#bybtm

Saturday afternoon boozy bingo was a staple for you and Lydia, but it was the first time you’d been back in a while. The brunch was good, but you mostly showed up for $1 mimosas and bloody marys, while Lydia was there for the bingo. She got wildly competitive during the game, and her trash talking had almost gotten you thrown out on a couple occasions. Honestly, the entertainment watching Lydia’s frustration build and build as the games went on made it all worth it.

Peter was with you today, since he was in town for a few more days. Since it was between games, he went up to the bar to grab drinks, including another mimosa for you.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while,” you tell her, nudging her under the table as you pout at her. A quiet chatter had started between games, and you were glad to have a minute alone with your best friend.

“Yeah, I know,” she responds, sighing as she pushes her hair out of her face. “Since my sister’s been out of town a lot for work, I’ve been having to take Mom to her appointments and stuff, and I’ve just been absolutely drained from it.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you get a double dose of me today, right?” you ask, winking when she looks at you and you both laugh. The two of you were going to the game that night to see the Sabres play the Sharks. 

Peter returns a second later, putting two mimosas down in front of you and you shoot him a thumbs up.

“Good call, bud,” you tell him, already reaching for one.

“I figured you might need the extra to help drown out this one,” he responds, pointing at Lydia with a grin. Lydia gave him the finger as he puts a bloody mary down in front of her. “Watch it, or I’ll spit in the next one.” You grimace at his warning even though it wasn’t directed to you, and you straightening up in your seat as the next game starts.

Between numbers, you sip at your drink and glance at your phone, figuring that Jeff is probably taking his pre-game nap by now. Tipsy already, the thought of climbing into bed with him for a nap is very appealing, but not worth leaving Lydia and Peter.

You had stayed at your own place last night, watching Jeff’s game in Detroit from your couch. Jeff had to be up early for a work out and press stuff before the game, and you’d used your morning to clean up around the house and to catch up on laundry. You’d even dug your suitcase out of your closet, knowing you needed to start packing soon since you and Jeff were leaving for your brother’s wedding in four days.

After bumping into Peter a few nights earlier, the two of you and Lydia had been able to make plans for Saturday afternoon, and here you were. You had pushed your hardest to go putt-putt-ing, but you were out voted in favor of boozy bingo. 

Lydia is a number away from winning, nibbling on the end of the celery from her bloody mary as her eyes bounce over her cards. She’s murmuring the number she needs to herself and toying with the ends of her hair with tense shoulders.

“Is she always like this?” he asks when you look at him, voice low and almost concerned. Grinning, you nod, nearly laughing because you hadn’t realized he’d never been to bingo with her before.

“Yeah, she’s nearly got bingo down to an art form if you ask me,” you respond, sipping at your drink.

“I can hear you,” Lydia says with a grin, not even looking up from her cards.

In the end, none of you won anything, but you had more than your fair share of mimosas.You and Lydia had each been planning to rideshare home, but thankfully, Peter offered to play taxi driver since he hadn’t been drinking. Lydia was worse off than you and pissed that she hadn’t won anything, making her a damn near lethal combination. 

“I swear, those old bitches cheat somehow,” she mutters as you approach Peter’s rental car. You laugh, nodding to appease her as she climbs in the backseat. You take shotgun, and Peter grins at you as he starts up the car. 

“It’s like I never left, right?” he asks and you nod as Lydia continues to rant from the backseat. It was true though. Peter, never much of a drinker, had often played DD for you and Lydia in the time you’d known each other, and having him there again felt like nothing had changed. 

Lydia’s place was closer, so she was dropped off first. As she steps out of the car, you roll your window down, reminding her to set an alarm so she wouldn’t oversleep and miss dinner and the game later. She thanks you, calling you ‘mom’ teasingly. Considering you’re drunk, it’s extra funny and sends you into a fit of laughter. Lydia threw a peace sign up before turning to make her way to her building, and you and Peter stay put to make sure she gets to the door without tripping or managing to fall over.

Satisfied that Lydia was safely inside, Peter pulled away from the curb, glancing at you. “You’re gonna have to tell me where to go,” he tells you.

You snort, shaking your head. “Shit, you know I have no sense of direction, so let’s see how this goes,” you joke, sitting up in your seat a little more. “Turn left up here, head toward downtown.”

Peter laughs, turning on his blinker on as he nods. The two of you are quiet for a few moments aside from you giving the occasional direction before starting in with a bit of small talk. You ask about his new office, how he’s adjusting to being in a new city, and he says he’s enjoying it, that he’s happy he made the move even if it did put him far from family.

“Have you found friends to replace Lydia and me yet?” you ask, trying to decide which would be the best route to get to Jeff’s from where you were then. 

“Nah, impossible, really,” he admits, glancing at you with a grin.

“Well, shucks,” you tease, laughing as you push your hair back out of your face. Jeff still didn’t seem to be awake since he hadn’t answered any of your messages from earlier, and the thought of climbing into bed with him made you feel warm and soft all over. “Take a right up here, that way’s probably quicker.”

“The fuck do you mean, probably?” Peter questions, making you crack up all over again. “So, correct me if I’m wrong, but Jeff Skinner, the professional hockey player, is your boyfriend, and you didn’t even tell me about it?” 

“Yeah,” you respond, trying to look apologetic for not telling him but you just ended up grinning like an idiot at the mere mention of Jeff. “I’can’t believe Lydia didn’t tell you, this is the result of her handiwork.” 

Peter’s not even surprised by that. “So, are you going to tell me how all of this happened, or what?”

You snort then, shrugging as you continue to smile. “I’ve known Jeff for as long as I can remember really. He played hockey with my brother when we were little, our families are friends. We dated for a while in high school, then he got drafted and went to North Carolina. Now eight years later, he got traded here and Lydia tricked me into going to a game, and here we are.”

“Shut the fuck up, that’s some rom-com shit, honestly,” he says, glancing at you with a look of teasing disbelief. “He’s a good guy though?”

The question makes you smile. Peter had always been one to look after both you and Lydia, and you’re glad to see that the distance hadn’t changed that. “The best, really. He always has been,” you assure him and he nods. “We’ve probably moved kind of fast, but it’s been so easy, like we just picked up where we left off.”

“Good. You’re happy, I can tell. I’ve never seen you light up like that when you talk about someone,” he tells you, looking over at you quickly before changing lanes. 

Feeling your cheeks burn with a flush, you cross the subject. “Enough about me, what about you, huh? Have you been dating at all?” you question, raising an eyebrow as you glance over at him. 

Peter laughs, shaking his head immediately. “No, not at all, honestly. I just feel like I haven’t had any time to even try. I’m trying to make friends first, then go from there,” he admits, and you nodding in understanding.

“Yeah, I know what you mean, that was me a couple years ago,” you way with a sympathetic smile. You spot Jeff’s building and quickly point it out to Peter. “It’s that one! Just drop me off where you can, I guess.”

Peter pulls to the curb, and you unfasten your seatbelt before turning to hug him over the center console. He hugs you back tightly, and when you pull away, you’re smiling.

“Have a good trip home tomorrow, and please, let us know when you’re in town next!” you say, making sure you’ve got your phone and keys before opening the door. 

“Don’t worry, I will,” he promises as you climb out of the car. He waves as you close the door, and you do the same before heading toward the door.

In your drunken state, it takes a moment for you to figure out which key you need to use, then another to fit it into the lock to get into the lobby. You doubt Jeff is awake yet, but you text him to tell him you’re in the lobby anyway, and you press the up button on the elevator repeatedly in impatience.

You ran into the same delay with your keys outside Jeff’s door, and you nearly trip as you step into his apartment. It’s quiet and you hush yourself softly while toeing off your shows. Knowing you’d left a hamper of clean clothes in the laundry room, you stop there first to change into leggings and one of Jeff’s shirts, fully intent on being lazy and cozy until you had to leave for the game later.

Jeff’s bedroom door is partially open when you approach it a moment later, and you smile to yourself when you see him in bed. He’s shirtless, blankets pulled up to his chest and he’s sprawled out, looking so sweet and relaxed. You cross the room and slip under the sheets with him, the shifting of the bed making him sigh quietly in his sleep. Staying still for a moment, you listen to the even sound of his breathing before leaning over him enough to kiss his chest lightly. 

He stirred a little, grumbling as he brought a hand up to run over your hair. Smiling to yourself, you kiss higher, along his neck and he loops an arm around you as you finally kiss his mouth.

“Hi,” you murmur, pulling back to look down at him.

“Hey,” he responds, sounding groggy as he turns his head to yawn. “What time is it?”

“Almost 2,” you say, pressing another kiss to his mouth before shifting to straddle him. He looks up at with a sleepy grin as you drape your body over his. “Did you have a good nap?” Jeff nods, tilting his head up enough to kiss you again. You feel warm all over, absolutely giddy just to be there with him. 

“Did you have a good time gambling and day drinking?” he asks and you snort, laughing as you nod back at him. You reposition yourself just slightly, hips pressing down against his in a way that makes electricity shoot up your spine.

“Yeah, it was fun. Lydia drank more than I did, so she was all fired up about losing,” you tell him, moving down his body more and kissing his collarbone.

He chuckles, the sound vibrating in his chest. “Yeah, I’m sure she was,” he responds, bringing a hand up to push your hair back out of your face. He toys with the strands idly as you move lower again, kissing down his chest as you glance up at him. “What are you doing?” A crooked grin settles on his face that you mirror back to him. 

“Haven’t decided yet,” you murmur, kissing his stomach as you toy with the waist of his sweatpants. He chuckles softly, nodding and tucking a hand behind his head as he watches you. Looking up at him, you bite your lip while shifting to kneel between his knees.

“We’ve got a couple of hours to figure it out,” he teases, and you grin, humming in agreement as you kiss the line of his hip.

“Don’t think I’ll need that long,” you respond, bringing a hand up to brush your knuckles over the hardening line of his cock. Looking up at him through your lashes, you kiss just above the band of his pants. His abs tense at the light touch of your lips, making you smirk.

When his hand tightens into a fist at his side, you can’t help the soft chuckle that leaves you. Moving lower, your lips ghost over the obvious bludge of his cock and he swears under his breath, hips twitching with the effort to keep still as he watches you.

“Christ, are you trying to make me beg for it?” he asks, and you look up in time to see him practically squirming in place.

You bite your lip again in an attempt to hide the grin that spread across your face, shrugging as you tilt your head to one side. “I haven’t ruled it out,” you say in an attempt to sound coy. Jeff cursed then, letting his head fall back against the pillow, and you laugh quietly, shaking your head. “So impatient.” Your words come as you tsk softly, and he nods in response, exhaling a breath.

Jeff brings a hand up to push your hair out of your face so he can look at you, a tender motion that never fails to make you shiver. You glance up to make eye contact with him before giving in and starting to tugs his sweats down his hips. He lets out a relieved sigh, lifting his hips lazily to help you out, and your mouth follows the path of the fabric, kissing his newly exposed skin. 

With his cock free, your hand moves quickly, stroking him slowly from base to tip with a hum. He twitches against your palm, and he twists the sheets in his fist when your head tilts to trace the vein the runs up his shaft with your tongue. Your mouth is practically watering by the time your lips close enough the head of his cock, sucking lightly before pulling off. A sound of frustration leaves him and your grin reappears.

“You ready to beg yet, or should I keep teasing?” you ask, eyebrow raised as you stroke him again slowly. He hisses, hips rocking toward your hand as his brows knit together. His chest is flushed, the color rising higher and he whines your name so quietly that you can barely hear it.

“Fuuuck, y/n. Please, sweetheart,” he murmurs, voice low. He’s watching you intently, eyes on your hand that’s wrapped around his dick as it continues to move in lazy strokes. You raise an eyebrow and wait for him to continue, loving the way he’s absolutely squirming. “Goddammit, I need your mouth, please.”

Jeff’s getting whinier with each passing second and it’s far too hot to say no to. You stroke him a few more times, loving the sound of him panting for you, cheeks flushed, before closing your lips around the head of his cock again. He makes a sound like the wind’s been knocked out of him, and it does wonders for your ego. 

“Holy shit, thank you,” he says, sounding breathless already as you take him deeper in your mouth. His hand leaves his side to come up to your hair, tangling in the strands as he pulls it away from your face. “You look so fucking beautiful with my cock in your mouth.” The words leave him so casually that it makes you moan, pulling back enough to soothe your tongue over the slit at the head of his dick.

You start bobbing your head in slow movements, taking him deep enough that your gag reflex is almost triggered. He groans, the sound leaving him slowly as his hips press up toward you. Your clit is throbbing between your thighs then, and you can feel how slick you are when you shift. Bringing a hand up to rest on his thigh, you let your nails drag over his skin lightly as you bob your head, taking your time to let him slip deeper down your throat. 

A slew of curses leaves him when you swallow around him, his hand tightening in your hair as his hips twitch toward your mouth again. You can taste pre-cum at the back of your tongue and you groan around him, relaxing your jaw as you take him deep enough that your nose is pressing against his pelvis. 

Jeff makes a punched out sound, murmuring that he loves you, and when you glance up at him, he’s still watching you closely. You nearly pull off him, taking a breath and teasing along a vein with the tip of your tongue. He’s tense, practically slack-jawed as he keeps his eyes on you.

You love when he’s like this, putty in your hands (or mouth to be more specific) like you’re the only thing in the world that he’s ever wanted. His flush has moved up his neck and he’s breathing heavily, groaning as you bob your head shallowly. The sounds he makes never fail to make your pussy throb, and when you lean over him more, you can tell that you’ve already soaked through your panties.

“Baby, unless you want me cumming down your throat, you should stop,” he warns before you’ve even let him slip down your throat again.

You pull off, lifting your head to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, I don’t hate the sound of that,” you tease, stroking his cock slowly in the absence of your mouth on him.

He curses softly, head falling back against the pillow while murmuring something about you trying to kill him and you laugh, leaning forward to kiss his stomach once before pulling back.

You get to your feet on shaky legs, grinning at him as you pull your shirt off over your head, unclipping your bra a second later and letting the fabric drop to the floor. Jeff manages to tear his eyes away from you long enough to nudge his sweats off and grab a condom while you slip out of your leggings. You nearly trip as you get your panties and leggings off completely, and you laugh as you catch your balance. 

“You okay?” Jeff asks, glancing at you with a wide smile on his face as he rips he condom open. 

“Yep, never better,” you respond, smiling as you push your hair out of your face. Returning to the bed, you lean over him, pressing a firm kiss to his mouth. You swing your leg over his hip as he rolls the condom down onto his length, his eyes taking in the sight of your body over his again. 

One of Jeff’s hand comes up to rest on your waist, leaning up enough to kiss you again, while the other slips between your legs. A low groan leaves you as his fingers slide through your folds, hips immediately canting down against his hand.

“Fuck, Jeff,” you breathe, a whimper catching in your throat. He hums in appreciation when your wetness coats his fingers, toying with your clit to make you squirm over him.

“God, you’re always so fucking wet after sucking my cock,” he murmurs, voice low as he looks up at you. His fingers are sliding through your folds effortlessly, teasing at your entrance, and you groan his name again, grinding against his hand eagerly. 

Making an impatient sound, you shift, hand slipping between your bodies to guide his cock to your entrance. Your touch makes him curse softly, his lips parting as his eyes drop down to watch his cock sink into you as your hips lower toward his.

“Shit, y/n,” he groans, head falling back against the pillow with a content sigh. His hands move to your hips, resting there as you sink onto him further. 

You’d forgotten how much you love riding him, how he makes you feel so full as he looks up at you like you’ll disappear if he looks away. Your thighs are tense and you bite your lip, your hands pressing against his chest as your hips lower a little more, and a moan catches in your throat. His thumb brushes idly over your skin, the other hand moving higher over your waist until he’s cupping your breast in his palm.

Leaning over him, hands resting on either side of his head, you kiss him as your hips roll down against his. He moans into your mouth, hand sliding from your hip to your ass, squeezing you there as his thumb drags over your nipple. You shiver, melting against him with a wanton groan as you try to settle into a rhythm. The head of his cock hits your g-spot with the next motion of your hips, making you tighten around him.

You’re doing your best as you try to keep focused on easy rhythm you’ve set, pussy throbbing around his length as you sit up again. Hands resting on his chest, you bite your lip playfully, grinning down at him as you grind against him rougher than before. A gasp slips from you, given the friction of your clit against his pelvic bone, and Jeff hums, eyes sliding over your frame as he rolls your nipple between his fingers. 

“Mm, sweetheart,” he breaths, squeezing your ass as your hips grind into his again, the friction too good to stop chasing. “Fuck, that’s good.” You nod quickly, panting out a curse as you tilt your head back to get your hair out of your face. 

It surprises you when Jeff fucks up into you, a whine slipping past your lips as your hips slam down to meet his. He curses loudly, the grip on you ass tightening and guiding your hips forward against his again. You can tell that you’re soaked, making the slide of his cock in and out of you easy and downright sinfully good. 

“Come here,” Jeff says, voice low as he pulls you down to him easily. You chuckle, grinning as you lean over him again, hips never slowing as you continue to rock against him. His hand slips into your hair, keeping it back from your face and tangling in the strands as he kisses you.

You moan, whining as his teeth catch on your bottom lip. Your clit is begging for attention and a jolt runs down your spine to your core as he tugs at your nipple. “Oh, fuck, I love you,” you pant, the words exhaled into his mouth before you’re kissing him again desperately. You’re close, toes curling as your hand slips between your bodies to help yourself along.

The extra friction makes you cry out, mouth leaving his as you try to catch your breath. His mouth moves to your neck, finding the spot that always takes your breath away, then moving down to your collarbone. He tugs at your hair, not enough to hurt but enough that you gasp, the sound fading into a whine as his mouth moves over your chest. Your movements have grown more erratic, searching for the perfect combination of friction to send you over the edge.

As good as it feels to have his mouth on you and to be kissing him, you sit up again, knowing the angle is just that much better. It only takes a few rocks of your hips to have you groaning in satisfaction, leaning back slightly and resting a hand on his thigh for support while still rubbing your clit. Jeff’s eyes are glued to you as his hand comes nudges yours out of the way toy with the swollen bundle of nerves himself. You don’t stop him, a smirk sliding onto your face briefly before your mouth falls open with a moan.

“God, Jeff, that’s so fucking good,” you whimper, thighs shaking as he fucks up into you and hitting your g-spot in a way that makes you gasp. The bed is squeaking slightly with the movement of you, mixing with the sounds you’re each making.

It didn’t surprise you when your orgasm washed over you a moment later, knowing how easy it was for him to just completely unravel you. You cried out, head falling back as you try to keep the motion of your hips going. It’s more difficult than you expected, moaning his name as you grind down against him roughly. 

He nods beneath you, brow creased in concentration as his thumb continues to rub firm circles against your clit. Leaning forward slightly, your hands press against his chest and you can tell from the look in his eye that he’s close as well. Your nails dig into skin, making him hiss and groan that he loves you. The rustling of fabric beneath you gives way to his pressing his foot into the mattress for leverage, as he grips your hip with one hand. 

Jeff fucks up into you at the perfect angle to make you go still, desperate for him to keep hitting that same spot. Reduced to whimpering, your eyes squeeze shut, body still as his hips slam up into yours. The sound of skin on skin, his heavy breathing, and your breathless whines filled the room, and you could feel that you’d each worked up a bit of a sweat. A chill runs through your body like electricity, making you shudder as your orgasm starts to fade.

Your pussy is still tight around him when his thumb leaves your clit before he’s tugging you down to him more. He pressed his face into your neck, breathing hot into your skin and groaning while kissing down to your breasts again. He sighs your name into your chest as he cums a short moment later, grunting roughly as his hips slow until he’s worn out. You move slowly, eager to drag out the last few seconds of pleasure.

Jeff melts into the mattress as he rests his head against the pillow. His eyes are closed and you imagine that if it weren’t for the hand rubbing over your thigh contently, you’d think he’d gone back to sleep already. You don’t pull away just yet, kissing down his chest as you try to catch your breath. He’s so relaxed and you can feel his heart pounding as his hand leaves your thigh.

When he pushes your hair out of your face you look up to see him grinning at you. “Have I told you that I love you recently?” he asks, the words coming slow. His voice was like warm honey and you smile back at him before leaning up enough to press a lingering kiss to his mouth.

“A few times, yeah,” you respond, hips resting down against his as you enjoy the fullness of having him inside you still.

“Mm, gotcha,” he says, toying with the ends of your hair and pressing a kiss to your forehead. “You only came once, didn’t you?” His brow creases slightly when you nod.

“Yeah, but trust me, I am a very satisfied customer,” you assure him, only to hear him snort with laughter in response. He guides your mouth back to yours, and you can feel him smiling as he kisses you. It’s slow at first, but when his tongue slides over yours, you feel your clit throb.

“Want me eat you out?” he asks, his mouth barely leaving yours. The words seem so casual and you groan, tightening around him enough that he cursed under his breath. It only takes another second before you’re nodding, moaning into his mouth as he starts to untangle himself from you.

Jeff turns you over onto your back easily and pulls out before kissing you hard before getting to his feet. Legs still open for him, you watch the muscles of his torso move as he discards the condom. Your hand slips between your thighs impatiently, and when he follows the motion of your hand, he smirks, tugging you an inch or two closer by the ankle. 

He climbs back onto the bed, getting settled on his stomach between your thighs. After moving your hand away from your clit, he sucks your fingers into his mouth briefly, smirk never leaving. Guiding your legs over his shoulders, he groaned loudly at the sight of you. You knew you were absolutely soaked, and when you felt his tongue sweep through your sensitive folds a second later, your hips twitched toward his mouth.

His mouth is hot against you and your hand moves to his hair, fingers tangling in his short curls. You tug at the strands, nails brushing over his scalp to make him hum in approval. It’s impossible to stop yourself from squeezing your thighs around his head as you whimper, hips rocking easily against his mouth. He swings an arm over you to keep you still, leaning into you more while he licks from your entrance, up to your clit, then back slowly. You realize he’s cleaning you up and you relax back into the mattress as your heel digs into the back of his shoulder.

Jeff’s tongue is still moving slowly through your folds, just taking his time and you watch him with heavy lidded eyes. The damp heat of his breath hitting your skin had you shivering while your legs shake. Your fingers curl in his hair as you inhale sharply, your other hand dropping to brush light circles against your nipple. 

He’s watching you with dark eyes, watching the way you tease at your breast. His pressure changes then, tongue going from slow and lazy to hungry and firm it sinks into you. You try to buck up against him but his arm keeps you in place. A wanton moan leaves you as his tongue fucks into you again before dragging slowly up to your clit again, with the same firmness that has you squeezing your thighs around his head again.

Your thumb brushes over your nipple just as he sucks your clit into his mouth, tongue flicking against you quickly and you exhale a desperate sound. “Fuuck, Jeff,” you whine, his name cut short when you cry out as he sinks a finger into you. You can feel yourself shaking, already right there at the edge with how he’d fucked you earlier.

Meeting his eye, you nod weakly and he takes your cue to sink a second fingers into your pussy. Your head falls back against the sheets as your back arches, and when his digits curl against your g-spot, you let out a string of curses. He can tell that you’re getting close and he releases your clit, taking a second to breathe before teasing at your clit again. You had abandoned the idea of toying with your nipple, far too consumed by the soft sounds of his mouth working against you.

His fingers are deep inside you, scissoring slightly and always making sure to hit your g-spot, and your legs tighten around his shoulders. Squirming, you again find yourself trapped by his arm and you make a frustrated noise that makes him pull away from you slightly.

“Cum for me, baby,” he tells you, already leaning back to seal his lips around your clit again.

Your whines build and build, eyes squeezing shut as his fingers fuck into you, and you topple over the edge a second later. You cum with a sharp moan, pulsing tightly around his fingers as Jeff groans against you, fingers still curling inside you. The orgasm is hot and bright, and Jeff guides you through it, murmuring praise every time he’s pull back from you to take a breath.

When you float back down, your eyes are heavy and you finally loosen your grip on Jeff’s hair slightly. His fingers are gone and he’s back to lapping at your folds lazily, making it that much harder to keep yourself from shaking. After another moment, you have to push him away, gasping you try to wiggle away from him. 

Jeff chuckles softly, turning his head to rest against your thigh as he looks up at you. His cheeks are rosy, and when he grins, you can see that his mouth and chin are shiny with you’re wetness. 

“Thought you were drying to suffocate me there for a minute,” he teases, hand sliding along your thigh as he guides your leg off his shoulder. 

Laughing, you nudge him gently with your knee. “Shut up,” you respond, shaking your head as he leans up, pressing a kiss to your stomach. The light touch of his mouth makes you shiver, and you run a fingertip down his nose lightly. You’re trembling slightly, shivering as you try and catch your breath. 

Jeff noses at your ribs, kissing his way up your body. Your hand returns to his hair, smoothing it with a light touch. The longer you stay there, the more relaxed you feel, and you realize that it’d be very easy to doze off. As Jeff’s mouth moved higher, he shifted to lean over you, his body radiating warmth as he kisses you on the mouth. 

When he pulls away, it’s to settle back against the pillows, and he chuckles when you pout at him slightly. “C’mere, lazy,” he says, patting his chest before tugging at your hand to get you to move.

Sighing heavily, you move, curling into his side. Jeff pulls the blankets over both of you and your head settles on your chest.

tt’s easy to doze for the next hour or so, curled up with him. He had turned the TV at one point, but you weren’t conscious enough to really be sure what he was watching. Jeff ordered food, and when he went to open the door, you rolled into the warm spot he’d left behind, enjoying the smell of his shampoo and cologne clinging to the sheets. When he returned, you heard him scoff at the fact that you’d stolen his spot.

He decides to leave you be, turning around to go eat at the table and that’s when you fully drift off. Some time later, Jeff wakes you up by rubbing a hand over your back to tell you that he was leaving for the arena. 

With a warm, sleepy smile you roll onto your side, promising that you’ll see him soon. You kiss him a few times before he stands up and you get the chance to appreciate how good he looks in his suit before he leaves.

Hours later, you’re awake, dressed, and enjoying the game with Lydia. The score was tied by midway through the second period and Jeff had two assists. Sipping at your beer, your eyes are on the ice, but Lydia is practically vibrating next to you. 

There’s a stoppage in play a second later and you look at her with an eyebrow raised. “Go ahead,” you tell her, taking another drink. You’re wearing your jersey tonight with black jeans and booties, and Lydia’s in an Eichel jersey that you feel like you haven’t seen before. 

“What are you talking about?” Lydia asks, brow creasing as she glances up at the scoreboard. 

“You are clearly dying to tell me something, so go ahead,” you respond, laughing slightly. She rolls her eyes, hating that she makes things so obvious.

“I left my bag in Peter’s car, so he stopped by with it after dropping you off,” she says, pausing heavily. It doesn’t take you long to figure out what she’s implying, and you snort, shaking your head.

“Girl, look at you,” you tell her, laughing as you raise your beer to her. “Wait, did you leave your bag in his car on purpose?” 

She snorts, shrugging, and you both double over in laughter. It wasn’t the first time she’d used that move, and you knew it wouldn’t be the last.

“Not like you can judge. I’d bet $50 that you went straight to Jeff’s to get busy,” she teases, and your response is to shrug, because it’s not like you’d take that bet.

The two of you continued to to chit-chat and drink, enjoying yourselves as the second period wound down. With a little over a minute to go in the period, Jeff took a hit that made you gasp, bringing you to your feet when he didn’t get up immediately. The arena was full of chatter and your heart was thundering in your chest, watching as Jeff finally got up with the help of his teammates. You dropped into your seat as he immediately went down the tunnel, and Lydia was quick to take your hand, holding it tightly. 

You didn’t know what to do, so you sat there, chewing on your lip and bouncing your leg idly. Lydia was quiet, still holding your hand because she wasn’t sure what else to do to help you feel better. Your stomach twists in knots, and you send Jeff a text, unsure of when he’d even have the chance to check his phone.

“Y/n, Twitter says he’s not coming back to the game,” Lydia tells you and you sigh, pushing your hair out of your face. Through most of intermission, you’re silent, staring at your phone and hoping for some sort of news.

It finally came a few minutes into the 3rd period, a text from Jeff, asking you come down to where you usually meet him. Lydia promises that she’ll be fine watching the rest of the game by herself, and you nod, taking off up the stairs just as the Sabres score.

When you see Jeff, seeing that he’s upright and grinning, you’re relieved, putting your arms around him when you’re close enough. He’s freshly showered, and he settles an arm around your shoulder, kissing the top of your head.

“I’m alright, I promise,” he tells you, giving your body a reassuring squeeze. “Knocked the wind out of me pretty bad, and my shoulder hurts like hell, but I’m alright. They don’t think I’ll be out at all.” You nod, finally pulling back to look up at him.

You drove Jeff home and just as you were parking in his garage, you got the notification that Casey scored an empty net goal to seal the win for the Sabres. He was moving a little slower than usual and in the elevator, he was leaning into you. Neither of you said much got in the door, and Jeff immediately headed toward his room. He had mentioned the the trainer had given him some meds, and you could tell he was frustrated about being out for the night, so you gave him some space. 

You busy yourself by tidying up the living room some. Folding a blanket, fluffing the pillows, and a few other meaningless tasks to pass a little bit of time. He had always been quiet after a bad game or something like this, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise.

When you come into the bedroom, he’s already in bed, on his back with one arm draped over his eyes. Jeff doesn’t move as you cross the room to go into the bathroom. You wash your face and brush your teeth before heading back into his room so you can change. After hanging up your jersey, you change into a pair of sweats and one of Jeff’s shirts, and when you turn around, he’s watching you with a sad look in his eye.

“Which side do you want me on?” you ask, giving him a sympathetic smile. He pats his left side and you climb into bed with him. It takes no time at all for him to roll toward you, settling himself under your arm to nuzzle into your collarbone. 

You hardly mind, loving how quickly he curled around you. His breath against you, and your fingers rub lightly of his back as you feel him relax. Turning your head slightly, you kiss the side of his head and he snuggles into your shoulder a little more.

“How are you feeling?” you ask, voice soft as you toy with his hair.

“M’okay,” he mumbles, so pitifully that you chuckle. He exhales a deep sigh before shifting onto his side a little more, but keeping his head where it was on your shoulder. “Just glad we got to 2 points.” You nod, enjoying the way he’s leaning into your touch as you continue to play with his short curls.

“Are you hungry? Do you want to watch something?” Your voice is quiet, just hoping there’s something you can do to help him feel better.

“Not hungry, but you can put something on if you want. Can’t promise I’ll stay up for long though, I’m already pretty drowsy,” he says, tipping his head up to look at you. He looks sleepy, and you nod, pressing an easy kiss to his mouth before you reach for the remote. 

“No preference what I put on then?” 

“Nah, not really,” he says, settling his head on your chest again as you start scrolling through Netflix. You’re both quiet for a moment as you start an episode of Derry Girls, and with the sound of Jeff’s even breathing, you think he’s asleep already, so it surprises you when he speaks again. “Are you ready for next weekend?”

You don’t answer right away, but a second later, you nod. “Yeah, I think so. I’m kind of nervous too, but I don’t really know why,” you admit, shrugging as you keep your eyes on the tv. Knowing you probably wouldn’t bother staying up much later, you turn off the lights, grateful for the fancy tech in Jeff’s room that allows you to do it from your phone. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he says, his arm tightening around your waist. “I’m excited though, for everyone to know about us.” You smile warmly to yourself and hum in agreement.

“Me too. I’m still a little nervous, but I know it’ll be a good weekend. It’ll be nice to see everybody.”

“Mhm. Just a few more days now. Are you still coming to the game Wednesday? Figured we could leave straight from the arena,” he says, words coming slower and slower.

“Works for me,” you tell him, starting to play with his hair again. He nods, yawning before settling into you even more. 

It’s no surprise that he dozes off shortly after, and you don’t stay up much later, just long enough to finish the episode you’d started. Once you turn off the tv, you lay there in the dark, enjoying the sound of Jeff’s breathing and the warmth of his body pressed against yours. It’s easy to get to sleep that night.

“Yeah, coach let us go a little early today,” he tells you, and you hear him try to stifle a yawn. 

“Are you gonna head home for a nap?” you ask with a soft laugh, pushing your hair out of your face.

“Yeah, probably,” he admits, earning a snort out of you. 

“I hope you know that I’m crazy jealous.”

The after practice phone calls had come every day in the week that followed Jeff’s return from the road trip. It had become part of the easy routine the two of you had settled into. You’d stayed together a handful of nights, gone to one of his two home games that week. Being together was just easy.

“Do you want to go out for drinks tonight? Some teammates and their girls are going out, so I just figured it’d be a good time for you to meet everyone,” he says following a short pause. You know he’s driving, you can hear the soft clicking of his blinker and the hum of the radio. 

“Uhm, what time? I’m grabbing dinner with some colleagues, so as long as it’s after that, yeah, I’d like to go,” you tell him, despite feeling a little nervous about meeting more of his teammates. 

“Yeah, that should work. Do you think 9 would be a good time to shoot for?” 

“I think so, yeah, we should be done by then,” you say, leaning back in your seat a bit more. Your stomach is growling, and you’ll be happy to take your lunch break once you’re off the phone with Jeff. 

“Great, I’ll send you the address later,” he tells you, and you can hear the smile in his voice. “You wanna stay at mine after?”

A wide grin spreads across your face, and you laugh quietly. “Yeah, sure,” you say, feeling heat rise up the back of your neck as you wonder if the hickeys you’d left on his chest a couple nights early was still there. 

The two of you talk for a few more minutes until he reaches his parking garage, and you say your goodbyes as he gets into the elevator. As if on cue, your stomach growls loudly the second you hand up, and you step out of your cubicle to see if Lydia had had lunch yet. 

You and Lydia ended up going out for sandwiches around the corner from your office, taking your time to get back to work. You told her about going out with Jeff to meet some of his teammates, and asked if she’d want to go with you, figuring she’d jump at the opportunity. She declined your invitation, which was a surprise, but you didn’t push for a reason. It was a nice lunch though, considering you hadn’t seen much of her in the last few days. The two of you solidified plans for the game you were going to in a few days, and you eventually went back to your desk to finish out the work day.

Somehow, the rest of the day went by quickly enough. Dinner was nice, considering it was with work friends you didn’t see very often. After eating, you hung around for a while, catching up as you finished your glass of wine. By the time you went your separate ways, it was earlier than you expected, and you texted Jeff to let him know you were on your way to the bar.

Since you were staying in the city overnight, you’d just left your car in the garage at work, sure that Jeff would give you a ride to work in the morning. You ordered an Uber to the bar, and in the backseat of the car, you reapply your lipstick and try your best not to feel nervous at the prospect of meeting more of Jeff’s teammates. 

When you walk in, it’s easy to spot everyone, and Jeff’s back is to you as you approach. There’s an empty glass in front of him and another that’s only a third full in his hand, and when you’re close enough, you run your hand over his shoulder and lean to kiss his cheek. He looks at you and a grin spreads widely across his face as he greets you. Shrugging off your jacket, you glance around the table, and you’re happy to see some familiar faces. As you get settled into your seat, Jeff goes around the table to introduce everyone. 

Ten minutes later and you’ve relaxed a little, chit-chatting with a few of the girls. You feel a little out of place, considering you’re still in the same black slacks and blouse that you’d worn to work earlier. Jeff’s hand is resting on your knee under the table, and it’s more than a little distracting. He finishes his second beer and squeezes your knee lightly to get your attention.

“I’m gonna go grab another drink, do you want anything?” he asks, grinning at you still and you notice a slight flush coloring his cheeks. “Yeah, I’ll go with you, I want to see what they’ve got on tap,” you tell him, tucking your hair behind your ear as you slip out of your seat. 

The bar’s not very crowded, but there’s a short wait to order drinks and Jeff’s arm slips around your shoulders easily. You take the time to look at the draft listing on the wall, humming in thought quietly as you try to decide what you want. 

“How was dinner?” he asks, warm as you lean into him slightly.

“It was nice, a good chance to catch up with some colleagues I don’t see very often,” you respond, tilting your head up to look at him. He drops his head to kiss you quickly, and you smile against his mouth, grateful that you’ve got this quick minute to catch up. 

The two of you talk softly for a few more moments before it’s Jeff’s turn to order. He asks what you want and once you respond, he pulls away to step up to the bar. You fish your phone out of your pocket, texting Lydia the name of the bar in case she’d changed her mind about wanting to come out.

Someone behind you said your name, and you jumped slightly, turning to see who it was. You were greeted by a familiar face you hadn’t seen in a while, a friend from work that had taken a position in another city a few months earlier. 

“Oh my god, Peter, hi!” you exclaim, grinning widely as you take a step closer to hug him quickly. “I didn’t know you were in town! I just had dinner with Vanessa and Gayle!” You’re practically beaming, still shocked to see him.

“My mom’s birthday is this weekend, so I figured that warranted a trip home. My brother dragged me out tonight,” he says, pointing over his shoulder. “How have you been? You look great. I wasn’t even sure it was you when I saw you, I know you and Lydia usually stick to Stella’s.”

The mention of Stella’s makes you snort softly, reminded of the number of times Peter had picked you and Lydia up after a night of drinking. “Trust me, I’d love to be at Stella’s right now,” you say, shrugging with a laugh. “I’m out with my boyfriend and his teammates, so I didn’t get to pick the bar.” You pause, glancing over your shoulder to see Jeff approaching you. “Oh, speaking of which, here he is.”

Jeff is clearly sizing Peter up as he hands you your beer, arm sliding around your shoulders in a rather protective manner as you thank him quietly for the drink. Peter looks rather surprised, clearly recognizing Jeff, and it’s an interesting few seconds to watch unfold.

“Uh, Peter, this is Jeff,” you say, breaking the short silence. “Jeff, Peter. We used to work together, but he transferred to an office out of state a while back.” Jeff clearly relaxes when he realizes Peter is someone you actually know rather than some random guy that wouldn’t leave you alone.

“Nice to meet you, man,” Peter says, offering his hand which Jeff shakes. 

“Yeah, you too,” he responds quickly before glancing down at you. “I’m gonna head back to the table, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” you assure him, smiling quickly as he pulls away. As polite as ever, Jeff tells Peter to have a good night before taking off, and Peter gives you an impressed look that makes you snort.

“We’ve clearly got a lot of catching up to do,” he teases, making you roll your eyes with a grin as you take a sip of your drink.

“Yeah, we do. How long are you in town? I’m sure Lydia would love to see you too.” 

“My flight takes leaves Monday morning. Let me see what I’ve got going on family-wise, and I’ve still got your numbers, so I’ll start a group chat to see if we can find a time to grab lunch or something,” he says, warm smile on his face. “I’ll let you get back to your friends though, yeah?”

You nod, taking a step forward to hug him tightly. “Sounds good. I’ll see you soon then,” you tell him, pulling back and already starting back toward the table with a wave.

Retaking your seat at the table, you rejoin the group midway through a debate over the Office versus Parks and Rec, and you’re content to listen as you take drinks from your glass here and there. You nudge Jeff with your knee gently under the table and from the corner of your eye, you see him grin as he nudges you back, his hand settling on your thigh a moment later. 

Half an hour later as you’re finishing your beer, Jeff leans to kiss the side of your head, asking softly if you were ready to head out for the night. You tell him you’ll be ready to head out in another ten minutes or so, and he nods, finishing off his beer as well. His hand had moved a little higher on your thigh without you really noticing, and you can’t help the slight smirk that tugs at the corners of your mouth. 

“You can go ahead and order a ride home if you want,” you tell him, enjoying the bit of color in his cheeks brought on by the beer. He nods and fishes his phone out of his pocket, and after a moment, he says the car will be there in five.

After slipping on your jacket, the two of you say your goodbyes, and you’re glad that Jeff had thought to invite you. Meeting more of his teammates made everything feel a lot more real, and there’s a content grin on your face as you headed out to the street, Jeff’s arm around you as you walked.

“Did you have a good time?” Jeff asks, kissing your hair softly as you lean into his frame. His eyes are on his phone, checking the make and model of the vehicle you were keeping an eye out for.

“Yeah, definitely,” you assure him, nodding quickly. “It’s nice getting to meet everyone, and running into Peter was a nice surprise too.” It’s then that the car pulls up, and Jeff is quick to open the door, letting you slide into the seat before joining you. He greets the driver and is already pulling you back to his side.

“You said you used to work with Peter?” he asked, and you looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. The question was innocent enough to come off as small talk, and you laugh it off softly as you rest your head on Jeff’s shoulder.

“Yeah, he worked in a different department though,” you explain, trying to stifle a yawn. It’s warm in the back of the car, enough so that it’s making you a little drowsy. “He’s a good guy. We made out a Christmas party one year, but Lydia was always far more into him than I was.”

Jeff makes a noise that you can’t determine the meaning of, and you snuggle in closer to his side.

“What, you jealous?” you ask, teasing tone to your voice. He shrugs, chuckling softly.

“Nah. I mean, I’ve made out with you at more Christmas parties than he has, so I feel like I’m in decent shape,” he responds, earning a laugh out of you.

“Yeah, you are, don’t worry,” you tell him, tilting your head up kiss his cheek softly.

The rest of the drive passes quickly, and you stay tucked into Jeff’s side. You’d only had the one drink, but Jeff had had a few more, and he was still tipsy, it was obvious in the way he toyed with your hair idly and the way he couldn’t seem to get you close enough.

In the elevator a few minutes later, Jeff crowds you up against the wall, grinning all the while as his hands settle on your hips. Before the doors are even closed, his mouth is on yours, kissing you sweetly as he squeezes you, hands moving up like he can’t keep them off you. You laugh quietly against his mouth, hand resting on his chest. When he pulls back, you grin, enjoying the sight of his flushed cheeks as his hands start to wander along your waist over the fabric of your blouse.

“You look awfully happy,” you tease, laughing again as he leans in again, this time attaching his lips to your neck. Your head immediately lolls to the side, a breathy sigh leaving you as his mouth moves over your pulsepoint.

“I am,” he says, words mumbled against your skin. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got you all to myself for the rest of the night.” The words make you roll your eyes as a grin tugs at your mouth, and before you can respond, the elevator chimes before the doors open.

Jeff untangles himself from you with a begrudging sound, like it’s the hardest thing he’s ever done, and you chuckle as your hand finds his to tug him out of the elevator with you. As he fishes for his keys, you hug him, leaning into his chest and nuzzling into his collar bone while he gets the door open.

Inside, you slip out of your jacket and kick your shoes off, sighing softly as you hear Jeff moving around behind you. He says your name a second later, and you turn to look at him, grinning at the fact that he’s already reaching for you. Your arms start to slip around his neck, but his hands catch your wrists, pinning them above your head as he presses you against the wall just inside the door. It catches you by surprise, earning a gasp out of you as you instinctively arch to press closer to him.

When he kisses you, it’s rough, hungry, and you moan against his mouth as he keeps you pressed against the wall. His hand on your wrists is tight, but not uncomfortably so, and the fact that you’re not able to touch him has you growing impatient pretty quickly. Jeff tastes like beer, but you hardly care, and you let your teeth catch on his bottom lip, something that never fails to get a groan out of him. 

You’re already panting by the time he pulls away just enough to kiss down the column of you throat, sucking at your skin. He’s nosing along the collar of your shirt and one hand leaves your wrists to drop to your waist. His hand slips under the hem of your top, hot against your skin as it moves up to brush his fingers along the band of your bra. 

“You’re so fucking sexy,” he murmurs into your cleavage, groaning into your skin. His tongue slides over the top of your breast and you shiver, breathing his name as your clit throbs. You arch your back, trying to press closer to him and he releases your other wrist to tug your shirt off over your head.

He grins down at you as he drops the fabric to the floor next to your feet, and the darkness in his eyes sends heat down your spine. You can’t stop yourself from reaching for him again, hands cupping his face as you pull his mouth back to yours. The kiss is rather sloppy, with Jeff humming against your mouth in a way that makes your insides turn to mush as heat pools between your thighs. 

“Jeff, bedroom,” you breathe against his mouth, arm slipping around his neck despite the fact that you should be pulling away to drag him toward his room. 

“Wanna make you cum first,” he responds, mouth barely leaves yours as he speaks. The quick statement makes your cheeks flush, and you do your best to ignore it. You don’t have the chance to respond before he’s pressing his body against yours firmly so you’re pinned back against the wall again.

You squirm slightly, legs pressing together, and you can already feel that you’re soaked. It’s so easy to get lost in the kiss that you’re mind goes blank as his tongue slides along yours, barely even aware of the fact that his hand is moving to unfasten you’re bra. He pulls the fabric away from your body and he leans back to look down at your newly exposed skin. Jeff looks incredible then, lips parted and slightly swollen, catching his breath as he takes the time to admire your tits.

He realizes he’s staring, and his eyes lift to yours and he’s smirking as he drops his head again. Jeff leaves another line of hot, sucking kisses down your sternum as his hands move over your waist like he can’t touch you enough. His mouth ghosts over your nipple and you gasp, hand sliding up his neck to run your fingers through his hair.

When you glance down at him, he’s looking up at you, and you can feel your flush creeping down your neck as you let your head rest back against the wall. A curse leaves you as he sucks a mark into the side of your breast, humming contently as he does so. He unfastens your trousers and you arch your hips toward him as pushes the fabric down your thighs. You kick them off easily, somehow managing not to trip as you toe them away. Jeff pulls back to look at you, cocky grin on his face as you squirm, pulling him back to you.

“Fuck, I love you,” you tell him, kissing him hard as you start unbutton his shirt. His hand slides up your waist to cup your breast, thumb rubbing over your nipple firmly and you make a needy whine that gets caught in your throat. Your fingers are shaking as you work at the last few buttons, cursing under your breath impatiently.

“Love you too, baby,” he murmurs, pulling back with a wide smirk in response to the sound you made. He leans away enough to slip out of his shirt and drop it to the floor, and you lick your lips as your eyes slid down his familiar frame. “I’ve been thinking about having you like this all day.” His words are soft, but there’s no mistaking the dark tone of it and he’s looking down at you as he presses closer.

When he kisses you again, he slips his hand into your panties easily, both of you groaning in unison when his fingers slip between your folds. Your hips immediately push toward his, and your arm loops around his neck for support as you swayed on your feet slightly. When you glance up at him, he’s watching you, and your clit throbs as his fingers sweep over it lightly. 

Your hips rock against his hand slightly and you moan into Jeff’s mouth as his tongue slides over yours. His other hand drops from your waist to tug your panties down, and you shimmy enough to get them down to your ankles so you can kick them off. Jeff makes a sound of appreciation and you laugh softly, arms tightening around his neck to keep him from pulling away.

“So wet, sweetheart,” he breathes against your mouth and you nod slightly, biting his bottom lip as two of his fingers tease at your entrance. You can hear the sound of your arousal as his fingers just barely dip into you, and you huff with impatience.

Jeff’s smirk is obvious, and his mouth leaves yours to press a kiss to your cheek before moving down your jaw. He sinks two fingers into you and you sigh with relief, head falling back to rest against the wall behind you. Taking advantage of your new position, Jeff’s mouth settles on your pulsepoint and you curse under your breath as his fingers curl inside you.

“Fuck, Jeff,” you whine, feeling his fingertips against your g-spot. He lets the blunt edge of his teeth drag over your skin and your eyes squeeze closed as his thumb rubs a circle against your clit. Your toes curl against the floor as your hips rock firmly against his hand, wanting his fingers deeper inside you. 

He’s sucking a mark against the side of your breast as he slips a third finger into you, and your back arches as you cry out for him. The heel of his hand starts grinding firmly against your clit with each motion of his fingers, and you curse again, barely able to tell which way is up by that point. Jeff keeps close to you, mouth eventually moving against your collarbone as he curses into your skin. 

You’re grateful that he’s clearly not in the mood to do much teasing, quickly setting a rather rough rhythm as his fingers fuck into your cunt. With your arm around him, your nails dig into his shoulder and you arch in an effort to get more skin to skin contact. You almost hate that it’s so easy for him to make you unravel for him like this, barely even inside the door, but right now, it feels way too good to even care. 

Your body feels like it’s on fire, sure that you’re flushed from head to toe as you squirm impatiently, hips moving against his hand. He’s standing so close to you, using one knee to keep your legs open, and when you rock against him, it’s impossible not to notice the line of his cock through his pants. Your hand slides up his neck to tangle in his short curls and your mouth drops open, but no sound comes out.

“You’re already close, aren’t you?” he asks, voice low as looks down at you. Forcing your eyes open to look at him, you nod, feeling yourself tighten around his fingers as a smirk slides onto his face. 

His mouth crashes into yours in a rough, needy kiss that you moan into. Jeff licks into your mouth and you melt back against the wall, hips still grinding hard against his hand while his fingers curl roughly inside you. 

His mouth leaves yours to look down in you, eyes moving slowly over your kiss swollen lips and taking in your dazed expression. The motion of his fingers picks up, taking you by surprise and nearly knocking the wind out of you. You press your lips together to stifle a filthy groan, and Jeff’s other hand lifts to cup your breast, teasing over your nipple to make you arch for him.

“I wanna hear you, sweetheart. Wanna hear you say my name when you cum,” he says, tugging at your nipple teasingly. His smirk is back, and you’re so close that you can’t even respond to him, eyes rolling back as your face creases with pleasure. “Shit, Jeff, oh my god,” you pant, the last syllable dragging out into a whine as you’re finally pushed over the edge. 

The orgasm hits you hard, body tensing as your nails brush over his scalp. Clinging to him desperately, your curse again under your breath, rocking down to practically fuck yourself onto his fingers. Your throat’s dry from all of the whining and moaning you’ve done and your voice sounds wrecked as you breath his name. It feels like every nerve in your body is raw and exposed, and you’re grateful to have the wall behind you to lean against. 

Your heart is thundering in your eyes as your orgasm slows, Jeff’s fingers still rocking against your core, gentler now like he’s guiding you down. It’s impossible to keep your eyes open any longer, so you let them close, already trying to guide Jeff’s mouth back to yours.

“I love you, holy shit,” you murmur between lazy kisses. You have to pull away frequently for a quick breath, he’s grinning at you when you open your eyes again.

“Love you too, more than anything,” he responds, sounding relaxed and sincere.

With a sigh, you bring a hand up to push your hair back, still trying to catch your breath as he pulls his fingers from you. You can see that the three fingers a slick with your wetness and you lick your lips. Like he’s read your mind, he slips the three digits into your mouth, and you immediately moan again at the taste of yourself on his thick fingers. Jeff’s breathing seems to pick up as he watches you, and you look up at him through your eyelashes as you suck his digits clean.

“Time to head to bed?” he asks you as he pulls his fingers from your lips, leaning to kiss you again, just as hard as he had earlier. You hum loudly, nodding as much as you can without breaking the kiss. Looping your arms around his neck, you rock your hips toward his to make him moan. 

With a frustrated sounding sigh, Jeff pulled away, and you laugh as his hand slid into yours to pull you toward his room. The line of his cock straining against his pants is obvious by then, hence his urgency. You can tell that his shoulders are tense, and there’s a slight flush creeping up the back of his neck that makes you grin. 

Closing his bedroom door behind you, his hands are on you immediately, gripping your hips and pulling your body against his. Breasts pressing against his chest, you tug at his bottom lip with your teeth as your hands move to unfasten his pants eagerly. He groans into your mouth when you drag his zipper down, hand stroking him through his boxers. You push his pants down his hips easily and he pulls away to kick them away, eyes lifting to yours again.

He’s grinning a bit, and his hand comes up to cup your jaw, guiding your mouth back to his. His arm loops around your waist, keeping you close as he walks you toward his bed, patience clearly dwindling. When the back of your thighs hits the mattress, Jeff kisses your shoulder after pulling back, reaching for the drawer of his nightstand for a condom. 

You sit on the edge of the bed, leaning back with your weight resting on your hands as you watch him. He glances at you over the shoulder, shaking his head quickly, and your eyebrows raise in confusion.

“Turn over for me,” he tells you, sending heat down your spine. You move quickly, feeling how slick you are as you shift, knees and elbows pressing into the bed. 

You don’t realize how close he is, because when Jeff’s hand settles low on your back, you jump slightly, both of you laughing a second later. His hand moves up your spine slowly and you shiver, already pressing back toward him.

“I could get used to this view, sweetheart,” he murmurs, sliding down his hips and opening the condom. The words make heat rise up your neck despite the goosebumps rise along your skin.

Biting your lip, you glance back at him quickly and he has the audacity to smirk at you before smacking your ass firmly to make you yelp in surprise, the noise fading into a moan. Given your reaction, he does it again, as your head drops and you rock back toward him with an impatient sound. 

“Fuck, Jeff, c’mon,” you mutter, teeth clenched as you feel your clit throb.

“So goddamn needy, huh, y/n?” he responds, pulling you closer to the edge of the mattress. You glance back at him, licking your lips as you see him roll the condom on his length. You’re so desperate for him by then that the sight of his cock is almost enough to make your mouth water. 

About to make another impatient noise, you feel his hand grip your hip as he starts to drag the head of his cock along your folds. A shiver runs down your spine again, and you moan as you rest more weight on your elbows to pop your hips a little higher for him. The display of eagerness makes him chuckle softly, positioning himself at your entrance and using the hand on your hip to pull you back onto his length.

A string of curses leaves you as your head falls forward, a high sound getting trapped in your throat as he fills you. Your grip on the sheet tightens, and you breathe his name, already trying to press back toward him more. His hand soothes over your back gently, calloused fingers moving over the bumps of your spine, and you can feel your pussy throbbing around his cock as you wait for him to move more. 

“Jeff, please,” you murmur, eyes falling shut as he grips your hips with both hands.

“Please what, baby?” he asks, the cockiness in his voice making you want to scream. 

“Shit, want you to fuck me,” you respond, voice low as he thumb brushes over your skin lightly. 

He hasn’t taken you like this before, you realize, and you’re not used to not being able to touch him, kiss him, or pull at his hair. That lack of contact seems to be making you extra needy as you grind back against him as hard as you can. That earns a curse out of him and he sighs easily, rutting against you enough that his cock drags over your g-spot to make you moan.

You shift slightly so your chest is pressing against bed and he repeats the motion, harder this time. The new angle is exponentially better, and you push your hair out of your face, mouth dry from how heavily you’ve been breathing. He’s settling into a rhythm, but it’s not nearly enough for you, not yet, and you rock back to meet his hips roughly. Groaning his name, you twist the sheets beneath you, your skin feeling absolutely electrified as his hand moves over your back slowly. 

He has a way of making you feel so stunning, just from how he always takes the time to savor you like this. It had taken a while to get used to, not to feel the need to cover yourself when he acted like you were the most perfect thing in the world.

“Harder, Jeff, please,” you whine as your cunt tightens around him. It’s like you can feel every ridge and vein of his cock as he sinks into you, each movement slick and leaving you desperate for more.

His response is to grunt, slapping your ass harder than before and your clit throbs for attention. Another curse leaves you, and he does as you’d requested, hand returning to your hips to start pounding into you. You’re absolutely soaked, you can feel it, hear it even, and you’re so focused on trying to catch your breath that when he spanks you again, you cry out in surprise.

“You feel so fucking good, baby, and you look incredible, taking my cock like this,” he tells you, humming under his breath a second later. You nod as best as you can, face half pressed into the mattress in an effort to quiet the constant moans that were leaving you.

He felt so much thicker in this position, and with your hips popped up like this, he was hitting all the right spots that had you teetering on the edge of an orgasm all over again. You’re grateful for his firm hold on your hips, because you’re not sure you’d be able to keep yourself upright otherwise.

Your body is tense, knowing you’re toeing the edge now and damn near desperate for it, your pussy squeezing tight around him. Shifting your weight slightly, you move one hand to settle between your thighs to give your clit the attention it’s aching for. Jeff makes a sound approval, groaning as he adjusts his hold on your hips as your eyes roll back. 

“Mmph, god, Jeff,” you breathe, gasping out a curse a second later. Your toes curl as you cum, eyes squeezing shut as you all but sob into the mattress. 

Jeff fucks you through it, hard, still squeezing your hips tightly to keep you in place despite your efforts to grind back against him for more friction. His thrusts seem almost targeted, hitting your g-spot with each motion and you’re practically slumped against the sheets as you babble out his name, nearly incoherently.

Still rubbing rough circles against your clit, your hand is suddenly drenched and Jeff curses behind you, his rhythm faltering slightly. You’re still gripping the comforter like your life depends on it, hips starting to ache from holding the position for so long, but fuck, it just feels too good to even attempt moving. You know he has to be close, the dropped rhythm always so telltale, and you’re panting his name with a throaty groan.

Your head is buzzing by the time you’re able to tell which way is up, forehead pressed to the mattress as you try to catch your breath. You’re less dazed then and pressing back toward Jeff as he slides a hand higher on your waist, his short nails grazing over your skin. 

“Want you to cum for me, baby,” you murmur, voice low. When you push your hair back out of your face, your hairline is damp with sweat, your body hot.

He groans and squeezes your waist, your name leaving his lips as slams into you again before grinding hard against you. A slew of curses leaves him as he cums, your clit throbbing from hearing how wrecked he sounds. You rock back toward him to savor feeling off him coming undone for you, groaning as your pussy tightens around him. He’s breathing heavily, his hold on you loosening as you grin to yourself lazily, feeling satisfied as he pulls out.

“Shit, y/n,” Jeff says, sounding exhausted as he taps your ass with a chuckle before stepping away. You laugh with him easily, grinning as you let yourself fall onto your side, the muscles of your hips feeling sore for holding the position for so long.

Stretching out along the bed, you watch Jeff move about, removing the condom before putting it in the bin next to his nightstand. He glances at you, eyes taking in your naked frame as if you hadn’t been naked this whole time, and he’s smirking like he’s proud of himself. You scoff lightly, amused, and nudge at his thigh with your foot, feeling dampness against your calf where it rested on the edge of the bed.

“Shit, why is the blanket wet?” you ask, yawning as Jeff opens a drawer of his dresser to grab clothes.

“Uh, I think you squirted,” Jeff responds, glancing over his shoulder at you. He looks quite smug and you raise your eyebrows. “You want leggings?”

“Huh. Well, that’s new,” you say before nodding in response to his questions. Jeff tosses you a pair of leggings as well as panties from the drawer that had turned into yours. A shirt of his comes next and you grin at the fact that he’d done it automatically.

Finally confident that your legs will work, you stand to get dressed, and by the time you’re pulling your shirt on, Jeff is settling into bed. With a tired sigh, you join him, getting cozy between the sheets and he quickly moves to hold you, pressing his face into your chest.

Your hand comes up to push through his slightly damp curls and you grin contently as he nuzzles into you. He lifts his head a second grinning up at you then pressing a kiss to your mouth. 

“I love you,” you murmur, kissing him again.

“Love you too, baby,” he says, stifling a yawn and settling his head on your shoulder. 

You’re still playing with his hair with one hand as you reach for your phone that you’d left on the nightstand earlier, making sure you’d remembered to set alarms for the morning. “It’s only 11, did you want to watch something before bed?” you ask, kissing his forehead before yawning yourself.

“You can put something on if you want, but I can’t guarantee I’ll stay awake for more than 20 minutes,” he tells you, already sounding quite sleepy. You nod, chuckling as you pull away enough to turn off the lamp on the nightstand.

The two of you end up staying awake longer than expected, curled up together and talking quietly in the dark. He’s warm and familiar, head still settled on your shoulder with his arm around your waist securely. It seemed like that was his favorite way to sleep and you surely didn’t mind, toying with his hair idly. 

“Hi,” Jeff responds almost bashfully as you open the storm door for him so he can come inside. As he steps past you, you realize he’s got his duffel in his hand and he’s still in his suit.

“Did you come straight here?” you ask, yawning as you’re taking a step toward him as soon as the door is closed. Your arms go around his middle tightly, and he’s quick to kiss the top of your head while smoothing a hand down over your hair.

“Yeah, I did,” he admits with a guilty tone. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. I probably should’ve put a little more thought into it.” He shrugs, bringing a hand up to ruffle his hair as he starts to pull back.

“It’s okay, I’m happy to see you, trust me,” you promise, grinning up at him in the low light of your entryway. Jeff smiles back at you, nodding once as you bring a hand up grip the front of his dress shirt so you can pull him back to you. “I missed you.” The words are soft, and you don’t give him time to respond before you’re kissing him firmly, just happy to have him home again.

“I missed you too. I just couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you,” he told you when you pull back enough to look at him. The words make you practically beam, like you’ve already forgotten that it’s the middle of the night.

You sigh contentedly, arms already looping around him again, leaning forward into his chest. He’s warm and sturdy, all muscle beneath his shirt, and all yours. Jeff hugs you back tightly, and arm around your shoulders keeping you tight against his body. When he pulls back, it’s to kiss you again, his hand gentle where it’s cupping your cheek.

The two of you stand there for a long moment, kissing lazily as you lean into each other. It’s Jeff who pulls away first, taking a deep breath, and you can see in the low lighting that he was a bit flushed.

“You ready to head to bed?” he asks a second later, licking his lips as he looks down at you. You smile and nod before taking the lead to your room.

After turning on the lamp on your end table, you climb back into bed, immediately curling up as Jeff puts his duffel on the edge of the bed. As he digs through it for something to change into, the two of you talk about your day, the game, and the fun he’d had on the road. The two of you had called and talked over FaceTime while he was gone, but it was nice to have him there.

He changes out of his suit and leaves it in a mess on the floor as he switches into a pair of sweatpants. You’re already feeling sleepy again when he puts his bag on the floor and motions for you to scoot over as he turns off the lamp. As soon as Jeff is beneath the covers with you, he’s wrapping himself around you, his head resting against your chest. It surprises you in a way that makes you feel warm all over and loved as he nuzzles into your collarbone. Chuckling in the dark, you bring a hand up to push your fingers through his hair.

“Do you have to work tomorrow?” he asks quietly after getting settled. His arm is tight around your waist as he leans into you.

“Nope,” you respond, popping the P sound. “First time in a few weeks. I told them if they call me in the morning, I’m not answering.” Your fingers continue to play with his hair idly, tugging at the dark strands.

“That’a girl,” Jeff chuckles in response, shifting slightly to press his face into your chest more.

The contact makes you snort softly and you nudge at his head where it’s pressed contently into your tits. “Is that comfortable?” you question, your other hand moving over his back lightly.

“Oh, yeah,” he responds, the words muffled into the fabric of your shirt. It makes you laugh, and that’s when he lifts his head. Your eyes are adjusted to the dark enough that you can see him grinning.

Jeff leans over you, keeping close before he kisses you softly. Your arm slips around his neck to keep him close, and you enjoy the weight and warmth of having his body so close. He rests his weight on one hand and the other trails up your waist, tugging your shirt up with it. You’re tired and looking forward to going back to sleep, but right now, you’re just happy to have him home.

You stay that while longer, the kissing growing hungrier as a familiar ache starts between your thighs. Jeff licks into your mouth as he rests a bit more weight against you, and the contact makes you hum. The sound clearly encourages him because a second later, he tugs gently at your bottom lip before pulling back.

He kisses your neck as you try to catch your breath, already squeezing your thighs together in seek of some friction. When his hand slips under your shirt moves higher to cup your breast, you immediately arch toward him. The way his thumb brushes over your nipple as he sucks at your neck makes you gasp. Your nails sink into his skin, and he sighs into your neck before kissing along your collar lightly.

“I missed you,” he says, voice low as he glances up at you quickly.

“Are you talking to me or my tits?” you respond, cocking an eyebrow at him. A smile tugs at your lips and he doesn’t bother answering beyond rolling your nipple between his thumb and forefinger teasingly.

The sound the leaves you is high and needy, and really, you’re shocked that you’re already this turned on. When you squirm slightly, you can feel how slick you are between your thighs, and you exhale Jeff’s name as a sigh. He kisses along your chest and his hand moves to nudge at the waist of your leggings and panties. You lift your hips to help him get the fabric down your thighs, tightening your arm around his neck to pull him back to you.

As you kiss him roughly, Jeff nudges your legs open for him more, slipping a hand between your thighs. You gasp as his fingers slide through your folds, hips jerking toward him. The motion makes him grin against your mouth, you can feel it, and you groan quietly when he sinks two fingers into you.

Jeff curses, pulling back from your mouth to press his face into your collarbone. One hand knots in his hair again while the other grips the sheets beneath you, hips already grinding against his hand. Your breathing is coming in short pants, mind swimming with drowsiness and lust as his fingers curl against your g-spot.

When you say his name, you sound whiny but you can’t bring yourself to care. He’d been gone for less than a week, but it felt like so much longer since he’d had his hands on you. After pressing light kisses over your chest, he sucks your nipple into his mouth at the same time that his thumb finds your clit. The combination of touches makes you arch beneath him, and your hand in his hair moves down to sink your nails into his shoulder.

He hums against your breast before pulling back to look at you. His eyes move over your face in the dark and you grin at him as you bite your lip. You tell him that you love him, and he says it back, pressing a kiss to your mouth. At the same time, his hand speeds up, leaving you writhing beneath him as your orgasm hits you.

A ragged gasp leaves your throat and you pull back to take a breath, hips rocking up toward his hand. He’s smirking at you, fingers still curling inside you as he guides you through it. You’re left breathless and clinging to him, eyes squeezed shut so hard that you’re seeing stars. Panting, you feel sweat start to collect along your hairline, and you do your best to stop yourself from shaking.

When Jeff kisses you again, it’s hard but slow, and before long his mouth moves down to your jaw. You can feel yourself clenching around his fingers still, and you sigh contentedly as you start to shove at his shoulder. The contact makes him chuckle softly and that’s when you open your eyes again to find him still smirking down at you. With the way he’s resting against you, you can feel the hard line of his dick pressing against your thigh as his fingers leave you, and you squirm against the mattress.

“You want me to move?” he asks, already starting to pull away as your hand moves to rest against his cheek. Immediately after speaking, he brings his hand up to his mouth, sucking your wetness off his fingers in an obscene move that makes you pout at him in the dark.

“Yeah, but only to grab a condom,” you respond, smirk growing on your face as both of you laugh while he nods. He kisses you again, more urgently now, and he does as you say, leaning for your bedside table to fish around for a condom.

With his attention otherwise occupied, your hands slide down his torso and you catch your breath as you admire the lines of his body. He tenses slightly under your touch like it’s ticklish, and you grin to yourself as you start to push his sweats down his hips.

Jeff returns to you, pressing a quick, firm kiss to your mouth before sitting back on his knees with the condom in hand. You shift to get your leggings off the rest of the way as he kicks off his sweats, nearly falling over in the process, reducing you both to laughter again.

“You good?” you ask teasingly, sitting up enough to pull your t-shirt off over your head.

“Yeah,” he grumbles, grinning while his eyes move over your newly exposed skin. Jeff takes his time admiring your frame in the low lighting of your room as he rolls the condom onto his length. Feeling impatient, you nudge him with your knee and he leans over you again, easily pinning you down to the mattress.

The contact makes you groan as he settles between your thighs again, and he’s smiling, purposely dodging the kiss you’re trying to press to his mouth. You make an impatient sound and he finally kisses you as he guides your knee up over his hip. Melting back into the mattress, your arm settles around his neck again, and his forehead rests against yours.

His cock slides against your folds and you curse softly, already trying to rock up against him for more contact. Jeff takes the hint, resting his weight on one hand as the other moves to guide his cock into you. He pushes into you in a single motion that makes your breath catch in your throat as you exhale a satisfied groan. His head drops to rest against your collarbone, and you can feel his breath, hot and damp, against your skin.

“Fuck, I love you,” he murmurs against your skin, and you chuckle as your hand comes up to push through his hair.

“Love you too,” you respond, feeling yourself squeeze around him as your hips cant up toward his in an effort to make him move.

It works, and he rocks into you, somehow deeper than before. He pulls your leg up higher on his hip, holding behind your knee is he starts to settle into a rhythm that has your hand tensing in his hair. His body is pressed fully against yours, all firm muscle and you whine his name, still needing more.

Jeff is sucking a mark into your collarbone, but you’re already too needy to even care, breathing heavily as he fucks into you. As you pull at his hair, your other arm tightens around his shoulders, practically clinging to him. He rests more of his weight against you, keeping you pinned against the mattress, and the contact makes fire run through your veins as you curse under your breath.

“You feel so good, Y/N, fuck,” he pants, slowly kissing his way up your neck before kissing you hard on the mouth to swallow the moan that leaves you. His mouth doesn’t stay on yours for long though before he’s pulling back enough to snap his hips into yours even harder. “Thought about you every night when I was gone, couldn’t wait to be home and be inside you.” His words make you shiver and whine for him, loving that you’ve clearly got his full attention.

Your eyes are squeezed shut, but you know he’s watching you, watching the way your expression changes as he fucks you. His hand moves to guide your leg higher on his waist, holding it there while grinding into you. You curse softly, pulling at his hair as you try to guide his mouth back to yours, eager for that extra contact. Your mouth only stays on his for a short moment though in favor of kissing along his neck, sucking at his pulse point.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured, voice and weak from the attention of your mouth. You can’t help but grin, enjoying the neediness in his voice as he rocks into you roughly. Your mouth stays on his neck, arm looped around his shoulders, and the motion of his hips grows a little more erratic.

You arch toward him, and the angle of his thrusts changes just enough that he hits your g-spot hard enough to take your breath away. “Jeff, fuck, right there,” you plead, clenching your jaw in an effort to hold back what would’ve been a filthy moan. Your leg tightens around him desperately, biting your lip as you look up at him.

Jeff huffs out a rough breath and shifts enough to slip a hand between your bodies to start rubbing circles against your clit with his thumb. “Need you to cum with me, baby, I wanna hear you,” he tells you, and you nod quickly, cursing a second later.

You could tell that you were completely drenched by then, and the slide of his cock into you was just perfect. When he kisses you roughly, you all but melt back into the mattress, his for the taking. Heat is welling in your belly as you clench around him, and his thumb rubs harder against your clit, completely sending you over the edge.

Pulling away from his mouth, you’re desperate for air as you gasp loudly, hips rolling up against his as best as you can. Your walls are tightening around him as you cum, and the hand in his hair tightens as his kisses your jaw. After a few slow, hard thrusts, Jeff stills against you, your name leaving him as cums with a groan. His hips are flush against yours as he rides out his release, grinding against you that makes your shake beneath him even more.

Your mind and body are both buzzing by the time your orgasm fades completely, still tangled up with Jeff as he breathes hot against your neck. When your fingers push through his hair, you can feel it’s a bit damp at the root and he’s leaning into your touch before he sighs.

“What?” you ask quietly in response to his sigh, gasping a second later when he shifts on top of you.

“I just don’t want to move,” he responds with a soft laugh that you echo.

“Well, you need to eventually,” you tell him, grinning in the dark as he looks up at you.

“Yeah, I know,” he says with a purposefully forlorn sigh, and you nudge him in the ribs with a giggle. Jeff kisses you in a series of slow kisses before pulling out of you and dropping onto his back against the mattress.

The two of you lay there for a while, talking quietly as you curl up against him. His arm settles around you easily, and you rest your head against his chest as you soak up the feeling of having him home again and all to yourself. He plays with the ends of your hair, runs his fingers along the bumps of your spine lightly, and warmth floods through your body as you relax.

Before long, you get up to use the bathroom, pulling on your discarded t-shirt and panties along the way. By the time you come back to your room, Jeff’s already half asleep, rolled onto his side so his face is pressed into your pillow. He moves back to his previous spot with a sheepish grin when you climb under the blankets with him.

“Am I going to get to sleep in tomorrow like I’d planned, or is your alarm going to be going off crazy earlier for a morning skate?” you ask, voice soft as you settle on your side. Jeff lets out a tired laugh as he moves as well so he’s spooning you, his arm around his waist keeping you against his chest.

“Coach gave us the day off tomorrow, and I plan on sleeping as late as humanly possible,” he assures you, pressing a kiss to your shoulder through the fabric of your shirt. You hum with a sleepy nod, enjoying the sound of that.

The next morning, you wake up earlier than you’d planned. You reach for your phone, checking the time and Jeff is still asleep on his back next to you. Rolling over, you rest your head against his chest in the hopes that you’d be able to fall asleep again. Your stomach had other plans though, growling a few minutes later and you sigh softly, knowing you should get up and find some breakfast.

You shift slightly, preparing to force yourself out of bed, and the little bit of motion makes Jeff stir. He promptly pulls you back to him, even though you’d barely moved away, and you exhale a short laugh as you nuzzle against his chest.

“Mm, morning,” he grumbles, bringing his hand up to rub over his face.

“Morning,” you respond, leaning up a little more to press a quick kiss to his mouth. You’re sure that your hair is a mess and that you’ve probably got a bit of excess mascara smeared under your eyes, but he grins at you sleepily regardless. “Are you hungry?”

He’s quiet for a second, like he’s thinking about it and he nods, bringing his hand up to rest behind his head. “Do we want to go out somewhere?” he asks, and you scrunch up your nose before shaking your head.

“I don’t want to have to get dressed yet,” you admit, and he laughs with a nod. “I’ve got stuff for pancakes or waffles, or eggs and toast.”

“Eggs sound good,” he says, stretching out against the mattress as you sit up.

“Over medium?” you ask, not sure if his taste in eggs has changed since you were teenagers. You’re standing by the time he nods, practically beaming at you. “Comin’ right up.”

Jeff stays in bed, saying he’ll be out in a few minutes as you head out to the kitchen, phone in hand. You stop to use the bathroom and brush your teeth, and you notice a bruise on your collarbone poking out from the collar of your shirt. You hadn’t bothered putting pants on, so you move around the kitchen in your shirt and panties as you grab a skillet from the dishwasher.

Like she knew you were in the middle of something, your mom called, which turned into a full conversation as you grabbed eggs and butter from the fridge and got busy making breakfast. You put on a pot of coffee as the skillet heats up, mostly “yeah,” and “mhm”ing your way through the first bit of the conversation. Always a control freak about plans for family events, she chose that Saturday morning to try and iron out plans for your brother’s wedding, which was now a month away.

“Mom, I’ll be there for the whole long weekend, so I don’t know what’s really left to plan,” you say, rolling your eyes to yourself as you crack a couple eggs into the hot skillet.

“I know, I just want to make sure you’ll be there for brunch Thursday, with all of the family friends,” she tells you, and your brow creases at that oddly specific request.

“Yeah, you told me about it weeks ago, so I was planning on being there,” you respond, exhaling a quick laugh because you don’t know what to say to make her happy otherwise.

“I’m just making sure, that’s all. It’s been so long since you’ve seen so many of them; they’ve been asking how you are, and I figured they’d want to see for themselves that you’re thriving.” The sarcasm in her tone that makes you snort with laughter as you shake salt and pepper onto the cooking eggs.

The conversation carries on for a bit longer and she talks about her weekend plans. You’d pretty much started to drown her out by the time you hear Jeff’s footsteps in the hall. He’s still shirtless when he steps into the kitchen and you glance at him with a quick smile as he approaches you. Jeff pauses to kiss your shoulder, the back of your head gently as you answer your mother’s questions about what you planned on wearing to the wedding.

“Coffee’s ready,” you say as quietly as you can, holding the phone away in the hopes that your mother wouldn’t hear you. Unfortunately, she did though, quickly asking if you had someone over. “Uh, yeah, Lydia stayed over last night.” The cover is quick, and Jeff nudges you with his elbow, grinning as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

You manage to tie up the conversation pretty painlessly from there, promising to call her later in the week, as Jeff drops slices of bread into the toaster. When you finally hang up, it’s with an exaggerated sigh as you put your phone down on the counter top.

“Nice save there,” he teases, making you scoff as you grab a coffee mug for yourself.

“Shut up,” you retort, laughing quietly. He winks at you before leaning to press a quick kiss to your mouth.

You smile up at him, keeping a hand resting against his abs as you take the time to look him over. His hair is messy and sticking up a little in the back, and he still looks incredibly tired. The sleepy smile he’s got on his face is just plain adorable.

As you flip the eggs carefully, Jeff grabs plates and silverware from the cabinet and takes them over to the table. He returns to your side to put more bread in the toaster, and you take a moment to enjoy having this time together, even if it is just making breakfast together.

“Do you know anything about brunch the Thursday before the wedding? Like, for family friends and what not?” you ask at the table a few minutes later.

Jeff looks up from the toast he’s buttering, and his expression says he’s thinking about it. “Uh, yeah, I think so,” Jeff responds with a slight shrug, reaching for the jar of jam.

“Like, it was a long standing plan for you to go before we even got together?” you question, pushing it a little further.

Jeff laughs then, nodding. “Yeah, as far as I know. Why, what’d your mom say?”

“I think she’s trying to set me up to run into you there,” you tell him, laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. “She was just so adamant about making sure I was there for it, and that it’d been so long since I’d seen the people that will be there.” You pause to laugh, shaking your head. “Do I sound crazy for saying that? Like, is it so hard to believe that my mom is conspiring to make sure we see each other?”

“It definitely sounds like something she’d do,” he says, shrugging with a grin as he takes a drink of his coffee. “My mom’s probably in on it too, honestly.” Both of you laugh then, and you’re glad that your mother’s not the only one working on getting the two of you back together.

You take your time eating breakfast, leaning back in your seat and propping your feet up in Jeff’s lap. Now that you’re both more awake, Jeff fills you in on his week on the road, both of you sipping coffee as you talk. Before long though, you get to your feet to clear the table and Jeff helps, keeping close to you the whole time.

You’re rinsing the plates when he steps behind you, moving your hair out of the way so he can kiss your neck softly. Squirming back against him, you chuckle softly, and his arm slips around your waist to keep you still. “Wanna go grab a shower?” he asks softly, his lips moving to kiss behind your ear. The low tone of his voice and the light kisses he’s pressing along your skin have you shivering, amazed by how easy it was for him to make you weak in the knees.

“Yeah, sounds like a good idea to me,” you respond once you’re confident your voice won’t be shaking. His hand moves over your waist slowly to rest on your hip, and you lean back against his chest as you turn the faucet off.

You spin to face him, grinning as you pull him down to you so you can kiss him hungrily. His hand slips into the back of your panties to cup your bare ass and instinctively, you rock your hips toward his resting your weight into him. Humming against his mouth, you pull back a second later, biting your lips as you look up at him.

He cocks an eyebrow at you and smirks, licking his lips as your hand moves over the elastic of his underwear. His cock is already half hard, you can feel it in the way you’re leaning into him, and part of you wants to just have him right here. Your nipples are hard, obvious through the fabric of your shirt, and you exhale a short sigh.

“Go start up the shower, I’ve gotta grab towels from the dryer,” you tell him, knowing that at this rate, the two of you wouldn’t even make it to the bathroom unless some distance was put between the two of you. Jeff nods, grinning back at you and pressing a kiss to your mouth before pulling away to head back toward your room.

As you come down the hall with clean towels in hand, you smile when you hear the sound of the shower running. In all the relationships you’d been in over the last 8 years, none of them had ever made you feel like this, like you were absolutely floating.

Jeff is already in the shower when you join him in the bathroom, his underwear discarded on the floor. You put the towels down in reach of the shower and after dropping your shirt and panties to the floor, you slide open the door to join him. His back is to you as he wets his hair, and he glances over his shoulder as he drags a hand down his face.

Hugging him from behind, you kiss along the wet skin of his back gently and he lets out a soft sigh. Impatient, Jeff turns to face you, smiling as he immediately dips his head to kiss you. “What took you so long?” he asks, the words murmured against your mouth. Snorting softly, you turn your head to break the kiss, smiling widely as his lips move along your jaw.

“Jeff, I was away from you for a single minute,” you say, head falling back a bit as his mouth moved down your throat.

“Yeah, that was a long time,” he teases, nosing along your skin lightly enough that it makes you shiver. You’re about to respond when his hand comes up to cup your face, and his mouth is back on yours firmly.

His body is warm when he leans into you, and you get him to turn enough so you can share the water. As you kiss, it doesn’t take long for his hands to wander, squeezing your ass firmly and making you laugh against his mouth. He’s grinning, you can tell, and his hands move to your waist.

“Love you,” he says quickly, and before you can say, your mind goes blank when his tongue slides along yours. Your arm tightens around his neck as you roll up onto your toes a little more to match his height. The skin on skin contact is enough to drive you mad already, and the fact that you can feel his dick hardening has your cunt throbbing between your thighs.

Jeff pulls away, licking his lips and flashing a quick smirk before settling on his knees. Leaning forward, he kisses the front of your thigh as he starts to guide your leg over his shoulder. You lean back against the wall of the shower, gasping at the feeling of the cold tile, and as he slips your knee onto his shoulder, grinning all the while, you laugh.

“I swear to god, if I somehow get injured because of this, I’m not gonna be happy,” you tell him, head tilting back as you bite your bottom lip. With only one foot on the ground, you’re worried about slipping and cracking your head open in one way or another, but having his face so close to your center makes worrying about that far more difficult.

“Baby, you really think I’m gonna let you fall?” Jeff asks, looking up at you with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. You exhale a scoff and shrug, grinning as your hand comes up to push your wet hair out of your face.

Jeff doesn’t bother waiting for an answer, already leaning in more to slide his tongue through your folds. His attention settles on your clit, sucking it into his mouth as he hums against your. Biting your lip, your hand moves to his hair, tangling in the wet curls as your leg tightens around his shoulder. Exhaling a sigh, you let yourself rest back against the wall of the shower a little more, trusting him to keep you upright if you start to slip as you enjoy having his mouth on you.

When his tongue slides over your entrance, a needy sound rattles in your throat. He gives you what you want a moment later, fucking his tongue into you with a low groan. The knee of the leg you’re resting wait on starts shaking slightly and his hand moves up your leg as if he was reminding you that he wouldn’t let you slip.

By the time his mouth returns to your clit, you’re panting in the humidity of the shower and your hips rock lightly toward his mouth. Groaning his name, you feel his hand slide up your thigh a little more and you realize what he’s doing. As his tongue flicks against your clit, he sinks two fingers into you, and your back arches off the tile.

“Shit, Jeff,” you groan, feeling yourself tighten around his fingers as he curls them against your g-spot. At this angle with his fingers fucking up into you, soft whines are leaving you, rocking against his hand as best as can for more friction. “Fuuuck.” The curse is dragged out in a needy groan, fingers twisting in his hair as your head falls back against the shower wall.

You’re growing close, you can tell. His fingers are just hitting the perfect spot, and he’s sucking at your clit still, and all you can do is moan for him. Arching in an effort to press closer to him, your hips roll down against his fingers. Even with plenty of hot water hitting you, you’re shivering as your toes curl, a throaty groan leaving you. Jeff pulls back slightly, lapping at your folds in firmly a few times before leaning back on enough to meet your eye. Before you can express your irritation that he’d pulled back, his thumb moved to your clit, rubbing firm circles against the bundle of nerves.

“You taste so good, sweetheart,” he tells you, eyes already dropping back to your cunt to watch his fingers fuck into you. His cheeks are flushed and his lips are swollen, but even that sight has you shaking against the tile. He leans forward slightly, kissing along the skin of your stomach and hip and you squirm as he hits a ticklish spot.

With his fingers still fucking into your and his thumb on your clit, you were already close. Desperate to have his mouth back on your clit, you push at his head gently, trying to make him move lower again. He laughs softly and obliges, kissing his way back down to your folds, and all it takes to make you cum is his tongue sliding over the swollen clit.

When your orgasm hits you, you curse loudly as you rock against his mouth again, fucking yourself down onto his fingers as you. Jeff hums against you, tongue moving hungrily over your clit, and with your eyes squeezed shut you gasp, head falling back against the tile again. Your moans fade as your orgasm slows, leaving you trying to catch your breath while he pulls back. His fingers fuck into you a few more times before guiding your knee off his shoulder to move away further. Jeff gets to his feet, a grin spread across his face as his mouth found yours.

The kiss is rough, hungry, and your knees are still shaking when he leans away to look down at you. You lick your lips quickly, taking deep breaths, and Jeff’s watching you closely still. He lifts his hand and you suck his fingers into his mouth, groaning around his digits at the taste of yourself. Sucking a little harder, your hand slides down his stomach to wrap around his cock and Jeff curses. You can practically feel him pulsing against your palm and he pulls his fingers from your mouth only to kiss you quickly instead.

As you stroke the length of his dick slowly, Jeff rocks against your hand, all but whining against your mouth. When you pull back to look at him, the dazed expression on his face makes you grin.

“Baby, I don’t think I’m gonna last very long,” he warns, licking his lips as he leans into you comfortably. You grin crookedly, shrugging as you press another quick kiss to his mouth.

“Do you want my hand or my mouth, handsome?” you ask, voice low as your thumb traces over a vein that ran along the side of his cock.

“Oh, fuck,” he breaths, like he’s overwhelmed by the sudden choice. The response makes you grin though, hand slowing down in case less friction would help him think better. “Your mouth, holy―” The words are cut off by a groan, and you smirk as you release him as it’s your turn to settle on your knees.

Jeff takes a step backward to make room for you, and the warm water of the shower is running down your back as you look up at him through your eyelashes. He’s watching you closely, buzzing with anticipation of your mouth and it makes the aching between your thighs start up again.

Leaning forward, your lips part before closing around the head of his cock, your hand slides up the outside of his thigh and you can feel him shaking under your touch. When your tongue flicks against his cock, you can taste precum and Jeff lets out a noise that sounds nothing short of strangled.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he huffs out as his hand comes up to tangle in your wet hair, keeping it back out of your face. “I missed your mouth, I thought about it all week when I was gone.” His words are low and rough, and you moan around him as you take more of him in your mouth.

As you start to bob your head, taking him deeper each time, you decide to tease him a little more now than the night at the party, given there was no need to keep quiet. A loud curse leaves him when he hits the back of your throat and his hand tightens in your hair hard enough that you jolt, nails digging into his thigh.

Keeping a steady rhythm, you relax your jaw a bit more as hips hips rock into your mouth. He makes an appreciative sound, and you do your best to take a breath through your nose to keep your lungs from burning. Your hand slides up his hip, enjoying the heat of his skin under your fingertips.

You pull off to take a few deep breaths, looking up at him again with a quick grin as your hand wraps around his cock. Licking your lips, you realize they’re swollen, and Jeff fucks into your fist freely with a soft grunt.

“Baby, please, I’m close,” he murmurs, staring down at you, and you can’t help but enjoy the pleading tone to his voice. Grinning, you take him in your mouth again, suckling at the head of his cock teasingly. He’s groaning your name by then and it’s such an incredible sound that you start to bob your head again, eager to drag more sounds out of him.

A string of curses leave him as his hand tightens in your hair again, keeping your head still as he fucks into your mouth a few more times before cumming hot on your tongue. A moan leaves you as he coats the back of your throat, swallowing what you can as rocks into your mouth slowly twice more before he stops.

You can hear him panting over the sound of the shower, as you pull back, a smirk settles across your lips immediately. Swallowing again, you wipe the corner of your mouth before kissing his hip, then his abs.

“Holy shit,” he breathes, releasing your hair to press his hand against the wall of the shower for support. That gets you to laugh softly, and you get to your feet, arms immediately settling around his middle and resting against his chest.

After nuzzling against his collarbone, you look up at him and catching a glimpse of his grin.

“I love you,” you tell him, tilting your head back enough to kiss him quickly.

“Hmm, love you too,” he responds, words muffled against your mouth before he sighs and pulls back to look down at you. “We should probably actually shower now, huh?”

“Yeah, maybe,” you say with a hum, untangling yourself from him to reach for the bottle of shampoo.

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Lydia exhales a sigh before shaking her head. “I got a block away and realized I left my jacket, which meant I left my keys, so I had the driver stop and I just walked back to Jack’s,” she explains, unwrapping her sandwich. “I wanted to just try to slip in and grab my shit then take off again, but Jack spotted me, so we ended up talking for another forty-five minutes or so.”

“Talking about what?” you ask with a laugh before taking a bite of your sandwich.

Lydia pushes a hand through her hair and sighs, shaking her head as she reaches for her bottle of water. “I don’t even know, honestly, just...talking, I guess. I didn’t get home until almost 3,” she says and you look at her skeptically. She shifts in her seat, clearly trying to avoid your gaze, and you raise an eyebrow, trying to figure out what she was clearly trying to hide. “How was the rest of your night?” Of course, she was trying to change the subject, and you play into it, shrugging in response to her question.

“It was fine, I guess,” you respond, reaching to check your phone quickly. “I stayed at Jeff’s last night, we honestly went to sleep right.”

Now, a grin is tugging at the corners of Lydia’s mouth. “You better watch out, Jack said he’s gonna make you guys sanitize that bathroom,” she teases and you roll your eyes.

“Jack can kiss my ass, honestly,” you say immediately, getting a laugh out of her. “He’s more dramatic than you are.” Lydia makes a sound like she’s offended, and you give her a pointed look the turns into both of you grinning.

“So, when are you seeing Jeff again?” Lydia asks, taking a bite of her sandwich as she wiggles her eyebrows at you.

“We’re doing brunch tomorrow before they fly out,” you respond, shrugging as you turn toward your computer to refresh your email quickly. When you glance at Lydia again she’s grinning from ear to ear as she eats.

“Are you taking him to the place in your neighborhood? With the great waffles?” You nod in response, and she looks impressed. “Is he coming back to your place afterwards?”

That question gets a scoff out of you, and you glance at her quickly, hoping she’d pick up on your rather annoyed expression. “I don’t know, Lydia, we haven’t actually discussed it yet, okay?” you grumble before turning your full attention back to your sandwich. She looks pleased with herself for getting you riled up like that, but thankfully, drops the subject.

Jeff texted you a few times throughout the day after he was done with practice, and you found yourself all but staring at the clock, ready to go home. After working late the night before and working all of Saturday, with a lot of drinking in between, you were exhausted and drained and in desperate need of a shower. You didn’t get home until nearly 6, and you went straight to the bathroom where you stood under the spray of the shower until the water started to go a little cold.

Feeling like a new person, you dry off and slip on your robe, trying to towel dry your hair a bit when you check your phone. You’d missed a call from Jeff twelve minutes ago, and you curse softly, immediately dialing him back. As the phone rings, you hang your towel up before padding down the hall toward your living room.

“Hey, did you survive work?” Jeff asks when he answers the call, and just hearing his voice makes you smile.

“Barely,” you grumble, dropping onto the sofa and curling your feet up beneath you. “Sorry I missed you earlier, I just took like, the longest shower of my life.” Your words come with a soft breath of laughter. He laughs with you, and as you lean back into your couch, all you can think about is how badly you wish he was there with you.

“I figured you probably crashed the second you got home or something,” he responds and you can hear the teasing grin in his voice.

“Nah, not yet, at least, but there’s still plenty of time for it to happen,” you say, toying with the hem of your robe idly. “What time do you guys fly out tomorrow?”

“Uh, wheels up at 4, I think,” he tells you and you nod to yourself as you chew on your bottom lip. “Do we want to shoot for brunch at like, 10:30 or so?”

“That works, yeah. It’s only about a ten minute walk to the restaurant from my place. When you get here, I’ll call ahead for a table.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” he says, clearing his throat a second later. Both of you are quiet for a beat, and you shift on the sofa to spread out more. “I, uh, was gonna stop at the store later tonight...do you want me to pick anything up for tomorrow?”

His question strikes you as odd, and you can hear a bit of awkwardness in his voice that makes your brows knit together in slight confusion. “Like what?” you ask, reaching for the TV remote.

Jeff clears his throat again, louder this time, and you can just imagine that he’s blushing. “I dunno..condoms or something,” he responds in a rather tight voice, like he can’t believe he’s actually saying it.

Before you can stop yourself, you’re snorting loudly and putting a hand over your mouth to stifle the sound of your laugh. “Jeff Skinner, did you really just ask me if you should buy condoms for tomorrow?” you tease a second later, grinning ear to ear as you turn on the TV.

He laughs nervously, and you can only imagine how red his face is then. “Yeah, I guess,” he admits, finally letting out a laugh of his own. “Just trying to be proactive.” He’s trying to sound so nonchalant about it, but really, it just makes you laugh even more.

“Always nice to see a man with a plan, I guess,” you respond with a grin, running your fingers through your still damp hair. “I’ve got condoms, Jeff, don’t worry. I mean, unless you think we’re gonna use more than eight of them in the five and a half hours you’ll be here.” You’re grinning as you speak, feeling a bit of nervousness bubble in your stomach about tomorrow all of a sudden.

“I’d love to say challenge accepted or something, but that may be setting the expectations too high,” he says, laughing at himself a second alter. You can’t help but snort softly, shaking your head.

“I was about to say that I have no expectations, but that’d be a lie, really,” you tell him, teasing tone obvious in your voice.

The two of you talk for a while longer as you scroll through titles on Hulu, looking for something to watch. You’ve completely forgotten that you’re in just your robe, content to be curled up on the couch talking to Jeff. He asks what your plans are for the rest of the night, and you tell him frankly that the only time you plan on moving again is when you make the move from the couch to bed. Jeff tells you he’s excited to see you tomorrow, that he’s been contemplating just showing up at your place because he misses you, but he doesn’t want to make you move any more than necessary. You could’ve easily stayed on the phone with him for hours, but just talking to him made you think back to snuggling on the couch, how warm his body was when you’re resting against him.

When you eventually hang up, you relocate to bed, just as you’d planned, and you laugh all over again at the fact that he’d asked if you wanted him to pick up condoms. Even before that conversation, you’d been expecting to sleep with him the next day, because really, you knew you couldn’t wait anymore. If you hadn’t been so exhausted from work, you would’ve invited him over on the spot because truly, you were desperate to have him inside you already. It was nice to know that the two of you were on the same page at least.

With the thought stuck in your mind then, your train of thought slips back to the night before. The way he’d tasted, the way he’d sucked your wetness off his fingers, just thinking about it had a flush rising up your neck. You make yourself cum remembering the way his breathe had felt against your neck as his fingers curled inside you. Your fingers don’t feel nearly as good as his had, but that hardly stopped you from fantasizing about him and his mouth and how eager you were for him.

By morning, your libido seemed to be back to a reasonable level. You laid around for most of the morning, sipping at a mug of coffee before forcing yourself to get ready. Jeans and a blouse were good enough for brunch, you decided, and you didn’t even bother getting dressed until Jeff said he was on his way over. After last night’s conversation, you put a little extra effort into picking out your underwear as well, just in an effort to be prepared. You kept your make-up to a minimum, mostly trying to tame your eyebrows before throwing on a bit of mascara.

You send him a quick text that the door’s unlocked for him, and you settle onto the sofa to wait for him. Impatient as hell for him to arrive, you chew on your thumbnail and click through titles on Netflix, just to have something else to focus on. You jump a few minutes later when he knocks on the door before letting himself in. Greeting him with a grin after he finds you in the living room, you’re quick to pull him down to you for a kiss with your hand holding his wrist.

“Hi,” you say softly, practically beaming at him before your lips press to his. He leans down to meet you, his hand coming up to push your hair back from your face.

“Morning,” he tells you when he pulls back, and when you open your eyes, you enjoy the sight of the wide smile on his face. Without you letting go of his arm, he drops onto the sofa next to your feet, and immediately, you’re moving to straddle his lap. Jeff looks a little surprised, and you can’t help but grin as your arm slips are his neck.

“I’m happy to see you,” you tell him softly, ducking your head to nuzzle into his shoulder. His arm loops around your waist as he returns the sentiment to you, pressing a soft kiss to your temple.

You stay like that for a while, just holding onto him. It’s silly, but it really felt like everything was all a dream, and that pulling away would mean waking up and none of it would be real. It’s easier to stay there, with his hand rubbing over your back as he noses at your hair. You could easily fall asleep on him like that, but before letting yourself get too comfortable, you pull back to look at him.

“Ready for brunch?” you ask, bringing a hand up to brush through his short curls. Jeff nods once, already leaning up to kiss you softly, just barely letting his lips brush over yours.

It’s not enough though, and you press toward him more, all but crowding him against the back of the couch. You kiss him harder, your tongue just lightly sweeping over his bottom lip to make him exhale a moan into your mouth. It both surprises you and turns you on, and you grind down against his thighs firmly as his arm tightens around your waist so your body is practically glued to his. As badly as you want him, your heart is set on food and mimosas, so you lean back just slightly, licking your lips quickly.

“Baby, I’m really hungry,” you say, and you both laugh as he nods a second later.

“Yeah, I am too, let’s go,” he admits, motioning for you to get up. As if on cue, your stomach growls, and you press a quick kiss to his mouth before climbing out of his lap.

Once you’re on your feet, he follows suit and waits for you to pull on your shoes before taking your hand and leading you to the door. You keep the original plan of walking to the restaurant, and as you lock up, you dial the restaurant to put your name in for a table. Jeff hold your hand for the entirety of the walk, his fingers laced with yours, and holds the door open for you once you arrive.

After getting settled at your table, you have a few mimosas and you ordered the same banana bread french toast you ordered every time you were there. Jeff took a more savory route, ordering coffee and an omelette. You exchange one of your pancakes for half of his home fries, and you get rather giggly by the bottom of your second mimosa.

“So, this is kind of a dumb question,” Jeff starts as he sets his coffee mug down on the table top. “But, you’re going to Logan’s wedding, right?”

You blink at him before cracking a grin. “Am I going to my brother’s wedding? I dunno, I hadn’t really thought about it much yet,” you respond, shrugging teasingly at him.

“Shut up,” Jeff grumbles, nudging your foot under the table with his. “That was just the easiest segue into asking if you wanted to go like, together.” He’s laughing by then, shaking his head at you.

It’s impossible to do anything besides beam ear to ear and nod then, knowing you probably look a little silly. “Yeah, I’d love that,” you reply a second later as your hand comes up to push your hair behind your ear. “But, I do have to warn you, I’ve been put in charge of Hazel for most of the wedding, so I hope you don’t mind sharing my attention with her.”

At the mention of your niece’s name, Jeff practically lights up, laughing softly. “Yeah, that’s totally fine by me, I love Hazel.” You grin widely at him, remembering that Jeff was fond of your niece.

A realization hits you then, and you clear your throat. “Have you mentioned anything about us to your parents or your siblings or anything?”

Jeff’s eyebrows raise at he thinks about it for a second, then shakes his head. “I’ve mentioned to a couple of my sisters that I was in contact with you, but nothing other than that,” he tells you, looking at you rather curiously. “Why?”

You exhale a sigh and give a wry grin. “I’d just rather...not tell my family, well, specifically my mom, right now, if that’s okay?” you say, trying not to grimace. “I feel terrible saying that. Is that totally awful of me?” Your shoulders go a little tense and you force yourself to laugh it off.

“No, uh, I get it, trust me,” Jeff assures you with a laugh of his own. “I wasn’t planning on mentioning it to any of them for a while, not after how they reacted when we were teenagers.” That makes you snort, because that’s exactly what had been on your mind.

“Yeah, exactly,” you say, nodding. “That’s what I was thinking, I’m glad we’re on the same page. You know, I bet if we tell them when we’re in town for the wedding, my mom will be so busy with Logan and Grace that she might not cry for an hour this time.” Jeff smiles at the memory and immediately you’re rolling your eyes as you remember your mother’s excitement that led her to tears.

“I think that’s really our best shot, yeah,” he says with an exaggerated nod.

Your waiter stops by with the mimosa you’d ordered and you thank him quietly before taking a sip. Sitting up in your seat a bit more and clear your throat. “So, uh, speaking of being on the same page then, I...take it, we’re...together then?” you question, forcing yourself to meet his eye as you speak. Not used to being so direct, you feel your cheeks flush.

Without even pausing, Jeff is nodding at you again with a wide, almost dopey grin spread across his face. “Yeah, we are, definitely,” he tells you, taking the opportunity to nudge your foot again under the table. The sight of his dimple has you on the verge of being lightheaded, and you nod, reaching for your mimosa to take a sip. Feeling your cheeks flush even darker, you smile back at him, before dropping your eyes to your plate to continue eating.

Over the next several minutes, you finish your second mimosa and you do your best to ignore the glaringly obvious sexual tension that was simmering between the two of you. Jeff finished his food before you did and relaxes in his seat as he sips at his coffee. He’s watching you, and you make a face at him as you take a bite of bacon. It’s almost impossible to miss the fact that his grin looks more like a smirk, and you feel a shiver run down your spine.

Excusing yourself after you’ve finished your food, you use the bathroom quickly and return to the table to find Jeff paying the bill. You take your seat again and watch him as he signs the receipt. You’ve got just the right amount of buzz to be starting to feel impatient, ready to have him to yourself for a while. It’s not even noon yet, so you know you’ll have a good three and a half hours with him, but still, you’re feeling needy.

When Jeff stands a moment later, he offers you his hand, which you take with a wide smile as you get to your feet. He guides you through the crowded restaurant, and when you step outside, he keeps hold of your hand. After taking a few steps away from the front windows, Jeff pulls your body against his. He’s grinning as his arm slides around your waist, mouth finding yours to press a firm kiss there. It takes you a bit by surprise really, but you relax into him, smiling against his mouth. He tastes like coffee, and

“I love you,” he murmurs when he pulls back, eyes sweeping over your face before his mouth is on yours again briefly.

“Love you too, Jeff,” you respond, hand resting on his chest lightly before pulling back with a grin. “C’mon, let’s get back.” He nods, squeezing your hand as he motions toward the cross walk.

A few minutes into the walk, you start feeling raindrops. They’re warm at first and the sun is still out but within a minute, clouds roll in and now the rain is cold and coming down harder.

“I probably should’ve checked the weather before suggesting we walk,” you joke, trying to make light of the fact that you were both getting soaked.

For the last block, the two of you break into an easy jog, just wanting to get out of the rain. You’re shivering and you fish in your pocket for your keys once you can see your place. Jeff breaks away to grab his bag from his car, and you proceed to let yourself into the house, leaving the door open behind you for him to follow. Nudging your shoes off in the foyer, you start down the hall quickly, eager to get out of the wet clothes that are clinging to you.

In your room, you grab a pair of leggings and a t-shirt from your dresser, dropping them on the edge of the bed. You turn on the lamp on your nightstand and tug your shirt off over your head as you straighten up, tossing the wet fabric toward your hamper. As you kick off your pants, you can hear Jeff’s footsteps in the hallway approaching your bedroom door that you’d left ajar. You’re about to reach for your leggings when you hear him curse behind you.

“Shit, sorry,” he says, clearing his throat. You look over your shoulder at him, and you can’t help but grin at the way he’s clearly trying to avert his eyes, as if he hadn’t fingered you in his teammates bathroom 36 hours ago.

“Jeff, you’re allowed to look at me, it’s okay,” you tell him, seeing his cheeks flush. He forces his shoulders to relax, and he nods, meeting your eye.

“I know...just old habit, I guess,” he responds with a quiet laugh, and you turn to face him. You’re shivering, your skin cold from the rain, and your hands twitch at your sides as goosebumps rise along your skin. There’s a short pause then and you shift your weight from one foot to the other as you tuck your hair behind your ear. “Are you, uh, gonna get dressed?”

You blink at him before pressing your lips together, raising one shoulder in a slight shrug. The motion makes Jeff grin, and you can’t help but notice the way he licks his lips. He seems to have finally give into his desire to look at our body, and you have to fight the self-conscious urge to cover yourself somehow as his eyes move over your frame. The tension from earlier has  You motion for him to come closer and he walks toward you slowly, dropping his bag on his way to you.

“Fuck, you are just….stunning, holy shit, babe,” he breathes incredulously, and you feel your cheeks flush.

A grin tugs at the corner of your mouth, and you reach for him once he’s close enough, taking his hand as if that would somehow bring his body to yours faster. Immediately, your arms are around his neck to pull him down to you, and he wastes no time before kissing you hungrily.

His hands are warm when they settle on your waist, and you lean into him as your hand settles on the back of his neck. He tastes like coffee and it makes you hum into his mouth. You feel him start to relax a little more as he brings a hand up to cup your face.

A second later, he pulls back to meet your eye, staying close enough to let the tip of his nose bump against yours lightly. You can’t help but grin softly at him, already tilting your chin up to kiss him again. His other hand slides up your waist to let his fingers sweep along the band of your bra lightly. The touch makes you shiver again as his tongue slides along your bottom lip.

When he pulls away again, it’s because you’ve started trying to tug his shirt off over his head, a smile never leaving his face after he takes it off himself. You take advantage of the distance between the two of you to look his body over, enjoying the golden tone to his skin thanks to the lamp on your nightstand. You’re take the chance to catch your breath, but really, just looking at him has your clit throbbing between your thighs. He steps forward a moment later, both of his hands now on your hips to pull your body flush into his.

Immediately, his mouth is on yours again, and he brings one hand up to practically cradle the back of your head. His fingers weave through your hair, and that touch alone makes you whimper against his mouth. Getting that sound out of you seems to encourage Jeff, who nips at your bottom lip in response. Your knees are shaking, and you guide him toward the bed, needing more contact.

As he licks into your mouth, tongue flicking lightly over yours, his hands start to wander, sliding down the curve of your waist and your hips. When his hands slip easily beneath the waist of your panties to squeeze your ass, you groan his name as you let yours nails drag lightly down his stomach. Jeff pulls your hips forward firmly and grinds into you, making your mind go completely blank when you feel that he’s hard already.

You pant into his mouth, and he pulls back just enough to look down at you a second later. Feeling your knees shake, you tug him closer to the bed again, and just when you’re about to kiss him again, you notice a soft flush creep up his neck. He kisses you once softly, then meets your eye as his hands squeeze your ass again.

Your hands drop to rest at the button of his jeans and he slides your panties down the curve of your ass easily. As soon as you unfasten his jeans, you tug them down his hips, and he lets his hand slide up your back lightly, making you shiver. Jeff pulls back to kick his pants away, cursing softly under his breath when he almost trips as he gets them off.

It’s impossible not to laugh softly, extending a hand to him teasingly, in case he thought he might trip again. He rolls his eyes at you with a grin as he kicks his jeans away completely before stepping back to you. You can see that his cheeks are flushed now, and when he pulls you against him, you can feel his cock straining through the fabric of his boxers.

“Will you sit on my face?” he asks in a slightly rushed voice, kissing you again immediately like he can’t keep away from you. You hum against his mouth in response to his question, quickly nodding before kissing him harder. When your hand slips between your bodies to brush your knuckles along the elastic of his boxers, he pulls away, licking his lips as he looks down at you.

Before you can say anything else, he’s moving to climb onto the bed, settling back against the pillows. You watch him with a grin, and when he meets your eye, he smirks back at you, motioning for you to join him. Biting your lip and trying to ignore the nervousness currently bubbling in your stomach, you follow him onto the bed. When you move, you can feel how wet you are, and your thighs shake as you lean over him.

“I’ve been dying to taste you, sweetheart, it’s been all I’ve been able to think about,” he tells you, clearly breathing heavily as you nudge your pillows out of the way. Your cheeks burn as you feel his eyes on you, and it just makes you all the more nervous. The smirk on his face is doing nothing to stop the insistent throbbing between your legs and his hands are on you a second later, guiding you to straddle his face.

He seems to pick up on your nervousness, murmuring that he loves you as he turns his head to kiss the inside of your thigh lightly. Your hands settle on your headboard, and you’re trembling as his hands slide around your thighs to pull him down to you more. He hums at the sight of you above him, and a jolt of arousal shoots down your spine as you grip the edge of your headboard so tightly that your knuckles are white.

The first contact of his mouth against your cunt makes you gasp, body falling forward to rest your weight against the headboard. His tongue slides over your clit firmly before sucking it into your mouth, and the way he groans against you makes you feel light headed. You breathe his name and squirm above him slightly with a whine when his tongue fucks into you a moment later, hot and slick. His arms tighten around your thighs to keep you in place, and his nose nudges at your clit lightly as he laps loudly at your entrance.

The thought of Jeff eating you out had crossed your mind many times in your life, but you’d never quite pictured it like this. He’s more eager about it than you’d expected, a little sloppy, but in the filthy way that has him moaning into your cunt as he teases and sucks at your folds. You lean your head forward to rest against your forearm, because holding it up any longer is just too much energy, and you can already feel your thighs starting to tremble.

Burying your face in the crook of your elbow, you moan for him weakly as you grind against his mouth. His tongue fucks up into you again, dragging over your fluttering walls before licking a stripe up to your clit. Your mouth opens wide, but no sound comes out as his mouth continues to work against you. The sound of his mouth on you is practically obscene, and you’re doing nothing to help that with the way you’re panting and cursing a moment later.

“Shit, Jeff,” you whimper, one hand dropping to tangle in his dark curls. He hums beneath you softly which only makes you moan all over again, your other hand still gripping the headboard for support.

When he pulls away to take a few deep breaths, Jeff lets his tongue slide in a slow circle against your clit. Squirming, you whine softly as you rock down toward his mouth. His nose bumps your clit, and it’s just the right amount of pressure to make your toes curl. You exhale a heavy breath, suddenly finding yourself very close to an orgasm already as he sucks your clit into his mouth again a second later.

His hands squeeze your thighs tightly, pulling you closer, and it’s the friction of his jaw grinding against your entrance that sends you over the edge. Your back arches as you cum, a high moan leaving you as he laps hungrily at your cunt. It’s better than you ever could’ve imagined, and all you can do is grind down eagerly against his mouth. Jeff’s hands are still holding your thighs, keeping you flush against him as you ride out your orgasm.

Panting as your lungs burn, your whines fade into soft whimpers as you cling to your headboard for support. You’re faintly aware of the way he’s humming against you, the pace of his mouth slowing before you’re pulling away, gasping as his lips tease at your clit. Jeff’s hands guide you to lay next to him and you move easily for him, still trying to catch your breath.

His mouth and chin are slick with your wetness, and the sight alone has you squeezing your thighs together. You’re not sure that you even remember how to speak, so instead you just lay there, head buzzing as you press your face into his shoulder. He chuckles softly as he brings a hand up to rub over your back lightly, taking the opportunity to pull your body closer to his.

“Wow,” you murmur, giggling a second later was you pull back. You meet his eye briefly, enjoying the sight of his grin before tilting your head to kiss him. It’s slow and sensual, and tasting yourself on his mouth makes you hum.

You’re faintly aware of the sound of the rain outside, and there’s thunder rumbling in the distance. Jeff’s tongue is silky as it slides over yours, making your mind go blank. You can feel the hard line of his dick pressing against your hip through the fabric of his underwear, and he groans your name against your mouth when you palm at his length. Kissing him harder, you start to push the material down his hips and he shifts to help you out.

When your hand moves to his cock, you pull back just enough to look at him, wanting to see the look on his face when as you stroke him from base to tip. Jeff doesn’t disappoint, practically whining for you as a flush colors his cheeks. You kiss him again, softer this time as you trace the vein along the his shaft with your index finger. He shudders against you, groaning into your mouth as he brings a hand up drag his knuckles along the band of your bra.

“Can I take this off?” he asks, eyes sweeping over your face as you nod. Jeff makes quick work of pulling the fabric away from your body once he’s unfastened the hooks, and immediately his eyes are dropping to your breasts. He all but stares at you for a moment as you continue to stroke his cock lazily, then he’s dropping his head to kiss along your chest. “I love you.” His words are murmured into your skin, and he’s looking up at you as he speaks.

“I love you too,” you respond, the words nearly catching in your throat when he sucks your nipple into his mouth. You curse, your hand tightening around his cock when you feel the blunt edge of his teeth dragging over the hardened peak. “Fuck, I need you, Jeff. Wanna ride you, feel your hands on me.” Your voice is low, almost dark, as your thumb sweeps over the head of his cock, smearing the bead of precum that’s collected there.

Jeff moans against you before pulling away, nodding eagerly as his mouth moves back to yours. His hands settle on your hips to easily guide you to straddle him so your knees are pressing into the mattress, bracketing his hips. With a hand on either side of his head and your chest pressed into his, you grin at him and he pushes your hair out of your face gently. It’s a soft, intimate moment that makes your heart flutter, even as his cock is resting heavy against your thigh. Feeling impatient, your hips rock down toward his and he swears under his breath, his hands gripping your waist tightly.

“You’re trying to kill me,” Jeff murmurs, nipping at your bottom lip. The laugh you exhale against his mouth gives way to a loud moan when he guides your hips down against his again. You’re still absolutely soaked, and the drag of his cock through your folds takes your breath away.

You pull away hastily, reaching to dig through the drawer on your end table in search of a condom. Your hands are shaking, and it’s hard to concentrate with the way Jeff’s hands have slid up your waist to cup your breasts. When he drags a thumb over each nipple, you gasp sharply, returning your attention to him now that you’ve got a condom in hand.

Leaning back slightly, your eyes move over his body as you sit back against his thighs while you open the condom. He’s stunning, especially with the golden hue of the lamp, all thick muscle, and you lick your lips as you roll the condom onto his length. Your cunt is aching, desperate to feel him inside you, and you stroke him lightly, enjoying the way his cock twitches against your palm. When you meet his eye, you immediately lean over him, letting your breasts skim along his chest as you kiss him.

His hands move down your back, over the curve of your ass slowly before resting on the backs of your thighs. Humming against his mouth softly, you can still taste yourself on his tongue. Your body is screaming at you to rock against him again, desperate for whatever friction you can find. Resting your weight on one hand, you slip a hand between your bodies to guide the head of his cock to your entrance. Jeff’s hold on your thighs tightens as you sink onto him slowly, and the drawn out curse that leaves him makes you grin.

Your hips lower toward his, and your mouth opens in a whine as you feel him stretch you open. His jaw is tense as he looks up at you, and each of you let out a rough groan as he bottoms out inside you. You feel so full that you’re pressing your lips together to hold back a whimper as you sit up more, hands resting on his chest then. The change in angle makes you gasp and clench around him, and Jeff curses under his breath as he watches you.

His hands move over your skin, up to your hips, along the curve of your waist as you stay still, enjoying the way he feels inside you. “Baby, you gotta move, please,” Jeff says, voice tense as he groans. A grin tugs at the corner of your mouth and you nod, grinding down him just enough to make him groan for you again. “Don’t be a tease.” He’s practically pouting at you and you can’t help but laugh softly, as you rise off him slowly.

When you sink back onto him, his hand comes up to cup your breast and you arch your back into his touch. You’re keeping a slow rhythm, savoring the drag of his cock over your slick walls, and your nails scratch at his chest lightly as he pants beneath you. Jeff bites his lip, eyes moving over your body as he drags a thumb over your nipple to make you groan his name.

“You feel so good, Jeff, fuck,” you murmur, shivering as your hips rock down against his. It’s getting harder to keep that slow pace, especially with the way he’s looking at you. Your body shakes as you ride him, the bed moving in time with your movements. His hand drops back to your hip, squeezing you there before his thumb moves to your clit and you cry out softly in response to the friction.

“Shit, you’re still so wet,” Jeff groans, sweeping his thumb through your folds and you nod, smirking slightly as you exhale a shuddering breath. You lean forward slightly, resting more of your weight against his chest as your hips roll against his. You’re rising off him more now, and his other hand comes up to hold your breast again likes he’s unable to keep his hands off you.

It takes you by surprise when he sits up a moment later, arm slipping around your waist to pull your chest flush into his. He kisses you hard enough that your teeth hit, and you moan into his mouth as you feel your body start to grow slick with sweat. The angle is so different, and as you grind into him, his cock drags over your g-post with each motion. Your arms settle around his shoulders, fingers moving over the lines of muscle to make him hum His thumb is still rubbing rough circles against your clit, and his mouth leaves yours to settle on your throat.

“You’re so beautiful like this, Y/N..fuck, that’s good,” he murmurs into your skin, letting his teeth drag along your jaw. You shiver a second later when his head drops further to drag his tongue along your collarbone, a whiny huff leaving you as he ruts up against you as best as he can. “Can’t believe you’re all mine, baby girl.”

His words make you drag your nails along his back, the pet name making your pussy tighten around him. Your hips are starting to twitch slightly and you know you’re close, dizzy from all of the friction. Jeff’s arm around your waist moves to your tits once again, thumbing over the hardened peak of your nipple firmly, and a slew of curses leaves you.

“Jeff, fuck, I’m gonna cum,” you breathe roughly, one hand sliding up to grip his short curls tightly. His mouth is moving over your chest as he nods slightly, dropping to kiss the top of your breasts with a hum. You’re grinding against him, the springiness of your mattress helping you rock against him still as your whole body is pressed flush against his.

“Wanna feel you, baby, fuuuck, want you to cum for me,” he tells you, kissing up the curve of your neck before his mouth is on yours again. The kiss is damn near bruising, all tongue and teeth, and at the same time, he rolls your nipple between his fingers, pushing you over the edge.

Your scream is muffled against his mouth and fades into a moan by the time your head falls back, eyes squeezing shut as you cum. Squeezing rhythmically around his cock, you’re grinding against him roughly, desperate for every bit of friction you can find. Your hand tightens in his hair and he moans as his mouth attaches to your throat again as he continues to toy with your nipple.

“Fuck, there we go,” he murmurs in a voice so low you can barely hear him. You’re faintly aware of the fact that he’s sucking a mark into your collarbone, but you’re too occupied by the quick motions of his thumb against your clit.

You’re still riding the high of the orgasm, hips shifting hard against his erratically when his arm slips around you again. He keeps you tight against him as he turns you over onto your back, and you don’t even realize it’s happening until you hit the mattress. Jeff makes sure not to slip out of you, and his knees sink into the mattress between your thighs, supporting himself with one hand next to your head. His other hand moves from your clit to drag your knee higher over his hip, letting him fuck into you at a different angle entirely.

You feel so safe right then with his body draped over yours, clinging to him and desperate to keep him as close as possible. Jeff starts to fuck into you immediately, burying his face in your neck. His breath is hot and rough against you, and you sink your nails into his back before you can stop yourself. Your heel digs into his lower back, toes curling as your orgasm finally fades, leaving you breathless and shaking beneath him. The sound of him fucking into you is filthy, considering how soaked you are for him as he groans into the side of your throat.

“I love you, Y/N, fuck, so much,” Jeff says into your skin. You can barely hear him over the sound of your heartbeat in your ears and the rough sounds of his breathing, and you nod as best as you can.

“I love you too, mm,” you tell him, hand sliding over his shoulders to the back of his neck. You pull him up to you so you can kiss him hungrily, your hips rocking up toward his on their own accord. Panting, you feel your pussy squeeze around him again, and you don’t doubt that he’ll be able to make you cum again. “Oh my god, Jeff.” The words come out as a low curse, breathed against his mouth as when his thumb returns to your clit.

You’re glad you’re laying down now, considering the fact that the constant stimulation had you light headed already. Short whimpers are leaving you, only to muffled against his mouth as his pace quickens. His lips trail down to your neck a second later, where he nips at your collarbone lightly, making you gasp and tighten around his cock. He curses into your skin loudly, his hips snapping forward into yours with a motion so deep that it nearly knocks the wind out of you.

“Fuck! Yeah, right there,” you say in such a whiny, desperate tone that you barely recognize your own voice. Jeff grunts into your neck and you can feel his breath hot against your skin. Your nails rake over his back before moving up to grip his hair, squeezing your eyes shut as he doubles down, his whole body rocking into you. The room is filled with so many sounds then―each of you breathing, the rain outside, the sound of his cock fucking into your drenched cunt―and you’re just so consumed by how good he’s making you feel.

“C’mon, cum for me again, sweetheart,” Jeff tells you, speaking up and making you moan as your legs tighten around his waist urgently. The motion of his thumb against your clit is getting almost sloppy, and soon his hips were moving against yours in the same fashion. He was close, you could tell with the way he was muffling groans into your neck. “Jesus fucking Christ!” The words are sharp and he buries his face in the column of your throat, hips grinding hard into yours as he fills the condom.

His hand that was between your bodies to toy with your clit moves up to cup your breast, toying with your nipple, and the friction of his pelvis against your clit is enough to makes you send you over the edge. When you gasp sharply, clenching down on his cock again, he lets out a low, contented moan as you cum all over his cock. This orgasm burns hot and bright, leaving you pulling hard at his hair to have something to hold onto. Your hips rock up against his erratically and you whine his name as you try to catch your breath.

Your vision is fuzzy for a while when your orgasm finally fades out, and you’re panting beneath him. Jeff keeps his face buried in your neck, and you can feel the flutter of his eyelashes against your skin, the soft kisses he was peppering along your collarbone. The two of you stay quiet, both of you just breathing and soaking up the contact, the intimacy of the moment. You’re warm all over, body slick with sweat, and when you’re able to move at all, you start threading your fingers through his short curls gently.

“That feels nice,” he murmurs, still sounding a little breathless as he nuzzles into the curve of your neck. You exhale a light chuckle in response, and you keep it up, smirking a little at the fact that he’d broken a sweat to the point that his hair is a bit damp. “Y’know, that was a lot better than our first time would’ve been when we were 17.” He sounds amused by his own comment, and you snort, nudging at his shoulder as you laugh.

“I’d really hope so,” you tease, a gentle hum to your voice as you guide his mouth to yours as he chuckles. The kiss is light, lazy, and you melt into the mattress, enjoying the weight of his body resting on yours. You can feel his cock softening inside you, and you pull back enough to look at him with an easy smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too, beautiful,” he tells you, his voice warm as he brings a hand up to to brush your hair off your sweaty forehead. He sighs softly, eyes moving over your face with a smile on his face.

After grabbing something to eat on the way home, you walk into your place with a sigh, pushing your hair out of your face. You send Jeff a text to let you know when he’s home so you can head over, and you take your time eating and getting dressed. He texts you when the game is over and sends you his address, saying he should be home within half an hour or so. Deciding you should probably change out of your work clothes, you pull on a pair of tight jeans and a v-neck, not quite sure what to wear otherwise. You spend the next fifteen minutes or so trying to doll yourself up otherwise, putting on some lipstick and doing what you can to put some life back into your hair before leaving.

You take a Lyft to Jeff’s, and you spend the ride to his place texting Lydia. She was hanging out at a bar close to the arena, having a few drinks before heading to Jack’s, and really, you wish you’d thought to start drinking at home. You’re nervous, fidgety in the back of the car, chewing on your bottom lip as you let Jeff know your ETA. You hate that you’re feeling so antsy, and really, you much prefer the idea of just staying in with Jeff tonight after your long day at work, but it was too late to suggest that now.

When your ride dropped you off, Jeff buzzed you into his building, and on the way up the elevator, you chew on your thumbnail, already regretting your decision to wear heels. Knocking at his door a moment later, you adjust your bag on your shoulder, feeling butterflies in your stomach when you hear his footsteps approach the door.

Of course, Jeff greeted you with a smile that you mirror back to him as he reaches for you. “Hey you,” he says, kissing you softly as soon as he’s got you close enough. Instinctively, your arm slips around his shoulder as you lean into his kiss, not willing to pull away yet. The Sabres had lost, and you felt almost guilty for missing the game. Plus, you’d just missed him.

“Hey yourself,” you tease, grinning at your mouth leaves his. You can’t stop yourself from kissing him again, enjoying the fact that his hair is still damp from his post-game shower. He’s warm and you can smell his body wash when you kiss him again quickly. “Sorry I missed the game.” Your words are soft, half murmured against his mouth, and you open your eyes in time to see him shrug.

“Not your fault, baby,” he says, his hand splaying out against the small of your back. You nod back to him simply, pressing another soft peck to his mouth before forcing yourself to pull away. Licking your lips, you glance around curiously since you’d never been to his place before. “Want a quick tour?” He must notice you looking around, and you smile at him with another nod.

He takes your hand and walks you through his apartment, giving sweet little commentary about how he wasn’t sure if he liked the furniture layout in the living room or not. When he mentions his bedroom, you see his cheeks flush softly, and you bite your lip to force back a grin. It makes a heat prickle up the back of your neck, and the idea crosses your mind to just say fuck the party and just stay in for the night.

A few minutes later though, and Jeff is pulling on a jacket so you guys can take off. In the elevator, you guys talk about the game briefly as you lean into his side. The walk was short, and even with your jacket on, you were cold and keeping close to Jeff. Lydia was already at Jack’s, much to your surprise, but then again, she got quite confident while drunk, so maybe it wasn’t so shocking.

When you got there, Jeff helped you out of your jacket before hanging it up next to his, and you looked around, wondering where Lydia was. You’re a little tense still, and when Jeff asks if you want a drink, you nod eagerly with a grin before following him into the kitchen. It’s there that you find Lydia talking to Jack, surprisingly enough, and when she saw you, a wide smile settled on her face.

“Oh my god, about time!” she says, giggling as she reaches for you. “Hi, I missed you.” Her tone goes a little weepy and you laugh as she hugs you, glancing at Jack over her shoulder.

“Are you having fun?” you ask her with a quick laugh before your attention turns back to Jack. “Has she been talking your ear off?”

Jack snorts, shrugging with a bit of a smirk. “Yeah, but it’s fine. I was trying to get her to drink some water, but she said I’m not her boss,” he says, taking a sip of his drink. The words get a laugh out of you, and Lydia chimes in that it’s true.

“Sweetheart, please drink some water,” you say with a laugh, your hands coming up to her face to make sure she’s actually looking at you.

“Okay, but only if you start to catch up to me,” she responds, slipping away from you easily to pull you toward where Jeff is already making himself a drink. Lydia greets him enthusiastically with a hug, and he laughs as he hugs her back. You watch with amusement as they make a bit of small talk, and your happy to see that Jack had a decent selection of liquor.

Over the next hour or so, more people trickle in, and thankfully, you get Lydia to sober up a bit and the two of you meet in the middle. Jeff introduces you to more of his teammates, and they all mention the fact that Jeff hasn’t shut up about you, much to his embarrassment. You keep catching Lydia’s eyes on Jack, and you make a mental note to mention it to Jeff later.

Teetering on the edge of drunk, you thank Jeff with a grin as he offers to grab you another drink a while later. You hand him your cup and press a quick kiss to his mouth before he takes off, and you catch Lydia watching the two of you.

“What?” you ask her with a pointed look as she wiggles her eyebrows at you.

“Nothin’, I just love you guys,” she says with a sigh that make you laugh. “Please tell me you’ve fucked him.”

“There it is,” you murmur, knowing she was sure to bring it up eventually. Either way, you scoff and shake your head. “No, we haven’t, not yet.”

Lydia makes a sound of disbelief and she’s shaking her head. “I can’t imagine having that kind of self-restraint, honestly,” she says, taking a sip of her drink. She’s back to mixed drinks now that she’s sobered up some, and that devilish side of her is sneaking back in.

“We’re just trying to take things a little slow, I guess, that’s all,” you respond, feeling your cheeks heat up. You turn your head enough to sneak a glance at Jeff in the kitchen where he’s making your drink as he talks to Jack.

“You deserve that dick, sweetheart,” she tells you with a shrug, making you snort as you nudge her with your elbow.

“Shut up,” you grumble, laughing softly as Jeff starts back toward you. When he’s close enough, he hands you your drink and you thank him with a smile, immediately taking a sip and praying that Lydia doesn’t say anything too stupid.

Another hour passes, and Jeff does a few laps around the apartment, talking to teammates and other friends, but never leaving your sight. After finishing the drink he made you, you sip at some water as you lean back against the wall behind you. You’d made sure that Lydia was also drinking water again, but otherwise, she’d wandered off to talk to other people she’d met earlier.

You start catching Jeff’s eyes on you more and more, and eventually, you wave him over. Lydia’s works are sticking in your mind now, and Jeff looks so good with with the way his shirt is hugging his shoulders. He moves closer with a smile, slipping an arm around you when you reach for him. You’re just drunk enough that your mind is wandering back to last weekend on your couch, and how good it’d felt to have his hands on you, to make him groan.

“Having fun?” he asks softly, leaning to press a kiss to your mouth. You nod with a hum, kissing him again. He tastes like beer and you can’t help but giggle softly as you lean into him.

“Where’s the bathroom?” you ask a second later, tilting your head enough to kiss his jaw softly.

“Uhh, down the hall,” he responds after thinking about it for a moment. You can feel that he’s leaning into you, his hand wandering up your side lightly, and you let your mouth move down his neck.

“Show me,” you murmur into his skin, letting your teeth drag over his adam’s apple. He leans back to look at you then with raised eyebrows, and your only response is to practically beam at him before taking a step toward the hall and grabbing his hand.

In the hall, Jeff laughs softly as you practically drag him along behind you and he squeezes your hand lightly. “Up here on the left,” he says quietly, the sounds of the music is growing quieter behind you.

The door’s ajar, so you know it’s unoccupied and you step inside, pulling Jeff in behind you. He nearly trips on his own feet and ends up laughing as the door closes. It’s dark in the bathroom aside from the dim strip of LED strips along the mirror, and you see Jeff searching blindly for the lightswitch. You shake your head quickly, reaching to turn the lock on the door as your other arms settles around his neck to pull him toward you.

Your lips crash into his, immediately earning a groan out of him as his hands move to hold your hips. He squeezes you there, and you smile against his mouth as you cup his face gently, turning enough so he’s leaning back into the vanity. His hands slide up to your waist, gripping the fabric of your shirt before he’s pulling away with a soft laugh.

“I can’t believe you locked the door,” he murmurs, taking a breath before he’s kissing you hungrily again, pulling you closer so every inch of your body is pressing against his.

“What, you think I want someone to walk in on us fooling around in your teammate’s bathroom?” you ask, the words muffled against his mouth slightly.

“Oh, so that’s what we’re doing?” he responds, and both of you break into fits of laughter as you nod. Drunkenness has fully set in, and you just feel so happy to be there with him. He pulls you back toward him, bringing a hand up to thread his fingers through your hair and when he kisses you again, it leaves you seeing stars.

Leaning into him, you lick into his mouth, feeling that desperation for him starting to build faster than before. When he nips at your bottom lip a second later, you whimper into his mouth, your hips already pressing toward his. He’s all you can think about, all you can focus on, and feeling his hands wander over your body leaves you practically keening for him.

You kiss him until you have to pull away, lips swollen as you try to catch your breath. Jeff is breathing heavily as well, his hands slipping under your shirt to rest on your waist. Nosing at his jaw, you press a light kiss to his neck that makes him hum. He squeezes your waist and tilts his head back slightly, and immediately your mouth is on his throat, sucking at his pulsepoint. Your hands settle on his belt buckle and they idle there, loving the way he moans your name.

Taking that as encouragement, you unfasten his belt easily, and he tenses, making you pull back to look at him. Your eyes have adjusted to the dark enough by then that you can feel his eyes moving over your face slowly. You’re rather grateful for the low lighting so he can’t see the flush that’s coloring your cheeks or the way that your hands are shaking slightly.

“Do you want me to stop?” you ask softly, and without pause, Jeff shakes his head, already leaning to kiss you again hungrily. You all but melt against him, smiling against his mouth as your hips press forward against his. His cock is starting to harden, you can feel it, and immediately, your mouth is watering as you unfasten his jeans and drag his zipper down.

When you slide a hand into his jeans, palming at his dick through the fabric of his boxer briefs, he curses softly before licking into your mouth again. You can still hear the music from down the hall, and you hate how much you’re enjoying the fact that you could get caught at any time. Jeff says your name in a tone that’s nothing short of whiny, and you slide your tongue along his before pulling away with a smirk.

“Jesus, Y/n,” he breathes as he watches with wide eyes you drop to your knees in front of him. You bite your bottom lip as your smirk grows, loving the way he’s leaning back into the vanity in almost disbelief. His hand comes down to push your hair out of your face, and you can hear that he’s breathing heavily as you tug his jeans and underwear just enough to free his cock.

Jeff takes a deep breath that catches in his throat as your hand comes up to stroke his length from base to tip, his body tensing as he’s clearly trying not to fuck into your hand.

“You okay?” you ask softly, looking up at him through your eyelashes. As eager as you are for him then, you don’t want him to feel like everything’s moving too fast. You’re not letting yourself think about the fact that his dick is bigger than you’d expected, you’re not letting yourself think about how plush his mouth as his tongue darts out to lick his lips.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he says, exhaling a breath of laughter as he grips the edge of the vanity. “Just been thinking about this since I was like, 14.” His words make you grin and you nod, stroking him again slowly. Part of you wants to make a snarky comment about it, wants to hear him laugh, but right now you’re too desperate for him, too transfixed on the fact that this is all actually happening.

His eyes are glued to you, you can feel his hand tighten in his hair as your mouth opens to take the head of his cock between your lips. Immediately, he tenses as you hear him inhale sharply, and you hum at the salty taste of his precum against your tongue. Shifting on your knees, you can feel how wet you are, as you suckle lightly at the head of his cock, trying to settle into a rhythm and decipher what he likes.

“Fuck, baby,” he murmurs when you bob your head shallowly, taking more of him between your lips. Your body is hot all over, and when he hisses out a curse, your clit throbs between your thighs.

You relax your jaw and take a breath through your nose, bringing a hand up to rest on the back of his thigh, starting to take him deeper into your mouth. Your tongue teases along the vein on the underside of his cock, and that makes his breathing hitch as you keep going. His eyes are on you still, you can tell, and when his fingers flex in your hair, you can’t help the way you moan around his length. Your hand is still on him, holding the base of his cock and twisting around his length lightly as start you hear him curse again above you.

When you feel him at the back of your throat, you swallow around him, and he lets out breathy moan that makes your thighs squeeze together. It’s then that you start bobbing your head, doing your best not to gag when he slips down your throat a little more with each movement. You can hear him breathing heavily above you, and you’re sure that he’s still watching. In your drunken state, you can’t help but show off a little, groaning around him as your nose hits his pelvis.

From the tension in his body, you’re sure that Jeff is holding back, and you look up at him through your eyelashes. You can taste his precum at the back of your tongue, and you let your cheeks hollow out as you pull back, almost enough that he slips out of your mouth. A needy sound leaves him and you moan around him in response, as you start to bob your head again lazily, taking your time.

You squeeze his thigh lightly, wanting him to relax for you as he slips down the back of your throat again. He makes a sound of approval, and a second later, he’s rocking into your mouth carefully. When you choke on him in response, he tenses again, cursing under his breath as you look up at him. There’s a pleading look in your eye that he seems to pick up on, his hand tightening in your hair as he leans over you a little more rather than resting back against the vanity.

There’s a new darkness in his eyes that you can see even in the low lighting of the bathroom, and when he fucks into your mouth a second later, you moan for him. Your body is hot all over, and immediately, you’re unfastening your own jeans and shoving your hand into your panties.

“Y/n, fuck, you look so good right now,” he breathes, voice sounding absolutely wrecked as he watches you. You find your clit easily, whimpering around him when feel how soaked and swollen you are. Your hips press down toward your hand, rubbing tight circles against your clit as you suck at his length desperately.

Seeing you touch yourself, knowing that you’re enjoying sucking his cock really seems to help Jeff’s confidence, and you hear him groan as he rocks into your mouth again. Your jaw relaxes a bit more, tongue resting flat in the bottom of your mouth, and as you start to bob your head eagerly, your hand moves from his thigh to the base of his cock. Toying with your clit still, you feel yourself getting a little sloppy as tears burn in your eyes.

Jeff fucks into your mouth harder than before, hitting your gag reflex and immediately he stills, his hand relaxing in your hair like he’s expecting you to pull off. You don’t though, just pulling back slightly to trace along the veins and ridges of his cock with your tongue teasingly as you take a few breaths through your nose.

Your thighs are squeezing around your hand, and you’re shocked at how wet you are just from sucking his cock. The sounds he’s letting out for you as he pushes your hair back from your face again has your cunt absolutely throbbing, and your hips rock against your hand roughly. You can feel the way he’s just barely fucking into your mouth, much more carefully now.

Because your lungs are burning, you pull off of him to take a few deep breaths, and you can feel a bit of spit leaking from the corner of your mouth. Your hand moves to stroke him slowly from base to tip, his cock slick with your saliva, and the fingers of your other hand continue to sweep through your folds and toy with your clit.

“I wanna taste you, baby, fuck,” you whine for him, words slurring slightly as you lean closer to take his cock between your lips again as he nods.

“You want me to cum down your throat, sweetheart?” he asks a second later, hips rocking toward your mouth. His words, the tone of his voice take you by surprise, immediately drawing a needy sound from you as you do your best to nod, despite the fact that his cock down your throat.

His other hand leaves the edge of the vanity, joining the other to tangle in your hair as he fucks into your mouth in a slow, easy motion. The motion, the sudden burst of confidence has you whimpering around him as you rub faster at your clit, unsure if you’d be able to cum with him.

Jeff’s movements stutter slightly and he groans your name as he spills hot into your mouth. His hands are tight enough in your hair that it hurts just the right amount like he’s holding you in place, and you continue toying with your clit as he rocks into your mouth. You let out a satisfied hum as you swallow every bit of his cum, his hips pressing close enough to you that your nose is pressing against his pelvis again.

He stills, panting loudly, but even then, you bob your head slowly, sucklng hard at his softening cock as he catches his breath. You hear him curse softly and when you look up, you’re not surprised that he’s watching you, eyes all but glued to your hand that’s shoved down the front of your jeans.

“Fuck, sweetheart, c’mere,” he murmurs, voice low as he guides you off the length of his dick. You pull off him with a soft pop, knowing your lips are swollen and slick, and Jeff tugs you to your feet easily.

Your knees are weak so you lean into him for support, and he kisses you so hard that it leaves you breathless. He hums as he licks into your mouth, his hand closing around your wrist to guide your hand out of your jeans. Jeff only pulls back to suck your fingers into his mouth, moaning when he tastes your wetness on your digits, making your knees weak.

Breathing his name, you move easily when he turns to press you back against the edge of the vanity. He pulls your fingers from his mouth so he can kiss you, feel him tuck himself back into his boxers and fasten his pants before his fingers are brushing along the elastic band of your panties.

“Baby, can I touch you? Fuck, I wanna feel you cum for me,” he breathes against your mouth, the desperation obvious in his tone. All you can do is nod eagerly, arm slipping around his neck to keep him close.

Jeff wastes no time, immediately slipping his hand into your panties, and both of you groan in unison as his fingers brush through you soaked folds. He licks into your mouth hungrily, humming as his middle finger rubs a circle against your clit. Your hips press toward his hand and you pant against his mouth, resting back against the edge of the vanity for support.

You part your legs a bit more for him, letting out an impatient groan as you feel restricted by your tight jeans. He murmurs something to you that you can’t quite hear and you whine for him nonetheless, your arm tightening around his neck to keep him as close as possible.

“I’ve got you, beautiful,” he breathes against your mouth, and you nod quickly, trying to wordlessly convey that you trust him as your hips rock against his hand. You feel his fingers tease at your entrance briefly, then he’s burying two fingers deep inside you, long and thick, and a breath catches in your throat as you arch toward him.

“Jeff, fuck,” you whine loudly, your vision going fuzzy when his fingers curl against your g-spot. Heat burns along your spine as your hand comes up to grip his short curls in an effort to keep his mouth on yours. His free hand is tugging at your jeans, trying to get them down a little more, and you giggle softly when he curses in frustration.

He doesn’t have much room to fuck his fingers into you properly, but he makes do, curling them inside you roughly as his palm grinds against your clit. You whimper for him, already so keyed up from sucking his cock and bringing yourself close to an orgasm earlier, and you’re still rocking hard against his hand.

You’re about to whine for him again, when a knock at the door startles both of you, and you exhale a laugh as you press your face into his neck. Jeff doesn’t stop though, still letting the heel of his hard grind against your clit.

“Uhh, hang on, just a minute!” Jeff says, loudly enough to be heard through the door. His fingers are still curling into you roughly, and your pussy clenches hard around his fingers. Immediately, he’s attaching his mouth to your throat and you do your best to keep quiet, knowing there’s someone on the other side of the door.

Whimpering his name, your arms tighten around him, hips shifting impatiently. His mouth was hot against your neck, sucking at your pulse point and letting his fingers rub against your g-spot firmly.

“Can you cum for me, baby? We gotta make this quick,” he murmurs into your neck before pulling back. You meet his eye and nod quickly, and the smirk the settles on his lips has your jaw tightening as you try to hold back the moan that bubbles in your throat.

Jeff kisses you so hard that your teeth hit and your hands move to cup his face, just wanting to keep him close. His hand is moving between your thighs roughly and you can feel your orgasm building as his tongue slides along yours. You wish you had more time, that there were less clothes involved, but by now, you were just glad to be releasing some of the tension that had been boiling over between the two of you.

You’re so close, putting a hand behind you on the vanity for leverage as you rock against his hand, desperate for as much friction as you can get. He somehow finds just enough space to start pumping his fingers into you shallowly, still curled hard against your g-spot. Your other hand moves up to his hair, gripping the short curls as the first waves of your orgasm hit you. Kissing him roughly, you’re panting into his mouth between high little moans as your cunt flutters around his digits. Your whole body is rocking toward his, desperate for contact as you cum for him.

As your orgasm starts to fade and you’re able to catch your breath, your mind is so focused on Jeff that you visibly jump when there’s another knock at the door. Your head drops to bury your face in his shoulder as he clears his throat. Jeff’s about to speak when Jack’s voice cuts through the heavy sounds of your breathing.

“Dude, what the fuck are you doing?” Jack asks, sounding quite drunk and he knocks again impatiently. You can feel your cheeks burning, and completely pressed against Jeff, you feel him shake with laughter.

“We’ll, uh..I’ll be out in a minute,” Jeff responds, clearing his throat again as you nudge him in the ribs gently when he’d started with ‘we.’

Jack is silent for a short moment, and you hold your breath, hoping that he was just going to walk away. You pull back and see Jeff biting his lip, telling you he was hoping the same thing.

“Fuck, is Y/n in there with you?” he questions a second later, like it took him a minute to piece it all together. You press a hand over your mouth in an attempt to silence a laugh.

“Uhh...you really want me to answer that?” Jeff says quickly, making you laugh all over again. Before you can stop yourself, you tilt your chin forward to kiss him again before a wide grin spreads across your face.

“Oh, come on, man!” Jack groans from the other side of the door, and you bite your lip as you attempt to ignore the fact that Jeff’s fingers are still buried deep inside you. “You live two fucking blocks from here, why do you have to fuck in my bathroom?” The words make you snort loudly, your head dropping again to nuzzle into Jeff’s neck.

“Jack, I said we’ll be out in a minute,” Jeff says in a firm tone that surprises you, and you lean back to look at him with raised eyebrows and a grin. Jack grumbles for a brief moment before sighing and seemingly walking away from.

You see Jeff roll his eyes before he meets your gaze, and immediately, he’s grinning at you. His expression softens, and he’s kissing you slowly a second later, humming against your mouth comfortably. He shifts his hand just slightly, the friction against your sensitive walls makes you whimper, and he makes a soothing sound as he pulls his fingers from you then. The second you’re able to, you’re squeezing your thighs together, all but squirming in place as you watch Jeff suck his fingers into his mouth to taste you.

He’s grinning still, and the darkness in his eyes is fading as you grip the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer again. You look at each other for a moment, then Jack’s exasperation crosses your mind again, making you snort with laughter.

“We should probably get out of here,” Jeff murmurs, kissing your forehead lightly, then the side of your head. You nod, already turning your head enough to kiss him full on the mouth. Forcing yourself to untangle from him, you fasten your jeans and turn to look in the mirror, wanting to make sure you don’t look like too much of a mess.

Returning to the rest of the party, you try your hardest to avoid making eye contact with Jack, which is easier said than done considering he’s talking to Lydia, who’s waving you over. With a hand in the small of your back, Jeff tells you he’ll be right back and you nod before he heads toward another group of his teammates. You keep your distance from Lydia for just a moment, and as if Jack isn’t quite ready to talk to you either, he takes off before long.

Lydia seems a little more sober now, giving you a knowing grin as she pulls you toward her. “Honey, when I said you deserved that dick, I didn’t mean right now,” she tells you, giggling loudly as she wraps her arms around you in a hug. You nudge her in the ribs, scoffing as you hug her back. “When I asked Jack if he’d seen you anywhere, I didn’t expect him to hunt you guys down like that.” Now, you laugh, shaking your head as you look at her.

“Guess we’ve at least got a good story out of it now, I guess,” you say, cheeks burning as she laughs with you. “I didn’t actually fuck him though, okay, so don’t believe whatever Jack was bitching about.” Lydia grins knowingly, murmuring something about Jack being a nosy bitch.

You didn’t realize the time until you checked your phone a few minutes later, and saw that it was nearly 1am. Jeff has gravitated back toward you, arm slipping around your waist comfortably as you continue to talk to Lydia. Jack keeps eyeing the two of you like a parent chaperoning two teenagers, and when Lydia takes off to grab more water, Jeff kisses your shoulder softly.

“You wanna come home with me?” he asks, almost sounding worried you wouldn’t be interested in.

Immediately though, you’re nodding, leaning into him. “Yeah, but only to sleep. It’s past my bedtime, and you wore me out earlier,” you tease, grinning as he nods back at you.

“We’ll head out in a few minutes then? I just need to say bye to some people,” he says, pressing a kiss to your cheek before slipping away.

Getting out of there was easy thankfully, and Lydia was on her way out too as you pull your coat on. She pauses to hug you, saying she’ll see you at work on Monday, and in pure Lydia fashion, she shoots Jeff a wink on her way out the door once her Lyft had arrived.

On the walk back to Jeff’s, you’re both quiet, just leaning into each other easily. He keeps his arm around your shoulders protectively, holding the door open for you when you reach his building.

“We should’ve just planned for you to stay over tonight from the get-go,” Jeff says with a bashful shrug as you wait for the elevator. You nod, grinning as you shrug back at him, stifling a yawn.

You’re sleepy as hell, letting Jeff guide you into the elevator, then down the hall once you’d made it up to his floor. You nuzzle into his shoulder as he works on unlocking his door, rubbing his hand over your back lightly. Inside, you each kick off your shoes and shrug off your jackets, and Jeff tells you quietly to head to his room, and you nod with a sleepy smile.

You use his bathroom, and when you step back into his bedroom, you find him sifting through some drawers. He glances over his shoulder to grin at you before putting a small stack of clothes on top of the dresser. “Figured you might want something to sleep in,” he says with a shy grin, bringing a hand up to the scratch the back of his neck. You thank him softly, coming close enough to press a soft kiss to his mouth before he pulls back to head into the bathroom himself with a pair of sweats in hand.

If you weren’t half drunk and half asleep, you would’ve teased him about the fact that he was changing in private, as if you hadn’t had his dick down your throat an hour earlier. Stripping out of your clothes, you pull on the sweats and t-shirt he set out for you, unable to stop yourself from noticing how much the clothes smelled like him. When he steps out of the bathroom a moment later, it’s obvious that he’s trying to be respectful, glancing at you quickly to make sure you’re dressed.

“Do you have a preference on a side of the bed?” he asks, a sleepy smile and getting close enough to you to touch your waist lightly. You shake your head and make an indifferent sound, arms looping around his neck to pull him down to you for a proper kiss. Even as tired as you are, the fact that he’s shirtless is distracting and you can feel just how warm he is as you lean into him. “C’mon, bed.” His words are soft when he pulls back a moment later, tugging you toward the bed.

It takes no time at all for the two of you to get settled between the sheets, Jeff immediately pulling you back against his chest with an arm around your waist tightly. It feels good to just relax with him, to be curled up in bed together after such a long day. The two of you talk back and forth in hushed tones, and Jeff presses his face into the back of your shoulder, scoffing softly after a moment. You hum in question, turning your head back enough to look at him in the dark.

“I’m just thinking about that time your parents were out of town and I managed to convince my parents you were with them so they’d let me stay over with your brother,” he says, already chuckling as he continues to nuzzle into your shoulder.

Rolling your eyes, you grin to yourself. “That was the only time we got to sleep in bed together all night, wasn’t it?” you respond, hand moving to rub over his forearm gently where it’s slung over your waist. His bed is far too comfortable, really, and everything smells like him.

“Mhm. I spent the whole night terrified I’d wake up hard, or at least that you’d wake up before I had a chance to grab a quick shower,” he says, making you snort quietly as you practically beam in the dark.

“What, and you’re not feeling that same fear right now?” you question teasingly, and then it’s his turn to laugh, nosing at your hair.

“Oh, no, trust me, I am, I’m just too drunk still to really care about it, I guess,” he admits, and you laugh loudly enough that you feel him jump in surprise behind you. He’s laughing with you a second later, his arm tightening around you so every inch of your body is resting back against his.

Jeff is so safe and familiar, warm and just so sweet that you’re fighting sleep just because you want to stay up talking. When the two of you fall quiet again, your eyes start to get heavy, nuzzling against the pillow as your hand continues to rub over his forearm still since it’s the only part of him you can easily touch. After a moment of silence, you hear him hesitate behind you before saying your name.

“Hm?” you respond sleepily, turning onto your back to look up at him. His arm stays tight around your waist, and as you look at him, you can’t do anything to stop the smile that slides onto your face. You’d forgotten about the fact that he was shirtless, and you hate that you’d too exhausted to appreciate his body properly. Jeff’s quiet again for a moment, biting his lip like he’s trying to figure out what to say.

“Do you still believe things happen for a reason?” he says finally, the words taking you a little by surprise. You always had believed that, you’d said it often when you were younger, and the fact that he remembered it now made you smile.

“Yeah, why?” you hum softly, eyes moving over his face slowly. He gives you a little half shrug, and you nudge him gently, knowing he’s hesitating still. Not even thinking about it, your hand comes up, brushing your fingers fingers over his collarbone lightly, feeling him shiver under your touch.

“I dunno, all of this just feels so….natural still, I guess. Eight years is a long time, and part of me was really worried that we’d be different now, that things just wouldn’t work out for whatever reason.” As Jeff speaks, he’s avoiding your eye, something he’s always done when having a serious conversation about feelings and the like. “But this has all just been so easy, like it was all just supposed to happen this way.”

Pressing your lips together thoughtfully, you nod, exhaling a quick breath as you let your fingertips run along his arm idly. “Yeah, I know what you mean, don’t worry,” you assure him, giving him a sleepy smile as you nod again.

“Since I saw you at that game, I just haven’t been able to get any of this out of my head, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head,” Jeff says, letting out a breath. His words are a little slurred still, sounding just as tired as you are. “I know I loved you when we were kids, but god, it’s just so much more now, if that even makes any sense.” He’s looking everywhere but your eyes, his hand coming up to push your hair away from your face gently.

Your cheeks flush in the dark and a grin spreads wide across your face. “When did you turn into such a sap?” you ask, tilting your head up enough to kiss him lazily. He hums against your mouth like he doesn’t want to pull away.

“I dunno. I just know that I love you,” he says softly, moving away as little as possible. His nose bumps against your lightly as you grin, turning to lean into him more, your hand coming up to touch his cheek.

“I love you too,” you reply, unable to hold back the giddy, happy laugh that bubbles inside you. You kiss him again, harder this time despite the fact that you can hardly even think straight because you’re so tired. He’s smiling against your mouth, you can feel it, and when you pull back, it’s with a sigh. “Can we please go to sleep now?” Your words come with a sleepy grin that Jeff mirrors and he nods, giving you another quick kiss before motioning for you to roll over again.

You don’t think you’ve ever fallen asleep so quickly, leaning back against his chest as his arm stays tight around your waist. When you wake up in the morning, your eyes ache with a hangover, and you come to slowly, grumbling softly in annoyance at the distant sound of ringing. You can feel Jeff stirring behind you, and unwilling to fully wake up just yet, you turn over in his arms to bury your face in his chest. Your eyes are still closed when he rubs a hand over your back sleepily, kissing your hairline.

“Baby, I think that’s your phone is ringing,” he murmurs, making you groan softly. His voice is rough with sleep and it makes you want to ignore your phone all together and go back to sleep.

“That explains the ringing at least,” you grumble, forcing yourself to roll away from him. When you get to your feet, you sway a bit before following the sound of your phone into the bathroom. You don’t even have time to question how you’d managed to leave it in there the night before, and you roll your eyes when you see that it’s your boss calling.

Friday’s work emergency had bled into Saturday, and your boss was panicking, leaving you to promise you’d be at the office as soon as you could. After using the bathroom and looking around for mouthwash to use, you hurry back out to the bedroom where Jeff is still curled up on his side. Quickly, you slip out of the sweats you’d slept in and tugged on your jeans from last night before running a hand over your hair in hopes that it wasn’t too much of a mess.

When you turn around after tossing his sweats into the nearby hamper, Jeff has shifted onto his back and was giving you a sleepy smile. “Time for you to go?” he asks, dragging a hand down his face before yawning.

Nodding with a pouty grin, you shove your phone in your back pocket. “Yeah, unfortunately,” you say with a sigh, taking the couple steps to approach the bed. “Yesterday’s work boiled over into today and I have to head in. I’ve got to run home and change.” As you speak, you lean over him, pressing a quick kiss to his mouth before straightening up again.

“Do you want a ride home?” he asks, already starting to sit up as if to get ready to go. Laughing quietly, you shake your head, bringing a hand up to push him back down onto the bed.

“No, don’t worry about me, I’ve got an Uber on the way, just go back to sleep,” you assure him, smiling softly as he nods. You phone chimes in your pocket and grabbing it, you see that the car is outside. “I’ll see you tomorrow for brunch, okay?”

To say you fantasized about him that night would be putting it lightly. You hated that just kissing him for that far too short moment seemed to completely ignite your libido, leaving your mind absolutely stuck on his mouth.

Saturday dragged on and on, and you were restless as you forced yourself to run some errands, to clean up a bit around the house. Jeff texted you here and there between practice and spending some time at the gym, and you toyed with the idea of inviting him over. You’d always considered yourself to be independent, and you liked your alone time, but now, all you wanted was for Jeff to be there with you.

Lydia showed up unannounced with pizza and wine sometime in the evening, which turned into the two of you watching Great British Bake Off and bitching about work. It was a nice distraction after having spent most of the day in your own head, and to your surprise, she didn’t bring up Jeff but you were willing to bet that she desperately wanted to. You felt rather sly, Snapping and texting back and forth with Jeff while you and Lydia relaxed, like it was your own little secret.

Lydia stayed late, until you were both practically dozing off on the couch, before heading home, and when she asked what you were doing the next day, that’s why you let it slip that you were seeing Jeff again. She was impressed that you’d kept it quiet, and offered a wink on her way out the door that of course had you rolling your eyes.

With the house to yourself again, you took the wine glasses to the sink and left the empty pizza box on the counter to take out to the trash later. You’re feeling drowsy, but you force yourself to wash your face and throw a load of towels in the wash before getting changed for bed. Your phone buzzes on the end table as you’re tugging on a pair of sweats, and when you reach for it, a grin slides onto your face after seeing that the message is from Jeff.

You climb into bed as you read his message, pulling your blankets over your lap. He’s asking if he can call you, and without bothering to reply, you instead lift the phone to your ear to call him. As it rings, you chew on your bottom lip, feeling slightly nervous for some reason. Jeff answers quickly though, and your heart leaps the second you hear his voice.

“Hey, I’m glad you were still up,” he says, sounding rather tired. You wonder if he’s in bed like you are, and part of you wishes the two of you were on FaceTime so you could see him smile.

“Yeah, Lydia took off about ten minutes ago, so I’m just now climbing into bed,” you tell him, your free hand coming up to push your hair out of your face. You settle into bed a little more, sinking back against the pillows.

“I’ve been watching TV in bed for the last hour, it’s been pretty nice,” Jeff says, letting out a quiet breath of laughter. “A couple of the guys tried to talk me into going out tonight, but I really just wanted a lazy Saturday night.” His words get a laugh out of you this time as well, and it’s honestly just so nice to hear his voice, especially with how soft and warm it was right now.

“I think Lydia and I managed to watch almost half a season of Bake Off tonight, and I don’t know why I let myself binge that show. Every time, without fail, it just makes me want to bake like crazy, even though I’m not really that good at baking.” You feel like you’re rambling a bit by then, but it makes Jeff laugh.

“I remember when we tried to make a cake for your parents’ anniversary the one year and it somehow was hard as a rock,” he teases, laughing after he’s finished speaking. You scoff before laughing along with him, shaking your head at the memory.

“Hey, I still maintain that that was Logan’s fault somehow,” you say, still trying to defend yourself all these years later. Your cheek are flushed, and really, you’re just so happy to be talking to him, even when it’s just this playful banter. “Besides, even if I did manage to fuck up the cake that badly, I’m sure I’m a lot better at baking now than I was at 14.”

“I dunno if I believe you, honestly,” he says, obviously just trying to bug you by then. You hate that it’s working, and you can imagine that he’s grinning, quite pleased with himself. It doesn’t take long before you’re scoffing again, quickly changing the subject.

“Is there a reason you wanted me to call you, or did you just want to drive me insane all night?” you ask, trying your best to sound irritated but it doesn’t quite work.

“Believe it or not, there was a reason,” he says, and you can practically hear his grin through the phone. “I, uh, figured we might want to iron out some plans for tomorrow.” There’s a sudden nervousness to his voice then, and it bleeds right into you, making your cheeks burn in the dark.

“Oh...yeah,” you pause to exhale a laugh. “That’s a good idea, actually.” He laughs with you then, and he clears his throat before speaking.

“So, I’ve kind of got something planned, but I wanted to run it by you first, to make sure it wasn’t...too much or anything,” he explains, that nervousness settling into the tone of his voice again. “There’s this Italian place that a couple of my teammates are obsessed with, and it’s pretty fancy, like I don’t think I can even pronounce the name of the place, and I―”

“Jeff, please don’t feel like we have to do anything over the top,” you interrupt quickly, biting your lip afterwards. You sink down into the mattress more, shifting between the sheets in an effort to get comfortable.

“I know that, but after all of those cheap dates I took you on in high school, I feel like I’ve got to step up my game now,” Jeff tells you, and immediately, both of you are laughing before he continues on a moment later. “I’ve got a couple good back up ideas too.”

“No, no, I’m totally on board with the fancy Italian place, trust me,” you assure him, still grinning widely to yourself.

He exhales then, sounding rather relieved, and you laugh again. “Okay, good,” he says, and you can all but hear him relax. It still amazes you that it’s so easy for him to make you feel like a nervous, lovesick teenager all over again and it’s becoming more obvious at least that you have the same effect on him as well. “Do we wanna do dinner at 6 then?”

“Uh, yeah, that works for me,” you tell him, voice rather soft then as you feel excitement bubble in your stomach now that plans are set in stone for tomorrow. You’re quite for a moment as you chew on your bottom lip. “Any chance I’ll be able to talk you into hanging around at my place for a while after dinner?”

“You’ll just have to say please,” he teases, making you roll your eyes, because of course he won’t just make things easy on you.

“Oh, well, we’ll see if I’m up for that tomorrow then,” you respond, trying to sound as noncommittal as possible, even shrugging to yourself for dramatic effect. Jeff thinks it’s funny at least, and he laughs softly. You can damn near imagine him smiling at you, and just that thought has you exhaling a quiet sigh.

“What are you thinking?” he asks a moment later, and there’s a gentleness to his voice that makes you want to curl up into him and never move.

“Nothing really, just that I’m excited to see you tomorrow,” you tell him, picking a piece of fuzz off your shirt idly as you try not to think about how warm his hands had been when they were resting on your waist last night.

He’s quiet for a moment, almost to the point that you feel antsy. “I’m excited too, trust me. I’m glad we’ll finally just get to spend a good chunk of time together all at once,” he says, and by that point, you’re smiling so hard that your face hurts.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” you respond, trying to ignore the warmth that’s settling through your body in response to his words.

The two of you end up talking a while longer until you can’t stop yawning, and one of the last things Jeff says is that he can’t wait to see you the next day. You doze off easily, thinking about him and how eager you are to have him to yourself for several hours.

By early Sunday afternoon, you’re kicking yourself for thinking Saturday had passed slowly, because today, waiting for six o’clock to arrive it actually felt like time was moving backwards. Jeff seemed just as impatient, really, and the two of you spent most of the day texting, stemming from the good morning text you woke up to. Lydia texted you a few times as well, mostly just to bother you about the date. Now that she knew about it, she had no problem being nosy it seemed.

Jeff showed up a little earlier than you’d anticipated, and because you’d been in the bathroom trying to make your hair look decent, you’d missed his text that he was heading your way. As soon as you heard the knock on the door, you were cursing under your breath as you try to get your earrings in, padding barefoot down the hall to let him in.

“You’re super early,” you say as you swing open the door, and it’s a good thing you started speaking when you did because seeing him standing there in a suit makes your mind go blank.

You’d seen him in suits after the games you’d been to, but now? Damn, he looked good. He’d gone without a tie, and his shirt wasn’t buttoned all the way up. Just as you realize that you’re practically staring at him, you notice that his eyes are on you just as much as yours had been on him.

“You….look incredible, wow,” he murmurs eventually, eyes lifting to your face as he flashes you a grin. You feel your cheeks heat up as you grin, stepping to the side to let him step into the foyer. His eyes are still on you, taking you in, and you try to ignore the heat creeping up the back of your neck.

“I’ve only got one earring in,” you respond with a quick laugh, trying to sound modest as you remember that the other is still in your hand. At least putting the other earring in gave you a short distraction from how good he looked. You’re dressed at least, which is better than nothing. After worrying about what to wear to such a fancy place, you opted for the classic little black dress, deciding that simple was the way to go.

“Well, I trust me, I wasn’t looking at your ears,” Jeff says, clearing his throat a second later and stuffing his hands in his pockets like he’s worried what he’d said came off weird. The words make you snort though and you grin, your hands smoothing down the front of your dress as you look at him. You meet eyes and you’re both quiet for a beat, both of you grinning at each other like you don’t know what to do next.

“I, uh..I should put some shoes on, uh, then I’ll be ready to go,” you tell him, stumbling over your words a bit. He nods, biting his lip and you see his eyes drag over your frame again. You’re about to turn away from him, to run back to your room where your heels were waiting, but instead, you step toward him.

He must be having the same thoughts as you then, because as soon as you’re close enough, his arm is settling around your waist to pull you even closer. “I missed you,” he tells you, the words half whispered as you look up at him with a grin.

“I missed you too,” you reply, loving the smile that spreads across his face in response to your words. The dimple is driving you extra crazy today for some reason, and you tilt your head up enough to kiss his cheek softly.

You’re about to pull away when he says your name quietly and you look at him through your eyelashes. His hand comes up to cup your face, and his eyes move over your features slowly, leaving you feeling a bit impatient. Just when you’re about to say something, he kisses you, soft and almost lazy as the two of you stand there in your foyer.

You raise an arm to settle it around his neck in an effort to keep him close, your other hand resting against his chest as you lean into him. He’s warm, and you can smell his cologne, and you’re already feeling so weak for him that you’re not sure you’ll be able to handle looking at him in that suit all night. Despite the burning need in your stomach, you manage to keep the kiss slow and easy, and you force yourself to pull back after sliding your tongue along his bottom lip.

“I should go put some shoes on,” you repeat with a breathless giggle as you try to pull back. His arms still tight around your waist though, and he’s grinning, cheeks flushed, as he keeps you held in place close to him.

“Yeah, you should,” he murmurs, pressing another kiss to your mouth. It’s short, but firm enough to have you practically melting against him, and just as quickly as he’s pulled your body to his, he’s letting you go. “Otherwise, we’re gonna end up missing our reservation.” He’s grinning at you then, biting his bottom lip, and there’s a mischievous look in his eye that leaves you feeling weak in the knees.

You use the time it takes to grab your shoes from your room to try and slow your heart rate, hoping that somehow you can forget about just how sexually frustrated you are and get through dinner without wanting to tear that suit off of him. With your shoes on, you leave your room a moment later, and find Jeff looking around your living room, particularly interested in the photos on your bookshelf.

“Glad to know the NHL hasn’t snapped you out of your nosiness,” you tease, and he jumps like he hadn’t heard you coming. A flush colors his cheeks quickly as he turns to face you, and a smile slides onto his face.

“I’m in this picture!” he says, pointing to one and sounding rather happy about it. Realization washes over you, and you feel a little guilty that you’d forgotten he was in one of the photos you’d had framed and on display in every place you’ve lived since college.

“Honestly, I forgot you were in that one,” you admit, smiling nonetheless as you shift your weight from one foot to another.

“I see how it is,” he murmurs, shooting you a skeptical look that makes you roll your eyes with a laugh. He’s grinning again a second later, his attention leaving the photo frames to move toward you again. “You ready now?” His eyebrows raise as he speaks and you practically beam at him, nodding. “Good.”

For the majority of the ride to the restaurant, Jeff held your hand, and it was impossible not to think back to the days of quick ice cream dates between school and practices. It felt good to have time though, to know you got to be with him for more than an hour or two. You talked a bit, mostly just small talk, but you both just seem happy to be in the same space together.

The restaurant far exceeded your expectations of just how fancy it would be. Jeff was certainly enjoying it though, having the opportunity to treat you to something so nice. He ordered a bottle of wine for the table, and as soon as the waiter walked away, Jeff looked at you with a bit of a grimace.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I butchered the name of that wine,” he says, shifting in his seat with a wide grin, simply shrugging it off. His words make you laugh, and glancing around, you feel far underdressed and out of place, but being there with him is worth it.

The two of you blow through a few pieces of small talk, sipping at wine and enjoying the fact that you were together. Of course, the food was incredible, and when there was a slight lull in conversation as you were finishing up, you sat up in your seat a little more.

“Wanna know a little bit of a secret?” you ask, biting your lip as you lean forward slightly. You know it’s terrible manners, but you rest your elbows on edge of the table as you look at him.

“Always,” he says, looking intrigued as he reaches for his wine glass. He takes a sip, then mirrors your actions, leaning forward so his elbows are on the table as well.

It’s impossible to stop yourself from grinning widely at him then, and you can only imagine how odd the two of you must look to the other diners. Clearing your throat, you feel your cheeks flush slightly, but you hold his gaze.

“So, you remember that first game Lydia took me to, and I said it was a last minute thing?” you start, clearing your throat as you pause.

“Yeah, I think I might, why?” he responds, and the snarky grin on his face makes you nudge him under the table with your foot teasingly as you roll your eyes. His grin only widens in response to the contact, and he responds by nudging your foot right back.

“It’s not really much of a secret, I guess, but Lydia knew about our history before you even came to Buffalo. I mean, she texted me in the middle of a meeting when you got traded for christ's sake,” you say, laughing rather nervously as you shake your head. “She bugged the hell out of me about trying to reach out to you, but I dunno, I guess I was just scared, so she took matters into her own hands. The day of that game though, she talked me into going to eat downtown, but then sprung it on me that we were actually going to the game.” You pause again, taking a deep breath. “Long story short, I guess, the devil works hard, but Lydia works harder.” Jeff is grinning then as you laugh with a shrug, leaning back in your seat now that you’ve finished speaking.

“Well,” he starts, letting out a deep sigh as he watches you. “Guess I should probably clue you in on my own secret then, since we’re on the topic.” He pauses, pushing a hand through his hair and you look at him expectantly, eyebrow raised in curiosity. “I, uh..I knew that you lived in Buffalo. That was the first thing my mom told me when I said I got traded, that you lived here.” He was blushing like mad, just like you surely had been when you were talking about Lydia’s meddling. You’re about to jump in to ask questions about what he’d just said, but instead he continues on. “Every time I was out, I felt like I was looking for you, hoping we’d bump into each other somehow, but I guess now I owe Lydia a massive favor or dinner or something for making my life a lot easier.”

His words make you snort softly, and you shake your head. “She made both of our lives easier, honestly, but if we ever tell her that, she’ll never let us forget it,” you tell him, grinning as you bring a hand up to tuck your hair behind your ear. Jeff laughs as he reaches for his wine glass, and you can see a soft flush coloring his cheeks.

“My lips are sealed then,” he says, nodding as he nudges your foot under the table again lightly.

When dinner is over a while later, Jeff’s arm settles around your shoulders at the valet booth as you wait for his car to be brought up. You lean into his side easily, enjoying the warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne as he kisses your temple before letting his nose nudge at your hair lightly. When you have to pull away a moment later, you glance up at him and lean back into him enough to press a short kiss to his mouth.

On the road a few minutes later, Jeff glances at you before reaching for your hand. “Does the offer still stand to hang out at your place for a while?” he asks, brushing his thumb over your knuckles lightly as you lace your fingers with his.

You turn your attention to him, raising your eyebrows slightly. “What, you’re not gonna make me say please?” you tease with a wide grin, squeezing his hand.

“Nah,” he says, looking at you again as he comes to a stop at a red light. There’s an almost shy smile on his face, and he shrugs a second later to make you exhale a breath of laughter.

“Don’t worry, the offer still stands,” you tell him, feeling giddiness creeping into you then as Jeff nods.

“I was never gonna make you say please, y’know,” he tells you, his eyes moving back to the road when the light turns green.

“I know,” you respond, enjoying the fact that he’s still grinning even as he’s watching the road.

The last few minutes of the drive are quiet, and you’re impressed to see that he remembered the better route back to your place. He doesn’t let go of your hand until he’s pulling into your driveway and reaching to turn off the car. Turning toward you, his shy smile is back and you’re pressing your lips together as you unfasten your seatbelt.

“C’mon, let’s go,” you tell him, reaching for the door handle. He nods eagerly, clearing his throat as he steps out of the car. You’re expecting him to approach you, but instead he opens the back door to grab a bag from the floor.

He catches the rather surprised look on your face and shrugs with a rather self-conscious smile. “What, did you expect me to lounge around in a suit all night?” he asks, reaching for you hand once he’s close enough.

You exhale a soft laugh, shrugging back at him then. “I dunno, I really didn’t really think about it, I guess,” you respond, giggling as you tug him toward the front porch. You’re fishing for your keys then, letting go of his hand once you’re close enough to unlock the door. As you fit the key into the lock, your hands are shaking from the feeling of having Jeff’s eyes on you, and you let out a soft breath of relief when you get the door open.

Jeff closes the door behind him once he’s followed you in, and he slips past you as you nudge your heels off easily. They certainly weren’t the most comfortable shoes, and you were glad to be out of them now. When you turn to Jeff, he’s still watching you, looking like he’s waiting for instructions on what to do next.

“I, uh..I’m gonna go get changed in my room. There’s a bathroom off the kitchen if you didn’t want to just disrobe in the living room,” you tease, taking a step toward him as you grin. He smiles back at you, nodding as he motions for you to come closer to him. It’s impossible to say no to that smile, so you step toward him, which only makes his smile widen.

“Hi,” he says, slipping his arm around your waist as he pulls you into him.

“Hi,” you repeat back, biting your lip in an effort to hide the eager groan that slid onto your face so easily as you looked at him. His hand is resting flat in the small of your back, and you’re suddenly feeling very aware of everything that’s happening as your heart races in your chest.

When his other hand comes up to cup your jaw, holding your face gently, your eyes drift closed as you relax into his touch. Everything’s still and quiet for a brief moment, then he’s kissing you, so soft and gentle that it makes your knees shake. Your hand comes up to grip the material of his suit jacket, half to pull him closer and half in fear that your knees would give out if you didn’t have something to hold onto.

It would be so easy to just give into the desperation that’s vibrating through every inch of you, but instead, you pull back before the kiss gets any firmer. Instinctively, you lick your lips nervously, and when you meet Jeff’s eye, there’s a darkness there that makes your core start to ache. Letting out a soft breath of laughter, just trying to break the sexual tension, you look away from him as you feel your cheeks burn.

“I’m really dying to get out of this push up bra,” you say, just blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. You need to put some distance between the two of you, otherwise you’re going to end up giving in to just how badly you need him.

Jeff blinks at you before cracking a grin, and he nods before untangling himself from you easily, motioning for you to take the lead out of the foyer with a laugh. You point him in the direction of the bathroom, then move as quickly as you can to your own room.

More than anything, you wish you had the time to take a cold shower before joining him in the living room, but you don’t. Instead, you take a few deep breaths after closing the door behind you, trying to at least bring your heart rate down. Eventually, you change out of your dress and that awful bra, tugging on a bralette, along with a pair of leggings and long sleeved shirt from college.

Tugging at the hems of your sleeves nervously, you return to the living room where you find Jeff stretched out on your sofa, clearly making himself at home. The remote is in his hand and from the looks of it, he’s trying to figure out how to turn the TV on. He’s in a Sabres shirt and grey sweatpants, of course, as if you weren’t already having trouble keeping his dick off your mind.

“You look cozy,” you say, grinning as you sit down in the opposite corner of the couch, already curling your feet under you. You’re trying to put as much space between the two of you as possible right now, and from the way he looks at you, you’re sure that he’s onto you.

“Yeah, it feels nice to be out of the suit, that’s for sure,” he says, grinning at you as he looks up from the remote. “And I bet you’re happy to be out of that push up bra.” His tone changes a bit and it gets a laugh out of you as you nod.

“Trust me, I am,” you tell him, hand coming up to push your hair out of your face as you pull a blanket into your lap. “You wanna keep trying to figure out how to work the remote, or do you want me to take over?” Your words come with a soft laugh as you grin at him widely, only to be greeted with an exaggerated eye roll out of him. He tosses you the remote a second later with a sigh of defeat and it’s taking everything you have not to laugh at him teasingly.

Silence settles over the two of you for a short moment as you turn on the TV and open Netflix, your eyes stuck on the TV before you glance at him. You find that he’s looking at you already, and you feel your cheeks heat up as you clear your throat. You’re about to open your mouth to speak, but he beats you to it.

“Why are you all the way over there?” he asks, sounding like he’s doing his best not to sound too needy.

“I dunno,” you respond with a quick laugh, pushing your hair out of your eyes again nervously as you force yourself to stare at the TV. “Just trying to behave, I guess.” Your own honesty surprises you and you let out a quiet snort of laughter that he echos a moment later.

“Come over here,” he murmurs, already sitting up slightly as he reaches to tug at your hand. It’s impossible not to give into him, and you both shift easily. He stretches out along the length of the couch and pulls you into his lap easily so you’re leaning into his chest.

It’s a lot closer than you’d anticipated, and you can smell his cologne and feel the warmth of his muscular frame through his clothes. You look up at him and he’s all grins as his arm settles around your waist comfortably. Your cheeks are flushed, you can feel it, and it takes a moment before you relax into him easily.

“That’s better,” he says softly, bringing a hand up to run over your hair before rubbing your back gently. Snuggling into him is so easy, and you can’t help but press your face into his chest for a moment and just nuzzle there.

“What do you want to watch?” you ask a moment later as your head rests against his chest, just wanting to have something else to focus on as you search for the remote again. He makes a sound of indifference and you scoff quietly, grinning to yourself as you scroll through the recently added movies idly.

From the way you’re laying, you can hear his heart beating in his chest, and you can feel the way his muscles move as he continues to rub a hand over your back idly. Eventually, he gives some input on what to watch, and after you press play, you lean to put the remote on the coffee table for safe keeping. When you move back to him, there’s some distance between your bodies as you lean over him, and he’s looking up at you as his hand slides over your waist easily.

You’re both silent for a moment, just looking at each other from this new angle, and before you can stop yourself, your eyes drop to his mouth. He mirrors your action, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth before he’s leaning up enough to kiss you. It’s slow at first, and given the fact that you’re still hovering over him, it’s nice to still feel in control.

His hand settles in the small of your back again, this time holding the fabric of your shirt lightly in an effort to keep you close. The kiss is easy, light, but when he sighs quietly against your mouth, you let your body rest into his a bit more. You’re taking your time, knowing that you’ve got all the time in the world right now. Everything still feels so new, like you’re getting used to each other again despite the fact that you’d grown up together.

You’re starting to get stuck in your head about everything, you can feel it, but your mind goes blank when Jeff’s tongue drags along your bottom lip. The motion somehow takes you by surprise, and you groan into his mouth as his free hand comes up to hold rest on your jaw like he’s worried you’re going to pull away. Tired of holding back, you shift so you’re straddling him and he moves along with you, hands immediately gripping your hips.

The kiss deepens and his tongue slips into your mouth, making your clit throb between your thighs. You’re suddenly very aware of just how wet you were already, and it’s a struggle to keep yourself from rocking down against him. When your body tenses with the effort of staying still, his hand on your jaw moves to thread his fingers through your hair as he pushes it back out of your face.

He breathes your name, making you shiver, and a second later, he’s pulling back to look at you. His cheeks are flushed and his eyes are searching your face as you blink down at him.

“What is it?” you ask softly, licking your lips quickly.

“Nothin’, just wanted to look at you, I guess” he murmurs, a slow grin sliding onto his face as you roll your eyes at him.

Immediately, you’re leaning into him again, kissing him hard enough that he groans into your mouth. His fingers tighten in your hair, his nails just barely grazing over your scalp, and the hand in the small of your back moves higher, rubbing over the fabric of your shirt easily. Just when you feel like you can’t breathe, Jeff pulls away to kiss along your jaw, his breath hot against your skin as he moves down your neck.

You’re panting by then, biting your bottom lip as he sucks at your pulse point. Whimpering his name, your hand slides into his curls, and you give into your desperation for friction, your hips grinding down into his. The sound that leaves him does nothing to help the soothe the throbbing between your thighs, and you’re already turning your head to seal your mouth over his again.

Somehow, this kiss is even more heated, and both of Jeff’s hands move to your hips. He squeezes you there, letting his fingers just barely slip under the hem of your shirt as he pulls your hips down to meet his again. It’s your turn to whine, realizing then that his cock is half hard, and when he bites at on your bottom lip, you grind down against him again eagerly.

Jeff exhales a curse against your mouth, hands still tight on your hips, but this time, he’s pushing you back slightly. “Fuck, we need to stop,” he murmurs as he pulls back, chuckling a second later. You nod in response, grinning as you feel your cheeks flush. The face that his mouth is a little swollen is quite distracting, and you’re having trouble tearing your eyes away from his lips.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” you respond, despite leaning to press another soft kiss to his mouth. “We missed the beginning of the movie.” Your words are followed by a soft giggle that makes Jeff grin as he shrugs.

You shift so you’re not straddling him anymore, moving back to sit at the opposite edge of the couch, just until you’ve both cooled down. Jeff keeps stealing glances at you, and fifteen minutes later, he’s sitting up enough to reach for you, pulling you back toward him to rest against his chest. Committing yourself to behaving, you nuzzle into his collarbone briefly as you settle into him.

Your eyes are on the TV, but you’re hardly paying attention to the movie. With your head on his chest again, the sound of his heartbeat is relaxing enough that you’re having trouble even staying awake. It’s barely even 9pm, but you’re so cozy and Jeff is so warm. He’s rubbing your back idly and toying with the ends of your hair, even kissing the top of your head a couple times.

The sound of Jeff’s voice is what wakes you up, and as you come to, you feel him rubbing your back still as he says your name. When you stir, you grumble under your breath, turning your head to bury your face in his chest. The motion makes Jeff chuckle quietly as he pushes your hair back from your face. It seems a lot darker in the room now, and when you open your eyes and look at the TV, you see that the credits are rolling.

“It’s time to get up, baby,” he tells you softly, nosing at your hair lightly. You stifle a yawn into his chest as you nod, exhaling a heavy sigh a minute later as you sit up.

“Sorry I fell asleep on you,” you say, trying to smooth down your hair and hoping that you don’t look too terrible. Jeff only grins, sitting up to lean toward you before pressing a kiss to your shoulder.

“I don’t mind, trust me,” he assures you. “I almost fell asleep too, if that makes you feel any better.” His words make you smile and you turn your head to look at him, immediately leaning a bit closer so you can kiss him softly.

It’s not hard to tell that he’s holding back, not letting the kiss get too deep. You hate that you know you’ve got to say goodbye soon, and as your mouth easily against his, you take his hand, lacing your fingers together.

“Can you stay here tonight?” you ask quietly when he pulls back. You’re still leaning into his side, enjoying the warmth of his body.

“I wish I could,” he tells you, pressing a kiss to your forehead softly. “I’ve got an early practice tomorrow, and we’re heading to Chicago straight from there, and I haven’t even packed yet.” His words come with a soft laugh, and it’s impossible not to grin at him. The sleepy part of your brain wants you to beg him to stay over, selfishly wanting to just stay curled up with him all night.

“Shocking,” you tease, making him scoff before he kisses you again.

This time, the kiss is a little firmer, and his arm slips around your waist to pull your body closer to his. Your hand settles on the back of his neck as your mouth curves into a smile as you lean toward him. When you lick into his mouth, he makes a high sound that leaves you squeezing your thighs together. He pulls back a second later with flushed cheeks, and his eyes move over your face quickly.

“Yeah, I gotta go,” he says quickly, and the two of you laugh in unison as you nod. You both know that if he stay any longer, it’s just going to be harder for him to leave, and you’re the first to get to your feet.

Clearing your throat, you offer him a hand as you nod toward the door. He grins widely, taking your hand and pulling himself to his feet before pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

Jeff lingers with you in the foyer for a bit longer, stealing a few more kisses as you hold onto him. Your arms around around him as you lean into him, all but desperate to keep him from leaving as if he’ll be gone for longer than a couple days. When you finally let him go, he kisses you a few more times and promises to call you tomorrow before the game. The door closes behind him a moment later and you sigh, pushing your hair out of your face as you realize just how in love with him you are.

Sure, it’d been two weeks since you and Jeff had gotten drinks, but the two of you texted frequently. He’d FaceTimed you a couple of times as well, once on a long flight back to Buffalo when he was bored as hell. You’d been curled up in bed, half asleep, and you’d been grateful it was pretty dark in your room so he hadn’t been able to see you blush when he’d said you looked cute.

It wasn’t until later in the day that Lydia came back to your work space, leaning against the wall. “Invite Jeff to trivia tomorrow night, they’re not playing,” she says, wide grin spread across her face. Her suggestion makes you scoff.

“I’m sure he’s got better things to do than come to trivia at a dirty bar, Lydia,” you tell her, eyes barely leaving your computer screen.

“Yes, he does have better things to do, and thankfully, one of them will also be at trivia at a dirty bar,” she responds quickly, lips pursed but otherwise looking rather pleased with herself for the comment. “And is there a reason you’re not going to the game on Friday?”

Before offering a reply, you exhale a heavy breath, having thought that she was done pestering you for the day. “No, there’s not much of a reason why I’m not going, he just never mentioned it,” you tell her, glancing at your phone and silently wishing it would ring and save you from her questions.

“What, you’re waiting for him to mention it?” she asks, grin spreading across her face as she moves into your work area to reclaim the chair she’d been sitting in when you guys were eating. “Call him, mention the game, mention trivia, something.” Lydia’s still grinning, leaning forward in the chair then to rest her elbows on your desk.

“Lydia, I―” you start before she cuts you off, because she know you’re just about to tell her no.

“If you don’t invite him to trivia, I will,” she tells you with a look in her eye that tells you she’s serious. Part of you want to call her bluff, but you already know that she’s serious, considering she’d lured you to a game in the first place.

“I’ll text him about it later, okay?” you say with what you hope is a convincing, unannoyed grin.

“Just call him now, you big baby,” Lydia teases with a wink, bringing a hand up to push her hair out of her face.

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” you counter, and she only responds with a shrug and a playful grin.

“Maybe a little, but come on, y/n, you are obviously still so in love with him that it makes me queasy, and I’m just out here trying to get you laid, alright?”

After rolling your eyes, you run your tongue over your teeth before your eyes move to your phone that’s resting on the desktop in front of you. She wasn’t wrong though, and that’s what made it even worse. A few days ago, Jeff had said that he misses you, and that had almost been enough to make you cry, because god, you missed him. It was stupid, really, or at least that’s what you kept telling yourself.

You kept trying to be rational about your feelings, reminding yourself that you didn’t need to get your hopes up about the possibility of being with him. Even though it felt like nothing had changed in the years since you’d seen each other, you knew for a fact that you weren’t the same person you’d been at 17. Being rational had never been your strong suit though, and that didn’t stop you from spending most of your time daydreaming about him.

“Call him, call him, call him,” Lydia starts chanting quietly in a rather barbaric tone, just to get you to smile. It works, but you’re shaking your head as you pick up your phone.

Just when you’d thought she might leave you alone to make the call, she actually leans closer like she’s trying to hear better. In an effort to irritate her, you lean back in your hair a bit more, holding your phone up to your ear as it starts to ring. A large part of you hopes he’s busy or doesn’t have his phone on him or―Your thoughts are cut off when he answers.

“Hey!” Jeff says, his voice so bright that you can hear his smile. “I was just thinking about you.” The words make you exhale a soft laugh as you smile to yourself. His words had made your heart leap into your throat, and you can feel a soft flush starting to warm your cheeks.

“You were?” you question, eyes lifting to Lydia. She’s watching you curiously, and you’re suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“Yeah, I was gonna text you when I got home from practice in like, twenty minutes,” he tells you. You can hear wind blowing around him, and he clears his throat a second later. “So, what’s up?”

Really, his words had taken you by surprise, and you take a second to remind yourself what you’d called him for. “Oh, uh...if you’re not busy tomorrow night, Lydia and I going to trivia at a bar downtown, I just thought I’d see if you wanted to come with us,” you say, hoping you’re not rambling too much.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Jeff responds quickly, and a second later, he speaks again. “Is it okay if I bring someone with me?”

“Of course, yeah, that’d be great,” you say, feeling rather proud of yourself for getting through this. “I’ll text you the details and stuff in a little bit.”

“Okay, sounds good. So, that’s tomorrow, what are you doing on Friday?” he asks, surprising you all over again. Your heart jumped, knowing that was the night of the game Lydia had been bugging you about.

“Uh, nothing so far, why?” you respond, clearing your throat again as you sit up in your seat a little more. Waiting for him to speak, you feel just as nervous as you had when the phone was ringing a few minutes ago.

“We’ve got a home game, I was going to see if you wanted to come,” he says after what felt like an eternity. There’s a short pause in which he murmurs something to whoever is with him before he continues. “You can bring Lydia with you if you want, I can get you two seats.”

His offer makes you smile, happiness spreading warm through your body. “Yeah, uh, that’d be great,” you tell him.

“Okay, perfect. But, uh, hey, Eichs and I are about to sit down for lunch, so I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“Yeah, we’ll talk soon,” you respond before saying goodbye. After hanging up, you put your phone down on your desk and shrug slightly. “Okay, so maybe that wasn’t your worst idea.”

As always, Lydia looks pleased with herself. “Told you,” she says with a grin and an easy shrug.

Jeff called you later that night when you were in bed. He was on his way home from dinner at a teammate’s place, and you were curled up on the sofa with a book. A documentary was playing in the background for a bit of noise and your heart fluttered when you saw his name flash across your screen.

He asked how your day was, and the two of you made small talk for a few minutes. You could hear the sounds of the city around him as the two of you spoke and you relaxed back into the sofa.

“It’s alright if I bring Eichs tomorrow night, right?” he asks at one point after clearing his throat.

“Yeah, of course,” you assure him, biting your lip as you slip you mark your place in your book before closing it. Lydia was going to freak out. She was obviously preparing herself to meet Jeff, but as a long time Sabres fan, meeting Jack would leave her on the spot just she’d done to you at the game.

The two of you talked for a while longer, just easy conversation like you always had. The thought crosses your mind to invite him over. You miss him, and yeah, you’re seeing him tomorrow, but you selfishly wanted him to yourself. It’s on the tip of your tongue at one point, you’re so close to just blurting it out, but you stop yourself and you don’t really know why.

It’s nice to hear his voice, and you smile to yourself when he tells you that he misses you and that he’s excited to see you tomorrow. When he admits that he’s a little nervous to meet Lydia, you laugh, promising that you’ll make sure she behaves. Soon, Jeff sighs softly, and you know it’s time to say good night.

“I’ve been sitting in my parking garage for the last twenty minutes because I’ve been too lazy to move,” he says, earning another laugh out of you. “I’m gonna let you go, okay? I’ll text you in the morning.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” you respond, trying to stifle a yawn. “Good night.”

“Night,” he tells you in a voice so gentle that it makes your heart hurt.

You sat on the information that Jeff was bringing Jack Eichel with him, and got through the day without too much stress about trivia that evening. More than anything, you were excited. Excited to see Jeff, for him to meet Lydia, and you were excited to meet Jack as well. When the workday was over, you changed into jeans and a v-neck blouse and met Lydia in the parking garage. You rode to the bar with her because finding parking in that area was always a nightmare and it stressed you out.

Jeff had let you know that they were running a little late, so you and Lydia went in to get settled at a table. You stopped at the bar to grab a beers for yourself and Lydia, and when you put them down on table a moment later, she was already looking around the bar. She’d already gotten the paperwork for trivia, and she was drumming the pen against the tabletop idly as you sat down.

You take a drink as you fish your phone out of your pocket when it vibrates. It’s a text from Jeff, letting you know that they just parked so they’d be there inside in a minute.

“They just got here,” you say to Lydia as you send back a quick thumbs up emoji in response to his message.

“They? He brought somebody?” she asks, looking up at you from the answer sheet she’d been separating. Her eyes lift from you to the entrance, and she grins. You turn to see Jeff walking toward you, and a second later, Jack comes into view behind him. “Holy shit.” Lydia’s words sharp when she sees him, and you look back at her.

“Oh, yeah, he’s bringing Eichs,” you say as casually as you can, as if you’d just forgotten to mention it. You do your best to look apologetic, and you can see her eyes go a little wide when they get close.

Getting to your feet, you turn to greet Jeff with a wide smile as he immediately puts his arms around you in a hug. He holds your body firmly against his for a second, pressing his lips to the top of your head as he murmurs a soft greeting into your hair.

“It’s good to see you,” you tell him quietly, the words a bit muffled into his shoulder. You would’ve liked to stay like that for a longer time, but instead, you pulled back to grin at him. He nods in response to your words, holding your gaze a moment longer before clearing his throat and turning his attention to his teammate.

“Uh, Jack, this is y/n,” he says with a quick laugh as he takes a step back. You’re grinning as you wave quickly to Jack, wondering how Lydia is fairing behind you.

“It’s nice to actually meet you. Jeff hasn’t shut up about you in weeks,” Jack tells you, elbowing Jeff with a wink before moving around the table to sit across from Lydia.

His words make you exhale a quick laugh as you push your hair out of your face. “Nice to meet you too, I guess. This is my best friend, Lydia,” you respond, finally turning your attention to her as you settle back into your seat.

Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and when she smiles, it’s a little forced. She clears her throat, biting her bottom lip quickly before speaking. “Hi, I’m glad you guys could make it,” she says, only looking at Jack for a short second before her eyes move to Jeff.

Lydia relaxes pretty quickly, especially once the game starts. She takes trivia a little too seriously sometimes, and being more in her element, she opens up easily. A few questions in, you watch on with an amused grin as she and Jack bicker over a question about Mary Poppins, and when you glance at Jeff, you catch him watching you. He’s smiling, and when he realizes you’ve caught him, a slight blush colors his cheeks. As always, his smile is contagious, and you return the grin rather sheepishly.

The moment is interrupted when Lydia says your name, and you turn your head quickly to look at her.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” you ask, feeling your face flush as Lydia grins at you knowingly. As she repeats herself, trying to get you to weigh in on the answer, you can feel Jeff still watching you. With a laugh, you admit that you have no idea what the answer is and you tuck your hair behind your ear.

“I’m gonna go grab another drink, does anyone want anything?” Jeff says, already getting to his feet. As Jack asks him to grab another beer, you stand as well.

“I’ll go up with you,” you tell him, and he nods in response with a wide grin before leading the way.

At the bar, Jeff looks to you after ordering the drinks for the table. “They seem to be having fun,” he says, nodding toward the table where Lydia and Jack are still talking. She’s leaning back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest, so you can only imagine what’s being said.

“Arguing is her favorite hobby, honestly,” you admit with a laugh. “She’s having a great time.”

“Yeah, just from what you’ve told me about her, I figured they’d get along,” he says. The two of you watch as Lydia gets up to take her answer slip up to the host’s table. It’s not hard to tell that Jack is watching her with an unreadable expression on his face.

By the end of the night, you didn’t win trivia, but then again, you never had before anyway. Jack dipped as soon as the game was over, while you, Jeff, and Lydia hung around a while longer to finish your drinks. It was nice to have two of you favorite people together in one place for the first time, and of course, Lydia demanded to hear and embarrassing story or two about you. Thankfully, Jeff didn’t bring up some of the worst stories, and you let the two of them talk and get to know each other as you finished your beer.

After Jeff offers to drive you back to your parking garage to get your car, Lydia decides to take off. You exchange goodbyes, and she heads to the door, making sure to turn to shoot you a grin before she steps out onto the street.

A few minutes later, as you and Jeff are walking back to his car, you nudge him gently with your elbow. His response is to pull you closer so he can put his arm around your shoulders, and you smile widely as you lean into his side.

“I’m glad you came tonight,” you tell him, looking up at him with a grin.

“Yeah, I am too,” he responds, beaming back at you. He’s fishing in his pocket for his keys, nodding toward his vehicle once you’re close enough. Jeff squeezes your shoulder softly before he reaches to open the car door for you.

You give him directions back to the parking garage closest to your office, and as he drives, the two of you catch up a bit more. He insists on taking you up to your car instead of dropping you off at the entrance and you really don’t protest too much, happy to get to spend a few more minutes with him.

Jeff pulls into the empty space next to your car and puts his SUV in park before looking at you. “You’re still coming to the game Friday, yeah?” he asks, drumming his thumb against the steering wheel idly.

You grin as you nod. “As long as I’m still invited,” you tease, eyes dropping to his mouth when he licks his lips.

Even though you’re at your car, talking seems more important. The two of you sit in his car for close to an hour, just laughing and talking. Eventually, you turn in your seat to lean back against the door so you can look at him, and it’s just more of that easy conversation that you can never get enough of with him.

It’s nearly 11 before you finally force yourself out of his vehicle into your own after a long goodbye. You yawned as you open the door, deciding that it’s probably good that you’re heading home, ready to climb into bed. Jeff waits in his spot for you to get settled in your car and pull out of your space, and you wave to him quickly before heading toward the exit.

The next thirty hours go by slowly, and to your surprise, Lydia doesn’t drive you absolutely insane. You’d pleased her enough with trivia and the game that you’ve managed to get her off your back for at least a few days.

Friday afternoon, Lydia’s at your desk for lunch when your phone buzzes on your desk. You put down your mug of tea as you reach for it, and a grin spreads across your face.

“It’s Jeff, isn’t it?” Lydia teases, wiggling her eyebrows at you suggestively. Your grin had obviously given you away, and the blush that colored your cheeks practically confirmed it.

“Yeah, it’s him,” you respond with a little shrug as you read over the message. “He just told me that our tickets for tonight are at will call.” She nods, leaning forward to rest her elbows on your desk.

“You know he’s still absolutely in love with you, right?” she says, her tone so casual that it actually makes you laugh.

“Lydia, I...yeah, I think I do,” you respond with an indifferent shrug then, deciding that there was no point in denying what was becoming harder and harder to ignore. She looks rather impressed the you admitted it without much push, nudging at the contents of her salad with her fork. The look on her face says that she expects you to elaborate or continue in some way, but you don’t.

Instead, you change the subject. To your surprise, she doesn’t bother pressing the issue anymore, even for the rest of the day.

Once Lydia had gone back to her own desk after lunch, you text Jeff for a while, until he has to head to the arena. He asks you to meet him in the same place as last game, and offers to drive you home afterwards so Lydia wasn’t stuck waiting for you. The offer makes your heart race, and you tell him that that’d be great.

It worked out that you were able to ride with Lydia to the game, and when you got your ticket at will call, there’s a sticky note attached to them. The note was from Jeff, telling you to stop at the team store on your way in and give them your name at the register. It ended with a “see you soon” and it made you smile as you shove the paper in your pocket.

A jersey was waiting for you at the store, and you really feel like your heart might burst as you and Lydia stop off to the side in the hall so you can pull it on over your shirt.

“You guys are so disgustingly cute, it’s kind of nauseating,” Lydia says with a disgruntled look on her face. Her words make you grin and she snorts in response to your expression. “Man, I need a drink.”

The Sabres lost, but Jeff scored in the second period.That broke the scoring draught he’d been in, which was enough to make you happy with the game. With close access to a bar and the fact that you didn’t have to worry about driving yourself home later, you let yourself get just beyond tipsy. When you made your way down to the same lounge as last time, you still had a can of hard cider in your hand.

You’re much more comfortable in the room this time around, relaxing back into the sofa and scrolling through a few screens on your phone as you waited. Lydia had been intrigued to hear that Jeff was driving you home later but hadn’t said much more about it, thankfully.

When Jeff steps in after knocking quietly, he’s grinning widely at you. You get to your feet, taking the couple of steps to meet him, your arms immediately looping around his neck. His arms go around your waist and it takes you by surprise when he lifts you off your feet easily. A soft laugh leaves you when he puts you back down on your feet again a second later, pressing a kiss to your hair.

“I’m really glad you came tonight,” he says, practically beaming when he pulls back to look down at you. It’s impossible not to mirror his expression right back to him, and you bring a hand up to tuck your hair behind your ear.

“Yeah, I am too,” you tell him with a nod, biting your lip to try and slow the grin that’s spreading across your face. Just looking at him makes your heart pound in your chest, and the alcohol in your system was doing nothing to help you settle.

“You’re wearing the jersey,” he says in a tone that’s a little hard to decipher. His eyes drop slightly to the 53 on the right side of your collar, and he’s smiling wide enough then it makes your heart ache.

“Was I not supposed to?” you ask, brows knitting together quickly in confusion.

“No, you look really nice,” he responds, his cheeks flushing as he meets your eye again. He sounds rather bashful, and you only grin as he clears his throat. “So, I was testing out a theory tonight.” His tone is more confident then, and he’s looking at you in a way that makes you feel warm all over.

“Yeah?” Your words come with a breath of laughter, and he nods in response before looking at the door.

“Ready to get out of here?” Jeff asks as if he hadn’t just changed the subject. You scoff out another laugh and nod before he motions for you to take the lead.

“So, what kind of theory?” you question a moment later when he hasn’t continued, falling into step beside him once you’re in the hall. Within a few steps, his hand was taking yours, and you could feel a blush rising up your neck.

“That was the first goal I’ve scored since the last game you were here.” As he speaks, he glances down at you, and you look up to meet his eye quickly. “Theory was that maybe having you here would break that streak, and it did.”

You hadn’t even realized that fact until now, but it makes you grin either way. “Well, you’re welcome, I guess,” you tease, getting a laugh out him. He squeezes your hand and a smile slides onto your face.

The two of you make small talk as you make your way toward the exit, and really, you’re just happy to be with him again. He holds the door open for you then goes fishing in his pocket for his keys, and he doesn’t let go of your hand until you’re close enough to the car.

Getting settled in the passenger seat, you sneak a quick look at him. He’s smiling softly to himself, and it does nothing to stop the fluttering in your stomach. Fastening your seatbelt, you watch him as he starts up the car before, letting yourself relax into your seat.

“You know where we’re going, or should I use Maps?” he asks, looking at you as he reaches to shift the SUV into reverse.

You scoff in response and you notice that he’s still grinning as he backs out of his parking space. “We should probably use Maps, at least to get to my neighborhood,” you say, enjoying the soft laugh he lets out as he nods in agreement.

“Good to know your sense of direction hasn’t gotten any better,” he teases, glancing at you before opening Maps his navigation system.

“Hey!” you say, trying your best to sound offended only to end up exhaling a laugh. Jeff is grinning as he motions for you to put in your address as he shifts into drive, and you make eye contact when he glances at you a second later.

The drive isn’t long, and the two of you carry a light conversation. It’s so easy to relax around him, even as he’s teasing you about the fact that you’re still tipsy. When you get close enough to your house to know where you are, you lean forward to cancel the navigation.

“I don’t know why Maps always tells people to go this way,” you grumble, noticing that he’s taking glances at you when he can. “Turn left at this light, I know where we are now.”

“Are you sure?” he asks jokingly, smirking at you as he comes to a stop at the red light. Rolling your eyes, you’re trying and failing not to grin as he teases you. He chuckles softly, giving you a quick grin before his eyes return to the road.

“God, I forgot how annoying you were,” you grumble, your smile growing wider despite your best efforts. For dramatic effect, you cross your arms over your chest and slump in your seat slightly as the light turns green. When you glance at him again, he’s biting his lip and grinning as his foot lifts off the brake.

A few minutes later, Jeff is turning into your driveway, and you glance at him. A silence settles over the two of you for a moment and you look up to meet his eye as you bite your lip.

“You wanna come in for a bit?” you ask, voice soft as you reach to unfasten your seatbelt. His eyes are on you, you can feel it, and he’s quiet for a few beats longer.

“I really want to, but I shouldn’t,” he responds finally, exhaling a sigh as he speaks. You must look confused because he’s quick to continue. “I have to be up really early in the morning, and if I come in, I’m probably not gonna want to leave.” A flush colors his cheeks and it makes you press your lips together as you smile, nodding in understanding.

“Well, that’s sucks,” you say, letting out a soft laugh as you tuck your hair behind your ear. He laughs with you then, nodding in agreement as his eyes lift to meet yours.

“I’ll walk you to the door though, if that’s okay,” Jeff says, and you’re quick to nod. He moves quickly, exiting the car as you reach to open your door as well. When you’re on your feet and he’s close enough, he reaches for your hand, lacing his fingers with yours as the two of you start on the walk up to your front door.

“This is oddly familiar,” you tease with a grin, glancing up at him. He’d always walked you to the door when you were younger after spending a few minutes making out in his car.

Jeff is chuckling as he nods, squeezing your hand lightly. “Yeah, it is. At least there’s no one inside to flip the porch light on and off at us,” he responds, licking his lips with a grin, making you laugh.

“Is it just me, or is it still a little hard to believe that we’re adults now and there aren’t any adults trying to supervise us?” you ask, pushing your hair out of your face with a grin as you dig for your keys.

“Yeah, it’s a little weird being with you and not having a curfew or anything,” he responds, letting go of your hand as the two of you stop on your front porch. You’re facing each other and you glance up at him with a rather shy smile.

“When am I going to see you again?” you ask, biting your lip. There’s a bit of distance between the two of you, and you want to be closer. You want to feel his arms around you, the warmth of his body as he holds you against him. The nervousness that’s buzzing in your stomach has done nothing but amplified as you hold his gaze.

“How about Sunday? Like, uh, as an actual date?” His words come quickly, like he’d already been thinking about it, and a smile spreads across your face.

“Sunday works,” you say, feeling like your heart is about to just burst right out of your chest. He nods back to you, looking a little relieved as he smiles, and you swear you see his eyes drop to your mouth. Your face hurts from smiling so wide, and the two of you just stand there, hanging in the easy silence that’s settled over you.

After a moment, Jeff exhales a breath through his nose, his eyes moving over your features. “I honestly just can’t believe how much I’ve missed you,” he admits, a soft flush coloring his cheeks as you continue to grin at him. You bite the inside of your cheek then, nodding quickly because you’re not sure if your voice will break or not.

“I know,” you whisper a second later, moving close enough then to put your arms around his neck to pull him into a tight hug. He embraces you immediately, settling his arms around your waist tightly as he rests his chin on top of your head. Your face is pressed into his shoulder and you nuzzle into him there as if you can’t get close enough.

The two of you stand there like that on your front step, and before long, Jeff shifts so he’s nosing at your hair lightly, making you smile to yourself. You feel warm inside and your heart is pounding in your chest, and your fingers start toying with the hair at the back of his neck idly. The embrace is so familiar that if you closed your eyes, you’d probably forget that you’re not 16 anymore.

When he starts to pull back, you do the same, eyes lifting to his face to find that he’s already looking at you. He licks his lips, eyes falling to your mouth again, and it feels like you’re both just waiting for the other to move. His hands are still on your waist, just resting there.

Jeff says your name softly, and you blink, eyes meeting his a second later. “Can I―”

Because you at least think you know what he’s about to ask, and because you already know your answer, your arm tightens around his neck to pull him back down to you without letting him finish. He takes your hint, ducking his head to kiss you firmly, but slow enough that you feel it through every inch of your body.

The way you relax into him, it’s like you’ve been holding your breath for the last seven years since you’d kissed him last. You exhale a sigh against his mouth as one of his hands leaves your waist to instead rest on your jaw to keep you close to him. Kissing him is better than you’d remembered, better than kissing anyone else, and when you feel his tongue slide along your bottom lip, you go weak in the knees.

It’s impossible to get him close enough, your arms tightening around his neck again, and you feel him smile against your mouth. Your lungs are burning when you pull back, and when you open your eyes, you see that he’s already smiling at you. Your heart is so full just from the way he’s looking at you, and you feel your cheeks flush as you lean forward to press another soft kiss to his mouth.

“You sure you don’t want to come in?” you question in a quiet voice, the words followed by a laugh from each of you. He kisses you again, this time humming softly as he pushes your hair out of your face.

“I really want to, I promise,” he tells you with a heavy sigh, his hand still on your face as he watches you. He’s close enough that as he speaks, his lips brush yours, and you nod in response to his words, trying your best not to look too pouty about it. “I’ll see you Sunday though, yeah?” His voice is so gentle and sweet then that you can’t help but smile as you nod.

You force yourself to untangle from him, your fingers brushing through the hair at the back of his neck gently before you sigh.

“Yeah, I’ll see you Sunday,” you respond, pressing a hand against his chest before you rise onto your toes to kiss him once more. It surprises you when his hand settles on the back of your neck to keep you close so he can kiss you a bit harder, the touch sending a spark of arousal through you as you lean into him.

When Jeff pulls away again, he takes a step back, still looking at you as he licks his lips. You now that your cheeks are flushed, you can feel them burning, and you know you need to go inside just to stop yourself from kissing him again. Pulling your keys out, you turn to the door and fit the key into the lock, glancing over your shoulder at Jeff a second later.

“Sunday,” you say, biting your bottom lip as you see him smile.

Your eyes are wide as you stare down at your phone in your lap, and color floods your face when you glance up again to notice your boss watching you from across the table. Clearing your throat quietly, you do everything you can to pay attention to what’s being said and ignore the buzzing in your mind.

Thankfully, the meeting ends fifteen minutes later, and you’re on your feet almost instantly. You try to rush to the door, but your boss catches you first, asking if everything was okay. Laughing it off, you assure her that everything’s fine, that it was just your brother being obnoxious, but you can tell she doesn’t buy it.

Leaving the conference room, you make a beeline back to your cubicle. It was like Lydia heard you coming, popping up from her chair as you passed with a wide grin.

“Did you look at your phone?” she questions, her tone teasing. You’re sure that from your expression, she’d been able to gather that you’d seen her messages, and she smirks at you.

“Hmm?” you hum, trying to feign disinterest and nonchalance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That makes her snort as she watches you settle into your desk chair and turn so your back is to her.

Hearing her footsteps, you know she’s coming over to bother you more as you do everything you can to stop yourself from thinking about the news that had been dropped into your lap. Lydia helps herself to the empty chair that belonged to a vacationing coworker and slides over toward you. You don’t even have to look at her to know that she’s grinning ear to ear.

“So, are you freaking out right now?” she asks, moving close enough that she can nudge you with her elbow.

“Yeah, just because you won’t leave me alone,” you respond, glancing at her. You’re trying your best to look irritated, but with the way she’s grinning at you, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, you can’t help but crack a smile.

“What are you thinking?” she questions, hand coming up to tuck her hair behind her ear as you try to make yourself look busy by replying to a couple of emails you’d forgotten about.

“Uhh, that you’re annoying as shit,” you murmur, eyes darting to the side in time to see her act just so offended by your words.

“You know, I’m just out here trying to reunite you with the love of your life, and this is how you treat me?” Lydia had always had a flair for the dramatics, over exaggerating every chance she got. Her hand was on her chest, like she was truly, deeply upset by your words, but the mischievous grin on her face gave her away.

“Jeff Skinner is not the love of my life,” you tell her with a loud scoff, despite the way heat is rising up the back of your neck. Lydia looks skeptical of your statement and you refocus your attention on your computer screen.

“Okay, fine then, I’m trying to reunite you with your high school boyfriend that you still get all blushy over anytime he’s mentioned, is that better?”

“No, it’s not,” you tell her, the words grumbled as you clench your jaw. The two of you sit in silence for a moment, waiting for one of you to break and say something. You cave first, knowing that she’s watching you for any sign of weakness you might show about Jeff. “Don’t you have some work to do?”

“Nope, none whatsoever,” she says with a nonchalant shrug, leaning back in the borrowed chair.

You respond with silence, clicking between two tabs in your browser, trying to look busy. Your mind was spinning and you wished Lydia would get off your back so you could process all of this on your own first, without such a dramatic audience such as her.

When you’d taken the opportunity to transfer to Buffalo from New York City a couple years ago, mostly so you could be closer to family, Lydia was the first friend you’d made. You worked in an office of mostly older people, so to find someone your age that you immediately got along with was a blessing. She was from Buffalo, an avid Sabres fan, and knew all of the best bars and taco shops around the city. Lydia had a tendency to drive you absolutely mad, but if nothing else, kept life interesting. In the early stages of your friendship, wine drunk on her couch, you’d let slip that your first kiss had been with a future NHL player, to which then Lydia demanded the whole story.

You’d practically grown up with Jeff. He’d played with your brother and your parents were friends, ensuring that you were both present through each other’s awkward phases. You were a year younger than Jeff and your brother, but that didn’t stop you from running around with them every chance you got. Jeff was 17, you were 16, when you kissed for the first time at a holiday party.

It’d been awkward, quick, but in the months that followed the two of you got better at it. When you started dating, it came as no real surprise to either of your families. It was short lived though. You and Jeff broke up on his 18th birthday, a couple of weeks before the draft, both of you knowing that the priorities in each of your lives were about to change. You had university to work toward, while his life was about to change completely, it was just the smart thing to do.

To say that you’d avoided Jeff as much as you could after that was putting it simply. The following Christmas, with you halfway through your last year of school, you made every excuse you could not to be at the usual get together your family had with his. It was easier that way. Your feelings for Jeff had felt so real at the time, you were young and crazy about him, and you didn’t know how much of that would linger as time went on. You’d been all but certain that he’d surely found plenty of girls in Raleigh that would’ve made him forget all about you.

The next couple of years continued the same way. You moved to New York for university and life went on. The only time you’d seen Jeff in all of the years that passed was over Christmas break of your sophomore year of college. A friend from high school was having a party, and you’d been roped into going, and the idea of Jeff being there hadn’t even crossed your mind.

When you saw him, you’d almost dropped your drink. You were already tipsy, and now seeing him, older and bigger was enough to almost have you running out the back door of the house. Instead though, you had another drink. You didn’t let yourself go overboard, just enough to have a buzz and quiet the anxious screaming in the back of your mind.

At one point, you made eye contact with him from across the room, and you smiled, feeling a shiver run down your body as you tried to figure out what the hell to say to him. He was a little drunk too, that much was obvious from the rosiness in his cheeks, the easy smile on his face. When he started to make his way toward you, you panicked a little, but talking to him was as easy as ever. Jeff hugged you and the reality that you’d missed him like crazy hit you hard.

The two of you kind of settled to your own little world for the rest of the night. You found a spot to sit and catch up, and once he’d sobered up, Jeff asked if you were hungry, admitting that he’d been craving a burger from the 24 hour diner in town. You guys had been there together so many times that his words made you smile and nod eagerly. Over burgers and milkshakes, you talked, joked, and remembered why you’d been so crazy about him.

He took you home, and parked in front of your parents’ house, it was so reminiscent of when you’d been together in high school that it actually made your heart hurt. Neither of you were in much of a rush to leave the other, so your conversation continued a while longer. It was nearly 2 AM when you couldn’t stop yawning, and when you leaned over to hug him and he kissed your cheek muscle memory stirred and you turned your head enough to kiss him.

You both seemed surprised but neither of you pulled away, just relaxing into each other easily. He was a better kisser then than he had been at 17, which came as no surprise, and you hoped he’d have the same thing to say about you. His fingers pushed your hair out of your face gently and you knew then that it’d be so easy to get lost in him. You made out in the front seat of his car for a few moments before you pulled back, yawning again and saying that if you didn’t head inside, you’d fall asleep on him.

Saying goodbye was a little rushed on your part, not wanting to linger and make it harder on yourself. He asked if he could call you the next day, and you’d nodded, not bothering to tell him that you’d gotten a new number at the start of college. A clean break was easier, that’s what you kept telling yourself.

That was all ancient history now though, but that certainly didn’t stop Lydia from teasing you about Jeff every chance she got. She’d all but begged you to go to the Canes/Sabres game last year, and instead, you’d offered to work overtime. Now though, Jeff would be living and playing in the same city as you and that alone had your heart racing like mad.

“So, are you going to call him?” Lydia asks, dragging you out of your own head. You’d been staring blankly at your computer scene, and you glance at her a second later. “Wait, does he even know you live in Buffalo?” Your response is to shrug, exhaling a heavy sigh as you push your hair out of your face.

“Lydia, can we just give it a rest for today? You know I love you, but this will be a lot easier for me to process without you being up my ass,” you say, pinching the bridge of your nose as you try to ward off the headache you can feel building behind your eyes.

The cubicle is quiet for a moment before Lydia clears her throat, and from the corner of your eye you see her straighten up. “Yeah, no problem,” she tells you, and when you meet her eye she smiles. As dramatic as she could be, you’re grateful that she knows when to quit. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? Like maybe one of those double margaritas from Los Gauchos? I don’t have dinner plans.”

The suggestion makes you snort softly and you nod a second later. “Uh, yeah, that sounds really good, actually,” you admit, your mind already drifting to their al pastor tacos. Lydia shoots you a thumbs up and a wink before turning to head back to her own work area.

The margarita certainly helped, so did the tacos. Making it even better, Lydia paid for your food. The drinking was a godsend after you’d spent the rest of the work day thinking about the news that had been dropped into your laugh. Even at dinner, it was still on your mind despite Lydia’s best efforts of distracting you. She asked if you wanted to come over to watch a movie, an offer you politely declined as she gave you an apologetic smile, knowing you were still thinking about the news that had broken earlier.

When you got home, you put on an episode of The Good Place in an effort to cheer yourself up, but in the end, it barely held your focus. You wish you knew why you were feeling like this, so you could stop it, but instead, the anxiety festered in your chest as you stared at the ceiling of your bedroom a few hours later.

You’d dated plenty since Jeff, you’d even lived with someone for nearly a year, but none of those relationships had felt as natural. Trying your best to rationalize those feelings, you’d told yourself that he’d been your first love, that you were likely embellishing the way you’d felt about him. It’d been so long ago now that you wondered if you’d still feel that way. After you’d last seen him, you’d barely been able to get out of bed the next day, both missing him and feeling guilty for the fact that he probably tried to reach you, only to find that you’d changed your number.

Giving up on trying to put this all out of your mind, you turn over onto your side, and try to think of what you’d even begin to say to Jeff if you somehow ran into him in the city. What were you even supposed to say to your high school sweetheart that you’d practically ghosted several years ago? Should you play dumb if it happened, say that you had no idea he’d been traded to Buffalo?

With a groan, you press your face into your pillow in an effort to clear your head again, desperately trying to silence the voice in your head reminding you that you’d always believed that things happen for a reason.

Eight weeks passed, and Lydia didn’t even once mention Jeff. The idea of being in the same city as him seemed to have settled a bit. Even so, there’d been a couple of times where you’d been in public and did a double take if you saw someone that looked anything like him at a quick glance. Your heart leapt and your stomach flipped over each time. Other than that, you tried not to think about him.

It was a Friday night when you pulled into Lydia’s parking lot, stepping out of your car after grabbing your bag and the 6-pack of hard cider you’d picked up on the way over. You were already in leggings and an old shirt from college, a cozy cardigan over your shoulders. Lydia had suggested you get together that night for dinner and movies, and you didn’t doubt you’d end up crashing on her couch rather than driving home. After taking the stairs up to the second floor of the building, you knock lightly on her door before letting yourself in.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Lydia says with a grin, stepping out of the kitchen. Dinner smells amazing already and your stomach growls, remembering that she was making stir fry.

“Hi! Holy shit, it smells so good in here,” you tell her with a laugh as you kick your shoes off.

Your words make her snort and she grins. “It’ll be done in about fifteen minutes or so, you can go hang out in the living room if you want!”  

Nodding, you head toward the living room to make yourself at home. You immediately drop into the corner of the sofa, leaning back as you fish in your bag for your phone. The TV is on, but you haven’t even glanced at it. Lydia’s cat comes sauntering down the hall before jumping up on the arm of the sofa to greet you. It’s not until your scratching below her chin that you look at the TV, immediately tensing when you realize that it’s coverage of the pre-season Sabres game.

Before you can even start looking around for the remote, Jeff is on the screen and butterflies flutter throughout your body. Biting your bottom lip, you find yourself staring at him as he’s interviewed ahead of the game. He looks good, happy. The Sabres colors suit him far better in your opinion and hearing his voice again made goosebumps rise along your skin. You’re not even paying attention to what he’s saying, instead getting lost in the sound of his voice. When you got a quick glimpse of his dimple as he grinned, you felt your heart skip a beat.

“Y/N!” The sound of Lydia’s voice makes you jump, head turning quickly to look at the her, standing just outside the kitchen.

“Sorry, what?” you question with a nervous laugh. Your cheeks are burning, and you watch as her eyes drift to the TV and she realizes why you’d been so entranced.

You know from her expression that she’s trying to hide a smirk, and she clears her throat before speaking. “I didn’t realize I’d left that on,” she says, and based on her tone, you’re not sure that you fully believe her statement. “I’ve been saying your name for like, a whole minute, but uh, I was asking if you wanted me to put your drinks in the fridge.”

“Oh...yeah, thanks,” you respond, flashing a quick smile. Just to break eye contact with you, you look away to reach down, picking the 6-pack up to hand it to her as she cross the room to take it from you. Your cheeks are surely flushed, and by then, Lydia’s not even trying to hide her grin. She retreats without a word though, and as soon as her back is to you, your attention returns to the TV.

A pang of disappointment strikes through you when you see the coverage has gone back to the commentators. It’s probably for the better you decide, leaning back into the couch and encouraging the cat to come closer to you.

Your heart settles after a moment and thankfully it only took a few more minutes before dinner was done. When Lydia calls your name from the kitchen, you get to your feet and follow the sound of her voice. She asks you to set the table and and she’s still got that knowing grin on her face. Barely even looking at her, you grab the plates and silverware she’d set out and hurry back out to put them on the table.

The game had started, and your attention snaps to the television when you hear Jeff’s name. You hadn’t watched a game in ages, and right now was not the time you needed to get transfixed on it. Taking a seat, you sit so your back is towards the TV, otherwise you knew you’d never be able to focus on conversation over dinner if you could see the game. When Lydia comes out of the kitchen, holding the wok and placing it down onto the trivet you’d put out on the table.

Your mouth starts watering at the smell of dinner, and as you sit up a bit straighter to get a look at the food, Lydia turns off the TV. Silence fills the room for a moment and your body relaxes. As Lydia sits down, her attention is on her phone as she starts to airplay the music to a speaker, and you’re reaching for the tongs resting in the pan.

To your surprise, dinner passes without a single mention of Jeff. The food was to die for, Lydia’s cooking always was. At one point though, you’d damn near dropped your fork in the middle of eating. I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) from Hercules started, and you felt rather attacked. You couldn’t prove that she’d masterminded it since she’d been known to pepper Disney songs into playlists before, but you were pretty sure she’d queued it up just to fuck with you.

Weeks later, you were starting to wonder if she’d forgotten all about Jeff. There’d been no mention of him, but he was seldom far from your mind.

You’re trying to get a bit of work done, sending out some emails when a rolled up ball of paper hits you on the shoulder before bouncing onto your desk. Turning around, it’s no surprise to see Lydia there, grinning widely as she leans against the cubicle divider.

“Did you see the email I sent you?” she asks, tone rather hopeful. You raise an eyebrow quickly and nod.

“What, for that pub downtown? Yeah, why?”

She shrugs and gives you a smile that says she’s got something up her sleeve. “They’ve got a breakfast burger that looks really good,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows at you. The words alone make you hum, as she knows that the best way to your heart is a good breakfast burger. “I was gonna see if you wanted to head there for dinner tonight?”

You take a moment before responding, glancing at the time and trying to remember if you had plans. After a moment, you nod with a grin. “Uh, yeah, that sounds good!” you say and she shoots you a thumbs up. “Did you want to head there straight after work? I can drive.”

Lydia agrees to that plan, and you then spend a decent portion of the slow afternoon going over the restaurant’s menu, taking quite a bit of interest in their drinks. You’d been planning on spending the evening at home, doing nothing, but dinner and drinks and being out with Lydia sounded far better.

Hours later when work was done and Lydia was guiding you through downtown as you drove, you stifle a yawn as you turn onto a one-way street. You hadn’t really been down to this area much, and you’re looking around rather curiously.

“There’s a garage up here on the right, I already paid for parking,” Lydia says, eyes on her phone as she pulls up the pass.

When you pull into the garage, there’s a sign for Sabres parking and you glance at Lydia quickly. “Are we close to the arena?” you ask as you roll your window down. She shrugs hands you her phone so you can scan the parking pass.

“Yeah, I just know this garage is pretty cheap, so I just stick to what I know,” she explains as you head into the garage, looking for a spot. You don’t question it and thankfully, you find a spot with ease.

When you’re climbing out of the car, a number of people walk by in Sabres shirts, and you glance at Lydia. She’s out of the car and digging in her bag, and you’re about to ask if she’s ready to go when she tosses a bundle of fabric at you.

“Here, put this on,” she says as you catch it. You hold it up and realize quickly that it’s a Sabres shirt, your eyes moving to her. She’s grinning like a cat that ate a canary and she’s holding up a shirt for herself as well.

“What’s going on here?” you ask, brow creased. You’re still holding onto the shirt, watching your friend as she shrugs.

“We’re going to the game.” Lydia says it so simply that you damn near guffaw at her. “Oh, come on! You have been tiptoeing around this for so long now that it’s making my heart hurt, okay?”

Your jaw is tense and you look at her with as much distaste as you can muster. “You tricked me with that breakfast burger...you knew I’d take the bait, hook, line, and sinker,” you grumble, arms crossed over your chest with the shirt still in hand. Your words make Lydia grin and she shrugs slightly, not even bothering to feign innocence.

“It’s gonna be fun, okay? I’ll buy you some drinks, we’ll watch the game, then I’ll buy you a breakfast burger, how about that?” she responds, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. She’s reeling you back in, paying her penance as she walks toward you.

“Fine,” you give in, crossing your arms over your chest. You irritation was starting to wane, but you weren’t quite ready to stop milking it just yet. With the shirt still in hand, you exhale a sigh as Lydia nudges you gently with her elbow.

“C’mon, we want a good spot for warm ups,” she says, looping her elbow through yours to start leading you toward the stairs to leave the garage.

“Warm ups?!” you question before exhaling another sigh. “You’re literally evil, you know that, right?” The sound of her laugh echoes in the stairway, making your snort along with her.

Anxiety bubbled in your stomach from there. Doors are already open when the two of you approach the arena, and you fell quiet. You let Lydia more or less guide you, considering you were in the middle of an out of body experience, and she promised to grab drinks for both of you as she pushed you toward the bathroom to change into the Sabres shirt.

When you reemerge, she’s waiting there for you, two cans of beer in hand as well as a cup of what you assume is a rum and Coke. “It’s a double,” she tells you with a wink as she hands the drinks off to you so she can use the restroom and change into her shirt as well.

Waiting for her, you lean back against the wall outside the bathroom and exhale a sigh. The last several months had just been plain weird. You’d grown up with hockey. Your dad’s family is from Boston, so you’d been raised as a Bruins fan, going to games when you’d visit relatives. Your brother had played with Jeff, and obviously, growing up near Toronto, you’d been surrounded by the Leafs.

Since college though, you hadn’t had much interest in the sport. You’d realized one night several weeks ago, as you’d stared at your bedroom ceiling, that you’d probably distanced yourself from the sport in order to put Jeff out of your mind. Admittedly though, you watched a Sabres game last week, curled up on your couch with some chocolate ice cream. You’d missed hockey, but damn, it was still weird as hell hearing Jeff’s name.

As you stood there, sipping greedily at your rum and Coke, your eyes survey the people moving around the arena ahead of warm ups. It’s still early, so not too crowded, and you see quite a few people in Skinner shirts or jerseys. The sight makes you smile, glad to know that he’s appreciated on his new team. You shift your weight from one foot to the other and try to slow the way your mind is racing.

Thankfully, Lydia comes out of the bathroom just as you’re about to launch into another existential crisis about the fact that you’re in the same building as Jeff Skinner for the first time in over half a decade. When she looks at you, the fact that your mind is reeling must be obvious because she looks a little amused, reaching for one of the beers you’re holding.

“Where are we sitting?” you ask, chewing on your bottom lip as she shoves her work blouse into her bag.

“Uhh, one of the back rows of the lower bowl. They’re good seats,” she says, taking a drink of beer as the two of you start walking. “For warm ups though, we’re going down to the ice.”

“Lydia, seriously?” you say, to which her response is to giggle softly with a shrug. She’s half a step ahead of you, otherwise your hand would’ve come out to smack her arm gently.

Time was passing so slowly. It felt like it’d been at least twenty minutes since Lydia coaxed you up to a seat at the glass, but really, it’s only five. Nervousness has set in, and now your mind is racing, wishing you’d know about the game, so you could’ve at least made yourself look better. Your hair was tied up in a bun and you hadn’t really put much effort into your appearance that day, at least not the amount of effort you’d put into seeing your ex for the first time in five years.

Lydia settles into a seat and looks at you as she sips at her beer. “Y/N, relax,” she says, voice low. You’re still standing, and you glance over your shoulder to look at her.

“Well, considering I’ve only had about fifteen minutes to process all of this and prepare to see him, I don’t think relaxing is an option right now,” you mutter before finishing off the rest of your rum and Coke. You turn to face her then, leaning back against the glass as you meet her eye.

“I mean, that’s fair,” she says with a shrug before cracking a grin. She leans forward in her seat then, glancing up at the jumbotron before her attention returns to you. “If you want to just go up to our seats, we can.” There’s a timidness then in her voice, as if she was worried that she’d pushed you too far.

You consider it for a moment, looking at the ice left in your cup as you think. When you meet her eye, you shake your head. “No, I wanna stay here,” you say as confidently as you can. Lydia looks rather impressed as she nods, and you grin then. Truthfully, you think the adrenaline of the situation is hitting you, like your fight or flight instincts were kicking in. You’re surprised that you’re choosing the fight side of that, but you were committed to it now.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” Lydia says, grinning at you then and you give an affirmative nod. You sit your empty cup down in a cup holder then turn back to the ice. Time is ticking down to warm ups, and you can feel that first drink starting to hit you.

Somehow, it feels like the last couple of minutes go by even more slowly than before, so you sip at your beer and scroll through Instagram idly. When the lights music starts and the players start coming out onto the ice, your heart leaps into your throat. You’re faintly aware of the fact that Lydia stands up, and as you’re about to take a drink of beer, you spot Jeff.

You pause with the beer can halfway to your mouth, and you know Lydia’s eyes are on you as you inhale a slow breath. His back is to you, but your stomach jumps, then flops back down just at the sight of him. Maybe drinking that double rum and coke hadn’t been a good idea. Before you’re able to mentally adjust to your surrounding, he’s glances up and you feel like you’re about to drop dead on the spot.

Jeff does an honest to god double-take, locking eyes with you the second time. A wide smile spreads across his face and he skates closer, like he’s trying to figure out if it’s really you. That smile of his was as contagious as always, even now when you’re barely standing up straight from nervousness. Grinning back at him, you finally take that drink of beer, and Lydia laughs beside you. Seeing him is just so surreal, and god, that blue really suits him. He looks so….grown up, but you’re sure you did as well.

He glances around quickly before pointing toward the bench then nodding in that direction. Clutching your beer and hoping your legs would work when you try to walk, you give him a quick thumbs up. You look at Lydia quickly to find that she’s watching on with a rather proud grin that you just want to smack off of her face, but there was time for that later.

Leaving your beer in Lydia’s care, you take off toward the tunnel, going up a row or two to meet him. Your heart is pounding as you chew on your bottom lip as soon as your eyes are on him again. It was good to see him, there was no denying that.

“Hi,” you say when you’re lose enough, not sure what else to even say then.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, grinning and looking at you the same way he had since you were teenagers.

“I, uh...I took a job in Buffalo a couple years ago,” you tell him, trying to resist the urge to fidget. You’d forgotten the way he looked at you, you weren’t used to it anymore. He nods as you speak, his smile somehow getting even wider.

He’s about to say something when someone on the ice shouts his name, and he swears quietly under his breath. “Did you have to leave right after the game?” he asks, pausing only to wait for your response. When you shake your head, he continues. “Can I give you my number? Just text me, and I’ll tell you how to get back to the locker room.”

Before he even finishes speaking, you’re fishing your phone out of your pocket as you nod. When you’re ready, he rattles off his number, and you save it into your contacts, still struggling to believe that this is all actually happening.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” he says, meeting your eye with another smile that makes your stomach flutter.