#serayaps

The SAP Center buzzed with energy, and in the middle of it all sat you, your hands raw from clapping and your voice hoarse from yelling all night long.

Your boyfriend had scored a beautiful assist, helped shut down a play in the first period. You beamed with pride, wearing his jersey like a badge of honor, your cheeks flushed from the cold rink air and sheer happiness.

“You were amazing,” you whispered to yourself, your phone ready to record when William skated by to skate to the bench and flashed you a quick smile, eyes locking with yours like they always did and even from the bench, he searched for you.

But then, something tugged your attention, pulling you away from your little moment with William. “Y/n?!”

You turned your head at the familiar voice, your brain needing a full second to process what your eyes were seeing.

“No way!” You gasped, a huge grin breaking across your face as you rushed up a few steps into the arms of a tall guy. “Mateo?!”

Your cousin laughed, hugging you tightly. “I figured I’d catch you here, because you’re always posting about these games..”

“What are you doing in San Jose?” You asked, pulling back with a hand still on his arm.

“I’m on a work trip, I got lucky with the schedule, so I thought I’d sneak in a game and then I saw you from a few rows over.”

“That’s insane!” You laughed, “It’s been like what, it’s been forever.”

“I know,” he grinned. “Good to see you though.”

You shared one more quick hug before he gestured toward his seat. “I’ll let you get back to cheering for your man.”

“Text me after?” You asked.

“Of course.” Mateo said as he turned to head back to his spot, and you went back to your front row seat, still smiling.

What you didn’t know, was that William had been standing at the bench the entire time, helmet on, stick in hand, watching through the gap in the boards as his girlfriend threw her arms around some guy like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

His chest tightened, because he didn’t recognize the guy, he just saw arms around you, your smile and the way your face lit up, which wasn’t for him but for someone else.

He stared for a second longer than he should’ve, then he clenched his jaw and skated onto the ice, moving into his position without a word.

And you didn’t even know he felt that way.

In the locker room, the mood was light, players celebrating the win but William was quieter than usual, doing everything a little slower, staring into his stall longer than needed.

Will nudged him. “You good, Eky?”

“Hm? Yeah..” He smiled half heartedly.

“We just won a game, shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I am..” he forced another smile but truth was, he wasn’t, not really. The image kept looping in his head, your arms around someone else, at his game, hugging another guy like it was the most normal thing in the world.

He didn’t want to be that guy; jealous, insecure and weird about it but something about the whole thing rubbed him the wrong way. Who was that guy anyway? You hadn’t mentioned any friends coming and most definitely not him.

“Probably just a friend,” he muttered under his breath but it didn’t help because he knew he said that to only convince himself.

Back home, the apartment was warm and soft, candles flickering low from the little shelf you’d insisted on decorating with calming scents. William kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag with a dull thud, trailing after you into the kitchen.

“You want tea or anything?” You asked, already opening cabinets.

“I’m good.”

You turned, brow slightly knit. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah..”

“You sure?”

He shrugged and went to the fridge, pulling out a water bottle and drinking from it slowly. You watched him, eyes narrowing and something was definitely off.

“You don’t seem like yourself..”

“I’m fine, I told you..”

You leaned against the counter, to him you were still glowing from the game. “Babe, I don’t understand, you won, you played amazing and now you’re weird and quiet like you got benched or something. Did I do something? If so, tell me, so I can fix it.”

William met your gaze for a second before looking away. You tilted your head. “What’s going on?”

He hesitated before speaking, it would sound stupid if he said it, really stupid, he thought: Jealous because his girlfriend hugged someone in the stands? At his game?

God, I am pathetic, he thought to himself “Nothing,” he mumbled.

You folded your arms. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“William.”

He stared at the counter, then finally sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “I just—” He cut himself off, groaning. “Forget it, it’s dumb..”

“It’s obviously not dumb to you, or you wouldn’t be acting like someone ran over your dog.”

That made him crack a little smile, but he went back to just as he was in a second, he dropped onto one of the stools, elbows on the kitchen island. “I saw you hugging that guy during the game in the crowd.”

You blinked. “Oh— Mateo?”

He nodded once, a little too stiffly and you stepped closer, your voice soft. “William.. he’s my cousin.”

William looked up and you laughed, now realizing. “My cousin, Will. Mateo from Arizona, I haven’t seen him in years and he happened to be in town so we bumped into each other randomly in the crowd.”

“Oh.” His ears turned pink.

“Ohhh,” you said teasingly, stepping between his knees. “That’s why you’ve been acting like a kicked puppy all night?”

“I wasn’t— okay, maybe a little,” he muttered, cheeks flushed. “I didn’t know who he was. You were hugging him like—”

You smiled gently, wrapping your arms around his neck. “You really thought I’d flirt with some guy at your game? Or even in general?”

He winced. “I didn’t say that..”

“You didn’t have to.” You kissed his temple. “God, you’re cute when you’re a little jealous.”

He buried his face in your neck with a groan. “Don’t say that.”