the very first night (taylor’s version) - dylan larkin
and so it was, we never saw it comin' not tryin' to fall in love, but we did like children runnin' back then we didn't know we were built to fall apart we broke the status quo, then we broke each other's hearts
The first time you met Dylan could only be described as a disaster.
It was at a Red Wings event, one that you were working as a part of catering when a 6’1 brick wall had slammed into you so hard turning a corner that it knocked an entire tray of drinks all over your white button up.
The last thing you expected was the captain of the team to insist on helping you clean up, and he even went as far as to find a spare shirt for you (a request that the hired waiter found odd, but who was he to deny the request of Dylan Larkin?)
He dragged you to a bathroom in a secluded hallway and tried his hardest to pat dry the various colored alcoholic beverages now soaked into your shirt to no avail. You simply laughed off the situation, but Dylan had taken it a lot more serious than you. So, he tugged you along to the nearest supply closet for some stain remover and towels, and before you knew it, half an hour hiding in hallways had passed.
Eventually, you managed to shoo him away once you were changed and ready to head back out there, but he still felt incredibly bad about ruining the shirt given to you by management that he offered to take you out to dinner later in the week to make up for it. It was a completely illogical solution, both of you knew that, but you couldn’t turn him down.
A night of pancakes and waffles turned into going to carnivals and movies and museums, and you fell for him fast and hard. It was a whirlwind of a romance. Dylan swept you up, but to be honest, you were sold on him the second his jaw dropped in apology at spilling five cocktails on you.
And he fell just as hard as you did.
“Do you know how much I miss you?” His voice was hoarse, thick with fatigue, but Dylan refused to sleep until he said goodnight to you. Even if you were on a trip to the west coast while he was stuck in New York.
“I think I have an idea,” you whispered back, a small smile tugging at your lips. “It makes me feel a little crazy how much I miss you.”
You had never, in your entire life, found someone who made you feel like how Dylan did. Your friends thought you had gone insane with how much time you spent with him. All his games, all the dates, all the nights spent at his apartment, you were consumed by him. Dylan’s teammates had never seen anyone fall so fast, and they were mildly concerned about their captain discussing future plans like marriage within the first two months of dating you. They might have intervened had it affected his game, but he was as solid as ever.
“Do you remember the first night we met?” He asked.
“Of course.” You laughed at the memory. “I don’t think anyone’s ever made a worse first impression on me.”
“Worst first impression, huh? I seem to have won you over in the end, though.”
It was late for him in New York. Almost two in the morning and he was sitting in the hotel lobby so he wouldn’t bother his roommate on the phone talking to his partner. They had an 8am flight back, but he didn’t care. He’d sleep when he was able to hold you.
You talked on the phone for another hour and a half before he finally drifted off to sleep, forcing you to end the call. And looking back on all those sweet memories, it was hard to remember where it all went wrong.
In the end, neither of you were really sure what happened. Two months turned into four and then into six, and the relationship had run its course. Nothing major had happened, people tended to drift apart, and that initial spark that ignited you the night you met had been extinguished.
It was no one’s fault, really. You two were a match that burned bright and fiery but were destined to only last a short amount of time. It didn’t surprise either of you when he decided to end it. In truth, you were thinking about ending it with him when he showed up to break the news.
A year after that break-up, and you were still here with your head held high. Waves of sadness washed over you as you fingered the tiny picture in your hand, dated three months into your relationship. It was a picture of you and Dylan, his lips pressed to your cheek in an obnoxious kiss that had you laughing, and you smiled at the memory. It was a familiar sadness that hit you every time you thought too hard on your relationship, but you still held no regrets.
There was no ill will between you two, and you still liked each other’s pictures on instagram every now and then, but you did miss him. It was a weird feeling. You missed what you had but you understood why it ended and you understood that you couldn’t go back and change things.
But oh how you wish you could change things.
If it were up to you, you’d go back to that very first night and do it over. Maybe take it slower and not kiss him after devouring that plate of waffles with the taste of syrup still on your lips. Maybe not say ‘I love you’ nine weeks into dating him. Maybe not propose starting a family with him by suggesting you adopt a dog together.
There were a lot of what ifs in your mind, but you knew it didn’t help to linger on those thoughts. You had your time with Dylan and now it was over and you were okay with it. You would be okay with it.
Hell, at least it would make a good story in the future.
