh. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.” She groans, but sits up straight.

“Fine,” she grumbles. She pushes the door open hastily, climbing out and crosses her arms over her chest. Nate simply shakes his head, taking her arm again and leading her up the pathway carefully. He knows it’s icy, and the last thing they need is the both of them to eat shit.

As soon as they reach the front door, Nate shushes her, trying to remain as quiet as possible while he pulls out the spare key from beneath the mat. He’s done this countless times before, and truly, it never gets any easier.

“Mack, remember when you tried to sneak me in drunk right before you left for juniors?” She laughs. She just giggles even louder when he presses a finger to his lips, eyes pleading. “You always take care of me.”

“I know, shhhh. I always will. We’ve gotta get inside.” Moments later, Nate gets the door open, tugging her across the threshold. He pulls the door shut as quietly as possible before glancing up, spotting her parents in the living room, sitting on couches reading. “Hi guys,” he sighs.

“Nate,” her mom smiles. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too. Sorry about this.. She was drinking with Sid and I didn’t want her driving-“

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” she whines. “I’m perfectly fine, Nathan.”

Her dad gives him a knowing look, chuckling. “Thanks, son.”

“Lucky to have you around, Nate,” her mom adds. “You know the way.”

He nods, tugging on her arm to lead her up the stairs to her childhood bedroom. She grumbles the entire way, complaining about being “too tired to see” or “everything’s spinning, I’m going to die”. Nate can’t contain his laughter, which only seems to frustrate her more. She glares at him when she finally gets the door to her room open, kicking her shoes off by the door and flopping down onto her bed in a huff. “Who let me drink me so much,” she groans.

“That would be Sid,” Nate leans against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.

“He’s an enabler.” She lifts her head up, peering at him thoughtfully. “I was afraid to talk to you tonight,” she admits. “And he supported my stupidity to try to make me feel better. At least his heart is in the right place.”

Nate’s brown furrows. “Why would you be afraid to talk to me?”

She pushes herself up into a seated position, crossing her legs underneath her. “A tiny screen’s the only place I see you now.” Her voice is low, eyes cast downward. “I don’t know what we have in common anymore, or if you’d even want to talk to me.”

“Hey,” Nate says, pushing himself off the doorframe and stepping into the room. Two strides bring him over to the bed, and he sits beside her, craning his neck down to catch her eye. “I asked you to come over because I did want to talk to you. Do.” He hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know why but I never expected to run into you, and when I did, all I could think about was reconnecting and... I don’t know, being friendly again? There’s a pretty big you shaped hole in my life.”

She looks at him, eyes sweeping over every last detail of his face. She wants to blame the alcohol for how attractive she finds him in that moment, but she knows she can’t. Nate has always been gorgeous, and their time growing, apart, has only increased that. “I’ve got a big Nate Mack hole too,” she admits.

Without wavering, he reaches out and rests his hand on hers, rubbing his thumb across the smooth skin there. “Tomorrow, then. I’m coming by with breakfast and we’re gonna play pond puck.”

She can’t help the groan that falls from her lips. “I’m going to be far too hungover to be on skates tomorrow.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you drank half a bottle of Jack,” he grins. “Night.”

___

True to his word, Nate does come by first thing in the morning. She crawls out of bed at the sound of laughter down the stairs, wincing when the light hits her eyes. She manages to pull herself together to look somewhat presentable, though her headache is enough to have her debating hiding under the covers for the day.

“Oh, look who’s up!” Her dad teases. He’s sitting opposite Nate at the kitchen table, reading the paper like this is the most normal thing in the world.

“Morning sleeping beauty,” Nate laughs. “I brought Timmies.”

“Black?” She mutters, reaching for the cup gratefully. He nods. “Not iced, but I guess I’ll live. Thanks.”

Nate rolls his eyes, bringing his own cup to his lips and taking a long drink. “We gotta get you out of America. Not iced, pft,” he scoffs.

“Nate’s got a point, kid. You’re barely a Canadian anymore.”

She gives him a pointed look. “I didn’t hear you and mom complaining in Florida in January last year.”

Her dad grins. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

“Yeah, sure,” she smiles.

“You hungry at all?” Nate asks.

“Just coffee for me,” she raises her cup to him.

“Alright. Should we get going then?”

“A heroic return to my pond puck career,” she jokes. “Should be great with this hangover.”

Her dad laughs loudly, shaking his head. “Don’t let her fall through the ice, Nate.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He flashes a winning smile as he gestures for her to head out the door in front of him. “Your dad was thrilled to help me find your old skates in the garage this morning,” he tells her as they climb into his truck.

She rests her head against the cold window, eyes shut. “Of course he was.”

“It was nice to see them again,” he says quietly. “I always really liked your parents.”

“Good thing, they love you.” And it’s completely true. To this day, her mother still asks her about Nate. What’s he up to, if he’s seeing anyone... it would be sweet if it wasn’t so painful for her to have to relive every time she brings it up. Her dad is thankfully more subtle- they really only talk about Nate when hockey comes up. Of course they both keep tabs on the Avs, and it’s a common ground that is far more exhaustive than her job that her dad doesn’t really understand anyway. All in all, yes, her parents do love Nate, which made their break up that much harder.

Nate doesn’t respond; her words linger in the air like a bad perfume. There’s a kind of expectation to them, a dare to explore what that means and how it makes either of them feel. Thankfully, Nate pulls his truck off the road before they have to broach the subject. Just ahead of them, there’s a frozen pond, a couple of trash cans tipped over on either side to use as makeshift goals. It’s the same pond they’d played on as kids, hours spent skating and laughing together. It brings back a melancholic feeling, one that seems to sit in her chest when she follows Nate’s lead and climbs out of the car. He hands her her skates and a stick when they start walking, eyes focused on the snow beneath their feet.

She laces up her skates silently, glancing over at Nate every so often. He looks like he wants to say something, but just isn’t sure where to begin. She tries no to dwell on it, and instead let herself have a good time today. It’s been a long time since she’s had the chance to skate.

She uses the stick Nate handed her to help stand and steps out onto the ice, skates wobbling as she tries to get her bearings.

“Looking a little rusty there, Gretz,” Nate teases.

“Oh shut up,” she groans. It takes her a minute, but before long, she finds her comfort on skates again. It’s second nature, something she knows she will never forget how to do. “It’s just been a while.”

“Nowhere to skate in the sunshine state, eh?” He skates around her in a circle, turning around and skating backwards so he can face her. “What could possibly make you want to stay there?”

She gives a half shrug. “My life is there.”

Nate nods. “Right. Your job, your not boyfriend...” The smile on his face suggests he’s kidding, but she can see something behind his eyes.

“Nate...” there’s a warning in her voice.

He holds a hand up in defense. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just... what do you?”

“I’m a counselor,” she tells him. She chuckles when he purses his lips, clearly having no idea what that entails. “It’s supposed to be a mental health professional in the schools - someone to help students short term, refer out for bigger issues, teach social emotional skills. I’m just a glorified secretary at this point.”

He narrows his eyes, considering her. “I don’t believe that. You’re too good.”

She lets out a long sigh. “No, it’s true. Nothing I do actually helps anyone, and the one girl I did have a good relationship with, I was too busy to help this year. So she’ll never come back to talk to me now. I’m always a month behind and I don’t know-“ she lets her voice trail off, feeling her eyes sting as they fill with tears. It never hits her like this until she says it out loud, but it’s so alarming to lose your passion. She’s content, but she’s not happy, and it’s hard to feel like she didn’t make a huge mistake with her choices in life.

Nate stops suddenly, causing her to slam right into him. He reaches out and grabs her shoulders, keeping her upright. “Hey,” he coos, “I’m sure she’ll come back to talk to you. This year is unlike anything anyone has ever seen. I’m sure a lot of this is stress.”

This seems to open the flood gates, and against her better judgment, she feels hot tears start streaming down her cheeks. It only makes her cheeks more cold, and she curses under her breath. “I think I messed up, Nate. Florida, counseling, what if it was all a mistake?” She shakes her head, dropping it down to stare at their feet.

Nate reaches out, tilting her chin up with one finger. “Then you make a change. Find out how to be happy again, and go after it.” His hand slides up to cup her cheek, warm fingers wiping away her tears. “You’re incredible. If you made a mistake, that’s fine. Regroup, move past it.”

Her breath hitches, eyes locking with his. She can feel a smile tugging at her lips, her heart warming at his words. It’s an incredible feeling to be validated like this, to know her concerns aren’t ridiculous and she’s not an utter failure for rethinking every decision that’s brought her to this point. It’s tenfold now, standing so close to Nate, her heart beating wildly in her chest. “Nate, I-“

“I believe in second chances,” he tells her. His voice is barely above a whisper now, the rasp sending a tingle up her spine. She can hear the unspoken words behind it, I believe in you, and I believe in us. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but with the way he’s looking at her right now, it’s hard to take it any other way. Maybe she could let herself do this - love again, put her faith in him.

There’s nothing she wants more than to be able to give in, melt into his arms and tell him it was all wrong, but they can fix it now. With his bright blue eyes shining the way they are, she even lets part of herself believe that.

It’s the other, realistic part of her that holds her back. The what ifs and rational thinking of distance and time zones and years past rearing their ugly head. The fear of getting hurt again, or hurting him. There’s just too much to consider, too many sacrifices to ask of any one person.

“I want to believe in them too,” she admits. “But-”

Her eyes tell him everything she’s too afraid to. He inhales sharply, nodding once. “I understand. I won’t push you.” His fingertips brush across her cheeks gently before he drops his hand to his side. A sad sigh falls past his lips, and before he can move to skate away, she’s grabbing his forearm and gripping it tightly.

“We’ll play for it,” she blurts, mostly in an attempt to keep him from walking away.

Nate’s eyes snap up. “What are you talking about?”

“We’ll play each other. Pond puck. And I’ll be yours for the weekend.”

“If who wins?”

“Either of us.” Her hesitance is clear as day on her face, the anxiety swirling in her stomach. Maybe she’s being ridiculous, childlike even, but this is the only way she can give her heart what it wants without giving up her entire life. Albeit how appealing that road looks at the moment.

Gaze narrowing, he purses his lips in consideration. “You’re saying no strings?”

She nods, “I’m saying I won’t ask you to wait for me, if you don’t ask me to stay.”

“So a one night stand?”

Her head shakes slowly, teeth worrying at her lower lip. “No. I want the weekend with you in our own little bubble. I want to ignore reality and just… be.”

“I think we need terms for this,” Nate says. “What’s off limits, what isn’t.”

“Of course,” she agrees. “What you’re comfortable with.”

“If you win, big if, I’m yours for the weekend. You can call the shots; anything you want to do. Fair?” When she agrees, he cracks a small smile. “Great. When I win, you’re mine for the weekend. I’ll call the shots.”

“Sounds reasonable-”

“One more thing,” he cuts in. “You can’t break my heart.”

His words hang heavy between them, shifting the atmosphere. This feels like a contingency meant for more than just the weekend. It makes her chest ache to think about it, but Nate’s speaking again before she can get a word in edgewise. “Alright,” he pulls a puck out of his back pocket, holding it out between them. “First to three, yeah?”

He’s courteous enough to wait for her to get her bearings, both hands on her stick, knees bent, before he drops the puck between them. He taps it a few times with his stick, moving in slow circles. He pauses when they’re face to face again, leaning forward. “I’ll let you have first go.”

“Don’t go easy on me, Dogg,” she teases. “I’m tough. I can take it.” She mirrors his stance, leaning over the puck with her hands spread wide on the stick.

“Game on, babe.” She sweeps her stick over his, cursing under breath when he swipes the puck away from her. He carries it on his stick across the ice, avoiding her attempted checks and steals as he goes. Eventually, she abandons that tactic, instead racing ahead of him and turning to defend the “goal”. She keeps her stick down, watching his eyes to try to read his play. He fakes left, moves right, stopping on a dime as he throws ice across her shins. She blinks and the puck is slamming around in the can, Nate throwing his arms in celebration.

“One down,” he gloats.

She rolls her eyes, flicking the puck out at him. It skids to a stop in front of his skates, and she heads back to center ice, knowing he won’t be far behind. By some miracle, she’s able to gain possession of the puck in the faceoff, doing her best to get a jump on him and head down the ice. In an instant, he’s right behind her, stick held out in front of her, attempting to poke check it away. When she shifts, Nate checks into her from the side, nearly sending her tumbling on the ice. “Okay Mr. Lady Byng,” she laughs.

Nate simply grins at her, taking off after the puck and keeping it a distance away from her ahead of him. Effortlessly, he sends the puck sailing into the trash can, turning around to face her with an even cockier grin. “Not looking too good for you.”

“You’re a cheater,” she mumbles, retrieving the puck and gliding over to center ice. She keeps it in her hand as Nate eyes her, his gaze dragging slowly from her skates to the top of her head. “What?”

He shakes his head, jutting his chin out. “I don’t cheat.” He hunches over his stick, waiting for her to crouch into the same position and drop the puck. The intensity that emanates from him is palpable, his bated breath, clenched teeth only adding to the stakes. When the puck falls from her hand, it’s like time slows down. There’s a frigid breeze across her cheeks, blowing her hair back over her shoulders - the puck clattering against the ice once, twice, before it’s flat and they’re both springing into action. Their sticks collide as they sweep them, neither making contact with the puck at first.

It’s Nate who comes up victorious from the faceoff, stickhandling it until he’s able to turn his back to her. She knows he’s far too advanced for her to out play - his skills are unmatched, so she opts for playing a little dirty, using her own skills to her advantage. When Nate fakes and moves left, she positions herself there, right in front of him. All the air whooshes out of her as they collide, his shoulder pressed against her chest. The startled expression on his face makes her crack a grin, and he’s distracted enough by the move to let her gain possession. Once it’s on her stick, she takes off down the ice in the other direction, keeping the puck out in front of her. She can feel Nate hot on her tail, attempting to swat the puck free, knock her off balance. Her eyes stay fixed to the trash can, and she doesn’t hesitate - just slaps the puck as hard as she can. The bang that rings out echoes through the quiet, and she glances over her shoulder, flashing Nate a triumphant smile.

“Two-one now,” she points out. It’s a ridiculous thing to try to boast about, but it very clearly pushes Nate’s buttons. She’s never known a single person to be more competitive, and it’s admittedly fun to draw that side out of him every now and again.

She can tell she’s struck the nerve when Nate gets huffy, his nostrils flaring as he rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles. “Just get ready for the faceoff.” He reaches down to scoop the puck out of the can, quickly following her back to center ice and watching her get situated. Seconds pass in silence until they’re both ready, and Nate drops the puck.

It’s a hard-fought battle from the moment the puck hits the ice. Nate jumps into action, immediately getting his blade down, trying to gain control. But she doesn’t concede to him as easily this time. She bends her knees a little further, using her body to shove against his side, trying to throw him off. When he chances a look at her, she swats at the puck, nearly situating it on her own stick. Nate chuckles, shifts his weight to his other foot, and steals the puck back. The movement throws her a little off balance, and she reaches out for him on instinct, hand gripping the fabric covering his shoulder tightly. She tugs at it to keep herself upright, ignoring his half hearted scoff when it knocks him away from the puck slightly. Within seconds he rights himself, tearing down the ice toward the goal. He’s impossibly fast, and she knows there’s no catching up to him, so the resounding “clang” of the puck hitting the metal comes as no surprise.

When she lifts her gaze, she immediately spots a grinning Nate skating over to her. The corners of his eyes crinkle in delight. “That’s game,” he breathes as he skids to a stop, throwing snow across her shins. Breath hitching as she draws her eyes up to his face, she notices Nate is so close. Closer than he’s been to her in years, and heart is pounding in her chest. With a clatter, he drops his stick to the ice, tossing his gloves down beside it. Now bare-handed, he reaches up, brushing her hair back off her shoulder. The cold air bites against the skin of her cheek for just a moment before his hand is there, big and warm and so soft. “I call the shots, right?” His voice is barely above a whisper, but her eyes are zeroed in on his lips. His tongue flicks out to wet them after a brief nod of her head, and something in her brain short circuits. Drawing in a shaky breath, she holds it as Nate leans in, lips brushing against hers gently, tentative. On their own accord, her hands are flying up to grip his shoulders, her legs suddenly weak.

The kiss is over almost as soon as it’s started, and it leaves her breathless, eyes blinking open slowly. All she can focus on is the small smile that appears on Nate’s lips, and the deep blue of his eyes.

“Do you have plans later?” Nate mutters.

“No.”

There’s that blinding grin again. “Good.” He leans in, pressing a soft little kiss to the side of her mouth, barely inches from her parted lips. “I’m picking you up at seven.”

___

“Where are we going Nate?” She asks, eyes narrowed. They’re sitting side by side in his truck, driving mostly in silence to their unknown destination. His earlier text was cryptic, merely telling her to dress warmly with a smiley emoji. It’s out of character for him, but mostly she’s surprised he seems to want to be spending time outside. In December. In Canada. Sure it’s been warmer than in past years, but when the sun drops, they’re lucky to be breaking twenty degrees Fahrenheit.

“It’s a surprise,” he says. A small smirk dances across his lips, eyes seeming to sparkle with mischief. He knows how much she hates not knowing, but she understands he’s trying to do something fun too. So she sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, shifting her focus to the road in front of them. “You’ll like it,” he promises. There’s the tiniest hint of uncertainty there, a hesitation that tells her he’s just as nervous and confused about everything as she is. Do they know what the other likes anymore? How much has changed?

“I’m sure I will,” she insists.

They drive in comfortable silence, the low hum of Nate’s truck the only sound filling the air. When she chances a glance at him, she’s met with his calm expression, the familiar curve of his nose, his pursed lips. His concentration is clear as day, and she can’t quite place why it’s so endearing.

Thankfully, she doesn’t have much time to dwell on it. He drives about twenty feet more before he’s pulling off the main road. Immediately, they’re both bouncing on their seats, the uneven terrain jerking them back and forth. Just as she opens her mouth to ask him what’s happening, Nate puts the car in park and kills the engine. Wordlessly, he opens his door, stepping around the truck quickly to pull hers open for her. He holds a hand out to her to help her step down, and keeps a firm hold on it when she’s safely on the ground.

“Nate?” She says finally, head cocked in confusion. They’re parked in the middle of an open field, nothing but trees and the setting sun around them. It’ll be dark soon, and she’s not exactly sure what she should be expecting. “What-“

“Trust me,” he cuts in. He smiles at her when she nods, then leads her toward the back of his truck. He lowers the tailgate with his free hand, then reaches for a handle on the cover. His grip finally drops as he clicks the handle into place and walks the cover back toward the cab. Inside it, pillows and blankets cover the bed of the truck, a Yeti cooler stashed into the corner. When she catches his eye again, he’s sheepish, a bashful smile on his face. “I thought it’d be nice to just sit under the stars for a while.”

“Nathan…” it comes out in a sigh, and she’s thankful for the darkening sky that’s hiding her growing smile. She knows it’ll instantly give away how smitten she is, and that’s a conversation she’s not quite ready to have yet.

“Is it okay?” The hesitation in his voice has her jumping to reassure him.

“Yes, yes it’s perfect,” she rushes.

He dips his chin in a nod. “Let’s get you up then.” He doesn’t wait for her to respond, or really even process his comment before he steps over to her, lifting her easily around the waist and hoisting her up. As soon as her feet are planted in his truck, he gives her a little nudge forward, and climbs in after her. “Sit, make yourself comfortable,” he insists. He busies himself pulling out a flashlight, flicking it on and sitting it in the middle of the truck bed. Next, he’s grabbing food out of his cooler, placing them gingerly beside the flashlight. She merely watches in awe as item after item is taken out: plates, forks, glasses, crackers, cheese, wine, fruits. He’d thought of everything.

“It’s not a meal,” he reasons, “but I figured it’s better than nothing.” He produces a corkscrew from his pocket, then sets in on getting the wine bottle open.

“Nate, it’s wonderful,” she insists. She takes the stemless wine glass as he hands it to her, smiling softly. “Though I’m a little surprised to see you willingly eating carbs and drinking alcohol.” She cracks a grin when he rolls his eyes, making a show of bringing his glass up and taking a large gulp.

“Et tu?” Nate groans, dragging his free hand through his hair.

“I’m just messing with you.”

“You’ve read all the articles, then? Keeping tabs on me?” He lifts his eyebrows suggestively.

“Something like that.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Nathan.” Her expression is hard, a no nonsense frown on her face. “You do not disappoint anyone.”

He sighs, and passes her a plate of various snacks, keeping his eyes on his hands. “I don’t know how true that is.”

“I do. You’re being hard on yourself.”

He considers for a moment, shrugging. “Maybe. But I need to be. It keeps me disciplined.”

She scoffs, rolling her eyes before popping a cut piece of fruit into her mouth. “I don’t think you need help in that department.”

“I started seeing a sports psychologist,” he mumbles. It catches her off guard, his admission, but it fills her with pride all the same. The Nate she knew before never would’ve taken that step, and he certainly wouldn’t have told anyone about it. That’s growth.

“How’s that been?”

“I like it. Kinda helps me take a step back from things and visualize what I want and how to get there.” He hesitates, opening his mouth before closing it quickly.

“Sounds like there’s a but there?”

“But I don’t know that it's enough.”

“In what way? Like you need more help with your mental health?”

He scrunches his nose. “No, I guess with hockey and stuff. It just-“ he cuts himself off with a sigh. “It feels like I’ve put in the work, and have gotten no results.”

“Because you haven’t won shit?” She offers. She cracks a grin when Nate looks up at her, expression blank. This only serves to make her giggle, and as much as she wants to blame it on the wine, she knows it’s the way Nate shakes his head and cracks a grin right alongside her.

“I haven’t won shit,” he agrees.

“You will.”

“You sound so sure.”

“Because I am.”

“Why?”

She brings her glass up, polishing off the rest of her drink and then sets the glass down. Hesitantly, she scoots forward a bit more, until her knees bump against his. His eyes draw up to hers slowly, the icy blue stealing the breath from her lungs. “Because I know you, Nathan. And you were born to do this.”

“It’s really not feeling like it these days.” There’s so much defeat in his voice it makes her chest tighten. On a whim, she reaches over and takes his hand, rubbing her thumb over his wrist slowly. “Feels more like I can’t do anything right.”

She wants desperately to reassure him, tell him his mind is wrong and playing tricks on him but she knows that isn’t what he needs. He has to navigate this himself. She can offer him support, but this is something he has to figure out on his own.

“I went first overall, I should be doing more for the team. It’s just been first or second round exits year after year. I can’t get us out of this hole.”

“It isn’t only up to you,” she reminds him. “If you feel you’re not playing up to your standards that’s one thing, but you can’t play every position. It’s not fair to entirely blame yourself.”

“Maybe not,” he shrugs. “Maybe I made a mistake with all of this.”

She frowns, eyes narrowing. “With hockey?”

He nods. “Hockey, life. I don’t know. What if I chose wrong?”

“Well, you’re preaching to the choir on that bud,” she says. She hesitates a moment, gathering herself. “For what it’s worth, I know you didn’t choose wrong. Things have been a bit bleak, sure, but you are far too talented to not share that gift with the world.”

Nate’s gaze catches hers, and she feels a shiver travel up her spine. When concern floods his features, she knows he’s felt it too. “You cold? C’mere.” He gives her no time to respond, just leans himself back against the pillows and reaches for a blanket. Once it’s situated over him, he pulls her in close against his side until her cheek is against his chest and his arm is around her back. The blanket gets tugged up to cover her too, and they lay together, cocooned in the blankets under the stars.

“Better?” Nate rasps, and truly, yes. This has made things better. Being so close to him, warm and safe - this is the first time she’s been able to take a deep breath in a long time. But she can’t admit that to him. So she gives a soft murmur in agreement and shuts her eyes to commit this moment to memory.

“I’m proud of you Nate,” she says eventually. “I know that doesn’t really help with all this, but I’m not the only one, ya know? We’re all rooting for you.” She tilts her head up, staring straight into his eyes. It makes her lose her breath, especially when he gives her a small smile.

“I appreciate how much you believe in me,” he whispers. “It does help.” He draws his fingers up slowly, tickling them against the exposed skin where her sweatshirt has ridden up. It forms goosebumps immediately, and she cuddles in even closer, out of instinct. “Being here has been like coming up for air.” He sighs, eyes softening even further. “And seeing you-“

“Nate-“

“Don’t,” he rushes. “We have an agreement, right? You’re mine for the weekend?” The hopeful expression on his face guts her, but she nods. She is. For the weekend.

“Yes,” she agrees. She tilts her chin up far enough for her nose to bump against his jaw, nuzzling it. “I don’t wanna think about after.”

“Then don’t.” He cranes his neck further, until their breath mixes. “Just be here with me.” Gently, so gently, he kisses her. It’s just a tentative brush at first, but it sets her body on fire. Within seconds, she’s hauling herself even closer to him, dropping her body over his as she deepens the kiss. She feels Nate’s big hands come up to grip her hips, keeping her close.

It’s not desperate and frenzied, but it still has her heart racing. The sweep of his tongue across the seam of her lips has her sighing, melting into him. It’s comfortable, warm and familiar, like coming home. She knows she can’t dwell on that thought, so she pours everything she can into Nate instead. Kisses him breathless, then comes back for more.

When Nate breaks away, he lets his head fall back to the pillows, a tiny grin on his face. “I’ve missed this, babe. Missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Nate.” She admits, to herself just as much as she does him. It feels monumental to do so, but she lets herself have this moment; snuggles closer into Nate’s arms and kisses his neck. They have the weekend, and she’s not going to ruin that.

~

Reality starts to feel a bit distorted after laying with Nate in his truck. In a way, it feels like they’re existing inside a bubble - one that gives them a taste of the road not taken. It’s addicting, with the potential to be heart wrenchingly painful if she’s not careful. But part of her knew she’d end up here. Her and Nate had been so strong before fear crept into her mind. The problem now is figuring out how, if at all, this influences her real life that she’ll be getting back to sooner rather than later.

And Nate, bless his heart, seemed to be doing everything in his power to make this as hard as possible for her. He’d taken the “I call the shots” agreement to heart, planning the entire next day for them to spend together. He arrives at her house thankfully much later in the morning than the day prior, with iced Timmy’s in tow. He leaves a dozen doughnuts and two extra coffees on the counter for her parents, flashing that heart melting smile when she insists he didn’t have to go to the trouble.

“It’s no trouble,” he insists as they’re climbing into his truck. He immediately reaches to crank the heat for her, tugging his seatbelt across his body.

“Well thank you,” she says. “What’s on the docket today?”

He eases the truck out onto the road, his tongue poking out between his lips in concentration. Only when they’re settled into the lane does Nate glance over at her. “Thought we’d drive down to Peggy’s Cove. Walk around a little bit. See the lighthouse?”

Her face lights up at the mere mention. Peggy’s Cove is about an hour from Cole Harbour, and it’s always been one of her favorite day trips. There’s something so wonderfully calming about the shoreline, at any time of year. “Sounds good to me,” she says.

She’s pleased to find how at ease she feels beside Nate on the drive down. They happily flick through radio stations, singing along completely off key. Her cheeks start to hurt from the wide smile she can’t seem to wipe off her face, all thanks to Nate. And god, what a thought that is. She’d certainly never entertained the idea of meeting up with Nate at home, nor did she think she’d find herself riding around in his truck. It feels like an alternate reality and surprisingly, the thought doesn’t put a damper on her mood. It just makes her enjoy it all the more.

Before long, Nate is pulling into a deserted parking lot along the shore. He kills the engine then looks over at her, smiling softly. “Shall we?” When she nods, Nate climbs out of the truck and races around to grab her door for her.

It’s a stunningly beautiful day, but it's freezing, even bundled up against the cold. Despite her tightly wound scarf the wind nips her cheeks harshly as soon as she closes his door. In front of them, waves are crashing against the covered rocks, a soothing symphony filling the air. There's chunks of ice floating in the water, and she shakes her head at just how picture-esque it all is. A rare blue sky day in late December, the sun breaking through the small clouds, its rays reflecting off the snow on the rocks.

Nate turns to her, offering his hand and she takes it without hesitation. His gloved fingers wrap firmly around hers, and they start to slowly walk toward, squinting to see.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been down here,” she admits. “I don’t know how I forgot how beautiful it is.”

“I’ve always loved it here,” Nate says. She glances at him, sees his pink cheeks, his hair blowing in every direction. It makes something in her chest tighten, and she squeezes his hand a little tighter. They make their way closer to the lighthouse silently, simply taking it all in.

As they approach the darker rocks, Nate stops suddenly, tugging her into him. His arms go around her shoulders, keeping her close. “This okay?” He whispers.

“Yes,” she breathes. More than okay, she wants to say. It’s touching really, that he’d drive all this way just to stand there with her and stare at a lighthouse. It’s reminiscent of the early days in their relationship, before the drama and the uncertainty, when all they needed was to be together. “Thanks for bringing me Nate.”

He hums, his cheek pressing against the side of her head. “Thanks for wanting to be here.”

She can feel that his words have a much deeper meaning behind them, though she chooses to take them at face value. It's clear they’re going to continue to dance around the obvious, even if it’s rehashing something they’d already settled on. It’s just for the weekend; there’s no realistic way it could be more and they can’t put that kind of pressure on each other. But even though all of this is true, it doesn’t change the way being with him makes her feel. It doesn’t take the warmth out of his smile, or the fondness from his eyes. So maybe she is breaking her own heart here, but what other choice does she have?

***

She and Nate spend much of their day wandering through the small fishing village. They stroll down the boardwalk, through small boutiques and touristy souvenir shops. Nate happily walks through every single open door, stopping to sign an autograph or take a photo every now and then when they happen upon another person. He has no qualms about waiting for her to browse in the bookshop, instead spending his time posted up on a comfortable chair, petting the store cat with a smile on his face.

After a late lunch at the only restaurant in town, they get back on the road, headed for Cole Harbour. Conversation in the car is light and casual, both just catching the other up on life’s nuances they haven’t been privy to in years. It’s more than just work: it’s the song that made Nate cry because it reminded him of leaving for the US when he was just a child, it’s the countless seafood meals she’s turned down in her adult life because nothing can compare to the luxuries of home. The conversation never lulls, though it does veer significantly off course when they spot the ‘welcome to Cole Harbour’ sign approaching in the distance.

“Nate, pull over!” She insists. She’s digging through her bag, ignoring his request for an explanation. After a few seconds, she emerges victorious, holding up a black marker and a piece of paper. She smoothes it out as best she can on his dashboard, then unhooks her seatbelt. “Do you have any tape?”

“What do you need tape for?” Nate asks. He earns himself a pointed look, one that says ‘don’t ask questions’. He sighs, then flips open the center console. “I think I have some stick tape lying around…”

While he tracks that down, she gets to work writing, keeping her arm strategically placed so he can’t glance over her shoulder to sneak a peek. Just a few seconds later, he’s setting the tape down next to her hand and looking at her expectantly. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see,” she grins. She picks up her sign and the tape, opens the door to his truck and hops down onto the road. It's not very busy, thankfully, but Nate is immediately concerned all the same.

He calls out her name, quickly following after her as she walks. “You can’t just get out of the car on a main road and walk away,” he insists, but she’s not listening to him. She’s still making her way forward, toward the welcome sign and the townline. Once she’s standing in front of it, he watches as she pulls up the tape, ripping it with her teeth. The piece of paper is held against the welcome sign, then secured with tape, and she steps back with a satisfied smile on her face. The writing doesn’t become clear until Nate is standing beside her, and once it does, he bursts into laughter.

Attached to the bottom of the sign, where it reads ‘Home of Sidney Crosby’, she’d taped up her own: “and Nathan MacKinnnon”.

“I’ll have to get a proper one commissioned, but I thought this would do for now,” she grins. As she locks eyes with Nate, she feels her heart start racing. He seems happy, but she doesn’t want to assume he’s not just saving face and she’s made him uncomfortable.

Wordlessly, he closes the space between them, gathering her into his arms. “You’re just- you’re so wonderful.” He doesn’t give her the time to respond, just leans in and kisses her, hard and long. It sets her world on end, she gasps for air when he pulls away.

“Nate-“

“You wanna come to my place?” He asks against her lips, eyes hooded. A brief nod is all that’s needed to get him moving, guiding her back to his truck and opening the door for her.

___

Her hands are trembling when they pull up to Nate’s house. Nate grins at her, taking her hand over the shifter once he parks. He brings it to his lips and kisses it softly. There’s an unspoken understanding in the air, tension hanging between them. “Hey,” he whispers, trying to catch her eye. “You alright?”

Her voice is so soft when she speaks that Nate almost misses it. “I’m nervous,” she admits. “It’s been such a long time and I really want this to be good for you-“

Nate cuts in, brow furrowed. “Look at me.” He waits until she draws her eyes up to continue. “It’s okay to be nervous. I’m a little nervous, but please, don’t feel like you have to do this.”

“I don’t. I mean, I do want to,” she interjects. “I just- what if it’s not… good?”

He actually snorts when he hears this. He’s under no impression they’ve lost that spark over the years. It’s always been good, and he knows it will continue to be. But the hesitance on her face is suggesting she’s not thinking the same way he is. “It’s going to be incredible,” he insists. “Just like it always was.”

“We were kids, Nate. I’m worried it won’t be.” She takes in a deep breath, shaking her head. “I’m worried I won’t be any good.”

He drops her hand, turning in his seat until he’s able to cup both of her cheeks. Then he draws her head up until she’s looking at him again. “You are the most beautiful woman I know, and you’ve been driving me crazy since the day I saw you in the grocery store. I know you’re going to blow my mind.” She hesitates for a moment, but then she’s nodding as best she can with the way he’s holding her. “If you’re not ready, we can wait.”

“No,” she says adamantly. “I’m done waiting.”

This is all the confirmation that Nate needs. He keeps his hands firmly planted on her cheeks and leans in, kissing her hungrily. He slides his tongue into her mouth, groaning when he feels her fingers crawl up to grip his hair tightly. She leans even closer to him, pressing her chest against his, letting him feel every inch of her torso. His eyes are half lidded when he breaks away, tongue flicking out to wet his lips.

Her eyes blink open, and Nate’s smiling softly at her. His eyes are soft, filled with longing, and her stomach is doing flips. It’s tenfold when he climbs out of the driver’s seat, coming around to take her hand and help her step down. He laces their fingers, leading her up the short pathway and in the front door. They shed their shoes and their cold weather gear there, tossing it unceremoniously toward the built in to the right. They’ll deal with the mess later.

“Do you need anything?” His voice is low, raspy, and she’s shaking her head immediately. She’s of a one track mind now, and it seems that Nate picks up on that. He takes the initiative to walk her up the stairs, straight to his bedroom.

“Can I touch you?” He whispers. He rests his hands on her waist, lingering at the hem of her soft t-shirt. When he sees her nod, it’s up and over her head in a hurry, exposing her smooth skin. Nate’s eyes greedily take in every inch of her chest, and she’s surprised she doesn’t feel the urge to cover herself.

She feels a surge of confidence shoot through her; the way Nate is looking at her fueling her ego. It makes her bold, and she pushes back on his shoulders until he’s stepping backwards, and eventually, falling onto the bed. Then, she climbs into his lap, her hair falling around them like a curtain when she leans down over him. “Are you just going to look?” She asks, and the challenge in her voice ignites something inside Nate.

Before she can blink, she finds herself on her back with Nate crawling over her. He reaches up and tugs off his shirt, smirking at her sharp intake of breath. He doesn’t take much time to gloat, choosing instead to draw her in for another kiss. His hands make quick work of her bra, tossing it across the room carelessly. His lips trail down her chest, mouthing at the supple flesh, and swirling his tongue around her nipples. He revels in the breathy sounds falling from her lips when he bares his teeth.

“Nathan, please touch me,” she whines. She wriggles underneath him, trying to draw him up, get his mouth back on hers.

“Patience, my girl,” he mumbles. He kisses the tip of her nose before he sits back, eyes taking in her form. Her hair is splayed out across the bed, cheeks flushed, and pupils blown wide. He slides his fingertips over the red marks he’d left on her breasts, dragging the rough pads down until they’re toying with the waistband of her pants. He glances up at her again, eyebrows lifted to check in, make sure this is still what she wants. He earns himself a frustrated groan and a “come on, Nate”, which he takes as the green light. He slides everything down in one move, leaving her completely bare to him. “God, look at you,” he breathes. He pushes her legs open wider to accommodate the bulk of his shoulders before he drops down onto his stomach. His eyes never leave hers as he leans in close, kissing up her thighs until he’s inches away from her throbbing center.

She tosses her head back, squeezing her eyes shut to try to regain control of herself. Her body is thrumming with anticipation, desperate for Nate to do anything. After a few seconds, she’s rewarded for her patience. Nate licks a long strip up from her entrance to her clit, chuckling against her when she gasps. Immediately, her hands fly to his hair, fingers gripping tightly. Nate flicks his tongue expertly against her before drawing her clit between his lips and sucking. She feels him ghosting his fingers over her lips, the soft tickle making her toes curl. She lets out a moan, and that’s all it takes to get Nate to dive in. He slips two fingers into her dripping entrance, scissoring against the tight suck of her walls.

“Nathan,” she pants, back arching. He’s nibbling on her clit as he seeks that spot inside of her, pumping his fingers in and out quickly. She cries out when he finds it, and Nate presses down hard, keeping his fingers firmly against it while she thrashes against the bed.

She’s sure her grip on his hair has to be painful at this point, but she’s too far gone to care. All she can focus on is the blinding pleasure Nate is giving her. She can feel that coil tightening inside of her, her body wound so tightly she’ll snap back at any given second. When he sucks on her again, she snaps, trapping his face between her legs as she comes, thighs tightening around his head.

Nate keeps his fingers working inside of her as she starts to come down, her breath slowing, though not entirely coming back to her. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as he climbs up to his knees, grinning wickedly. “Such a good girl for me,” he coos.

She’s having a hard time replying to him. She can’t get a sentence out, moans tumbling past her lips whenever she opens her mouth. Nate is prolonging her orgasm, keeping her suspended up on cloud nine as he watches her, eyes hungry. “I’ve imagined this so many times,” he admits. “Over the years, when I’m on the road late at night. I love to picture you wrapped around me instead of my hand, squeezing me so tight. You feel so good around my fingers; I can’t even imagine how you’ll feel around my cock. Will you let me have you? Sink deep inside of you and fuck you open, my girl?”

She cries out again, nodding quickly. She grips his forearm tightly, eyes rolling back. “Please Nate,” she chokes out. “God, please, I need you.”

“You’ve got me,” he swears. He leans down and kisses her again, stealing the air from her lungs. He tugs his sweatpants down as best he can with one hand, sighing against her lips when his cock springs free.

Slowly, she draws her eyes up from his cock, enjoying the sight of his clenched stomach muscles, and the strain of his bent forearm. Everything about Nate is absolutely gorgeous. He’s just so big; so wide and cut, and god, he’s going to be the death of her. She grips his shoulders tightly, mouth going dry at the muscles her fingers trace over. She’s trying to commit every moment to memory, the soft pants falling from Nate lips, the way his eyes are nearly black with desire. It’s so different than it had been before, but somehow the same. They’ve both matured so much- confidence emanating off of them now, but that giddiness is still there. That schoolyard crush that makes your heart beat faster and your hands shake. Her head is swimming, with desire, and the disbelief that this is truly happening. That they’d found a way to have this happen again.

She whines when he draws his fingers out of her, the loss leaving her feeling empty, and she clenches around the air. “I’ve got you,” Nate promises her. He reaches over her head to the bedside table and comes back with a condom, tearing it open with his teeth before sliding it down his throbbing cock. Her fingers are still gripping his shoulders tightly, and there’s no way her nails aren’t biting into his skin but Nate doesn’t say a word. He just runs a soothing hand down her torso and grips her hips, holding her still as he lines himself up with her entrance. His eyes are locked with hers as he presses forward, the blunt head of his cock drawing a gasp when he slips inside. He’s so wide; her walls are already straining to accommodate him, the burn of the stretch making her heart pound. Nate takes his time pressing into her, letting her accommodate for his size. As he pushes in, he’s whispering soft reassurances to her, telling her how beautiful she is, and how good she feels.

He grips her waist tightly when he’s fully sheathed, his big hands wrapping around her. “Okay?” He whispers. She can see the strain of holding back on his face, the need to make sure she’s alright before he can let himself go and enjoy this.

“Perfect,” she assures. “Please, Nate.”

He sucks in a deep breath and nods. Slowly, he draws his hips back before snapping himself forward, burying himself even deeper. She’s impossibly tight and wet around him, drawing him in and clinging to him. It doesn’t take long for him to build up a steady rhythm and when he does, he feels like a man possessed. He’s holding her down against the bed, watching as her breasts bounce and her mouth falls open in pleasure. He feels her drag her nails down his back and he groans, driving into her even harder. The force of his hips is pushing her up the bed, leaving her breathless and begging for him.

“I’m so close,” she pants. “Please Nate, touch me.” Her eyes are shining when she looks up at him. He obliges, sliding his right hand down to press his fingers to her clit. Within seconds, she’s coming around him, clamping down on him as she cries out his name. Nate fucks her straight through it, his hips slapping against her ass as he chases his own release.

He kisses her desperately when he feels his body tightening. When her tongue sweeps against his, he’s gone. He drives in and holds himself there as he comes, a grunt falling from his lips. When he’s able to come back into himself, he reaches down, holding onto the condom as he slowly pulls out. He kisses her cheek in apology when she winces, tying the condom off and tossing it into the trash just after. He runs a hand down his face, trying to steady his breathing before he stands. He grabs the first hand towel he can find in the on suite bathroom, running it under the tap and bringing it back into her bedroom wordlessly.

She’s still spread out on the bed where he’d left her, her arm thrown up over her eyes as her chest heaves. He drags the towel between her legs, cleaning her up carefully, before the towel too gets tossed to the floor. “You doing okay?” He whispers. He drops down onto the bed beside her, manhandling her body until she’s lying on her side, facing him.

“Wonderful,” she says, and that’s the understatement of the century. “Was, was I okay?”

Nate’s eyes go wide, and he’s nodding immediately. “That was unbelievable. God, the way you feel-” He cuts himself off, dropping his head onto a pillow dramatically. “It’s amazing how good we still are together.” She peers up at him, sees his eyes closed and the small, happy smile on his face. It makes her heart twist in her chest, her throat tightening. Realization hits her like a bucket of ice water thrown over her head. None of this is real. He’s not her Nate anymore, and damn it, how is she going to walk away from this?

“I can hear the gears whizzing around in there,” he teases. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”

She hesitates, debates deflecting- telling him it’s nothing and avoiding the discussion she knows they should have. They’re adults now, this is the kind of thing they need to discuss, but she’s scared. “Nate,” she sighs, feels tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t know. I just-“

“You told me you wouldn’t break my heart.” His voice is low. It isn’t accusatory, it’s just sad, like a punch straight to the stomach. She opens her mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. Hot tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, pooling on the pillow case.

“It’s feeling pretty broken right now.”

This has her swallowing hard, gathering her courage. “I don’t want to.” It’s barely a whisper. “But I don’t think there’s another choice.”

“Of course there is,” he assures her. “There’s always another choice.”

“Not when it leads right back where we broke in the first place.”

“Don’t think about that. Tell me what you want.”

“It doesn’t matter-“

“It does matter,” Nate insists. “What the hell are we doing in this life if we’re not trying to find happiness?” His eyes search her face, drinking in every feature. “What would make you happy?”

She doesn’t hesitate. “You. But-“

He shakes his head slowly. “Nope. No buts. I would make you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Thank god,” he breathes. “Because I’m not letting you go again.”

“It’s not that easy,” she says. “There’s too many variables, and it will lead us right back where we started.”

“It’ll be different this time.”

She sighs. “How can you know that?”

Nate reaches a tentative hand out, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. “Because we know better. We can make better choices together. I know you don’t want to be a WAG, and I’m not going to put that on you. If you want to stay in Florida, okay. If you want to move to Denver, okay. If you want to move back to Canada, that’s okay too. We’ll make whatever you decide work. I just want you.”

“You… you want that?”

“If it involves you, I want it.” He’s so adamant, speaking with such conviction she can’t entertain any other thought. She scoots closer to him on the bed, molding herself against his chest and resting her head on his shoulder.

“I really want this to work, Nate,” she says. “I really, really want that.”

But more about the apartment, as soon as AJ took Tyson to see it, he knew that was the one. The property manager hadn’t even shown them past the first two rooms but the giddiness on AJ’s face was enough to tell him it was going to be home, at least for now. The master bedroom was huge, with an en suite bath, including both a shower and a bathtub. 

(“No more waiting for you to get out of the tub so I can shower, yeah?” 

“You’re just as guilty of soaking in a nice hot bath. Don’t think I didn’t notice the missing bath bomb from my basket.” 

“Can’t prove it was me.”

“Your legs and torso were slightly shimmery and you smelled of lavender, Jost.”

Tyson sheepishly grinned.)

There was a guest room in case friends or family came into town. Another room that AJ could set up her computer gear, and also work on some art projects. The two figured that a sofa would be super comfy in there as well, one that could turn into a bed for even more guests if necessary. The kitchen was more than large enough for the two of them to dance while doing dishes. 

AJ’s favorite part was how many windows lined the walls. She already could envision stands and shelves of plants flanking them, letting the leaves soak up the natural light that flooded the rooms through various hours of the day. To the west, Key Bank Arena and Lake Erie were visible in the distance.

Hearing of her plans, he couldn’t say no. On top of it making AJ happy, it was a short drive to both the practice rink and the arena. It was a trendy, renovated part of town that was busy with restaurants and things to see and do. They’d be up high enough on the twelfth floor to not be bothered with the street noise. It all just felt right.

Needless to say, they signed a lease that day, and would be able to move in within weeks. This posed a small issue for AJ, but she wasn’t going to make mention of it. At least this time around, Tyson insisted on hiring movers to bring all their stuff up, especially with it being on such a high floor. AJ would just have to direct traffic and then unpack boxes, with all the heavy stuff being put into place already. She wasn’t about to argue about that this time around.

With a loss at home against Florida, the team hit the road for Chicago, losing in OT to one of the league’s worst teams. The next two games were at home, against the Islanders and Ducks. The first game was a win, with Tyson netting himself an assist. The next day found Tyson at practice, and AJ helping the movers get furniture put into place, and boxes all loaded up into various rooms. The remaining items at the hotel were starting to dwindle as AJ moved most of their belongings over.

Coming back from practice, Tyson found the hotel room missing AJ as she was in the process of moving some stuff the few blocks over to the new building. He sighed, looking at the garland and lights that still lined the ceiling of their room. Gently he pulled the hooks from the walls, looping the lights and shiny garland neatly and placing it in one of the empty bins. He honestly was going to miss it at the new place, even though that very same new place was home. 

Even when AJ came back to pick up more stuff, the lack of twinkling lights reflecting against the walls made the place feel empty.

With most everything moved over, the last few things in the room were just pillows, a few sets of clothes, and the last few items needed in the bathroom. AJ had made mention it was going to take a while to get some stuff unpacked, and with Tyson going on the road here in a few days, that maybe they could officially “move in” once he returned. Her outward intent was to get most everything unpacked while he was gone, but that was going to be a little difficult as she actually had some plans already in the works for something else.

The two slept hard that night in the hotel, after moving and unpacking a few boxes, as well as rearranging some furniture. The next morning, AJ was back at it, while Tyson had morning skate before the Anaheim game. Taking some time off, she snagged a ticket and made her way to the arena to cheer on the Sabres with a 6-3 victory. Tyson had a pretty good night, another assist and some pretty good numbers in the box score.

One final night together in the hotel… AJ had issues keeping Tyson focused on getting packed up for the four game roadie, which would send him to Dallas, St. Louis, Winnipeg, and ending in St. Paul. Tyson’s interests were more about some late night shenanigans to literally go out with a bang before officially moving into the new apartment. While getting his backpack filled and his suit laid out for the trip, AJ was trying to secretly pack her own backpack, giving the reason of “oh this is my last bag of stuff to go over.”

Little did Tyson know that, while technically true, that bag was going to be making some of the same stops on the roadie.

That Sunday morning, Tyson had morning practice before heading to the airport. In the same time frame, AJ go the last of their stuff moved from the hotel, and she herself headed to the airport, boarding a different plane. She felt awful for what she was about to do.

AJ: Hey babe, I’m pretty exhausted and am going to crash for a bit. Text me when you land?

She wasn’t lying. The motion sickness pills she downed as she got to the airport were kicking in and she likely was going to sleep on the plane. But all the same, AJ felt a little dirty about it.

Right before takeoff, AJ’s phone, which was supposed to be in airplane mode (seriously, who actually puts their phone in airplane mode when flying?), buzzed in her hand.

Tyson: Sleep well babe, only a few more sleeps until we’re both back in our bed. Heading to the airport here in a bit. Ily

A smile hit AJ’s face, thinking about having a space that was truly theirs, with their own things, and room to move around, and could set up everything the way they wanted. As the plane took off, she fidgeted with the engagement ring on her finger, focusing on it, rather than the upward movement of the plane that made her dizzy. Once at cruising altitude, AJ indeed fell asleep to one of Tyson’s house mixes. It took the passenger next to her tapping her on the shoulder to wake her up as they were landing at DFW - what felt like minutes later, but really was hours.

Collecting her bag and trekking through the airport, AJ found her way to the Orange Line, and took the train into Dallas. It was a quiet day on the train, considering it was not a weekday. Watching out the windows, she took in views she’d never seen before. Hopping off at Victory Station, which spit her out right by the arena, leaving the rest of the way to her hotel as about a half mile walk. Checking in, she made her way to the third floor and faceplanted on the bed.

Tyson: On the ground in Dallas. Miss you already. How’s unpacking?

AJ looked around and saw her bag sitting on the ottoman in her room.

AJ: Honestly haven’t really unpacked much. Kind of relaxing at the moment honestly.

Tyson: Understand completely, no big rush. I think we’re going out for dinner. Talk more later?

AJ: Of course. Have fun! (heart emoji)

Looking at her watch, AJ was trying to figure out what to do with her evening. She didn’t want to chance somehow bumping into Tyson going out for dinner, but at the same time, everything nearby was stupidly pricey in her eyes. In a last minute decision, she put in an order online for Shake Shack, and walked to Crescent Court to pick it up. Thankfully, unlike the last time AJ was at Crescent Court with Jess the year before, there were no team buses or players around. With food in tow, she arrived back at her hotel, sprawling out on the sofa to enjoy dinner and a movie. 

It was driving her nuts though knowing Tyson was maybe a mile away, but she’d see him soon enough.

With a few texts, both insisted they were needing sleep, and that they’d talk more Monday.

Snagging breakfast at the hotel, AJ contemplated what to do before the game that evening. Checking out what was nearby, she walked to the Dallas Museum of Art, taking in a wide variety of pieces by famous artists. At the same time Tyson was a half mile away getting ready for morning skate, with a strange feeling. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but something definitely felt odd.

Tyson missed AJ, but it wasn’t the same as other roadies. He had butterflies in his stomach for some reason.

After finishing up at the museum, AJ got in a nap before getting cleaned up and heading to the arena. There were a surprising number of Sabres fans at American Airlines Center. Getting down to the glass on the Sabres’ warmup side, AJ knew where Tyson would be warming up. She had a tiny sign that would fit in her backpack she traveled with.

The fans congregated together, chatting about where everyone was from and who everyone’s favorite players were. While she agreed that Thompson and Dahlin were great players, AJ made mention that Tyson Jost was her favorite. The guy with the kid next to her looked at her weird, but another person piped up, commenting on what a great pickup he was for the Sabres. It made her heart happy.

Looking around the end of the ice, there were a number of other signs for players, including a couple more for Tyson. Impatiently waiting until the 16:00 mark was tough for AJ, but the team took to the ice tossing pucks at Anderson playing in his 700th game. Her eyes followed Tyson around, where they did their initial drills. Tyson went to the other side of the glass, reading a poster another fan had, offering a choice of candy, probably for a puck. He skated back to the bench with something and tossed it to the equipment manager before grabbing a puck and starting his own stickhandling drill.

Not even paying attention, he drilled the puck into the boards directly under AJ’s feet and caught the rebound on his stick. Looking up, he saw a small poster, and then looked up even further to see who was holding it. The smile on his face couldn’t be contained as he skated closer, mouthing “Hey you!” as AJ gave a tiny wave. Leaning down, he got a puck on his stick and sent it over the glass to the kid directly next to her, fist bumping him through the glass. The butterflies in Tyson’s stomach from earlier now made sense.

The guy who previously looked at AJ weird for saying Jost was her favorite tapped her on the shoulder.

“What was that?”

“We’ve known each other since he played for Colorado. Thought I’d surprise him at the game.” AJ chuckled.

With warmups complete, and in fact, Buffalo stayed on the ice longer than the warmup clock lasted just to get under the skin of the Stars, AJ found her seat behind the Sabres’ bench. Luckily it was filled with other Sabres fans and she made some new friends that night. The game started off not so great with the Stars scoring within the first two minutes, but the Sabres fired back later in the first. The game went silent in the 2nd, but in the third period, the Sabres scored early to have a 2-1 lead. Later in the period, the Stars tied it up. Throughout the game, Tyson glanced back finding AJ cheering for the team in white and blue.

The Sabres held on to take it to OT.

“I’m standing up,” Dan, AJ’s new friend sitting next to her, stated. “With our top lines out there 3-on-3, this isn’t going to last long. We’re standing up.”

Everyone stood up behind the bench, which pissed off the row behind them, but it was well worth it. Power scored fifty-six seconds into the overtime period, giving the Sabres the win. The Sabres fans cheered, while the Stars fans were left sulking as they walked the stairs to the concourse of the arena. The team piled into the dressing room, and headed for the airport as they were to play St. Louis the next day.

Tyson: EGGO you’re crazy for flying out here! I love you for it though, made my night.

AJ: Crazy about YOU! Fun game. Wish I were flying with you tonight.

Tyson: Me too. When do you fly out?

AJ had to word this very carefully.

AJ: My flight is at 11:15. Figured I could at least score some breakfast before I leave (lol emoji)

Tyson: Text me when you land? We’re taking off.

AJ: You know it babe. Safe travels, love you!

AJ was asleep when the next text hit her phone, of Tyson landing in St. Louis. He was glad she seemingly slept through it. As much as he still loved getting to say “text you when I land” and then doing so, he always felt a little pang of guilt if she’d text back at 3am wherever she was in comparison. At the same time he did enjoy some of her sleepy text typos, and imagining her bleary-eyed in bed texting him back.

What did wake AJ up was her alarm so she would make it downstairs to, yes, get breakfast, pack up, and take the train back to DFW. Not thinking fully about the weather when she packed, as soon as she took a few steps onto the sidewalk of Harry Hines Blvd, it started raining, and she did not pack her umbrella. Walking under overhangs as much as she could, which was tough around the arena because there aren’t any, AJ was becoming more and more soggy as she reached the train stop. Thankfully she made it just in time for the Orange line back, and sat back as it poured down rain the whole way to the airport. Once through security, she sat next to a window with a mint hot chocolate from Dunkin watching the rain.

A quick text was sent as she boarded the plane, and was finally in the air. AJ’s Lyft driver was awesome, the two chatted the whole way to her destination. However, that text she said she’d send was a little delayed.

AJ: Hey, on the ground. How was your flight?

Tyson: It was alright, got in around 1am like you saw. Yours?

AJ: Not bad. Hoped I’d get some sleep but didn’t. Oh damn it’s almost time for you to get ready to play, isn’t it? Kick some ass tonight, Jost. (heart emoji)

Tyson: Only because you said so. Going to miss you in the stands, last night spoiled me.

AJ: You’ll see me soon enough. I’ll be watching the game, cheering you on!

Tyson stared at the last message, getting that odd feeling he had in Dallas again.

“Surely she isn’t here… no… she went back home, right?” 

A few of the guys in the dressing room noticed how antsy Tyson was to get out onto the ice for warmups. Kyle was giving him shit for the fact AJ was in Dallas to surprise him the night before, and how he was acting like his kids do when they are excited to be going out for ice cream. The feeling in Tyson’s stomach wasn’t subsiding. He was fidgeting with the tape on his stick waiting for the moment they could take the ice. 

Keeping his normal focus was difficult as warmups began, and he started scanning the glass. There were a number of fans, both for the Sabres and Blues already lined up. With a deep breath he went back to doing drills, trying to push the butterflies down. Okie skated up along the boards and stopped, looking back and winking at the person behind him.

As the team drills wound down, Tyson went back toward the center line doing some stretches, when someone caught his eye. Squinting, suddenly his eyes went wide as he continued warming up his legs. Hopping up, he grabbed a puck to do his drills between the blue line and the faceoff circle. 

Finishing up, he attempted to get the puck to hop onto his stick blade, but he missed not once, but twice. Looking up, his face was a little flushed as he smiled at AJ, still fumbling around. Reaching down, trying to just simply pick up the puck with his gloves, Tyson still was struggling. Finally with the puck in his hands, and his face now full on blushing, he got the puck over to the kids slapping the glass next to her. With a look back and wink at AJ, he felt like the luckiest man on Earth that his fiancee was at the game again, even if she weren’t behind the bench this time around.

There were definitely less Sabres fans at this game in St. Louis than in Dallas, but AJ made the best of it with her #LETSGOBUFFALO sign as she sat behind the Sabres Attack Twice goal. What made it even better was the 5-3 win over the Blues… especially with AJ’s history with games in St. Louis. 

What made the night less stellar was that St. Louis was under a winter storm warning until noon the next day, and AJ’s flight was leaving the next morning at 5:40AM, with her Lyft coming at 3:10AM. She was terrified of one of three things happening:

She was going to oversleep, the original plan was actually to stay awake until her ride arrived.

Her ride was going to cancel and she would have no way to get to the airport on time.

The airport was going to shut down due to the weather.

Thankfully none of these happened, and she did in fact make it to the airport in time. After getting through security (being harassed by a rather rude TSA agent that thought she had something on her ankle, which, surprise, there was nothing but her ankle there), she made her way to Starbucks to snag a drink and prepare for the first of two flights. The snow was really starting to come down though and made her worried.

Just like Tyson’s gut was telling him something the previous few days, her’s was now talking to her.

Tyson and the team had flown out of St. Louis after the game thankfully, and he was safe on the ground in Winnipeg.

Knowing he was asleep, AJ just sent a quick note that she was at the airport, indeed going back to Buffalo, as much as she wanted to continue the roadie with him. Nervous about the weather, hoping to make her connection as she was already delayed 40 minutes. The plus side, the flight wasn’t full and she ended up getting her own row on that flight.

On the ground in Dallas again, she was stressing hardcore about the connection, it was in a completely different terminal. But the flight deities smiled upon AJ that day and somehow getting out of the jetway and down the hallway, she found herself in Terminal B, right near her gate that had not yet started boarding.

AJ: Made my connection, heading home to Buffalo. (heart emoji)

Grabbing Tyson’s face, AJ kissed him with abandon. It had been nearly a week since they’d physically been in each others’ presence. She pulled him inside, hands on the still on the sides of his face. Finding the counter next to them, Tyson was able to put the cups and bottle in his hand down on it, dropping the bag (thankfully without breakable items in it) onto the floor.  Lips melting into each other’s, the two caught up on all the kisses missed in the last week, and more than made up for the kiss missed days earlier at midnight. After a few minutes, the pair were left with dazed smiles AJ looked up into Tyson’s eyes.

“Happy New Year, Eggo. Here’s to spending this year, and many more, together.” Tyson’s eyes twinkled as he kissed AJ again. 

Breaking the embrace, Tyson went back to the kitchen counter, grabbing the sparkling apple cider and plastic champagne glasses, pouring each a glass. Before doling them out, he grabbed drastically marked down party hats and noisemakers from the grocery bag. Putting a hat on AJ and himself, he put a horn in his mouth and honked at AJ. The horn in AJ’s lips unfurled and squeaked in Tyson’s direction, leaving them both giggling, sipping on the sparkling juice.

Grabbing the extra blanket that AJ had on the bed, she headed for the sofa as Tyson clicked around on Netflix to find something to watch. She shivered under the fleece as she curled up next to him. The opening scenes of White Noise started, and the two watched intently, trying to figure out what was going on. 

As much of an Adam Driver fan AJ is, she was unable to stay awake and fell asleep shortly after the first half hour of the movie. And as the movie went on, Tyson wasn’t faring much better in the keeping awake department. The thing that woke AJ up was the song of the final credits, as she’s also a bit LCD Soundsystem fan. 

Attempting to bounce her head to the beat, it started pounding, leaving AJ shivering. Breathing in deep, her nose was clogged and she snuffled, waking Tyson instantly. Rubbing his eyes, he suddenly looked concerned.

“You feeling okay, babe?” 

AJ scrunched her eyes and sniffled loudly, wincing as she tried to stretch her arms over her head.

“I’ve been kinda tired the last day or so, I hope I’m not getting sick.”

Tyson put the back of his hand on AJ’s forehead.

“Oh no, you’re burning up. I think you’re past the getting sick level,” Tyson suddenly went into nurse mode, getting up off the sofa, “You stay put, I got this.”

“Damn it, I was working on scheduling *sniffle* places for us to go look at to live in.” AJ was more concerned about making it to the appointments.

Returning from the kitchen, large glass of water and a couple Tylenol in hand, Tyson shushed her. 

“Right now that doesn’t matter, we can find our place when you get better. Here, take these to start, and drink that whole glass of water. Gotta keep you hydrated, yeah?” Tyson gave a soft smile as he had AJ sit up to take the meds and sip on the cool water. “Will you be okay if I run back out to grab a few things from the store?”

AJ cleared her throat, nodding. Trying to not be a wimp, she attempted to get up but sat down quickly again. She motioned toward the bedroom.

“Can you grab my pillow?” Her voice was tiny.

“Of course, you stay put,” Tyson had AJ lift her head to put the pillow underneath it and tucking the blanket in around here, “I’ll be right back. Text me if you need anything, okay? Or if you want something from the store?”

“Sprite? And orange juice?”

“Of course, Eggo. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Tyson leaned down, kissing AJ’s feverish forehead.

Tyson made the quickest trip back to the same grocery store he was just at hours earlier. Grabbing a cart this time, he made his way up and down aisles, while texting his grandma.

Tyson: Hey Grandma, what’s the recipe for your chicken soup? AJ is sick, and yours always made me feel better.

A few minutes later he got a list of ingredients off his phone, they were in his cart, along with liquid NyQuil (Tyson remembered that AJ couldn’t swallow the capsules), tea, Sprite and orange juice. Tyson picked up a few other things too that he thought would make AJ more comfortable, the things that made him feel better when he was home sick. His last stop in the store was the floral counter, where he found the perfect plant for her, picking out a pot in her favorite color as well.

Rushing back home, the door was opened as silently as possible, with Tyson putting the bags on the counter. Peeking over, he found AJ snoring loudly as her nose was severely clogged. Without clanging the pots as much as he could muster, a pot of broth and shredded rotisserie chicken simmered on the one-burner stove in their small home. It wasn’t 100% his grandma’s recipe, but it was going to be as close as he could get in the time/space crunch he was working with. Tasting the broth, he added a little more garlic, and some extra spices from the cupboard. 

With a coughing fit, AJ woke up, looking around at the living room, not remembering she fell asleep there. Quickly, her nose, albeit stuffed up, smelled something delicious coming from the space behind her in the kitchen. Tyson jumped up, looking around the corner from the table to make sure AJ was alright. Once knowing she was good, he offered to help her get to the table as dinner was almost ready.

AJ sat down, still wrapped up in the blanket as two bowls of chicken noodle soup were ladeled up. Looking at the breakfast bar, a small green and white mottled leaf plant in a bright red ceramic pot caught her eye. Amused, Tyson smirked, pointing at the plant.

“I saw it and thought of you. I think it’s a… pothos? It’s a Snow Queen, according to the tag. And with everything you’ve been through in the last two months, you’re MY Snow Queen.” 

The smile that graced AJ’s face from the explanation warmed Tyson’s heart. Twice now AJ had given up most of her plants when moving to a new place, so he was hoping he could help start a new collection for their new place in Buffalo.

“Now, eat up... It isn’t quite the recipe, but pretty close. Grandma Emily sends her love and hopes you feel better soon.”

Taking a slurp of the broth and a noodle, AJ closed her eyes, letting the hot liquid ease down her throat. She appreciated that the carrots were soft. Even more appreciated is the fact that Tyson skipped the celery that is often found in chicken and noodles all together, as it’s a veg that AJ refuses to eat. Slowly, the bowl of soup in front of her disappeared, helping her shivers disappear a bit as well. 

Once their bowls were empty (Tyson might have had a second one), AJ attempted to get up and grab both of them, heading to the sink.

“Huh uh, you go either to the couch or bed… I got this,” Tyson gently took the bowls from AJ’s hands, “You need to rest.”

“But you cooked, I need to do the dishes,” AJ squeaked out.

Tyson put the bowls and silverware on the counter next to the sink, “Not this time. Next time, when I’m sick, you can cook and do the dishes while I rest, you know? I got you babe, you’re benched the rest of the  night.” 

AJ frowned, but then chuckled at his choice of words. Finding her way back to the chaise part of the sofa, she propped herself up with her pillow to help with her cough and congestion. Tyson looked over the counter to see her clicking on something on Hulu, starting an episode. The opening credits hadn’t even started, and the snores from her stuffy nose were already happening as he filled the sink with hot water to wash the dishes. He let her doze as he finished up.

Looking at his watch, Tyson grabbed a bottle from the bag of groceries that still sat on the end of the counter from earlier.  Popping off the little plastic shot glass, he eyeballed the red syrupy liquid that came out until it was at the top line.

“Hey baby girl, I need you to wake up,” Tyson gingerly touched AJ’s arm, “C’mon, it’s medicine time.”

AJ grumbled and opened her eyes, sensing the vile red liquid in the shot glass was not indeed a tasty shot. Finally awake enough, the cup was put in her fingers and then turned her lip up at it in a cringe, knowing how bad it was going to taste. But getting up the courage, she attempted to shoot it as fast as possible, taking it in two gulps. The horrific taste left her gagging slightly.

“IT IS SOOO BAD, ewwww,” AJ was being a little overdramatic, flailing a bit. She got quiet, thinking about something for a few minutes, forgetting the taste that was still lingering in her mouth. “Do you want me to sleep on the sofa? I don’t want to get you sick babe.”

To be honest, she probably already had exposed him with that make-up New Year’s kiss. 

Tyson thought about it as well, coming to the same conclusion. “I want you to sleep where you’ll feel most comfortable, where you’ll actually get rest. If that’s the sofa where you can prop yourself up, sleep there. If you want to sleep in bed, by all means.”

“But you need your rest too… you’re the one that has to play Saturday, and practice, and…” AJ got quiet, and started staring at a spot on the floor, although nothing was there.

The NyQuil was hitting, and Tyson could tell.

“Even if you choose the bed, I’m staying there with you. I think you’re going to be pretty out of it here quick anyway.” Tyson smiled as AJ completely zoned out, intensely looking at seemingly nothing.

Leaving AJ in her cold medicine-induced trance, he took the few moments to grab a pair of pajama pants and a tanktop for AJ. Before he had her decide where she wanted to crash for the night, he made sure she was comfy in what clothes he picked out. Eventually, AJ indicated she wanted to sleep in bed, requesting a pile of pillows to keep her head up and hopefully not coughing all night. She was still coherent enough she was worried that Tyson wouldn’t get any sleep, but he had one more trick up his sleeve, or rather, in the bag in the kitchen.

While not his favorite scent, it was something that always helped him when he was younger and struggling with a cold. Opening the little blue jar, he scrunched his nose at the smell as his fingers swept up a dollop of VapoRub and smeared it on AJ’s exposed skin above her collar of her top, and put a little just under her nose. The goo was already doing it’s thing as her nose started to run a bit, and she didn’t feel like coughing. An extra box of lotioned tissues was put on her nightstand to make sure her nose wasn’t going to get all red and cracked from blowing it too much.

Tyson really had thought of everything.

AJ was out like a light, and a groggy mess come morning. Tyson was up early, getting ready for the morning’s practice, when he heard AJ honking while blowing her nose in the other room. Peeking in, he noticed that she had a little more color to her face (that wasn’t the dark circles under her eyes). She caught him checking in, and noticed how tired HE looked.

“Please tell me I didn’t keep you up all night?” AJ croaked out, throat dry from sleeping with her mouth open to breathe as her nose was still stuffy.

“Naw, I ended up sleeping on the sofa after you kinda starfished in bed. We have this giant king size bed here and you may be tiny, but… yeah. You kinda took over.” Tyson smiled and chuckled, just happy that she did get some sleep. “I just wasn’t used to the sofa, that’s all. I’ll be fine with a nap after practice. You feel like some more soup for breakfast? I can heat you up a bowl if you’d like.”

With a nod, Tyson jumped up and grabbed a bowl and the extra soup from the fridge, heating it up as he finished his own bowl of cereal. AJ made her way slowly to the little dining table, sitting down and rubbing her head. A glass of water and shot of DayQuil was already waiting for her. She had been single so long prior to Tyson coming into her life, she couldn’t even remember the last time she had someone to take care of her when she felt crummy, and despite the obvious feeling ill, she felt mentally better knowing someone was looking out for her.

Bowl of soup in front of her, Tyson kissed AJ’s forehead while putting the spoon on the wooden table.

“Well you don’t feel like a raging inferno this morning,” He kissed her forehead again just because, “feeling better at least?”

She truly was, although not one-hundred percent. But was happy that at least her eyes and ears didn’t feel like she was cooking from the inside out. The soup felt amazing, helping her face and throat hurt less.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. Rest! And stay hydrated, your OJ and Sprite are in the fridge. Text me if you need anything.” Tyson put on his backpack and blew a kiss from the doorway.

Finishing up her soup, AJ put on the latest season of Letterkenny and grabbed a big glass, filling it half and half between the soda and juice. Settling in on the sofa, she sipped the drink and laughed at the jokes. A text from Laura came in asking how she was feeling - Tyson obviously said something to Grandma Emily and word likely spread. The two chatted back and forth a few minutes until sleep took hold after the warmth of the soup and blanket lulled her to sleep.

Not knowing what he was going to come back to, but figuring from the lack of texts, Tyson was quiet as a mouse once home from practice and again the grocery store. When AJ had emerged on the other side of her migraines, she always craved a handful of things, so he figured this would be no different and picked them up. Leaning down over the arm of the sofa, the back of his hand grazed her forehead again, making sure the fever never came back. She stirred slightly, but was out like a light again. He took advantage and snagged about an hour’s worth of nap time in bed, without her sprawling limbs taking up the space.

She’d told him, multiple times, that if he showed up home late again, that would be the end of it. No more seeing Charlotte, and definitely no more Olivia. He’d stuck to it for only a week up until this very night, and so Olivia found herself getting up from the warm couch, heading upstairs.

She pulled out her suitcase, threw some clothes and necessities in, and put it downstairs next to the door. Olivia wiped tears from her face as she quietly packed Charlotte’s suitcase, putting the Sofia the First suitcase right next to hers.

Charlotte was a heavy sleeper, just like Nate, and so she didn’t wake up at all when Olivia lifted her up out of bed and into her arms. As Charlotte slept on Olivia's shoulder, drooling on her hoodie, Olivia took a moment to admire the life they built together, the life she’d be leaving behind.

Her mom’s voice was ringing through the back of her head; ‘You always run, Liv. That’s all you know how to do.’

As she packed the car and buckled Charlotte in, she willed the voice away, not wanting to deal with the truth within the statement, especially not on such a painful night.

-

That was four years ago. Charlotte was 6 years old now, with the same nose as Nate, the same stubbornness, the same Heart of Gold. Every time Olivia looked at her, Nate was all she could see.

She knew it wasn’t right to up and leave Colorado like that. Wasn’t right to take Charlotte, and never give Nate an explanation except for the note she left on the island table before she left, scribbled in her loopy, cursive handwriting that Nate always complimented her for.

“My handwriting is chicken scratch,” He’d say. “And yours is pretty and perfect. Just like you.”

But, she’d given Nate many warnings. Many, many times. Pushed her friends off when they claimed that he didn’t have respect for her, that he would keep acting that way unless she put her foot down. She wanted to believe in him, she really did. He was the father of her child, her first love, since they were 17. She didn’t wanna leave him behind, but some part of her felt like there was no other choice.

It was a hard few months after she left. Nate kept leaving her voicemails to the point where she had to block him, Mel was pissed, but understanding. EJ texted, and called, left voicemails, every day, until Olivia finally answered so he could leave her alone.

Mel, Gabe, and EJ were the only people in Colorado that Olivia still talked to following everything that happened, and while they understood why she did what she did, they still weren’t happy about it. Every time Charlotte’s birthday passed and Olivia still hadn’t contacted Nate, they’d all get a little upset, because they felt that he deserved to know his daughter, to know the girl she’d grown into. Olivia agreed, but a huge part of her was selfish; she wanted to keep Charlotte to herself, even if it wasn’t right.

She’d quietly gone back home to Memphis, staying with her dad until she could get back on her feet. Now, she was working a job where she could support herself and Charlotte comfortably, without a fear in the world when it came to money, which was something she’d never gotten to experience as a kid, and so she was happy to be able to do that for Charlotte.

“When am I going to be able to see my favorite niece?” Carmen asked. Her and Carmen had been best friends ever since the 3rd grade, when they bonded over their love of gymnastics, which they both ended up doing in college.

“About that, could you babysit her tonight?” Olivia asked, ignoring the way Carmen was staring at the side of her face as she wiped down the kitchen counter. “You going on a date with Eli?”

Olivia sighed heavily, and Carmen whooped in victory. “You are?!”

Eli was the new guy Olivia had just started dating. He was caring and sweet, and absolutely loved Charlotte. Yeah, Olivia liked him, but she could be honest with herself; she mainly chose him because he was nothing like Nate.

Eli didn’t have his stubbornness or his ability to know exactly what Olivia was thinking whenever some random thought crossed her mind, didn’t have the ability to assess her emotions like the back of his hand. She liked Eli, but she mainly liked that he was nothing like Nate. No one could be like Nate except for Nate.

“I am. Going out to dinner. You know that new sports bar downtown?” Olivia murmured as she washed the dishes, and Carmen hummed in affirmation. “He’s taking me there.”

“Lucky. But not as lucky as me, who gets to hang out with Ms. Charlotte tonight,” Carmen grinned, and Olivia rolled her eyes playfully. “You are pretty lucky in that sense.”

“Right?”

“You already know the rules. No ice cream or sweets before dinner, asleep by 8 o’clock-”

“She needs her dragon plushie, hair braided by the time she’s in bed, I know. I’ve been watching her since she was 3!” Carmen exclaimed, and Olivia acquiesced. “I know, I know. I just have to remind you.”

“For your own peace of mind?” Carmen was the only person besides Nate and her siblings who could read her mind perfectly, and it was a little scary.

Olivia nodded, and Carmen smiled. “Don’t worry, Mama bear. She’s in good hands.”

-

With Charlotte successfully dropped off at Carmen’s house, Olivia was finally able to start getting ready for the night out with Eli. She did her makeup, and aimed for a cute but casual outfit. After checking herself out in the mirror once, twice, three times, she finally deemed herself ready to go out.

She took a shot, just for liquid courage, then made her way to the bar.

-

Olivia’s date with Eli was horrible. Well, not because of Eli himself, or the bar. Their drinks were good and the food was even better, with amazing wings, fries, and an amazing dessert she split with Eli to top it all off. It was what was on the TV that was horrible.

The Avs had won the Stanley Cup. The moment she noticed that it was EJ and Nate rolling around on the ice hugging each other, elation on both of their faces, her heart clenched so hard in her chest she thought she might have a heart attack.

Olivia tried so hard to avoid hockey. She didn’t talk about it, she didn’t watch it on TV, and she definitely didn’t go around worrying about the Avalanche. She did a little, for Gabe and EJ’s sake, but she fully tried to avoid it otherwise.

As she drove home that night, her hands shook at 10 and 2, tears building in the back of her eyes. Against her better judgment, she decided to call Nate.

-

Nate didn’t get back to her until a week after, when Olivia had already been regretting her decision to call him in the first place. She didn’t even tell Carmen about it. That’s how stupid it was.

Her heart thudded in her chest, roared in her ears, and her hands shook as she picked the phone up and answered. “Hello?”

The shaky inhale on Nate’s side of the phone was extremely audible, making tears spring into Olivia’s eyes, and she cursed herself in her head for crying in the first place.

“Liv? That you?” Nate asked after what had to be at least 5 minutes of complete silence between them. “Yeah, Nate. It’s me.”

“What the hell? Why’d you call?” He asked, his voice strong with anger and sadness, making her stomach turn. “Saw you won the Cup. Congrats.”

“Congrats? That’s the first thing you have to say to me 4 years after you leave me and take my daughter with you?” He was mad now; there was no mistaking that. The way his voice built up, filled to the brim with raw emotion made it all so obvious. There was no mistaking the possible emotion bleeding into his voice.

“Nate-”

“I don’t even know why I called you, actually. I think I just wanted to hear your voice. Thought maybe you’d apologize, or something. But I’m seeing now that that was obviously a dumb idea-”

“Nate! Can you let me talk, please?” She interrupted, and he quieted down completely on the other side, not a sound filling Olivia’s speaker.

“Listen. What I did was.. stupid. It was fucked up, and wrong, on so many levels. I was acting out of pure anger, because I told you that if you didn’t change I’d leave, and you didn’t listen. I know you probably thought we’d come back the next day, and then we never did, and I’m sorry.”

“Okay. Thanks for the apology, I guess. But it’ll never be enough for the years I missed, so. Thanks for the congrats, too.”

Olivia let out a melancholic laugh. “You’re welcome.” Nate hung up, leaving Olivia to slide down the wall, wiping her own tears, picking up the pieces of her mess like she always did.

-

Olivia ended up breaking up with Eli that same day, handed him all his stuff back, and gave him one last kiss in her driveway.

-

“What’s wrong?” Carmen sighed out as she sat down across from Olivia, who was staring in shock at the email that just rolled through her inbox.

“What is it? Is it Eli?” Carmen tried again, and Olivia shook her head quickly. “I have to go back to Colorado for at least a year.”

Carmen’s eyes widened before she could school her face into a less obvious emotion, but it was too late; Olivia already saw. “I know.”

“Why?”

“Since my boss knows I lived in Colorado prior to me moving back here, she wants me to go back since I know the area better than anyone else working here, so we can start new businesses there with the information I’m giving her.”

“Colorado is huge, though. What are the chances of you and Charlotte even seeing Nate? And this could be your chance to explain things to him in a better way than over the phone when you’re both riled up.”

Olivia took a deep breath, taking a sip of her coffee. “I know. Just.. now? Right after that fight we got into? What if he thinks it’s on purpose? Some weird way for me to slither back into his life?”

Carmen raised her well-manicured eyebrows, making Olivia crumble. “You can’t control what he thinks of you. You know that that isn’t your intention. It’s for your job, not for Nate. What you can control are the decisions you make and how you choose to react, but you can’t control how he’ll take the news.”

“Thanks, Carm.”

“When do you have to leave? We have to hang out before then. Have one last drunk karaoke night.”

Olivia laughed at the memories, and Carmen laughed right along with her. “I have to be there by next Thursday.”

Carmen smiled, making her entire face light up. “I have until next Thursday to turn that frown upside down.”

Olivia snorted at her words, “Okay, optimistic are we?”

Carmen nodded, her face serious, but the glint in her eye gave her away. “Extremely.”

“Okay, then. You have until next Thursday.”

-

The days went by quickly, Olivia and Carmen got to have one last drunk karaoke night at Applebees, and then it was next Thursday.

Carmen and Olivia’s dad finished packing up her small apartment, putting everything in the back of her Honda Accord with tears in their eyes, though her dad tried to hide it.

There were plenty of kisses, hugs, and tears that went around for Olivia, but mainly for Charlotte. They held her for one last time, promised to see her again in a few months, and then her and Olivia were off to the airport to go back to Colorado, the one place she thought she’d never have to go back to again.

-

Olivia and Charlotte loved the new apartment. It had floor to ceiling windows, with enough space for Charlotte to run around without hurting herself, and an amazing apartment complex pool for them to swim in.

Mel and Gabe happily helped her move in, and Olivia finally got to meet Linnea and Luke, who warmed up to her immediately. Charlotte and Linnea quickly became best buddies, playing with Barbie dolls in Charlotte’s ‘room’ (the only things in there were her bed, boxes of clothes, and toys).

Gabe was called into the room by Linnea, who was probably making him play dolls with them. Olivia was happy to hold Luke, who was content to sit in her arms and pull at her curls.

“You gonna tell Nate you’re back?” Mel asked as she put cups into the cabinet. “I spoke to him two weeks ago.”

Mel turned around so fast Olivia was shocked she didn’t fall over. “You did what?”

Olivia cringed. “I called him to congratulate him about the Cup, and then he was upset and yelling. He calmed down enough to let me talk, so I did and I explained myself, and all he said was, ‘Thanks for the apology. But it’ll never be enough for the years I missed.’ So.”

“Jesus, Liv. How did you think he’d react? You thought he’d happily take you into his arms again?” Mel questioned, and when Olivia didn’t speak, she took it as an answer.

Mel rounded the table, crossed her arms over her chest. “Ever since you left, Nate hasn’t dated anyone for longer than two months. He doesn’t let anyone in romantically. He can’t move on from you, and I can see it in him every single time he tries to date someone again. What you did messed him up in ways that I don’t even wanna get into right now. If you won’t date him again, fine. But he deserves to know Charlotte.”

Olivia blinked back tears, and Mel frowned, giving her a side hug, not able to fully hug her because Luke was in her arms. “I know why you did it. I know why you left, and I understand. But if there’s one thing he deserves, it’s that.”

“I know,” Olivia mumbled, and Mel wiped the tears off of her cheeks. “Now c’mon, let me hold my son.”

Olivia let out a wet laugh, passing Luke to Mel.

-

The phone rang three times before Nate answered. “What?”

“Are you alone right now?” Olivia breathed, and Nate hummed affirmatively. “I’m back in Colorado because of work. They wanna set up some businesses here, and my boss knows I used to live here, so she’s making me help with the project from here. So.. do you wanna meet Charlotte?”

Nate exhaled sharply, before letting out a laugh of shock. “Of course. I’d love to meet her.”

Olivia felt herself smiling before she could tamp it down. “Do you still live in the same house?”

“Yeah. You need the address?” Nate choked out, his voice raw with emotion. “Nope. Think I’ll be able to get there just fine.”

-

“Mommy, where are we going?” Charlotte asked from the backseat, the sound of her glitter skirt crumpling filling the backseat from how much she was moving around.

“There’s someone I want you to meet, okay?” Olivia breathed out, and Charlotte hummed. “Okay, mommy. Can I watch Cocomelon on your phone?”

Olivia laughed to herself as she passed Charlotte her phone as they sat at the red light, the familiar sound of the Cocomelon theme song filling the car.

Olivia was right; she was able to get there without the GPS. The house hadn’t changed at all in four years. It was still as big as before, still in good condition. At least on the outside.

Olivia pulled into the driveway, taking a few moments to collect herself. “Char, can you give mommy her phone back please?”

Charlotte grumbled about it a little, but did give Olivia her phone back. Olivia called Nate, who answered on the first ring. “You here?”

“Yep,” Olivia croaked, and Nate hung up. Olivia took that moment to get out of the car and take Charlotte out too. The warm, yellow light from inside spilled out onto the porch, Nate’s strong body a silhouette in the doorway.

There were tears in his eyes as he walked up to Charlotte, who hid behind Olivia’s legs. “Hey, Char. I’m Nate.”

“Hi, Nate,” She said shyly, waving at him. Charlotte decided then to walk away from behind Olivia’s legs, deciding to stand in front of them instead. “Can I..?” Nate trailed off, and Olivia was quick to nod as Nate lifted her up into his arms. The similarities between them were evident, and it made Olivia start crying.

“Why you crying, mommy?” Charlotte asked, and Olivia laughed. “Allergies, bub.”

Charlotte seemed to accept the answer, and she lit up the moment she noticed Cox trotting down the driveway, heading straight for Nate. “Doggy!”

Charlotte squirmed in Nate’s arms until he let her down, and they both watched happily as Charlotte and Cox bonded. “Come inside?”

The team was still on their roadie when AJ received the invite. The two were facetiming before the Detroit game, already knowing he was scratched for the game. She was trying to keep the mood light, not being able to fully sense Tyson’s body language through the tiny phone camera and screen. All she could see was the side of his face as the phone was on the nightstand, pointing at him, giving her a side view as he was watching TV.

Don’t jump to any conclusions, this was sometimes a thing for them, if they facetimed for more than half an hour, someone inevitably put down their phone to continue doing some task. It wasn’t that they were angry with each other, or ignoring, it was just that they were comfortable enough to get other things done. Eventually they’d come back to each other again.

“Hey Tys? Any thoughts on costumes for the party this year?”

AJ was secretly hoping that Tyson would have an idea for a couples costume. She’d never actually done one before, previous exes did not appreciate Halloween and pageantry the way she did. Her fingers were crossed Tyson would be into it.

Tyson looked away from the TV screen in the hotel room, with a look of contemplation on his face as he looked more at his phone again.

“I dunno. What are you thinking? This seems like something you’d be better at picking out something for.

AJ decided to put out the basic idea for a couple’s costume, not sure how Tyson would feel about it.

“Maybe we could go as something… together? It’s just that I’ve never been able to do a couple’s costume, and it’s something I really would like to do if you’d be up for it.”

The look on Tyson’s face was all the answer she needed. If that wasn’t enough, the “Oh yeah? What are you thinking?” should have solidified it.

Ideas were bounced back and forth between the two, and the theme that Tyson kept landing on involved AJ showing more skin than she was comfortable with.

“How about… I go as a magician, and you can be my sexy assistant?” Tyson wiggled his eyebrows trying to emphasize what he was going for.

AJ sighed and looked down, clearly frustrated as she was not feeling that great to show off herself. Somehow this event was different from the days at the lake. No one cared what everyone was wearing, and a lot of the time AJ was under a towel, or under water. Halloween at the Captain’s house was a little different in her eyes for some reason.

“What if… I’m the magician and YOU can be my sexy assistant?” AJ giggled at the idea of Tyson in a skimpy, sequined getup. 

The gears were turning in Tyson’s head. “I think I’d make a really pretty one. But.. do we have anything that would work for my half of it?”

Tyson had a point. AJ could sew, but she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to repurpose something, let alone build something new, into a costume for Tyson in two days, most of which he was on the road. Looking through Tyson’s closet, she found that he had a black suit, and a bowtie. She could find some gloves and a top hat, or at least something that could be darn close for him in the couple days’ time before the party.

AJ thought about it for a while, and finally had an idea.

“Okay. You be the magician, Tyson. I’ll be something that every magician seems to work with. And.. even better, I don’t have to show much skin, if any.”

Tyson pouted. “But I like your skin.”

“You can see it after the party,” (Tyson’s eyes lit up.) “Besides, this party, at least outwardly, doesn’t seem like it’s going to be as crazy as last year’s. And… no sneaking around for us this time.”

A look of panic hit Tyson’s face.

“FUCK I MISSED OUR ANNIVERSARY!” He slapped his hand over his mouth, remembering he was in a hotel.

“If it makes you feel better, I did too.” AJ chewed on her lip a bit, trying to do some calendar math. “Technically, at what point did we consider us a thing? The night we announced it at the charity event we both were working? Our second date? First?”

Tyson looked a little hurt. 

“If I had my way, I’d have said that first kiss at EJ’s.” A wistful look took over his face. “And if I can be completely honest… that day you were on the ladder at work. That was the day I knew.”

“Even if you thought I was dating Nate?” AJ raised an eyebrow.

Tyson looked down sheepishly, giggling upon lifting his head again. “Shut up. But yeah, I hoped it wasn’t serious. Glad it wasn’t.” 

AJ smiled and shook her head. “How about… we don’t focus on the anniversary right now, we’ve got very little time before the party. Halloween. You good with magician? I can get the last couple things you need, and… I’ll come up with my half.”

“Sounds like a plan. I gotta get ready to go to the arena to… sit. Fuck.” Tyson was suddenly upset by remembering the scratch status.

“I’m so sorry, love. You’re going to get back soon, I know it, just need to figure out this rut. Anyway get going. Feel free to text me when you can. Love you.”

Tyson audibly sighed, but nodded. “Love you too. Talk more soon.”

AJ didn’t watch the game. For a bit before she passed out early, she sketched and Googled patterns of what she hoped she’d be able to pull off on Sunday, praying to the crafting gods she could find the fabric she envisioned her creation featuring.

Tyson had texted her a bit during the game, not knowing the craziness she had running through her head. And he texted her when they landed in Chicago, though she was fast asleep. And of course, she woke up with that migraine, which made the day a bit more of a struggle, including heading back to sleep while waiting for her meds to kick in. The stress of knowing the party the next day was not helping.

After getting a shower and dressed, feeling slightly more human than a zombie from her migraine, AJ ventured out in the hopes of finding her fabric. After visiting three craft stores, she was coming up empty, and running out of time, fast. She was really wanting to make something fantastic and fun, but her aching head and lack of time was making that less and less likely. With the meds wearing off and the migraine coming back again, AJ gave in and grabbed her phone, scrolling through Amazon in the hopes of finding what she was looking for with a one-day delivery option.

With four minutes and fifty-two minutes to spare, her order was placed and set to deliver the following morning. If it didn’t arrive, she had a very rough backup plan, but she had hoped it would not get to that point.

Around the same time, AJ’s phone started buzzing with the lineup announcement. She was happy to see Tyson’s name listed. She drew the sign, sent it to Tyson. Tyson went on to be a bit of a problem in the game, getting into the fight with Domi after the hit on Kane. AJ got a little riled up by Tyson roughing up Domi (poorly, but his heart was in it!). Tyson flew home late, hoping to get a hint of AJ’s costume as he snuck into the apartment, but came up empty.

Tiptoeing to the bathroom to brush his teeth before crawling into bed, Tyson tried to be quiet as to not wake AJ. He saw the water glass and slew of pills she had to take to combat her symptoms on the bathroom counter and figured the worst. Sliding between the sheets, Tyson gingerly draped his arm over AJ’s torso and kissing her shoulder softly.

“Mmm?” AJ incoherently mumbled to the warm body behind her.

“I’m home, but get back to sleep,” was whispered in her ear.

“Glad yer home, love you.” 

And with that AJ was out like a light again. 

Tyson smiled, and knowing she wouldn’t hear, still whispered back, “love you too, Eggo,” and quickly fell asleep himself.

When AJ gets her migraines, she’s usually down for the count due to the prescriptions she has to take. She was completely dead to the world when Tyson’s alarm went off at 7:30. There wasn’t practice, but he was meeting up with a couple other guys to work out and do some drills. He was willing to do most anything to figure out why he was struggling so much recently. He texted her from the gym, checking in.

Tyson: Hitting the weights. Hope you’re feeling better this morning. Probably home around lunch, maybe a bit after. If you need anything while I’m out here, text me.

AJ slept right through the text, even with her watch buzzing against her wrist. It didn’t surprise him in the least though. What did wake her up though was a notice that her Amazon delivery had been dropped off at the desk at the front office. Throwing on a hoodie, pajama pants, a hat and her glasses (that she never wears because they make her sinuses hurt, she’s ALWAYS in her contacts), she ran downstairs to pick it up. AJ knew that the contents were going to need a wash and dry to fluff up before that night.

Thankfully the worst parts of AJ’s migraine had passed, and she was able to focus on her afternoon plans of making sure Tyson’s black suit was pressed, and that the gloves and hat would work. As she was putting the finishing touches on his pieces, Tyson himself got home, snagging a snack knowing there would be a ton of food. He eyed the cupcakes AJ was also working on, hoping they’d cool faster so she could frost them to be brought with to the party.

It was times like this that Tyson was so happy to see AJ fitting in with the groups she was surrounded by. 

“Jost, you better not be looking at those naked cupcakes thinking you can have one,” AJ hollered from the other room.

Tyson couldn’t believe he had already been caught.

“Of course not babe,” Tyson put the warm cupcake back on the cooling rack, “I’d never.”

“Right. Okay you gotta go take a shower, you stink. I love you, but yeah, you really need a shower.” AJ was still amazed how gross hockey gear can smell, and that smell transfers to the person wearing it. “I still gotta get one too, but I need to finish up these cupcakes first.”

Tyson secretly was hoping that AJ was going to join him in the shower, but he knew that she was working to make everything perfect, and likely had a schedule in her head that he would dare not mess up. With a quick shower, Tyson strolled back in wearing only a towel and a smirk, winking at AJ who was frantically frosting the cupcakes, and then putting crushed oreos on top for dirt, and placed a gummy worm coming out from the cookie dirt.

The dryer buzzed, letting AJ know that her major costume piece was “done.” Grabbing it, she ran to the bathroom for her own shower, and also came out wearing a towel to ask a question as she had a last minute idea to go with her costume. AJ also appreciated the sight of Tyson in the dark suit, straightening his tie. He was looking dapper as hell.

“Hey Tyson, can I borrow your RARE hat?” She knew it was the hat he’d been wearing all damn summer, and into the season, and most of the team would likely recognize it.

“Um, yeah? I guess?”

Before he could even ask why, AJ scampered off to find it and get changed. She struggled a bit with the zipper, but finally got everything put on, including some face paint to give herself puffy cheeks, a little nose, and whiskers.

“Hey hon? Can you NOT sneak a cupcake, but put them in the carrier with the high lid? I need to just finish getting dressed, and need a couple minutes that we’re running short on…” AJ hollered from the bedroom. 

She could hear Tyson rummaging around in the kitchen when she appeared in the doorway, wearing a bunny onesie, and Tyson’s hat with the ears poking out the bottom of it.

“Ta-da!” AJ made jazz hands while posing.

Tyson looked up, squinting, trying to figure out AJ’s costume.

“Okay, you’re my rabbit? What’s with the hat though?” 

The joke was not playing out as well as she had hoped. She’d probably have to explain it all night, so she might skip the hat idea. But for now, she was eager to tell the punchline.

“Yeah, I’m the rabbit… in your hat.”

AJ was learning Tyson’s tones when speaking, and that night was no different. Many nights, if Tyson called her baby girl, it was going to lead to something sexy, like him pinning her against the wall, and riling her up before dragging her to the bedroom. Or the sofa. Or whatever was closest.

When Tyson called her baby girl on the phone from the road, AJ quickly figured out that night was NOT one of those nights.

AJ quickly put on a tank top and sleep shorts, and grabbed her weighted blanket from the bin stashed under the bed. With a quick thought, she ran to the kitchen and started some hot water in the tea kettle and made some Sleepytime tea. The mug was left next to the key bowl on the table next to the door, where she was sure Tyson would find it. AJ knew this could easily turn into the night he was up all night overthinking things if she didn’t step in.

A few minutes later, Tyson quietly opened the front door, kicking his shoes off in frustration. Dropping his keys in the bowl, he saw the note propped up against the warm mug of tea.

Drink up, and come to bed. xoxo

A sigh fell from his lips, one of relief knowing that AJ already could tell what he was feeling. Slinging his suit jacket over the back of a chair, he downed the now-drinkable temperature tea, leaving the mug in the kitchen. He was shedding his clothing as he walked down the hall to the bedroom, finding AJ playing sudoku on her phone in bed. 

She gave a soft smile as she put her phone on the nightstand next to her side of the bed. Pulling his pants and socks off and throwing them in the hamper, he found AJ pulling the sheet back, waiting for him with open arms. 

No words were exchanged as Tyson crawled into bed, nearly naked sans his boxer briefs. AJ was waiting patiently as he gently curled up on top of her, pulling the weighted blanket up as he rested his head on her chest. His hair tickled her cheek as she nuzzled the top of his head while her arms wrapped around his shoulders, one hand lightly playing with the curls at the back of his neck.

The two remained like this for a while, quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Tyson had the perfect position to listen to AJ’s heart thump rhythmically, contrasting with the sound of her slow breaths. And this is why he appreciated her figure more than she did - her body was soft, welcoming, as he laid on top of her. The feeling of her skin against his was soothing. He felt like he was in the safest place in the world in those moments.

With his grip loosening on her body, AJ could tell that between the skin-to-skin contact, the warmth between them, and the tea, it was all kicking in and causing Tyson’s mind to hush. After kissing the top of his head lightly, he looked up with hooded eyes, barely whispering.

“You’re my everything.”

“Love you, Tys.”

Tyson gingerly rolled to the side of AJ, pulling the weighted blanket over the both of them. AJ immediately took on the role of big spoon, loosely draping her arm over his midsection. Tyson’s fingers intertwined with hers, and brought her hand to his lips for a soft kiss before drifting off to sleep.

The next game was two days later, against LA. AJ had a ticket, and found herself at the glass during warmups, holding her sign for Tyson, a cheeky, flirty joke. Clearly a few of his teammates saw it first, but as he finally skated around before his stickhandling drill, he looked up with the brightest hazel eyes. Kissing the knuckles of his glove, he fistbumped AJ through the glass.

In response, AJ mouthed, “Let’s fucking GO!”

With warmups ending, AJ found her seat, which she didn’t tell Tyson where it was. She snuck in row 3, in 117, right behind the bench. Starting again for the evening’s game, Tyson hadn’t gone to the bench as he’d be called out to center ice for introductions. But as soon as the puck dropped, and he played his first shift, his eyes found AJ’s. He just realized she was wearing his jersey, as her sign previously had hidden it. It occurred to him as he sat down on the bench that if she so chose, that name on the back of the jersey might sometime soon be hers as well. A goofy grin took over his face, but he knew he had to get back into game mode.

Another tough game, ending in a 7-6 loss.

It was another night of coming home, and just easing Tyson’s racing mind. The game was exciting as a fan - back and forth, but for the players it had to be exhausting and frustrating. Plus starting the season with two losses has to be disheartening. But AJ had barely beat Tyson home with game traffic, and he found her washing her face and brushing her teeth. Watching her do something so basic from the doorway grounded him, suddenly realizing what was important in life.

Sure, winning games with his team was important - it was his job. But that didn’t mean nearly as much as what he had right in front of him. He had the love of the second most wonderful woman in the world (AJ was fine being second to Laura, but don’t tell Kacey or Grandma Emily that AJ was in that position), someone who understood his quirks, his highs and lows. Someone that maybe didn't know how to handle all of that, but was patient enough to work with him through the rough patches. Hell, even the fact she was WILLING to be there despite knowing there were going to be days that were much harder than others was an absolute comfort to Tyson.

Tonight was a little different though, AJ had crawled into bed as Tyson was brushing his teeth. Waiting with open arms, she found he changed the narrative on the night. It was not the night where he needed the extra support in being held close. Instead Tyson wanted a bit more control, but not domination. He simply wanted to hold AJ, to focus on her comfort and feelings. He just wanted to be able to repay in kind what she did for him just nights before.

Tyson laid on his side, waiting for AJ to scoot in to be the little spoon. They shared a giggle as she shimmied her backside against Tyson’s front, and he lightly nipped at her neck in recognition of what she was trying to do. But both were far too tired to further make this a sexual thing, and they each knew it. Craving a little more connection though, Tyson gently urged AJ to roll over and face him, despite knowing that this pose would only last so long as he knew how warm it was to AJ. Just a few minutes was all he craved, a few minutes where he felt like he was shielding her from the outside world, creating this special place for just the two of them to be in. Her face nuzzled into Tyson’s neck, shoulder, and chest, breathing him in softly. Tyson tilted his head down ever so slightly to kiss her forehead. 

The couple could feel the heaviness of the day drain away, losing themselves in embracing each other.

This.

This was what was important to Tyson.

After lasting in this position longer than expected, AJ did start getting a little fidgety, feeling a little claustrophobic. She surprised him though, as he rolled onto his back, she curled up into his side, resting her hand and cheek against his chest. Before he knew it, AJ was asleep, and he soon followed suit.

The early morning alarm on Tyson’s phone went off as he had plans to hit the gym. AJ was curled up still with her body pillow now on her side of the bed. Placing his warm hand on her shoulder, he tried to gently wake her up.

“Hey babe?”

“Mrrrarrrarrrrrg.”

“Heading to the gym, and then I have that bowling thing with the team later. And dinner with a few guys from the Avs since they’re flying in today… you good?”

“Hmmm mmm.”

“Okay, I’ll text you. Love you.”

“Rrrmmm loveyoutoo hmmm.”

AJ was back asleep before Tyson even locked the door as he was leaving.

Fortunately for her, she had an alarm set as she had plans for the afternoon as well. Dragging herself to the shower, and a mug of tea, AJ finally was awake. Lugging stuff to her car, she hit the road for about 45 minutes, finding herself at the Treasure Island casino. Getting in line, she chatted with a few other people, and finally was let inside.

Finding her seat, she sat down and put on her shoes, and found that two of the people in line with her were at the same table. After a few announcements, everyone met at the other end of the room. The crowd surrounded a doorway, and an emcee started announcing names and numbers… of the Wild teammates coming out in bowling shirts and shoes.

The team high-fived people in the crowd as they came out, but AJ kinda hid amongst everyone. However, as soon as the magic words were uttered into the microphone…

“And wearing number 10… TYSON JOST!”

AJ started cheering loudly, and her new friend from her table pushed her ahead of him so she could get a high-five. She might have mentioned that Tyson and her knew each other from Colorado, but the new friend did not believe it… Until Tyson came out high-fiving people, and then stopping directly in front of AJ.

“HEY! What are you doing here?”

AJ’s new friend had the biggest look of disbelief on his face at the reaction of Tyson with AJ… but AJ also failed to mention that Tyson was her fiance. But in all of this, Tyson was on lane 15, and AJ was on 20, paired with Gustavsson. The participants for Strike It Wild mingled for the next hour or so, getting autographs, photos, and generally just talking with players and other people there.

After the mixer, everyone bowled a game, and it was like a regular league night for AJ. On surrounding lanes were Hartman, Dumba, and Merrill. It was a very surreal experience to be bowling with all of these new friends she was making, both players and other participants.

“So I think you should ask Tyson out, he keeps staring at you,” Greg mentioned to AJ as other people on their lane were bowling, “I think he likes you. Also that’s a pretty big deal that you’ve come out from Colorado.”

“I don’t know, I’m not sure I’m his type. He sure is cute though.”

“If you don’t do it, I will ask him for you! Look, he’s coming over!”

AJ caught Tyson’s eyes as he was walking to the restroom, rocking those bowling shoes. She blushed a little, and then smiled back at him. After coming out of the restroom, he headed back to his lane to put his own shoes back on.

“Go! Go get that man, you two would be super cute together!”

She got up and followed him, hollering Tyson’s name to grab his attention.

“Hey you. You have plans for dinner?”

“You know I’m getting dinner with JT and a few of the guys from Denver.” 

AJ nodded, “Oh I know. But Greg over there told me that I should take the chance and ask you out, thinks that you might be into me.”

Glancing over at Greg at his table, Tyson smiled, grabbing AJ and dipping her backward for a deep kiss. There were a few gasps from random tables, but the look on Greg’s face was priceless.

“I’ll see you later tonight, I’ll give you a call if we go out to get drinks.”

“Sounds good, tell Nate I said hi.”

AJ put a sad look on her face as she headed back to her table.

“That looked like it went well, why are you sad?” Greg was concerned.

"No go on dinner tonight..." She busted up laughing, having to spill the beans that Tyson was her fiance. Before they completely packed up to leave, she traded info with a few of her lanemates, and they agreed to meet up for a game sometime, or at least to go bowling again.

AJ headed back to the city, braving the sleet. Once safe back at the apartment, she tried to warm up as she only wore a hoodie out to the event by putting on some joggers and a sweatshirt. Tyson had texted her a photo of him with JT. She was honestly thinking she was going to stay in tonight, even if they all wanted to get drinks, as she was pretty tired. However, Tyson came home earlier than she figured he would, not that there was anything wrong with that.

Leaning over the side of the sofa, Tyson kissed the top of AJ’s head as she was watching an episode of Nailed It! on Netflix.

“I’m heading to bed, you comin’?” Tyson’s eyes were a little glassy, definitely looking like he was needing sleep.

AJ nodded, clicking the power button on the remote, and headed down the hall quickly behind him. Tonight was different again from the last couple nights, but probably the most normal? for them. Most nights were a few minutes of cuddling, then finding their respective sides of the bed. But it was always a thing that some part of them was touching. Tonight they were sleeping back to back, and Tyson was out quickly as he took a melatonin to help him get enough sleep. Monday was game day, hopefully the first win of the season for the Wild.

Another early alarm for Tyson, but AJ got up with him this time. Making a quick breakfast, the two talked about plans for the day. Morning skate for Tyson, and AJ had a couple clients to visit about computers she needed to fix. Likely Tyson would be home for lunch and a nap, then back to the arena. She figured she was just going to head directly to the arena before the game.

After a few hours of data backup, and killing off some malware from a few computers, AJ threw her jersey on and headed to the Xcel Energy Center. In the parking lot, she grabbed the markers that were hiding in her car’s glove compartment and made a quick sign for Tyson. Not her best work, but it would do, and she was sure Tyson would get a good laugh.

Inside, AJ met up with one of her new friends from the bowling event the day before, hanging out for warmups. On the other side of the rink, Tyson squinted to read AJ’s sign and blushed, smiling back at her. Occasionally she’d look over to the far end of the rink seeing the Avs warming up. It wasn’t until she got to her seat, again behind the bench, that she felt that someone was glaring at her.

Nate was looking directly at her, sneering.

All AJ could do was mouth, “I’m sorry,” and shrug. She figured he was joking, but it’s hard to tell with Mr. No Emotion MacKinnon. She'd have to text him later to make sure he wasn't actually upset.

A few other players from the Avs saw her sitting behind the Wild bench, wearing green. Mikko shook his head in disapproval. Sammy squinted, but then waved. 

Tyson got his first point of the season, an assist on a Kaprizov goal. But, once again the opposing team prevailed, with the Avs winning 6-3. AJ rushed home, because she KNEW the next day was not going to be a pleasant one at practice. She also knew that this pending stress was going to hit Tyson hard. And it wasn’t even the coach coming down on them that was going to be eating away at him, it will be everyone realizing it isn’t any one person causing issues, it’s a team (lack of) effort.

AJ had the Sleepytime tea at the door, and the weighted blanket ready in the bedroom for when Tyson got home.

The first day was pretty lazy, everyone had the day off and just relaxed around the house. AJ and Tyson helped Laura make dinner for everyone that evening. Card games were played, and AJ was, but wasn’t, surprised at how competitive the Josts were while playing. All sorts of conversations were had, mainly about AJ to learn more about her and how she ended up with Tyson (and she still insisted on telling the sanitized version, despite Laura smirking, knowing full well how that story really happened). (I’m actually pretty certain that Laura, if not Tyson, filled them in on the real story. Tyson would have no shame in that he was simply wearing a towel the first time he met AJ. That sounds like something he’d brag about, really.)

AJ’s favorite part of the first day though was seeing all the photos and memorabilia of Tyson all over Laura’s house. But don’t be fooled, there is just as much pride in Kacey as well, with volleyball photos and trophies scattered around. Seeing the two kids growing up, excelling in their own sports was inspiring. AJ didn’t have anything she was that great at, all she had was bowling, and she only pulled off taking 2nd at Women’s State Tournament in Singles one year.

It was also a trip seeing Tyson’s room, which pretty much hadn’t changed much since before he left for UND. Laura had made a few upgrades to it while he was out in Kelowna at Pursuit of Excellence with his cousin, Brendan. But otherwise, it was pretty much the same. A few framed photos on the walls, a small bookshelf, and a pile of dumbbells in the corner. Tyson was actually really excited about this though. Back at new home, the two share a king-sized bed (and AJ has gotten better about not crowding the one side Tyson is on), but here that most definitely wasn’t the case. In fact, pretty sure Laura had not intended on Tyson bringing guests with him that he’d be sharing a bed with when he got a couple upgrades, so he had a full-size there. 

At least it wasn’t a twin?

But yes, Tyson was pretty excited at the fact that they’d have to curl up close at night. In fact, he was so excited, he pinned AJ against the back of his bedroom door, kissing her neck. As much as AJ wanted to see where it would lead, she had to stop Tyson’s advances.

“Mr. Jost, we are under your mother’s roof, and we will be respectful of that, at least when she’s home…” AJ winked.

The look of shock on Tyson’s face was epic, he had not expected that to ever come out of her mouth. But, for the time being, they definitely needed to follow the rules in AJ’s eyes. This was so different than when Laura and Kacey had come out to visit at Christmas, that was their turf. This time, it’s Laura’s. But AJ was willing to bend those rules as much as she could.

Laura knocked on the door before opening it. “Everyone decent? I don’t know if Tyson showed you where towels are, but they’re in the closet next to the bathroom, and if you need anything, just holler.”

AJ nodded, “Thanks, I really appreciate you letting me stay here with you all. I didn’t mean to crash the party.” 

Of course AJ was being overly apologetic, as she does.

“Hush, you know I love having all my kids here. I just wish it was slightly different circumstances. But either way I’m glad you’re here,” Laura hugged AJ. “Good night you two, no funny business, Tyson. Sleep well.”

Tyson gasped, feigning offense before he hugged his mom goodnight.

With a quick trip to the bathroom to prepare for bed, AJ found that Tyson was already in bed, laying back, hands behind his head that was propped up enough to see her tiptoeing toward him.

“If only past me knew that future me was going to have this amazingly gorgeous, smart, funny and kind woman in this very bed with me… I don’t think past me would have believed it.”

AJ shook her head in disbelief at his words, maybe a touch of a blush tinting her cheeks as she crawled into Tyson’s waiting arms. It was definitely a closer fit in bed, but the two were able to spoon for a bit, before at least flipping so they were still touching, butt-to-butt… it’s typically how they end up, especially because AJ overheats so quickly in the summer. 

Tyson was sound asleep after being lulled by the familiar feelings, sounds, and smells. AJ on the other hand was wide awake, not used to any of it. The only thing keeping her grounded was the fact the familiar sound of Tyson’s soft snores filling her ears. She flipped back over and was the big spoon curling herself around the body next to her. AJ found herself asleep just as hard as Tyson was after the long travel/meeting the family day.

The next couple of days were lazy days as Laura had to work, and left Kacey, Tyson and AJ to their own devices. The two toted AJ around the area, showing off places of interest to them, like where they went to elementary school, the rink Tyson first played hockey at. They also spent some time with the grandparents, where AJ got to hear all sorts of stories about Tyson growing up. Kacey was definitely into spilling the tea on Tyson as well - the poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

With the playoffs still going on for other teams, Jess made plans with Tyson and AJ to catch a game in Edmonton together. Tyson decided against going to the game, but agreed to getting dinner and drinks before/after the game. 

For Tyson, that wound was still fresh. Imagine working several years toward your dream, and then you get sent to a different job elsewhere, and your previous crew achieved said dream without you. That’s gotta sting. The fact the Avalanche kept rolling on in the playoffs stung horribly bad. He couldn’t bring himself to go to the game itself, it simply hurt too much.

“Babe, you can still go. I know they’ve been your team forever,” Tyson tried to convince AJ to still go without him, “I’ll definitely be there for dinner and drinks with Jess though. I miss her!”

The Avs arrived in Edmonton, and AJ found herself crashing at Jess’ hotel for the night. Just like any other pre-gaming, the night before was spent making signs, and watching Sandra Bullock movies. For some reason, it never failed, these two ended up watching some movie of her’s. Dallas had them watching Miss Congeniality 1 and 2. They watched The Heat, and The Blindside. Pretty sure one night they even watched Speed.

Tonight’s choice? The Proposal.

The Proposal was one of Jess’ favorites, which maybe explained why she seemed so giddy while watching it. I mean, Ryan Reynolds in a towel? Yes please. But she seemed more giddy than normal, even more than after a few margaritas. The two of them spent the entire evening drinking and working on their signs for the next day.

Letting the women sleep in as it was a late night, Tyson picked up AJ and Jess and took them around to some of his favorite spots before they settled on dinner. And as he said he would, he had dinner with them, Jess and Tyson catching up more than anything.  But as dinner ended, Tyson excused himself, saying he would meet up with them again after the game, either for maybe drinks, or at least get them back home. AJ could see something off with Tyson, and offered to skip the game, but he insisted as he dropped them off at the arena.

With signs in hand, the two women headed down to the glass on the Avs warmup side. Familiar faces lit up seeing AJ waving and holding up her sign. Even Mikko, who called AJ a traitor in Minnesota a few weeks prior, seemed pretty happy to see her. As warmups ended, AJ and Jess found their seats. The phone in AJ’s pocket buzzed as she sat down.

Tyson: I didn’t mean to be a buzzkill, I’m sorry

AJ: You’re fine. Is everything okay?

Tyson: Yeah, I just… things are kind of bothering me.

AJ: I’m so sorry babe, I really can leave now if you want me to.

Tyson: No, you spend time with Jess. Go, have fun. Text me when you’re ready to head home. 

AJ: Okay. Love you

Tyson: Love you too Eggo

AJ apologized to Jess for zoning out for a few moments talking with Tyson. She didn’t mean to be rude. Eventually she just had to admit that Tyson was struggling a bit internally with how things were playing out. Jess understood though, it really was a shitty outcome, how things played out with the trade. She wasn’t mad that AJ was trying to be there for Tyson, because clearly he needed it.

The two were able to focus on the game though, and the Avalanche won over the Oilers that night. Edmonton fans were none too happy about the outcome, but Jess was ecstatic. The mood had shifted some, and AJ wasn’t feeling much like partying a whole lot. After a single drink, AJ admitted she was pretty tired, and was ready to head out. She’d stay longer if Jess wanted to as well, but Jess had picked up on the attitude change. 

“Hey, no worries, go take care of what you need to. I should probably get back soon anyway, early flight and all.”

Tyson: I’m at The Pint, I can be there in about 15? Or you can walk over here?

AJ: We can walk, I don’t think it’s far. See you soon love.

Tyson: (heart emoji)

AJ and Jess did a quick tequila shot before they headed toward The Pint. Tyson spied AJ first, with a giggling Jess with her, giving a small smile. Through the crowd they found their way toward each other.

Someone grabbed him for a selfie, and a smile graced his face, but AJ could see it didn’t meet his eyes. All she could see was how tired he seemed. How much it seemed like he didn’t want to be there, as much as he faked it and it was pretty believable otherwise. 

AJ’s eyes met his as she nodded, understanding a bit of what he was feeling.

After finishing up with a few fans, Tyson grabbed AJ’s hand and pulled her in close. Checking in with each other, AJ looked up at Tyson, who breathed a small sigh of relief. With a squeeze of his hand, Tyson looked down and kissed AJ’s forehead, finding something that grounded him in her. 

Two girls standing nearby trying to get Tyson’s attention scoffed, sneering at AJ, eyeing her up and down. AJ did not appreciate the display, and took advantage of the disbelieving stares. Sliding her hand up Tyson’s neck and cheek, she pulled his cheek down, meeting her own face where she kissed him deeply and exaggerated. Upon pulling away, Tyson blinked trying to regain his bearings, and AJ smiled sweetly at the two gawking girls. Realizing they’d been bested, AJ’s competition sulked and walked away, on the prowl to find another man to entice.

“What was THAT for?” Tyson looked at AJ, still a little shocked by her boldness in public. 

AJ wasn’t really one for PDA like that, so it was very out of character for her. It did get him out of his head for a few moments though, which was a needed break. She just shrugged her shoulders, while he squinted, trying to figure out what just happened.

Still unsure of what just took place, Tyson whisked his lady and her best friend off toward his car, dropping Jess off first, and then heading home with AJ. It was a quiet drive, with Tyson’s hand sitting high up on AJ’s thigh.

“What happened tonight?” AJ broke the silence, “Do you want to talk?”

Tyson bit his lip, contemplating his next words carefully. “It’s just… I’m just… tired. Frustrated. I just can’t do this right now.”

“Tyson, I’m lost, what’s going on?” AJ was genuinely concerned. He was sounding like her when she was having her down days, and she didn’t like it. She figured out this is what it must feel like for Tyson when she was down.

“It’s just been difficult here lately,” Tyson kept his eyes on the road, continuing, “I don’t know, it sounds dumb, but, it just sucks, you know? I want to be happy for all of them, you know? But I can’t. It hurts…I was supposed to be with the team.” 

“I can’t even imagine what it feels like. But I’m here for you, yeah? Always and forever.” AJ put her hand on top of his still on her thigh. “I may not know what to say, but I’m always here to listen.”

With a nod, Tyson pulled into the driveway at his mom’s house. They quietly got inside, and went directly to bed. The mood was still a bit of a downer, the two directly went to bed. Instantly, AJ pressed her cheek to Tyson’s shoulder, and hugged him into her tightly. He melted into her arms, feeling like everything was better when she was holding him. He still let go of a shaky breath, and she knew he wasn’t completely good. Her hope was that a good night’s sleep might help.

Unfortunately, for both of them honestly, it felt like things were spinning a bit out of control. The further the Avs went in the playoffs, the further that knife felt like it was being jabbed into Tyson’s gut. AJ shut off her phone so she wouldn’t get updates on the game. More nights than not, Tyson was in AJ’s arms, tears falling down his cheeks, sobs coming and going when he’d think about what could have been had he not been traded.

Of course, not quite sure how to handle the situation, AJ was just listening, letting Tyson vent and get it all out. After a number of nights trying to soothe Tyson’s heartache, she called in the big guns for help.

“Laura, can I ask you for some advice?”

Take stock in the saying “Mother knows best.” Because often, she really does. With Tyson moping around the house, barely leaving, seemingly going through the motions, Laura put her foot down and put on her coaching hat.

Breakfast that morning was a bit unexpected with the conversation that ensued.  

“So what are you up to this evening, Tyson?” Laura knew full well that it was Game 2 between the Avalanche and Lightning, but she was going to make a point.

Tyson sighed and poked at the eggs on his plate, pushing them around. “I don’t know, probably go to bed early or something.”

Laura quirked an eyebrow at AJ. The statement was bland and monotone. It was the least animated AJ had ever seen Tyson be.

“Hey, how about… you go for a run before dinner tonight? We’ll have dinner together, and then you can see how you feel.”

Tyson hadn’t been on a run in quite a while, and Laura knew it was something that would clear his head. Focusing on his cadence, his breathing, it would put him into a place that was empty, free of frustration and being depressed. Plus those endorphins would do him some good. 

And Laura was right, the run helped him that night. He still avoided the game like the plague. AJ relied on texts from Jess, and not the sound of the ESPN app on her phone letting her know someone else had scored. (In fact, that would have been 7 times that night, as the Avs won 7-0, bringing game three to Tampa.)

The next day, Tyson had some news. He’d been texting Dumba, who was working with Empowers Performance in Edina, who wanted him to come out and train for the summer. He could work it around the dates he was with Dynamic in Edmonton. There might be some hopping back and forth a bit.  Even more, he was talked to by a few people affiliated with Da Beauty League, and after a couple players dropped out, they heard Tyson was possibly going to be in Minnesota a bit more this summer and hoped he’d be on a team. Things were starting to look up for him a little. He had things to focus on that weren’t the Avalanche continuing their quest for the Cup.

Despite extending the trip longer than the original week and change, the new plan brewing in his head also was dashed (his intent was to stick around until Canada Day, July 1, as his grandpa had a concert as part of the festivities), so he remained flexible. The couple headed back to the States, and Tyson started training a bit more. 

He was feeling pretty good, feeling a little better mentally AND physically. Things seemingly were falling into place.  He and AJ toured a couple townhouses and apartments, and finally picked one. Tyson’s schedule was being hammered out between workouts and DBL in Edina, and working with Dynamic a bit still in Edmonton. And even better, he had a small get away break for her and AJ for Canada Day still, and he was super excited for this year’s, he knew it was going to be unlike any other one for his family.

But just as things started going well, they stopped again. Humanity showed how ugly it could be in the form of starting to get comments on his Instagram posts about how if he’d still be playing with the Avs, they wouldn’t be playing for the Cup. That he was a terrible player. There were some that were far worse, but I’m not going to continue feeding those trolls. And if you recall, he was the one telling AJ months prior to never read the comments… he did. And it broke his heart, and soul. He already was reeling with the fact that the Avs were so close to winning the Stanley Cup without him, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The depression was back… but between Laura, Kacey and AJ, they convinced him to get off Instagram for a bit. If it felt right, stay off it completely. If he missed it, he could come back in a few weeks, see if all the crap had settled down.

It was perfect timing to get off social media for him too, as his friends (former teammates) started posting all of their celebrations about winning the Cup. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see how much it tore Tyson’s heart from his chest. It was all too much.

Tyson sat there, glassy-eyed, not sure what to do. Finally, AJ did.

Grabbing his phone from his hands, AJ found the Instagram app, and temporarily disabled his account.

“There. No more. No more comments. No more seeing festivities. And you know what we’re going to do with this sadbrain going on? We’re going to channel it into bettering YOU. I know you are bigger than this. Time to prove it.” AJ thought Laura would be proud of that pep talk.

The timing was perfect. The next morning, Tyson felt free, more free than he’d felt in a long time. He went to work out at Dynamic, and worked HARD. He went for another run that evening. And the same the next day. And one more day before he and AJ made their way back to Minnesota. 

The break from social media was exactly what Tyson needed. AJ let him know that a lot of his followers were concerned about his sudden departure, but AJ didn’t say anything… it was not her needing to get away, it was him. And when/if he was ready, he could tell the story. But for now, it was allowing him to focus on working on himself.

And when they returned to Minnesota? The two signed on the dotted line of a new lease, and spent a few days moving in furniture and getting their new space in their new lives set up. He worked with Matt and the trainers at Empowers Performance. Tyson’s mental health was on the up and up, which made AJ’s life easier. In fact, the first night they were in the new place, AJ slept like a log. Not because she was exhausted from unpacking, but Tyson’s bed, the bed she’d spent so many nights on in Denver, was back. It felt familiar. The better sleep helped her own mental health, along with unpacking some of their favorite things, and finding homes for them in their new home.

Speaking of AJ, since returning to Minnesota, she picked up some freelance IT support work, mainly in the form of Tyson’s teammates and coaching staff needing help with computers and tech in general at their homes. She was able to have an income and not feel like she was mooching off of Tyson. She could put money toward rent, and buy groceries. 

Together, the two of them made a hell of a team, sharing the responsibilities around the new home. One would cook, the other stepped in to do dishes. They alternated between who did the laundry, who vacuumed the carpet. They just fell in perfect sync with each other.

Of course, their time there was short, as Tyson already had plans for Canada Day. Dragging AJ with him, not that he had to twist AJ’s arm too much, they made it to Edmonton for a couple days, including the holiday. Tyson was straight up GIDDY about it, and AJ couldn’t figure out why. He’d never really mentioned it before. The closest thing she could think of was the fact that he was just super big on being patriotic for his country… and while he was, this was not even remotely close to where his mind was.

Tyson actually left AJ alone for a bit the day before, saying he had to go pick up some supplies for his family’s celebration the next day.  AJ offered to come with, but he insisted she stay at home, and he’d be back. In his defense, he did come back with tons of food that could be grilled to celebrate the coming day. He also let AJ know that his grandpa’s band was playing a show during the afternoon, and it would mean a lot to him if they went.

AJ wasn’t about to turn down going to a show put on by Panache.

Laura, Grandma Emily, Kacey, Tyson, and AJ piled into the car, and headed for the concert. Tyson was super fidgety, bouncing his foot rapidly. This continued once they found seats. At one point, AJ was just looking around, people watching, and she swore she saw Nate there, but she figured it was definitely her imagination. It could have just been a guy with blonde hair wearing his hat backward.

The show was a lot of fun, with the band playing a lot of jazz standards.  Suddenly though, Grandpa Jim stopped the band, and said there was a special request. He nodded at Tyson, and shakily, Tyson got up and asked AJ for her hand to go dance with him. It was much smoother than the last time they danced in the small hotel room kitchen. 

With the music starting, AJ recognized it instantly as Chet Baker… she couldn’t believe Tyson talked them into learning “My Funny Valentine.” It’s a very short song, but Grandpa Jim playing clarinet provided the vocals for the song. The two swayed, spun and even dipped in those two and a half minutes.

At the conclusion of the song, AJ was getting ready to head back to her seat, not wanting to stall the concert any longer than necessary, she didn’t want to be rude. However, Tyson asked for a moment, and leaned down to tie his shoe. Grandpa Jim looked at him and suddenly gasped. A few others also audibly gasped. Very confused, AJ turned around to find Tyson down on one knee, tiny black velvet box in his hand.

Laura clasped her hands over her mouth.

Inside the box, was a white gold ring with a black sapphire center stone, surrounded by a halo of clear diamonds.

AJ was the next one to clasp her hands over her own mouth. She stared at the ring, and stared at Tyson, with a look of absolute “WTF?” taking over her face. It wasn’t the fact that he was proposing, hell, they’d already done that even if it were a secret. But this was next level. This ring was the exact one that AJ had shown Jess one day while the two of them were shopping for engagement rings for giggles months prior.  However for everyone else, it was a new situation for the two in this couple.

Tyson squinted a bit. “Will you be my funny valentine?”

The play on the song hit AJ right in the heart. And just like the last time he asked… she nodded emphatically, before finally finding her voice to squeak out a “yes.” Tyson slid the ring onto AJ’s finger, whispering softly, “I told you I’d get you a better one!”

The couple kissed, and the Jost family was still in shock. Clearly Grandpa Jim knew that they were playing the song, but he just assumed it was so the two could dance. He didn’t expect the proposal. So here he is, just like when Tyson was drafted, and scored his first goal… Grandpa Jim was straight up crying. The Jost family not in the band rushed the couple to congratulate them. AJ was showing off her ring… and was very confused suddenly. She’d never shown it to Tyson.

“Hey babe…. How… how did you know?” 

Tyson motioned over to the corner, where Jess and Nate were standing. AJ HAD seen Nate earlier! But it was apparently Jess that let Tyson know what to get AJ, after he specifically asked for her help.

(I’m not going to say Jess was all, “I know exactly what she wants, it’s this.” But…that might just be indeed what happened.)

Jess and Nate joined the crowd congratulating AJ and Tyson. They tried to keep it brief as Panache still had 3 songs left on their setlist, and probably not enough time to play them. The crowd dispersed back to seats and let the band continue. But between songs, and after the set, the congratulations flowed.

The two never let on that they’d already been engaged for months, this was all for show for the family and friends… and for AJ to give her a ring that wasn’t going to stain her finger a different color and smell of pineapple all the time.

The rest of the day, AJ couldn’t stop looking at her finger adorned with the black and white stones. The smile on her face wouldn’t stop either.

After the concert, the Jost family, complete with future Mrs. Jost, headed back home for the evening. Tyson agreed to man the grill, and AJ helped prepare a few side dishes. Jess and Nate were even there, enjoying the festivities. Dinner was had, and finally around 9:30, everyone was outside in the backyard, roasting marshmallows in the firepit. Looking up at the sky due to some loud crackles and booms, everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the Canada Day fireworks going off. 

Tyson: Counting the MINUTES. Drive safe love.

Confined to his small room at the extended stay hotel, he flipped on the TV to find something to watch to pass the time. He ran downstairs and ate breakfast before they picked up the food for the morning, and did some running on the treadmill at the hotel gym as it was raining again. Tyson was just not good at sitting still when he was looking forward to something. 

The plan was to actually meet up with AJ at the storage unit he snagged, since not all of both of their things were going to fit in that tiny space that they were now going to share. It wouldn’t be a long time, since they both started actually looking at listings and sharing them back and forth. But there was also a lot of random plans Tyson had for the summer, and was trying to figure out how to keep AJ incorporated in those plans. But until there was a more permanent residence, they both were going to have some things at multiple locations.

Checking in along the way, AJ posted various things to Instagram, and responded to comments on posts when stopping for gas for her car, or sent silly texts to Tyson.

AJ: Things I think about while driving… are zebras white with black stripes? OR are they black with white stripes? Speaking about white stripes, I’m listening to The White Stripes right now. I’m somewhere in Nebraska. See you soon babe.

AJ: Des Moines was originally named Fort Raccoon. It then became Fort Des Moines, and finally, in 1857, was shortened to Des Moines. Little less than 4 hours, can’t wait to kiss you.

Tyson: I can’t wait to kiss you either. Speed a little more? Just don’t get caught. I’ve heard stories from the guys about the cops out here

AJ: I’m in your state!

Tyson: You’re in OUR state! (smile emoji)

It hit different that AJ was indeed almost to her new home. Although now it would really be that home is a feeling and not a physical place, necessarily. 

Tyson had planned on traveling up to see his family, bringing AJ with him so she could finally meet Grandpa Jim and Grandma Emily. It’d been months since he’d seen Kacey. He was also going to train with some specialist coaches and work on what he felt were weak points in his game. Seeing friends, maybe hit the lakes a bit. It was going to be a summer of whatever Tyson wanted to do… as long as AJ was okay with it as well.

He hadn’t exactly ASKED if she were okay with these ideas, but, he certainly hoped she’d be okay with traveling a bit. Tyson wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to spoil her more. What good was money if he couldn’t spend it within reason? 

As AJ approached St. Paul, the last few texts to Jess were sent, letting her know of the arrival.

AJ: I can’t believe we won’t get to watch the games together, with pre-game margs and tacos. This sucks.

Jess: I know, right? Is it too soon to ask when you’re coming back to visit?

AJ: Probably a little. We’ll figure it out though, okay? I'm not ditching you for a boy. I mean I kind of am. A really hot one. But I promise he will not get in the way (evil imp face)

AJ: On that note… I’m in traffic and am almost to the storage unit to drop off a few things. I’ll text you later. Miss you already!

With a few turns onto some side streets, AJ saw Tyson’s Grand Cherokee parked near the entrance to the storage unit facility, with him leaning up against the vehicle, face engulfed in a smile as bright as the sun that afternoon. Unlocking the door, Tyson opened the front seat, but then realized that Maple was in the way, and was stuck cramming himself into a tiny corner of the backseat, getting AJ and the trailer to the correct unit. Thankfully it was just the trailer getting unloaded, the things in her car were coming with - you know, clothes, computer equipment, toiletries, pillows…

Working as a team, the couple unloaded and stacked things into the small storage unit, trying not to crush Tyson’s sofa and a few things he already had in there. With the trailer empty, AJ had to take it to a drop-off location, and Tyson said he’d wait for her at the hotel - he had to get things set up so that she could park and have in/out privileges like he did, and wouldn’t have the hassle of waiting for the valet. He saw her car on Grand, so he hopped outside really quick to show her where to park. 

“Hey babe, should I be jealous that someone is getting out of the passenger side of your vehicle? Should I text Jess asking what I should do?” Tyson started giggling as AJ shot him a glare as she unbuckled and pulled Maple the Bear from the front seat.

“Zip it, Jost.” AJ rolled her eyes but joined in the giggles.

Everything had been brought upstairs within two trips, and AJ collapsed next to Maple on the chaise lounge section of the sofa. It was 1000% an emotionally draining day, not to mention driving thirteen hours. Tyson was on the complete other end of the spectrum, with energy to burn. However, the way this duo worked is that they compliment each other, they balance each other out. Tyson took a hint and laid across the sofa with his head in AJ’s lap, her fingers aimlessly playing with his curls, waking up slightly. On the other hand, Tyson simmered down, cozying the back of his head into AJ’s thighs, smiling up at her. 

“Welcome home, Eggo.”

AJ smiled softly. “It’s good to be home, Maple Syrup Man. So… what’s the plan? Other than I think I’m crashing early tonight, no offense. This week has been a blur, especially the last two days.”

She didn’t mean to cause it, but Tyson felt an emotional stab to his heart. HE was the reason she was so tired, because he was so needy, in his own mind. He closed his eyes, trying to push back those thoughts. AJ immediately picked up on it, and softly slid her finger along his forehead, and down the bridge of his nose, and back up again, soothing the creases in-between his eyes. A tiny sigh from Tyson happened, as AJ felt his neck loosen up more leaving his head to press more against her legs. Leaning over, a small smile formed on AJ’s lips as she looked at the far more relaxed Tyson.

Opening his eyes, and looking up into her light blue ones, Tyson made AJ an offer she couldn’t turn down.

“So, I hope this doesn’t come off as too forward, I think you’re pretty cute. Would you wanna have dinner at my place tonight? Maybe… spaghetti and meatballs?”

“Gee, I don’t know, is it far from my place? I’m new in town and am not familiar with the area.”

Tyson lifted his head up as AJ leaned down for a quick kiss before he hopped up off the sofa and took a few steps to find himself in the kitchen grabbing a few utensils and kettles. AJ was going to join him to help out in the kitchen, but it truly was small. Granted it was still bigger than the one they danced in the last time she stayed at the hotel, but still, slow dancing and cooking are two very different choreographies that require different amounts of space.

Plus, sensing how tired AJ was, he insisted he cook dinner tonight so that she could recover a bit. She found herself sitting at the tiny kitchen/dining room table for two, her chin propped up in her hand watching the festivities. Something caught her eye though, and she squinted.

Attached to the side of the refrigerator were tons of post-it notes with familiar handwriting.

Tyson caught AJ staring at the collage of notes. “Yep. I’ve kept every single one I’ve found. I’m still finding some. You really went all out on those, but that’s what kept me sane while you were still in Denver. When I felt alone, I read every single one over again. It was like you were right here with me.”

A boiling pot of water was salted slightly, and a box of pasta splashed into it. Meatballs were tossed in a bowl, and put into the microwave as the room didn’t have an oven this time around, as opposed to his old place in Denver. (“I’m sorry they won’t be as good this time.” “What do you mean? This is the first time I’ve had dinner with you, handsome man that invited me to his place for dinner…”) Sauce was poured into a small kettle to be heated up on the second burner on the tiny stove.

While everything boiled, simmered, or was zapped in the microwave, Tyson was grabbing bowls and silverware from the cabinet and drawer. Hands shoved into oven mitts, the pasta was drained masterfully, and divided between the two bowls. Sauce was ladled onto the steaming noodles, and finally the meatballs were placed on top. Tyson placed the two bowls on the table and sat down.

“You know I could get used to you being all domestic and hot.”

“Wait until you see me do the dishes,” Tyson wiggled his eyebrows.

Maybe it was the fact that AJ was enjoying hot food that wasn’t takeout (it’d been a few days considering she was emptying out the old place), maybe it was that she wasn’t in her car. It might have even been the company in AJ’s presence. It took a moment, but a huge sigh slipped from AJ’s lips, fighting a yawn. It wasn’t even a yawn because she was tired physically - it was more of an emotional release. The stress of being on the road was gone. The frustration that they were only going to be able to facetime tonight was gone. Things were all lining up the way they should. The tiny space may not be ideal, but it didn’t matter. Things were going to change up in the next few weeks, months, years… none of it mattered as long as Tyson was right there with her.

And the feeling was apparently subconsciously mutual, as Tyson watched AJ figure out whatever was going on inside her head, and agreed by tapping his foot on hers under the table. Realizing she was staring at her pasta, AJ looked up, and found Tyson’s eyes crinkled as his lips curled up, seeing her sitting in front of him.

Dinner was pretty much eaten in silence, other than the occasional smile and giggle at each other. The two fell right back in sync. For these two, quiet wasn’t uncomfortable. They could communicate with body language , no words spoken. Just knowing the other person was there was enough. One of the things that AJ missed the most during the last couple months was lazy afternoons spent on the sofa, Tyson strumming on his uke, AJ playing a game or reading a book, and literally her foot was on his thigh. They could be doing completely unrelated things in each other’s physical presence, but it was the simple fact they occupied the same space that made everything feel right in the world.

With the last noodles slurped and bowl scraped, it was AJ that hopped up and grabbed Tyson’s utensils and headed for the sink.

“Babe, I told you that I’d get this, you’ve had a long day.”

“Hey, if we’re living together, I can’t not do my part. You cooked, I’ll clean up. It’s only fair.” AJ was honestly NOT wanting to do the dishes, she really just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep about twenty hours. But in her heart, she knew this was right.

Thankfully the amount of dishes was minimal. AJ started scrubbing the dishes, and Tyson waited patiently for a couple to hit the rack so he could dry them and put them away. There might have been a small delay as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, and let his lips barely brush above AJ’s collar on the back of her neck. Dropping the sponge in the sink, she was able to turn around and use the dish towel slung over Tyson’s neck in two ways - first to dry her hands, and then second to use as a way to pull his face closer to hers. This really was the first time the couple stopped and really kissed since AJ arrived earlier that afternoon.

Just like everything else that evening, it was soft. The biggest difference though was that it was much lengthier and involved arms and hands slowly wrapping around the other as lips stayed connected. Once the kiss had run its course, they stayed wrapped up in each other for a few more moments, AJ had buried her face into the crook of Tyson’s neck, slowly brushing the tip of her nose along his collarbone. Needing a little more connection still, Tyson’s lips found AJ’s forehead, grazing with featherweight pressure against her skin. The silence was barely broken by the sounds of the two breathing each other in and out. 

AJ opened her eyes and slowly tilted her head upward.

“As much as I wish this moment could last forever, because it feels so perfect, I’m fading fast. Some of us have been up since 3am Denver time…”

“Yeah yeah, you make it out that you drove 13 hours today,” Tyson smirked, “Let’s get these dishes done and get some sleep.”

Drying the silverware and putting it in the drawer, Tyson watched AJ grab her suitcase and pull out a tee and boxers to slip into before ducking into the bathroom to take out her contacts and brush her teeth. It occurred to him that they were going to need to find a bigger place soon – not that he minded the closeness - it was just more that they were combining two living spaces into a tiny one and inevitably they’d probably snap at each other at some point for being in each other’s space TOO much.

AJ emerged from the bathroom, and flopped onto the bed face-first. Turning her head though, she noticed that her pillows were on the other side of the bed from where they normally are when the two would crash with each other. Rolling onto her back, she admired the view in the bathroom as Tyson was brushing his teeth. The very edge of his boxer brief-clad butt was in view in the doorway. AJ shifted just a bit to see Tyson shaking his behind to an imaginary song in his head, toothbrush moving to the same beat. 

His ears must have been burning, feeling AJ’s observing eyes upon him. Leaning back a bit, he caught AJ staring. He shook his hips with more exaggeration, and went back to brushing his teeth.

A few more minutes were spent in the bathroom, flossing his teeth and washing his face. He leaned back again while drying his face to check on AJ, only to find her already asleep, diagonally across the bed. Sneaking out quietly, he didn’t want to wake her up, but was finding he was going to likely have to - she was on mostly his side of the bed.

“Eggo…” Tyson whispered softly near AJ’s ear, “can you scootch over a bit? You’re on my pillows.”

AJ was pretty asleep already, and there was no response. He tried again, touching her arm lightly, not wanting to startle her.

“Baby girl…”

The words roused AJ just a bit, because usually that was something she got called when Tyson was trying to get her riled up. The tone was not deep though, so she wasn’t triggered too much.

“Mmm?” AJ questioned, still half asleep.

“Babe, I need you to scoot just a bit, you’re on my side of the bed.”

“Hmm mmmm.” AJ gripped Tyson’s pillow harder and nodded back off.

At a loss of what to do, Tyson tried to pry the pillow from AJ’s extreme grip, and roll her over to more of her side of the bed. He got her a quarter of the way there when she started murmuring and was seemingly grumpy about the situation. (I mean, if you’d driven 13 hours and had just fallen asleep, you’d be grumpy too, right?) With enough room to at least get onto a portion of his side of the bed, Tyson slid under the duvet and wedged himself under AJ enough to slide her a bit more over. She finally let go of her deathgrip on the pillow.

“Finally!” Tyson thought to himself, as he slid his pillow away to put under his own head.

But instead, AJ grabbed onto whatever was closest to her to hug tight. It happened to be Tyson himself. The two of them are in this giant king-size bed, and are taking up a third of it, pushing Tyson close to the edge.

Making the best of it, Tyson cradled AJ in his arms, trying to keep from losing circulation in them. And a bit later, he finally drifted to sleep. The two woke up as the sun started streaming through the sheer curtains, very much still crammed to one side of the bed. Definitely confused, AJ looked around and realized where she was, and also that she was not even close to her side of the bed. She rolled back over, and Tyson stretched, wincing slightly as his arms went over his head.

“May have to call you Koala Bear instead of Eggo the way you were clinging to me last night.” 

AJ’s eyes went wide. “Oh no, I am so sorry. I don’t even remember falling asleep. I remember watching you dance while brushing your teeth and… then I really don’t remember. I feel awful about taking up the whole bed. Our first real night together and I’m an absolute jerk. I wasn’t actually that curled up with you, was I? Oh no…”

Tyson sheepishly grinned. “Yeah babe, you… kinda were. It was cute though.”

A lazy morning was had, the two snagged breakfast before it shut down in the lobby. Tyson was a little fidgety though, and AJ wasn’t sure why. She finally questioned it, noting that he was tapping his foot inadvertently against AJ’s.

“Something bothering you? You’ve seemed to be a little off this morning. Was it me stealing the bed last night?”

Tyson looked down, trying to figure out how to say what he was needing to. 

“I know you just got here, but… I’m thinking about heading home for a bit. Nothing too long, but I was thinking maybe late next week or so. I’m looking to do some training with Dynamic, and want to see family.” He paused, then looked AJ in the eye. “I was kind of hoping you might want to come with? You know Grandpa and Grandma want to meet you. Kace and Mom will be around too.”

AJ nodded, adding, “Okay, it’s not like I really have plans or anything, babe. I’m just going with the flow right now. How long would we be gone?”

The two discussed plans, and it would be a couple weeks, and Tyson even insisted if she wanted to come back to St. Paul, she could. He didn’t want to hold AJ captive in a country that wasn’t her own if she didn’t want to be there the whole time. AJ saw it as a chance to connect with Tyson’s family more… her at some point soon in-laws.

Over the next few days, AJ and Tyson had time to themselves, and it honestly was spent just roaming around the Twin Cities area. That date that kept getting put off in Denver of visiting the zoo finally happened, albeit much further north. AJ brought Tyson to Electric Fetus to find out what was new in the music world. A day was spent at Lake Minnetonka with some of Tyson’s teammates, past (college) and present. 

In fact, Lake Day was probably Tyson’s favorite day since AJ permanently arrived, as water is definitely his element. Skating on frozen water, and doing tricks on the wakeboard - it all makes sense with Tyson being a Pisces. Oddly enough, AJ is a fire sign as a Leo, but she’ll also claim she was born a month early (truth) and would have been a Virgo, another water sign. Sure, Tyson enjoyed seeing friends new and old, and playing in the water (and was happy to see AJ wasn’t worried about getting her hair wet and dove right into the water), but his favorite part of it was a bit more… handsy.

You see, AJ is a pale, pasty gal of Western European ancestry. A large chunk Irish, German, Italian, and Polish - and that is just her mom’s side. Regardless, she burns within minutes of being in the sun. Tyson took this into consideration and was consistently asking if she needed more sunscreen. Sure, he didn’t want her getting sunburned, but the ulterior motive was clear:

Putting sunscreen on someone is one of the few times that it is 100% acceptable to get handsy in public.

Tyson was more than willing to rub the lotion onto AJ’s exposed skin. Shoulders? Check. Neck? Got it. Back? Happy to oblige. He was even trying to get a bit cheeky (no pun intended) by smoothing it up AJ’s calves, knees, and thighs. She literally had to tell him to stop before he got any ideas further up (too late, of course).

Otherwise, even though AJ had no experience with wakeboarding, he was so excited to see her try, fail, try, fail, try… and finally actually stand up for a few moments. Even Tyson’s friends were cheering her on as she was doing better than a few of them were. With a little practice she’d probably get much better, but for what she accomplished that day, AJ was even proud of herself. It wasn’t the actual standing on the board that made her feel good - it was the fact she was doing something new in front of people she didn’t know, and did not care. Incredible wipeout? She was the first to start laughing when she found the water’s surface, exclaiming “Tell me that looked as epic fail as I felt like it did! LET’S GO AGAIN!”

Tyson couldn’t understand that AJ ever felt like she was out of place, she always seemed to mesh well with everyone she talked to. Just like in Colorado, everyone in Minnesota was understanding why AJ was so different in the best possible way.

With that, AJ noticed that the anxiety and worry that seemed to be lurking just under the surface of Tyson had receded over the last few days. And with the anticipation of heading back home, it was the most relaxed she’d seen him be in… months really. Tyson couldn’t wait to show AJ where he grew up and experience all that Edmonton had to offer.

After just a couple more days in St. Paul, AJ kept her promise to Tyson she made weeks prior, showing just how good at packing luggage she was. A small carry-on and her backpack had a week and a half’s worth of clothes, toiletries, and all the electronics she’d need to survive. Tyson had a full size suitcase and was still worried about not fitting all of his things. She helped him re-pack and found that he had a lot more space if he’d fold things differently.

The two got up early and snagged an Uber to the airport, and went through security. AJ downed a handful of Dramamine with a bottle of water. She fidgeted with the label on the bottle, tearing it into little pieces.

“You good?” Tyson’s voice was laced with concern.

“Y'know how I get motion sickness? I mean I haven’t in a while because I’m used to your driving, or I am the chauffeur… but me being a little tired to start with at the lake? Dramamine.” AJ paused. 

Tyson nodded for her to continue.

“I’m a terrible airplane passenger. They won’t let me fly the plane, so… Dramamine.”

The joke caught Tyson off-guard causing laughter to erupt from him. Once the chuckle was under control though, he knew just how anxious she could get, especially if she started feeling the dizziness and nausea that plagued her.

“Aww, Eggo, you know I’ve got you.” Tyson wove his fingers into AJ’s.

Those fingers stayed intertwined until the plane had taken off, despite AJ trying to break Tyson’s hand while squeezing it as the plane leaned back to gain altitude. Finally the Dramamine really did it’s thing, and AJ fell asleep against Tyson’s shoulder.

“Hey, hey babe?” Tyson squeezed AJ’s hand, “Wake up, we’re in Calgary.”

AJ groggily looked around and rubbed her eyes, contacts dry from sleep. After a turbulent landing (and potentially bruised hand for Tyson as AJ squeezed it really hard again… he asked her to try to loosen her grip slightly for the next flight as he was going to need those hands for practice the next few days), they had a quick layover, snagging some brunch and doing some people-watching until their next flight into Edmonton.

Calgary to Edmonton, thankfully, was pretty uneventful. AJ stayed awake and watched out the window nearly the whole flight, sans takeoff and landing. Those were some of the things that set off her vertigo for sure. But she did her best to simply loosely hold onto Tyson’s hand, this time succeeding. Once on the ground, with carry-on items in hand, the two exited the plane and made it to the baggage claim, finding Tyson’s suitcase.

Just outside of security, Tyson’s face lit up. In front of them, just down the corridor, the whole Jost clan (including Grandpa Jim and Grandma Emily) stood with their own sign.

All AJ could do was nod while Tyson gasped, hugging her tightly. 

Laura smiled, knowing what a big deal this was for her son. She could not count on both hands how many times in the last month he had mentioned to her that he hoped AJ would be in Minnesota soon, how much he missed her, how he found a place he wanted to show her. She knew that it was still relatively early in their relationship, but there was just something about the two of them together, the energy was just right. Even though he was her son, Laura knew that as long as he didn’t do something stupid, the couple would be in it for the long haul. Looking over, she saw Tyson whispering something in AJ’s ear, but she couldn’t make out what it was.

AJ made a face of confusion this time.

“No way, babe, that should not be up to me.” AJ was not prepared for what she just heard.

“But you’re going to be living there too, right? I want you to pick it out.”

All Laura could do was shake her head and chuckle. 

Changing the subject at hand though, Tyson announced that he was starving and wanted to take some of his favorite ladies to dinner. AJ tried to make it a point that his mom was in town for a brief time, if they wanted to get dinner, she didn’t want to interrupt their time.

“Oh stop, you know you’re pretty much my second daughter anyway,” Laura paused and looked at Tyson, “I love getting to see the both of you, you’re not interrupting anything.”

AJ might have panicked slightly and looked at Tyson at the way his mom worded her statement, thinking he didn’t keep his mouth shut. Tyson looked back in a similar fashion, shrugging his shoulders. Both hoped that Laura did not catch that small interaction. With a quick attitude change though, he thought for a moment and had an idea to change the subject.

“That’s it, I’m picking dinner.” Tyson looked out the window, seeing the rain had ceased, “We’re going to Tom Reid’s.”

It wasn’t a long walk, maybe two blocks to the pub from the hotel. The ladies flanked Tyson’s sides, but he only tangled his fingers loosely with AJ’s. Inside, the bar was full of people, watching various sports, imbibing alcohol, and eating all sorts of bar food. The three found a booth, and a waitress brought the table menus and a round of waters.

Suddenly AJ gasped, grabbing her phone. Tyson whipped around to see what caused the minor jump.

“I forgot to text Jess back!” AJ looked down, finding about 30 text messages from Jess, from Nate, and a handful of missed calls. “Shit, sorry I… need to let her know everything is good.”

Tyson raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t things be good?”

“Something happened earlier this afternoon that caught me a little off-guard. And… when it’s not embarrassing for me to tell the story, and it’s funny for everyone involved… I might tell you. Just know things are good.”

Putting her phone away, she rejoined the conversation at the table. A faint buzz in her pocket alerted her to a message from Jess that she covertly looked at on her watch to not be rude.

Tyson could tell something was amiss, but let it go pretty quickly.  AJ tapped out a quick group message to both Jess and Nate - although Nate should be on the ice against Nashville at that point, and Jess likely would be in the stands. But at least they’d know that the “woman in Tyson’s car” fiasco was a rather large misunderstanding. 

AJ: SHIT sorry… things are fine. I’m fine. And… um, yeah panic was for nothing. It was Tyson’s mom in the car. Oops. My bad, sorry for the lack of updates. We’re all getting dinner.

Jess: OMG message me back sooner next time so we’re not all freaking out over here lol 

Dinner was pretty uneventful other than AJ was ecstatic about getting to have decent poutine, and Tyson got to sign a couple autographs for patrons at the bar. With leftovers in tow, the three headed back to the hotel, where there was a bit of discussion about who was going to stay in which room. Tyson and his mom were talking about their situation, originally it was Tyson in his bed, his mom on the pullout sofa. But there was a second room option now, and it didn’t take much arm-twisting to convince him to let Laura take his bed, and he was going to crash with AJ. 

After making sure Laura was set in Tyson’s room, he grabbed his pillows and pajamas, and made his way down the hall to AJ’s room. It finally occurred to him he hadn’t kissed AJ properly since he saw her, so he took the opportunity to do so, picking her up and setting her on the breakfast nook counter, slotting himself between her legs dangling over the edge.

“Hey you,” Tyson kissed AJ’s nose. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this, any of it. You really quit your job? And… you’re moving here?” He was still quite in disbelief of what all had been said in the last few hours.

“You remember me calling you the morning after I got back to Denver? Right before I called, I put in my two week’s notice. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, really.” AJ chuckled, looking off into the distance before looking back at Tyson. “I think driving back, I had the gummy ring sitting on the passenger seat, and when I’d see it, it just felt… right? I don’t know how to explain it. I felt different in St. Louis with you than I do without you in Denver. Heck, even snagging stuff from your old place, it just doesn’t feel the same as it used to. It all feels… empty. I’m not usually one to just up and do something (Tyson hummed in agreement with a smile.) but this just made so much sense suddenly.”

Tyson grinned, and rested his forehead against AJ’s, looking into her eyes. “I think I know what you mean. Waking up here in the morning hits different. New experiences, but… there’s something missing, yeah? I didn’t want to say it before, but that missing bit? It’s you.”

AJ closed her eyes, snuggling her cheek against Tyson’s opposite one for a moment, just taking it all in. It might have been an extended-stay hotel room she was in, but she was in it with her love. 

AJ was home.

It had been an exhausting drive (again) for AJ, and Tyson could see her fading fast. The two got ready for bed, and crawled into bed. It wasn’t like in St. Louis a couple weeks prior - no intense desire to rip each others’ clothes off. A few soft kisses were shared, and the couple simply curled up into each other. There wasn’t electricity in the air, but more of a low hum as they intertwined limbs to keep the other close. 

“So what was the embarrassing story from earlier?” Tyson’s body shimmied a bit as he giggled, knowing this was going to be something ridiculous.

A heavy sigh burst from AJ’s lips, trying to figure out if she should tell him what happened or not, and if so, how to put it to lessen the redness that surely was going to creep up her cheeks. 

“Okay, I’ll tell you, under two circumstances. One, you do not tell this story to anyone else and that includes your mom. Second, you are not allowed to laugh at me.”

Tyson made a zipped lip motion, and made an X over his heart, faintly visible with the minimal light coming in from the street lights of the parking lot through the curtains.

“So clearly that black Soul you saw earlier was mine. I looked out and cringed when I saw the valet had parked it right next to your car. I had waited to text you a bit. Some part of me was nervous that you’d hear my phone noti going off or something, not knowing where you were in the hotel. When you didn’t respond for a bit, I was thrown a bit. But then… and really I wasn’t waiting, I swear, but I happened to look out the window and I saw you pulling into the lot. I texted Jess you were here. But then…” AJ wasn’t sure she wanted to continue the story, knowing how much he was going to tease her, despite promising. 

The arms wrapped around AJ tightened slightly, as if goading her to continue, which she did but in a much more hushed tone.

“You pulled up to the door, and… seeing someone in the passenger’s seat next to you, I could see it was a woman… I… am such an idiot. I just about threw up in a mixture of fear and anger. I felt the blood rush out of my face and the room went a little spinny. I had texted Jess that someone else was in your car and I just didn’t know what to do…” AJ stopped a moment thinking Tyson was shifting around, then continued, “But then Laura got out of the door and… Damn it Tyson, are you laughing?”

Tyson couldn’t control his laugh from bubbling up and shaking his entire body.

“JOST! You promised!”

Full on laughing, he held AJ tight. “I promise I won’t tell her. Also, one, that sorta stings that you think I’d ever do something like that, but two, that’s fucking HILARIOUS. So what happened with Jess?”

Rolling her eyes to herself, the story continued.

“I threw on my shoes and hit the elevator as fast as I could, unsure if I’d bump into you or not, but did. And it was the best reaction I could have hoped for. But… I completely failed to message Jess back, and then Jess texted Nate, and they both were hammering me with texts and a few calls. Jess was sitting in the stands at Ball as Nate played the Preds tonight… And I guess they were both freaking out because of the lack of response/resolution.”

Thinking for a moment, Tyson chimed in, “Well that explains the text I got from Nate of WTF bro?”

Grabbing her phone, AJ pulled up the text threads, there were a few gems in there.

Jess: WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Jess: Girl, text me or call me, what is going on?

(Missed Call: Jess)

Nate: Hey Jess is trying to get ahold of you everything okay?

Jess: Please tell me you did not go off on Tyson.

Nate: Do I need to kick Tyson’s ass? If i were flying out with the team tonight to play against you tomorrow, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t rough him up.

(Missed Call: Nate)

Nate: Fuck, AJ I hope this isn’t what we talked about that one time if you were contemplating moving out there

Jess: WHERE ARE YOU

It all culminated in the text from AJ apologizing, and Jess relieved. The game was just ending, so it was likely Nate was going to chime in soon enough.

“Wait, what is Nate talking about?” Tyson was suddenly curious by the text.

“I haven’t said anything to either of them about our status, but Nate gave me an ear-full regarding not moving out here unless you proposed. They don’t know, at least, that I know of. I didn’t say anything. But anyway… he did clarify and say that he didn’t think you would hurt me, but regardless he was concerned about the sudden change of heart, especially after it took so much work to get me to Denver. Jess, on the other hand, has been a supporter of me moving with you. Hell, she’s been giving me shit this whole time that I didn’t already do so.”

With the story out in the open, Tyson was still amused at the fact AJ thought his mom was some mystery woman, but to be fair, he’d never mentioned his mom was coming out for the playoffs. It makes sense, but you’d think one of them would have said something… AJ was probably texting Laura every few days as well. AJ wasn’t the only one not sharing all the info apparently.

It was evident that the lack of sleep was setting in, and the adrenaline of the surprise was wearing thin. AJ tried to keep clinging tightly to Tyson, but he could feel her grip loosen as she drifted in and out. He himself loosened his own grip, and gently rolled AJ onto her side, sidling up behind her as the big spoon. Soon after, Tyson’s eyelids wouldn’t stay open either, drifting off to the most sound sleep he’d had in weeks, if not months.

AJ awoke the next morning to the sound of her alarm she forgot to turn off, and stretched her arms and legs, kicking a solid shin next to her accidentally. A sleepy Tyson grumbled, burying himself back into a pile of pillows. Looking over, AJ knew what she had to do.

“Eggo, what’r you doing?” Tyson’s voice was heavy with grogginess as he squinted at her. 

Scrambling for her phone, she snapped a photo of a very tired looking Tyson with some crazy bedhead action, confusedly looking back at her.

“Nothin’ babe… go back to sleep.” This was AJ’s chance to try to contain her giggles as she posted the photo to Instagram. The bedhead war was definitely back on, and AJ was not going to lose if she had any say in the matter.

AJ turned the vibration off on Tyson’s phone, hoping he wouldn’t wake up more than he already had. Unfortunately his watch betrayed her, buzzing against his wrist. With a few more grumbles, Tyson was up, blinking while looking around the room that looked vaguely familiar, but definitely wasn’t his. Seeing AJ though getting ready in the bathroom brought it all back to him.

“What’s your schedule like today?” AJ hollered over her shoulder.

She knew that the Wild were playing the Avs that night, and he suddenly realized he needed to get AJ a ticket. Grabbing his phone to see about tickets, he noticed all the Instagram notifications that poured in. All he could do was roll his eyes, but have the satisfaction of knowing that there were going to be so many more opportunities soon for this little photo rivalry to continue.

AJ peeked her head back out of the bathroom, trying to figure out where Tyson was to find out about his schedule. She found him smirking at her, holding his phone up to the photo.

“Touché. But… to answer your question, we have a meeting this morning, quick skate, and the game tonight. You are coming tonight, yeah? I got my mom a ticket, I think I can get you one too if you need it, maybe so you can sit next to each other.” A grin crossed his face as he thought about his fiancee sitting with his mom at the game together. 

“No need,” (Tyson’s face fell a bit) “I already got one, but thank you for thinking about me.”

He tried to get info out of her where the seat was, but she told him it was a surprise.

That was one thing about AJ, she liked to keep Tyson on his toes, and in a perpetual state of suspense with her surprises. He sighed, knowing she must be up to something if this were the case.

With a kiss, she sent Tyson back to his own room to check on his mom and get ready for the day. AJ had her own plans, which she had texted Laura from the bathroom previously. First was a trip to the gym downstairs. It never failed, after a long drive like Denver to St Paul (or St Louis or…) AJ felt the need to hit the gym to get her muscles loosened up and working again. A good sweat session, and snagging breakfast from the hotel, she headed back upstairs for a quick shower, and then was on a mission to find a Target to snag poster board and Sharpies.

Oh yes, she was going to make another sign.

With supplies in hand, back at her room she spread out everything along the desk, and grabbed the extra sheet of poster board to use as a straight edge, giving some evenness to her sign. Sketching for what seemed like hours, she finally was happy with the wording, the spacing, and the drawing. Stopping for lunch, she grabbed her leftover poutine from the fridge and put it in the microwave for a few minutes, and turned on the TV. It’d been seemingly forever that she’d watched television - not streaming, but actual cable television. Flipping through the channels, AJ settled on some Bob’s Burger’s reruns to put on for background noise as she finished coloring the sign. It was damn near perfect.

With Tyson at the arena already for the game, Laura and AJ grabbed some dinner at Eagle Street Grille. The two chatted about AJ’s plans now that she wasn’t necessarily tied down to Denver. It wasn’t an interrogation, but genuine curiosity on Laura’s part. To be honest, AJ wasn’t entirely sure, especially not knowing what Tyson’s plans for the summer were yet as the Wild were going to the playoffs - it’d of course depend how deep the run would go for starters. Plus there were still a few things she needed to take care of back in Denver, just as Tyson did. One assurance though was that AJ, once knowing what the plan was, intended on finding some sort of work - the lack of it would inevitably drive her a little nuts. 

Laura never took AJ for a gold digger, but it was a relief to know that she was just as independent as Tyson made her out to be. 

Growing closer to puck drop, the women headed to the Xcel Energy Center, getting in line to get through security. The gentleman (and I use that term loosely) at the metal detector was not being a very friendly fellow made the woman in front of AJ cry due to her bag and forcing her to take it back to her car (which granted, she should have known that she wasn’t supposed to have it, but he didn’t have to be an ass about it). This made AJ a little nervous with her sign.

“Nope, you can’t have this sign.” 

“Excuse me sir?” AJ was trying to figure out what the issue was, “Why isn’t the sign allowed?”

“It’s too big. There is a trashcan so you don’t hold up the line, or you can take it back to your car.” (This is the exact same thing he said to the woman ahead of AJ about her purse.)

Trying to not be sassy, but failing, AJ stood her ground. 

“I looked at the sign/banner rules on the website, and it’s within the measurement maximums. I can pull them up on my phone if you’d like.”

Laura was already through security, looking back to see what the commotion was. She saw AJ standing up to an old white guy that was overexerting what little power he had.  It was that very moment that she knew Tyson was in good hands. AJ wasn’t going to put up with anything, not that she taught Tyson to ever behave that way, but she’d definitely keep him in line if necessary.

AJ stared the security guard down, and he finally grumbled when the person on the other side of the metal detector told him to let her through, her sign was fine.

“Thank you sir, I hope you have a good night.” AJ smirked as she went through the metal detector, giving the woman at the other side of the detector a nod of “thank you.”

Being the first time AJ had been to a game in St. Paul, Laura and AJ walked the concourse, taking in all the sights and smells. (Because, damn, they do have some delicious smelling food at the Xcel Energy Center!) Wanting to get a spot near the glass though for warmups, the two ladies split up. Originally, AJ found herself chatting with Avalanche fans, flashing her DNVR 8-Bit MacKinnon shirt from under her jersey. It then occurred to her that she was on the wrong end of the arena to be on the Wild side for warmups.

Making her way around, AJ finally got down to the glass, crowding in with a bunch of other Wild fans. An older couple were on one side of AJ, and then a younger couple on their first date were on the other side. And so many little ones were around with signs as well, it was pretty cute. Both couples and AJ chatted before warmups, specifically asking about the sign and Jost jersey, considering he was so new with the team. The younger couple didn’t know who he was, the older were impressed with his work ethic so far but didn’t know his background.

AJ gladly filled them in, and had to admit she was an Avalanche fan, but the Wild were definitely growing on her because of Jost. The wife asked to see a photo of him, which AJ gladly pulled up her lockscreen on her phone.

“Oh my, he’s cute!” 

The husband looked at his wife, who gave him a “What?” sort of look. He chuckled.

“Yeah he is. He’s the reason I’m moving here, actually.” AJ had a smile a mile wide.

The husband raised an eyebrow. The wife pointed at the sign.

“That’s pretty forward, your sign. Think he’ll see it? You’ve already got his jersey on though.”

“Oh he’ll see it, and I guarantee he’ll turn a little red. It’s a little game we play.”

As those against the glass were talking, the team took the ice for warmups, and AJ quickly posted her sign against the glass, along with all the others. Her face barely popped up over the top of it. And again, can’t break tradition - Nic Deslauriers slammed into the glass in front of her. The young couple jumped; in fact the girl screamed. The older couple laughed, then looked at AJ curiously.

They did even more so when Tyson skated by, stopped and read the sign.

Hey Tyson - do you have an extra jersey? Cuz I want your name and number!

And just like AJ predicted, that blush crept up his neck and spilled across his cheeks. Closing the distance between them, he kissed the knuckles of his glove and fistbumped AJ. Playing it cool though, he started bumping the glass where other kids were slapping the glass for high-fives.

AJ turned and smirked at the wife, who looked on in awe.

“That’s Tyson, my…” AJ hesitated, “boyfriend.”

The wife high-fived AJ, saying she did well. The husband rolled his eyes as he and she switched places so they could talk more. The two gossiped about things AJ would need to see and do now that she actually was going to move. Tyson did his stick handling drill directly in front of them, then rejoined the team to clean up the pucks and head back to the locker room before the starting lineup was announced.

That was AJ’s cue to excuse herself and find her seat, which was the surprise, directly behind the Wild bench.

As the starting lineups were announced for both teams, AJ made eye contact with Mikko, who saw the green jersey. He frowned, until AJ pulled the burgundy and blue shirt out from the collar. JT skated by and did a double-take. In fact, the big guns on the Avs, sans Rantanen (who was coming off an injury) and Kadri, were not playing as it was the last game of the regular season, and they’d already secured their place as the best in the league. A number of the Colorado Eagles were called up and playing.

One thing that AJ realized is that everyone she had encountered, with the exception of the security guard being a jerk, was so nice (even if they found out AJ was an Avalanche fan deep down). She found herself talking to the couple now sitting beside her behind the bench. It was a belated birthday present for the wife, but the husband was ecstatic to be sitting there. The wife did give AJ a little grief for being an Avs fan, but let it slide since she was indeed wearing green.

But the players were taking their spots on the bench getting ready for puck drop, and Tyson locked eyes with AJ behind him. With a raise of an eyebrow, he mouthed “Love you” and sat down.

The vibe of the game was weird with the Avs seemingly phoning it in and the Wild still playing like it mattered. In fact, the second goal of the game came off an assist by Kaprizov and Merrill, scored by none other than #10, Tyson Jost. Skating by the bench with the biggest of smiles knowing he scored against his old team, he fist bumped everyone, but stopped and pointed at AJ.

“That was for you.”

AJ had a smile just as big as he sat down. She joined in singing, er, shouting? Shout! with the crowd as they celebrated the goal.

Fleury had a hell of a game blocking a number of shots, only allowing one by, which was by Rantanen, assisted by Kadri. AJ struggled to not cheer for them.

At some point in the game, some music was on the PA system that both the wife next to her and AJ herself realized was definitely their jam. The two started dancing in their seat, thoroughly embarrassing her husband, especially when they made it onto the big screen. Tyson had been looking up at the replay as he often would, but then saw AJ on the screen, then turned around to face AJ for a moment to see if she really was still dancing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the strong, beautiful, ridiculous woman he fell in love with. He knew she was going to fit right in with the new environment.

With the conclusion of the 4-1 Wild game, despite Greenway having two goals, somehow Kaprizov with one goal and an assist was the first star, and Fleury was the second star. This left Tyson as the third star of the night.

AJ quickly posted to Instagram a story, with a photo of Tyson skating toward the bench she snapped at some point, captioned “Third star of the night, but the number one star in my heart. #mnwild”

Immediately Jess liked the post from Denver, where she and Nate were watching the game at his place.

Meeting up with Laura, the two headed to the area outside of the locker rooms - she’d thankfully been there a couple times, and security knew who she was. The employees eyed AJ, but let her go. It definitely was a weird feeling meeting up with a few of the Avalanche players as they were getting ready to head to the airport, but hugs and playful jabs were definitely exchanged. And being that they were still her team, the few players she got to talk to, she wished the best of luck in the playoffs, making sure none of the Wild players overheard. JT talked to Laura for a bit before they boarded the bus.

Out of the corner of AJ’s peripheral vision, she noticed a couple blondes staring at her. AJ wasn’t sure who they were, but one of them hopped up and introduced herself - Amanda, and then introduced her friend, Danielle. Come to find out, Amanda was Goligoski’s wife, and Danielle was Spurgeon’s wife. They pieced it together who AJ was, between her wearing a Jost jersey and hanging with Laura, whom they met at a previous game.

All of the ladies chatted a bit more waiting for their respective partners to exit the locker room. Basic questions were asked, like what AJ did for a living (which right now was up in the air, but explained she was IT previously), and what plans AJ had for the summer were brought up. Finally with significant others leaving the locker room, the women all exchanged phone numbers and said they’d keep in touch, plenty was coming up with the playoffs and they hoped AJ could be involved.