#wjc

"so what's the plan for tonight? drinks? maybe some bars could let us in?" horcoff grinned, smirking a tiny bit too.

"dude, they'd kill us if we got caught underage," zeimer shook his head and horcoff booed his response. their captain was right though. they couldn't be caught doing anything illegal or else they'd be kicked from the team on the spot. there was no way they were risking that.

instead, some of the other guys threw out other restaurants or places that would let them in and didn't matter if they weren't 21. some just suggested staying at the hotel and utilizing the hot tub. that was the hot commodity for the guys when they found out their hotel had a jet streaming hot tub and a large pool. james just smiled at their antics, checking his phone again.

"you been staring at that thing a lot since we got off. what's got you so smiley?" reid nudged the boy's arm and he caught the attention of the others. they all glanced the alternate captain's way in intrigue.

james immediately blushed, scratching the back of his neck. "sorry, just texting my girl."

that earned a round of chirping from everyone—they mumbled about how he called her "my girl." james' blush only deepened across his cheeks. "he's got plans with the mrs. already. it's their one year," teddy informed what james wasn't saying.

a few whistles sounded across the room. "oh shit. it's been a year already? that went fast," brodie teased.

"how'd ya even land that one hagens? she's a fucking olympic gold medalist," zeimer's laughter rumbled through his chest. "yeah, wish i had a girl like that," horcoff mumbled.

their teasing rolled off the brunette's back. he prided himself though that he was her boyfriend and she chose him. she could've had anyone—literally anyone because james saw the comments and the random, somewhat weird dms from guys asking her out—yet she picked him, a small-town kid from long island who happened to be in the outskirts of her friend group when they were younger. she was the girl—his girl.

he imagined her waiting out in the tunnel for him like usual, probably scrolling through her phone and catching up the things she missed during the game. he literally smiled at the thought of her.

"so you're not joining us in the fun then?" zeimer wondered and james shook his head. "nope, already got plans."

"you guys gonna use that hot tub? if i had all that, oh trust me, we'd be in that hot tub," reid joked which earned a pinch on his arm from james beside him. "shut up."

"hey leave him alone. it's their one year and i'm sure better things will be happening," brodie winked and the boys whistled again knowing what that meant.

"yeah, try not to act too jealous," james quipped and that exploded the locker room again. they finally left him alone about it for now and went back to figuring out what the rest of them were doing later.

the boy took a quick shower so he wasn't completely gross before changing back into his suit. he packed his gear into his duffle, thanking teddy for putting it on the bus for him and taking it back to their hotel room so he didn't have to lug it around or make hannah wait around any longer. he waved a goodbye to his teammates, ignoring their teasing and slid back into the narrow hallway to the tunnel.

there was a small pep in his step as he walked to find hannah. it didn't really feel real that a year ago they were still trying to figure out what exactly they meant to each other and now she was completely his. he chased her for so long and was so patient with her doubts and anxieties—he'd do it a thousand times over again though if it meant he was her boyfriend in every timeline.

when the hockey player rounded the corner, he saw the gymnast against the wall just as he imagined. she was on her phone, probably on tiktok. james was in her space almost immediately, not even hesitating as he tipped her chin up to bring her lips to his. there was no one else in the hallway and none of his chirping teammates to make comments about it, so james had no shame kissing her like that. hannah's cheeks tinted crimson, indulging her boyfriend as he pulled her flush against his body.

"hi," she breathed when they pulled apart.

"hi," james smiled.

"congrats on the win. you played so well," she beamed and the boy grinned even further. his grip tightened around her hip. "thank you. you're my good luck charm."

his words pulled a soft giggle from her lips, music to james' ears. "i mean you have won every game i've been to."

"exactly. you bring me good luck," he kissed her temple. "no one bothered you out here, right?" james wondered as he intertwined their hands and started heading towards the exit.

hannah shook her head, "hardly even saw anyone. you worry too much."

"i worry about you," the boy corrected.

"i can handle myself. i grew up with two brothers," she giggled.

"just let me be protective over you, okay?" her boyfriend's words made hannah's heart skip a beat. "your mom talked with me during the game. she asked me about my brothers and school," the gymnast shifted the subject. when they made it outside and the colder temperatures hit their skin, hannah winced.

james pulled his arm around her shoulders to keep her close to his side and his warmth while they hurried to her car. st. paul was as cold as ann arbor and the wind nearly blew them sideways.

luckily, hannah parked close and they didn't have to go far before the cold wind disappeared once the doors shut. james started the engine so they could get the heat blasting. "my mom loves you," he hummed.

"i know. i love her. she said she wanted to try to come to one of my meets at some point. she loves getting to learn more about other sports since all she knows is hockey," it warmed james' heart hearing his mom say things like that and seeing how happy it made hannah. they never failed to show up for their kids and the people that meant a lot to them.

"she loves when i tell her about gymnastics. she tells me how cool it is that you never get dizzy or hardly ever fall off things. i think you're like my parents' second daughter."

the younger duke sister flushed deeply. james leaned over to kiss her, loving the way she smiled into the kiss and against his lips. "so where are we going for dinner?" she wondered since he wouldn't tell her when she asked earlier.

"it's a surprise still," the boy grinned while he started to pull the car out of the parking lot. hannah grumbled, "ugh, i wanna know."

"you're gonna love it, trust me. i know you, baby," james assured knowing his girlfriend liked looking at the menu beforehand to places she hadn't been before. he knew she'd like this food though.

"i know, i know. i'm just impatient."

he reached over to squeeze her thigh, briefly meeting her gaze when they stopped at the light. "i love you my impatient girl."

"i love you."

they only drove for twenty minutes further into downtown. james mumbled something about keeping an eye out for a parking spot so hannah scanned the streets while he rolled down the road. "there's one," she pointed out her window.

it was a parallel spot, but one thing hannah discovered was that james was kind of a beast at parallel parking. it only ever took him one try while she needed to it at least twice maybe three times before getting correctly into the spot.

once they were parked, james opened the door for her which deepened the blush on her cheeks. she hooked his arm with his as they began walking to wherever he was taking her.

"were the boys mad you weren't going out with them tonight?" she could already picture the way they chirped him when he explained his plans. the thought made her giggle to herself.

"they chirped, but they were fine. i'd rather spend the night with you anyway then whatever they're gonna get themselves into," her boyfriend mumbled.

"you've gone so soft."

"maybe, but i think 17 year old me would say the same thing," she found his gaze and her cheeks might as well stay red for the rest of the night if he was gonna keep talking to her like that. she squeezed his arm and kept close as they rounded the next corner.

"and we're here," james grinned. the sidewalk was lined with tables to the restaurant and from what hannah could see, it looked like a pasta place. her smile grew.

"i love pasta," she looked at the hockey player.

"i know you do. that's why i chose this place," he kissed her briefly before pulling her to the doors.

james thought ahead because he already had a reservation for them. the host took them to one of the rounded booths, smiling sweetly at the couple as they got themselves comfortable.

"the waiter will be with you shortly," she said before walking away.

"wow, this looks really fancy," the gymnasts muttered while opening the menu. "well, it is our one year and you deserve nothing less."

hannah liked how they had the rounded booth all to themselves because that meant her and james could sit as close as they wanted to and no one would bat an eye about it.

when the waiter came around he took their drink orders, which was just water to start. he gave the couple a few more minutes to look over the menu which was good because hannah thought everything looked good and she didn't know what to get.

"do you know what you're getting?" james asked her, peering over her shoulder.

"i'm kinda into the chicken parm. what are you thinking?"

"maybe the lasagna."

"do you ever not eat lasagna?" hannah teased him, giggling. "hey. i love lasagna," james defended.

"i know you do. you could probably live off of it for the rest of your life," he playfully rolled his eyes but she was kind of right. if james could have a last meal, he would definitely choose lasagna.

the waiter came back to take their orders and the couple finally settled in now that their food was in. james reached over to squeeze her thigh, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin. "i actually can't believe it's been a year already," he hummed.

"me neither. it's been the best year though. you're the best," hannah praised which warmed the boy's heart. he squeezed her a bit tighter. "still don't know why you decided to give me a chance but i'm glad you did. i was so obsessed with you." a part of the hockey player cringed thinking about his younger self that was just so desperate to have a conversation with the brunette anytime she came to watch a game or hung around the group. he hoped she didn't find him too embarassing back then.

"you stayed the longest so i knew that meant something. i know i don't make it easy sometimes, but thanks for never giving up on me," her gaze flicked to her lap.

that guilt would probably be with hannah forever, but with james it eased and settled into something a lot less scary. the forward tilted her gaze back to his though, "i'd never give up on you. even when you push me away, i'll push right back. i'm in love with you it hurts. when we're apart it hurts."

"you better come visit me or i'll come visit you because the apartment's gonna be real quiet with samy gone," hannah shifted the subject.

"you're not getting a new roommate?"

"no. she was gonna sublease, but it's just easier for her to finish out the lease and pay it then trying to find someone only for a few months. i'm excited to live with my gym girls next year," the brunette smiled.

she was sad samy was leaving, but it was just another excuse to go visit her in california. "how's she been with..everything? not having lean or gabe around i don't know as much, but i still hear a bit from aram, vote, and fort," james wondered carefully knowing it was a hard line to toe still.

"she's..okay. i think she's still trying to be back to 100% and i know it's hard for her. i think being closer to will though will help a lot. he always knows how to take care of her."

james nodded. he rubbed a hand across her skin, a silent way of telling her he was there for her. he knew hannah appreciated it without saying it. "i'm excited for the summer and not having to go months on end without seeing you," this time he changed the subject.

"me too. it's excruciating," hannah agreed. 

hearing that tumble out of her mouth about a boy still always caught her off guard. she never thought she'd get to the point of missing a guy so much that all she thought about was the next time she'd see him. michigan and boston weren't that far, but it was far enough that made hannah miss james in the quiet of her room on a sunday afternoon or when she was in class trying to focus on what the professor was saying. 

she failed to notice the way james dug in his pockets for something until he was carefully holding out a small box with a red bow on it. "i was gonna wait, but i've been waiting for like weeks to give this to you and i think now seems like a good time."

hannah's eyes widened. she met her boyfriend's gaze that gave her an encouraging nod. with delicate hands, hannah undid the bow and lifted the top off the box. inside was a dainty ring where the band twisted together in the front forming a knot. "j, you didn't," she gasped. 

"happy one year. i love you forever," he kissed her temple. 

the ring was beautiful. it was so shiny and the perfect fit to her other rings. "i know you know how much i love you, but i wanted to be able to show it to you too. you're like one of the best things that's ever happened to me and i meant it when i said i'm glad you gave me a chance even if i was super annoying," james rambled a little as he took the ring from the box and gently slid it onto hannah's right ring finger. 

the tears pooled faster than she could stop them. no one had never done something so thoughtful for her before. "you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me too. i love you. it's perfect. you know me so well," she held her hand up to admire the new jewelry. "how'd you even know my size?" 

"samy stole one of your rings from your room like a month ago and sent it to me next to a quarter for an accurate measurement." 

hannah laughed. she nestled her head into his shoulder, her heart so full of emotion she didn't know what to say. she didn't have to say anything though because james already knew. 

"if i knew we were giving gifts at dinner, i would've brought yours. it's back in my hotel room," hannah hummed. 

"so you were gonna figure out a way to bring me back to your room later?" he smirked. hannah pinched his arm and he laughed. "i'm kidding. i love you." 

"i love you." 

the couple filled the rest of the time before their food came out with conversation about the tournament so far and what their schedules would look like next semester. hannah was going to be a lot more busy with meets every weekend and james promised he was going to find time to make it to more than one. his favorite thing was getting to watch her do the sport she loved, but with his busy hockey schedule, finding time to leave for a weekend was far and few between, especially the spring semester.

when their food finally came out, hannah had to get a photo before they ate. she loved being one of those "phones ate first" person. james took a couple of his own too, grinning at how cute hannah looked posing with her dish.

"let's take a bite at the same time," the brunette said.

her and james stuck their forks into a bite and did a corny little cheers before taking their bites at the same time. hannah's noodles pratically melted into her mouth they were so good. james loved any lasagna so he was satisfied.

"so good, oh my god," the girl praised, eyes bright.

"rating?" james wondered.

"10/10. broke my scale. i love it," she gushed.

the food was so good and they were so hungry, they ate in silence but it was comfortable silence. they were enjoying each other's presence and just taking everything in.

when they got to full to take another bite, the waiter brought them to-go boxes and slid the check onto the table. james grabbed it before hannah could even think about looking at it. he didn't even show her.

"on me," he kissed her cheek.

"thank you. this was really nice. i loved it," she squished his cheek back.

"of course. happy one. here's to a lot more."

when they left the restaurant, it was dark, but the street lights lit up the sidewalk.

"you can choose what we do next. we can walk around more, go somewhere else, go back to the hotel, whatever," james let hannah take the lead. she pondered for a moment.

"i wouldn't mind going back to the hotel and just watching a movie. all that food might make me enter a food coma soon," she giggled. the alternate captain laughed, "understandable. going back is fine with me."

hannah figured they had the rest of the week to explore more of downtown too, so she wasn't in a rush to see it all now. james offered to drive back too and their ride was a peaceful silence besides the soft hum of music coming from the speakers.

when they got back, hannah tapped her keycard and pushed open her hotel room. her things were scattered a bit messily, so she shoved some things out of the way with her foot.

james collapsed onto the bed, "now that i'm in here, i am tired."

"you did have a long day. you played a game earlier," the brunette chuckled, digging into her suitcase to find james' gift.

luckily, he wasn't looking so he didn't see her pull out a thin rectangular box. she joined him on the bed and he turned his gaze to her. "here's that gift i brought you into my hotel room for," she playfully winked.

he sat up, curious as he took ahold of the box. "hmm, glad i followed you back," he played into the bit.

hannah watched nervously as he carefully lifted the lid. she loved gift giving, but tended to worry the gifts she gave weren't good or the person getting it would hate it. james had been talking about this for quite some time now though.

when the silver watch finally revealed itself, the hockey player's jaw dropped. "woah, holy shit. is this..is this gucci?"

it shined when it caught in the light. all the boy could do was stare in disbelief. "it is. do you like it?"

"holy shit, i love it. oh my god. how much did you spend on this?"

hannah shook her head, "i'm glad you like it. i remember how much you said you wanted one."

"i can't believe you got this for me. i love you. it's perfect. you're perfect," he pressed a passionate yet loving kiss to her lips.

★ it only made sense that he was projected to be the first overall pick

★ he was hot and he knew it from the way the arenas would fill with teenager girls coming to see him

★ with his overall charisma and skill it wasn’t rare for him to be popular with the girls

★ jack was never really set on one girl for too long, the girls he’d been with never expected him to commit, so he never did

★ when he’s not out on the ice he enjoys going up to his family’s lake house and spending time on their boat

★ sometimes he’ll join his brothers and head to the golf course during the off season

★ of course the most promising prospect of the draft would be representing his nation at their juniors tournament