"so emma, gabe tells us you tutored him?" j.t. brought her into the conversation. emma perked up while everyone's eyes shifted onto her.

her cheeks reddened slightly, "he was doing econ in a french class. i had to help him."

that earned a few laughs from the table. emma glanced at her boyfriend. he was blushing badly, but the smile on his lips never disappeared. "perreault, why are you taking french? you're fluent," sykora chirped.

"easy credit. why else?" the younger boy shrugged.

"i guess it's a good thing you took it or else you wouldn't have met your lovely lady," fox grinned. emma shifted her gaze to gabe. he found hers almost instantly and gently nudged her knee with his under the table. "yeah, i guess it is."

"what convinced you, emma?" rempe smirked.

"he was nice and not stuck up like other hockey boys. something felt different," the blonde eyed her boyfriend and he smiled again. "it felt like he cared, like genuinely cared. i don't usually meet guys like that so i had to take the opportunity while it was here."

"gee thanks," gabe mumbled teasingly.

the other guys laughed and emma gently ruffled the back of his curls. she didn't mind their teasing. after 2 years of dating, she'd gotten use to gabe's crowd and the way things worked. she wasn't so afraid anymore. she eased into the light chirping here and there.

"you have a brother that swims back at boston, right?" j.t. kept talking. the guys wanted to know more about emma after gabe was always smiling down at his phone in the locker room.

the blonde nodded, "yeah, he's one of the captains this season. we've been swimming together since we could walk honestly."

"swimming takes a lot of endurance, so i applaud you and your brother. gabe mentioned you don't swim as much anymore?"

emma caught her boyfriend's quick glance that held a small apology in it for blabbing about her personal life. she just squeezed his arm though and kept her smile. "i do it more leisurely now. i gave up the competitive part before college."

"any reason why?" j.t. wasn't asking to poke, just genuinely curious. emma didn't mind though. "i mean like you said it's a tough sport. i'd been doing it so long i think i kind of burned myself out. i was starting to hate it and my philosophy is once you start hating something, it's best to quit it so you don't hate it even more."

the guys seemed to understand as they nodded along. "hey, i appreciate that. it can be really hard to walk away from something you've known all your life. good on you for knowing when to step back," raddysh said and emma appreciated his words. it was comforting hearing hockey guys who dedicated their whole life to a sport commend her for walking away from a sport she once dedicated her whole life to also.

"thanks. it was definitely hard, but it was for the best. i've been finding the love again now that the pressure of competing is off my back."

when the topic shifted off of emma and onto something else, the girl leaned back into the booth. this time gabe squeezed her hand. she squeezed back with a soft smile indicating that she was doing good.

the couple stuck around for another 20 minutes before deciding that they should probably head back. it was getting late and the commute back to gabe's apartment was close to half an hour. the hockey player wanted to make it home before it got too late and the subway started getting sketchy as it usually did when evening became late night. emma waved goodbye to the guys and their wives before following her boyfriend to the door.

when they got outside gabe took her hand again and began navigating them to the subway. emma was always so impressed he could lead the way without his phone despite only really being in new york for a few months now. "so, did you have fun?" gabe wondered as they walked.

"i did. they're funny," emma smiled.

"sorry j.t. started poking about swimming. i promise i don't just talk about your personal life like that. i only mentioned it like once when they asked about you and i told them only brief stuff—"

"baby, you're rambling. it's okay. i didn't mind. i know j.t. wasn't asking just to jab at me," the blonde cut her boyfriend off.

gabe's cheeks reddened. "sorry. i just wanted to make sure you knew i didn't like tell people your business. i know it's personal."

emma squeezed his hand tight, "i know you know and i love you. i never thought that, don't worry."

relief filled his system. he brought her hand up to kiss gently before they descended into the subway station. gabe's brain was working like two gears turning as he read the signs and navigated them to the right platform. he found a spot near the middle and shuffled emma to stand in front of him while they waited. she leaned into him—her feet slightly sore from the little heels that she just insisted she wore because it brought the entire outfit together.

"all good?" gabe asked.

"yeah, my feet just hurt a bit but i'm okay. i'll make it back," the blonde giggled.

even though it was late, new york was still moving. the platform was busy, but it was a friday night. emma watched how everyone seemed to be in their own world either going out, coming back, getting off of work, having a late night errand run—she kind of loved how everything was constantly moving and people were just living their own lives.

she's imagined many times what her life would look like with gabe living in new york and it was a life she couldn't wait to make real.

the familiar roar and rattle of metal against metal filled her ears. the infamous silver subway car began rolling by as it slowed to a stop and people edged closer to make it through the door and grab a seat. gabe held her hand tightly, his expression set. when the car doors opened, he pulled both of them through and immediately sat them down as everyone else filled in around them.

"12 stops," he hummed and emma glanced at the digital screen at the top of the car that indicated what stops were next.

"i like how you know it all," she said.

"it gets easier every ride. i usually take the same subway from home to wherever, so i know the stops," the boy smiled. emma didn't respond, but instead nestled her head into gabe's shoulder. he squeezed her thigh and mumbled something about closing her eyes if she was tired.

the ride went by faster than emma thought or it was because she did close her eyes and when she opened them again gabe had pinched her to let her know their stop was next. she blinked her eyes open, a bit groggy but awake as gabe pulled her up so they could get off.

"how'd that go so fast?" she wondered.

"i think you fell asleep," gabe chuckled.

the subway slowed again and its door slid open. emma stayed close to the rangers' rookie as he led them to the exit. when they got back up to the street the sound of cars passing and people rushing by filled their ears again. new york's nightlife had begun.

the upper east side was lively. people were hanging out on their fire escapes or down on their porches, soft music filling the streets. a few people waved and complimented's emma's outfit which she happily thanked them. when they got to gabe's apartment, he let her through the door first.

"home at last," he hummed as they began the climb the the 5th floor.

"i really like it here," emma grinned.

"yeah? me too," gabe agreed.

"i hope you don't get traded because i really wanna live here with you," her words earned a bright blush on the boy's face. he met her gaze from over his shoulder. "really?"

"i think i imagine it like everyday."

something about hearing emma say that warmed something deep in gabe's chest. he suddenly felt jittery all the way down to his toes. he'd be lying if he said he didn't think about it almost everyday too.

being long distance was tough. not seeing each other everyday was something the couple was still learning how to manage and cope with, but on weekends like these where emma drove down to spend it with him made everything worth it. the stress eased off his shoulders and everything gabe had been worrying about quickly disappeared. emma was the only person who could make his head feel lighter and all the comments from coach and people online didn't matter.

all the noise finally ceased when the couple stepped into the quiet apartment. gabe locked the door while emma flipped a light on. she breathed out in relief while she kicked her heels off and made it back to flat ground. she dropped her purse on the table and gabe just smiled watching her walk around his apartment like it was hers.

"i kind of wanna sit on the fire escape after seeing everyone else do it," she hummed, already walking towards the window.

"want anything? snacks? wine?" gabe went to the kitchen.

"i would never say no to a glass of wine and animal crackers," emma grinned before slipping outside once she had the window open. the dark-haired boy laughed.

while he got that ready, emma got comfortable on the metal landing. she could see all of manhattan's big skyscrapers in the distance and how there were still lights on meaning other people were still awake either wrapping up their night or just starting it. across the way, another group of people were on their fire escape. they looked like they were also sipping wine and enjoying the nice weather.

emma heard her boyfriend's footsteps shuffling by the window before his head appeared. in his hand was her glass of wine that he carefully handed her before sliding himself through. emma made sure he had a enough room as they got themselves comfortable against the brick. "for you," gabe also held out the bag of animal crackers (that he specially bought for emma).

"thank you," she smiled.

even though the city was still moving, the silence surrounded gabe because as long as he was with emma, she was the most quietest place he knew.

"thank you for coming with me tonight. it meant a lot you were there and i know the guys loved you," the boy hummed.

he met emma's eyes when she turned her head. "thank you for bringing me along. i had a lot of fun. seems like your new team treats you good."

"they're great. they were really excited to meet you."

"i could tell. i'm glad you're happy, p," emma rubbed his shoulder. "can't wait for you to see me play tomorrow," the hockey player kissed her skin.

"i'm looking forward to it. you're gonna do amazing," she pressed a soft kiss into his cheek, but gabe turned his head enough to capture her lips in a full kiss—something he'd been waiting to do once they were back home and away from the prying and teasing eyes of his teammates.

when they pulled apart, their foreheads knocked together and their breaths mixed together. "counting down the days until we can spend every night together like this," the boy mumbled.

emma blushed. "me too."

She groaned covering her head hearing a knock on her door of her dorm room, “Go away!” She croaked out and immediately started coughing harshly making her eyes water from the coughs.

She made a sound hearing her dorm open and she weekly lifted her beds seeing her teammates Ryan, Gabe and James walk in, she didn’t even want to know how they got in.

“Why are you here?” She covered her face with her blanket and her voice was very raspy. She coughed again and whined a bit at how much pain she was in.

“Because you’re sick doofus.” Ryan sniped back as he started cleaning up some of her trash on her nightstand and grabbing her diffuser to fill it back up.

James sat at the side of her bed setting a hand of her back softly rubbing over the blankets as she coughed.

Gabe shot Ryan a a look before turning to his rookie teammate, “Because you didn’t show up to class or practice and you never skip practice.” Also she has been looking like she was getting sick the last few days so the team expected for her to get sick.

“Now sit up i got you a medicine ball.” Gabe said softly but slowly firmly knowing she probably hasn’t had much to drink or eat all day.

She slowly peeked out from under the blankets, “Medicine ball?” She asked with a hopeful look having told Gabe once that the tea is the one to ever help her when she is sick and he remembered.

Gabe hummed back in reply and James held her hand helping her sit with her chest and stomach being sore from all the coughing. James fluffed the pillows against her headboard for her lean back against.

Gabe handed her the tea and she immediately took a sip sighing in relief.

“Thank you.” She very quietly whispered out looking at all three of them as Ryan turned her diffuser on with peppermint to help her sinuses.

Gabe handed her the next dose of her medication and watched making sure she took the medicine.

“We got you soup!” James gave her a gentle grin and a very soft nudge, “Have you eaten?” He looked concerned.

She softly shook her head no talking another sip of her tea.

“Then you will be taking at least a few bites.” Ryan gave her a look just like a protective older brother, an annoying but protective one.

“Yes Dad.” She softly quipped her voice still voice hoarse, her nose red and raw, her under eyes dark and her hair in a messy braid.

Ryan just leaned over flicking her forehead a lot gentler than usually.

Gabe smacked Ryan’s hand away making Ryan give Gabe an offended look, “No hitting the sick rookie.” Gabe said firmly making her share a smile with James.

“mmf—fuck gabe.” you wail out, head thrown back with your legs draped across his shoulders.

god he’s way too good at this. the way his tongue glides over your clit, making your whole body shiver in pleasure. quivering as he flattens his tongue against your sopping wet cunt.

he shifts. it’s not the same. “mmh— fuck. no.” you grasp his full head of hair. you you yank his hair right back to where you want him. “right there, gabe.”

he moans. literally moans as if he’s getting off strictly from that hair tug. you try again, not even guiding him just pulling him by his hair even closer to your slick slit. he whimpers and pants into you.

“—ngh—fuck. do that again. p-please.” you do just that. you bundle up his thick curls in between your knuckles. yank him closer, further, up, down— fuck, you don’t even know what you’re doing at this point. all you’re thinking about is just how to keep him eating pussy like this.

your legs are trembling, jerking at jittering around as his tongue laps at your cunt.

“oh my—fuck—oh my god, gabe.” you cry out. “fuck, gabe. so good at this.” you babble. you’re not even sure what you’re saying anymore. just focusing at the way his tongue sends shocks throughout your whole body. how every moan and grunt of his causes vibrations reverberating through your core. every lick and stab draws your peak closer and closer, building up.

you tug his hair again, hard. the way he wails out sends a godforsaken amount of pleasure through your nerves.

before you even know it you’re orgasm is there, catching you off guard. your whole body tenses up, yelling out anything you can. lord knows your not thinking with gabe between your thighs.

when you finally calm down, still panting heavily, gabe’s still holding your legs, only now drawing back from your cunt.

“did i do good, baby?” he says, voice rich and velvety, looking up with those stupid big eyes and a wide grin on his face.

Gabe adjusted his Boston College hat, the brim low to shield his eyes from the mid-afternoon sun as he stepped out of the Uber, scanning the sea of maroon and gold that sprawled before him. The crisp October air carried the unmistakable smell of charcoal grills and the distant hum of laughter and music. Fall was definitely here, but the warmth of the day still clung in the air, that perfect mix of cool breezes and lingering heat that made it hard to believe summer was really over.

Gabe weaved through groups of students and alumni, looking for Jacob. He had texted him earlier to meet up in the parking lot where the tailgate was going on, Gabe figuring he was already set up in the thick of it. Sure enough, he spotted Jacob, who was laughing alongside his girlfriend Olivia, and a small group of her friends.

“Hey man,” Jacob greeted Gabe, dapping him up when he approached.

Gabe returned the dap with a smile, already feeling the buzz of energy around him. "What’s up, bud?" he replied.

“You gonna get in on our pool? We’ve got a bet going about the over-under for total points.” Jacob explained.

“Don’t do it, Gabe, the buy-in is forty bucks,” Olivia warned, receiving an eye roll from Jacob that didn’t go unnoticed. “You blow money on stupid things and then lose them, Jacob, you need better spending habits.”

Gabe slightly tuned out the bickering couple, his eyes scanning the lively crowd around him when his wandering gaze fell on you. You stood just a few feet away, engaged in a heated game of cornhole with some guy, tossing playful trash talk his way. You wore a cropped Zay Flowers BC jersey slightly exposing your midriff and a sparkling stud on your bellybutton. Your hair fell in loose waves around your shoulders, and the bright smile that stretched across your face was infectious.

“You see something you like?” a voice teased from beside him. Gabe forced his eyes away from you as he realized Olivia had caught him staring. A knowing smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “That’s y/n. She’s one of my friends from bio, I’m sitting next to her in the game. I should introduce you.”

“What?” Gabe tried to play it off cool, but he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. “Nah, I was just—”

“Staring, yeah, I know,” Emily teased, giving him a playful nudge. “She’s great, by the way. She’s super smart, a little intense but in the best way, and she’s got this whole Georgia thing going on. You’ll hear it when she talks, trust me. You should totally go say hi.”

“Ah, I don’t know…” Gabe said, looking back at you. He watched as you threw your head back with laughter, the joyous sound rising to the noise of the crowd.

“Come on man, don’t be wimp.” Jacob urged, giving him a soft shove.

Gabe rolled his eyes but couldn’t deny the spark of interest flaring inside him. “Alright, fine. I’ll go talk to her.”

He stepped forward, weaving through the crowd, trying to figure out how to approach without coming off like a total idiot. Just as you were lining up your next shot, he cleared his throat. “Pretty sure you’re making this guy’s life miserable.”

You let out a laugh, the sound melodic. “Hey, it’s not my fault he’s terrible at this,” you teased, taking your shot and sinking the bag perfectly into the hole, winning your game.

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Gabe said. “Mind if I challenge the winner?”

“You want in on this?” you asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Alright, but just know I won’t go easy on you.”

Gabe chuckled, appreciating your boldness. “I wouldn’t want you to.”

The game started, and you made sure to keep the banter alive. As the two of you exchanged playful jabs, Gabe quickly learned a few things: you were from Georgia, which explained the slight twang in your voice and what Olivia said earlier, and you were majoring in biology. It was clear you had a contagious energy about you, something that made it easy for Gabe to be around you.

When the start time of the game neared, you shifted inside the stadium where you and Gabe ended up sitting next to each other, leaving Jacob and Olivia to their own little world. The stands were packed, the atmosphere electric as the Eagles took the field. Throughout the first quarter, Gabe tried to keep his focus on the field, but his mind kept drifting back to you—how animated you got with every play, the way you yelled at the refs, and how you’d nudge him whenever something exciting happened. Football was supposed to be the main event, but now? You were stealing the show.

Midway through the game, you pulled out a couple of airplane bottles from your purse, handing a tiny bottle of Fireball to Gabe. “Security didn’t catch these,” you whispered, winking. “Wanna share?”

He grinned, feeling a little rebellious as he took the bottle from you. “You come prepared.”

“Always,” you said, clinking your bottle against his.

And when the fight song started blaring through the speakers, you threw your arm around his shoulder, singing loudly and pulling him into it. “Come on, Gabe! You gotta show some school spirit!”

He laughed but joined in, letting you drag him into the moment, singing along with the rest of the crowd, even though he didn’t know the words as well as you did. There was something infectious about your energy, the way you were so unapologetically yourself, and Gabe found himself caught up in it.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Eagles were trailing by 3, but you were still holding onto hope, your eyes glued to the field. When they scored with just 15 seconds left, you let out a scream of pure joy and launched yourself into Gabe’s arms. His arm instinctively wrapped around your waist as he picked you up, the two of you caught up in the moment as the crowd roared around you.

“They did it!” you yelled, beaming as you hugged him tightly.

Gabe couldn’t help but smile back, caught up in your joy. There was something about the way you were looking at him in that moment, so full of life and excitement, that made him realize something. He wasn’t just into you because of the game, or because of how you looked in the jersey, or even the way you made him laugh. He was into you because of you.

As the crowd started to thin out, you hooked your arm through his, still talking about the game, about how this was exactly what the Eagles needed to turn their season around. He listened, though his mind was elsewhere — on you, on the feeling of your arm around his, on how easy it was to be around you. As the crowd spilled out into the streets, Gabe offered to walk you back to your dorm, which you accepted gratefully. The sunset bathed the campus in a golden light, casting a warm glow that made you look radiant in his eyes. You chatted the whole way back, the conversation flowing easily, like you’d known each other for longer than just a few hours.

When you reached your dorm, the orange and pink hues of the sky made you look almost ethereal. The lingering warmth of the day clung to the air, Gabe feeling a sudden rush of nerves. The conversation had slowed to a comfortable lull, and you were smiling at him, your eyes glowing in the soft light of the setting sun. Gabe rubbed the back of his neck, taking a step closer to you, feeling like now or never.

“You know,” he began, his voice a little lower than usual, “I’ve had a really great time today. Didn’t think I’d get this lucky at a football game.”

You tilted your head, grinning, “Lucky, huh? I feel like I’m the one who should be saying that. You were a great seat partner.”

Gabe chuckled, but his smile faded slightly as he searched your eyes. His heart pounded in his chest as he leaned in just a bit, testing the waters. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” you replied, your voice softening in the quiet of the evening.

For a moment, Gabe hesitated, his fingers brushing lightly against your arm. “Can I kiss you?”

The question hung in the air between you for what felt like an eternity, but when you nodded, your lips curved into a small, inviting smile. Gabe didn’t waste another second. He closed the gap between you, gently cupping your face with one hand as he pressed his lips to yours.

The kiss was soft and tentative at first, the faint taste of Fireball still lingering on both of your lips. But as you leaned into him, wrapping your arms around his neck, the kiss deepened. It was sweet and full of excitement as Gabe’s hands moved down to your waist. Gabe’s heart raced as the warmth of your body melted into his, and for a few moments, the world outside your little bubble ceased to exist.

When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, your faces inches apart. Gabe couldn’t help the goofy smile that spread across his face. “Wow,” he murmured.

You laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down his spine. “Wow is right.”

You probably think that it was the kiss that did it for Gabe, that made him want to make you his. That maybe that was the moment when it all clicked for Gabe — the warmth of your lips, the way you smiled right after, or how the sunset framed you like something out of a movie.