#thislonelyroad

Cross Posted on Wattpad!

Words. Words would be an excellent start to replying to the man in front of me. Preferably, a simple greeting would suffice. But even though I had a degree in English, read more than about 90% of people, and prided myself on my verbose vocabulary, not a single word came out of my mouth.

I blinked, hard, pinching my side through my jacket. "Hey, Timo! So sorry, driving really tired me out." I finally, finally responded. "No worries, C." He chuckled again, shaking his head slightly. Shit, did he think I was just another dumb blonde? No, he was too sweet for that. But continuing the conversation would definitely make sure he didn't believe that.

"Thanks again for housing me, for now. I promise I'll do the dishes, I'll help pay rent and I'll get a job to move out as soon as I can." I explained, determined not to be a pest in his hair for too long. "Hey, there's no rush at all. Genuinely, you don't have to pay any rent, dishes aren't a big deal and don't rush to move out. Your life was just upturned, the least I can offer is a bit of stability right now." He smiled gently.

Was this man determined to make me cry?

"Thank you, Meier. It means a lot. Truly." "C'mon, C, we're known each other long enough. You can call me Timo."

I swallowed, knowing that if I started calling him Timo, my crush would turn into me actually realising that I had the fattest feelings for this man.

"Alright, Timo. Thanks again." He nodded, smiling and handing me the keys. "There's a deadbolt above the door handle, and a security code. It's 1928, but I texted it to you just in case." "Great, thanks!" I grinned in return, hoping my nervous sweating wouldn't expose me like it was prone to do. Timo smiled again, "I'll see you at home, Charli girl." And he skated off to continue practicing.

————————-*Timo's POV*—————————

Those blue eyes. Those godforsaken blue eyes. Why the fuck had I agreed to this again?

It wasn't anything against Charli. It was the fact that since I met her, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. I hooked up with a few girls here and there to simply scratch an itch, but every time I came, I had to hold back from moaning her name. Ever since Nico introduced me to her at the Halloween party all those years ago, she has infiltrated my mind since. And she wasn't even wearing anything insanely revealing. I mean, she was gorgeous and hot as hell, of course, but I found peace in her soul. Her presence, her demeanour, her voice. Her whip-quick brain and empathetic heart was what attracted me. I could be blind, and Charli would still be the most gorgeous woman in the world to me.

Now that she would be living in my apartment, meaning I would see her all the time, hear her showering, learn her little habits, I was so fucked. How was I ever supposed to let the feelings I had for Charli dissipate if I just invited her to invade my space?

But fuck me, I wanted her to invade my space. I wanted her to become my space. I wanted to walk into my bathroom and find her hair ties on the sink counter, see her toothbrush sitting next to mine in the holder. I wanted to wake up next to her, running my fingers through her golden blonde hair before moving them lower, lower, making her scream my name and come all over my hand. I wanted to-

"Meier, quit daydreaming and try to shoot the puck, will ya?" Keefe shouted and I snapped out of my head.

I began flicking all the pucks in front of me right into the goal, past Markstrom's legs, slap shooting them into center of the goal every fucking time.

So sorry for the later post! They’ll be more regular, now;) Enjoy Chap. 2!

———

Packing all my stuff into boxes wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. After having to get rid of a good chunk of clothes, shoes and other memorabilia of my last relationship, I didn't have too much crap left to pack. Besides, I was planning on going shopping when I hit Jersey again. Retail therapy was something I could always get on board with.

Shoving everything into my small, bright blue sedan, I hit the road early one morning. I stopped at my favourite gas station to fill up my tank and get coffee, put on a playlist and drove straight through to NJ.

I had texted Nico when I left, giving him my ETA so he could let Timo know that I would be his roommate pretty soon. I still hadn't worked up the courage to actually text Meier myself, since Nico did give me his number, too. Every-time I wrote out a new essay to the hockey player, I found more and more small errors that I clearly deemed unacceptable. But then again, Meier hadn't texted me either. I had saved his number in my phone so I would know it was him when he did, but a lump formed in my throat as the days passed and there was radio silence. Was I intruding? Did he not want me there? My mind went a mile a minute, insecurities from my ex bubbling back up to the surface, threatening to spill over. But I was being irrational and overthinking, again. I was just insanely sensitive after my recent events.

The drive really wasn't that bad. I had always loved being behind the wheel, in control of something for once, and playing my music so loud that all the other noise in my head shut up and sat down for a bit. Driving was an escape. If it had been a particularly rough day, no matter the weather, I rode home with my windows down and music on full blast. Surprisingly, I hadn't blown my speakers out yet. Whether it was AC/DC, Taylor Swift or One Direction, I had my speakers up to full capacity; my mirrors shook & pepper-spray in the door rattled but I didn't care. Nothing else mattered when I drove. It was me, my car and the road ahead. Even through the audaciously loud music, I found silence.

Until a ringing interrupted my newfound, very appreciated, silence.

"Timo Meier." The screen read. How the hell was I supposed to answer a phone call, while driving, from the hottest man on earth? My hands shook, my brain was a field of fog and my heart raced. I was so fucked.

I hit answer, simply seeing no other choice. "Hello?" "Hey, Charli, it's Timo! Nico told me you were on your way so I thought I'd give you a quick call to let you know that we'll be at practice around the time you get here; so stop by and I'll give you your key. Tell security you're here for Meier, they'll let you in."

Here for Meier. Fuck, I could get used to that.

"Charli?" Oh shit, mentally went on a  tangent and was leaving Timo fucking Meier waiting on a  call. I was so fucked.

"Yes, sorry. Bad reception right now. I'll be sure to stop by! Thank you so much." I could hear his chuckle through the phone and felt my soul light up. This crush had to stop. It was just a crush, he was a hot ass hockey player who could get any puck bunny he wanted, and I was fantasising about riding him like a fucking bronco.

"No problem, Charli girl. I'll see you then."

Have I mentioned how fucked I am?

—

I put my car into park, grabbing my purse and walking towards The Rock. It had been forever since I had been here; I was a lot younger, less hurt and more hopeful, then. But no matter my mood, being back in Jersey, at Prudential, specifically, cured my dreary mood almost immediately.

"I'm here for Meier." I said, reaching the security at the door. They nodded as if they'd been told and let me pass,  checking my bag as part of their requirements and led me to the rink. "Right through there, Miss." The woman showed me. My heart fluttered. The rink. Oh how I had missed it.

I don't care what anyone said, there was not a bad seat in this center. Nosebleeds, on the ice, lower, upper bowl; it didn't matter. These boys were incredible from any and all angles. I stopped Nico quickly, his brown hair getting swept out of his face by a gloved hand as he went over plays with his teammate, Jack Hughes. They had always been close, almost like brothers, and Jack and his brother, Luke, had joined all of us on vacation more than once. This team was the dictionary worthy example of hockey being a family; this team, a brotherhood.

"Hey, Charli girl!" Nico called, his eyes finding mine almost immediately. Warmth filled my chest and I had to smile. It was so nice to be back in his sweet presence. "Hey, Neeks." I smiled and walked into the seating area, passing a few of his teammates as I got close enough to hug him on the ice. "For someone who just got broken up with, you look great." He chirped, clearly learning some sarcasm from being in the NHL for so long. "Very funny, asshole." I remarked, pushing his shoulder. "It's good to see you back, Charli!" Jack and Luke yelled, fighting over a certain puck, even though the ice was quite literally littered with them. I waved, acknowledging the brothers with a smile on my face.

"Meier said you're here to grab your keys, I'll go get 'em." I nodded, watching Nico skate over to the tunnel to go grab my homes new keys.

I sat down, wrapping my light jacket around me a little tighter as the chill of the ice settled into my bones. I breathed in deeply, pressing my eyes closed gently, taking in my favourite scent: home. I steadied myself, pivoting on the fact that I was back where my heart felt most content and that I was starting over. Everything would be alright, all that was meant to happen would happen, and I had the strength to get through this mess.

Opening my eyes, all that rushed out of my head, though. Because I was met with the kindest, most alluring, gentle blue eyes I had ever seen.

"Hey, Charli girl." Timo Meier remarked, smiling that beautiful grin as he seemed to breathe in my presence.