#yourfavewriteress

You had gotten used to that at this point, just being around each other. Jamie couldn’t help but be mesmerized every time he thought abut you.You were everything he could have ever wanted; funny, beautiful, smart, successful, kind, and caring. He had grown to care about you so much in the time since you met, and he sometimes didn’t know what to do with his feelings. 

He didn’t want to scare you off, but he felt like his head would explode if he didn’t make at least one move to show you he was serious about your relationship. He knew he was serious from day one.

You, on the other hand, were a bit of a slow-burner when it came to Jamie. He made you nervous, in a good way, but also in a terrifying way. You were worried that maybe you were reading into things too much. Does he actually like me?, you thought frequently. Could you just take his word for it?

“I really like you. I know I said it when I was drunk that one time but I wanted to make sure you knew for sure,” You admitted after your thoughts became too loud in your head. “If my constant blushing didn’t already make that clear.”

“I really like you,” He responded, nudging your leg with his. He could tell something was on your mind, but he wasn’t sure what. “I hope I make that clear as much as possible.”

“You do,” You nodded. You smiled at him, which comforted him slightly, but he knew they had to have an actual conversation soon about what exactly they were doing.

“So, are you going to let me get you on the ice now?” He asked, shifting the conversation to a lighter one.

“No,” You replied, immediately.

“Why not?”

“Because I would fall and I don’t like to fall.”

“I would catch you,” He said. “Every time.”

“As cute as that is,” You sat up, looking at him. “You guys make the ice look seriously dangerous.”

He reached over, turning his hat so that it was backwards on your head. “I’m not saying I want you to play in one of our games, Sof.”

“I think I could score a goal or two if you guys let me in the game, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“Jamie, absolutely not,” You laughed, a sound Jamie found himself hearing a lot more recently. “I can’t even skate.”

He watched you closely as you grinned at him, your eyes sparkling. “I am a pretty good teacher.”

“Ugh,” You groaned. “I don’t have skates.”

Jamie tensed at the sound you made, feeling it everywhere. Physically, all the time you had been spending together was beginning to take a toll on him. 

He found himself getting more touchy with you as the time went on, but he knew never to take it too far. You had gotten comfortable holding hands and leaning on each other, but had also managed to keep your action out of the bedroom.

While Jamie knew exactly what he wanted, which was you, you had the struggles of maintaining your professionalism in your workplace. As an employee of the franchise, and one of very few women working closely with the team, you knew she had to be careful with how quickly things moved along with Jamie.

However, you knew that there was something about your relationship with him that calmed you in her stressed moments. You could always think of him, and while it caused butterflies in your stomach, he reminded you of home. Every time you hugged, you always felt as ease. You knew that no matter what happened, you could count on Jamie to be there for you.

“Lucky for you, we have access to an entire hockey rink, which may or may not have extra skates for you,” Jamie teased, ignoring the sudden tension in his body. “I’m going to have a solution to everything you say.”

Attempting your best pout, “So, there’s absolutely no way that I can get out of this?”

“Hmm,” He hummed. You watched as his eyes dipped down your face, “A kiss could work.”

You didn’t have to think before leaning over and pressing your lips to his. He responded almost immediately by grabbing your face in his hands, pulling you closer. You’re at the rink, he had to remind himself. He really wanted to kiss you, along with some other things, but he also knew he wanted to have a conversation first due to your current working arrangements.

Some days he wished there wasn’t the added complication of seeing you mostly at work, where his teammates could chirp him for being soft. And he hated your workload, that had you tired almost every day with hardly any free time.

But, he still cherished moments like this, where he was allowed to show you how much he liked you and wanted to be with you. And, he hoped he could be able to express that on your planned date later that night.

“Aw, you guys,” You and Jamie pulled away from each other to be met with a smirking Tyler on the ice. “So wrapped up in each other that you didn’t even notice me come out. How cute.”

“You are the definition of annoying,” Jamie said, before looking back at you. “Can I walk you back to your office?”

“Yes,” You nodded, standing up. “Bye, Tyler.”

“Bye, Y/N.” He laughed. “Tell your boyfriend to be nice to me.”

As you turned around to leave, you heard Jamie clear his throat at the same time a loud slap sounded. You turned back to the men, raising your eyebrows as Tyler rubbed his shoulder, glaring at Jamie.

“Everything okay?” You asked, slowly.

“He just hi-”

“-Yeah, come on,” Jamie said, placing his hand on your back and gently moving you forward.

“Keep your hands to yourselves, boys,” You said, laughing lightly.

“Wasn’t me,” Tyler said from behind you both. “Tell that to him.”

You continued walking, exiting the rink and falling into stride next to each other in the halls of the arena.

“Are you gonna tell me why you hit him?” You tried not to smile as Jamie rolled his eyes.

“He’s an idiot,” He shrugged.

“Or, because he called you my boyfriend,” You said. Jamie blushed, looking forward as you walked.

“Now, who’s the tomato,” You joked, locking your arm with his. He smiled at the contact, letting out a sigh.

“I told Tyler I was going to ask you today, as in tonight after practice but he jumped the gun,” He admitted. “Which is why he’s an idiot and I can’t tell him anything.”

“Ask me now,” You said, shrugging slightly. You were certain he could hear the thundering of your heart as you spoke, and took your chance to unlock your office door.

Jamie looked down at you, “Now?”

“Yes, now. What’s a couple hours difference?” You shrugged again. He smiled at your response, pulling you into your office.

“Do you wan-” You cut him off by kissing him. He didn’t even have to ask, you knew your answer. What you had with Jamie was something you had never experienced before, complete safety with a lot of physical attraction. 

“Yes,” You mumbled against his lips. “Obviously, yes.”

“Good,” He smiled. “Are we still on for tonight? Even though you forced me to ask you now instead of later?”

“Yes, we’re still on,” You said, looking up at him. He pecked your lips again, wrapping his arms around you. You stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of each other, especially now since you had a label for what you were.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” Jamie finally said, pulling back enough to look at you He searched your face, grinning when he saw the redness of your cheeks. 

“What?” You basically whispered, his stare suddenly exciting every nerve in you body.

“You’re beautiful,” He responded, his eyes finding yours again. “And, I’m kind of shocked that you’re mine, but I’m fucking lucky.”

You shook your head, leaning up to press another kiss to his lips, “I’m the lucky one. Haven’t you heard all the girls cheering for you every night? That’s not just for your skills on the ice.”

He laughed, “Whatever.” Sighing, Jamie squeezed you one last time in his arms before pulling away. “Okay, for real now, I’ll see you later before Segs thinks we’re up to something.”

Would that be so bad?

As I prepared myself for another day at work, I made my morning coffee and checked over the day’s schedule. While I would be gone until around 7 today, Jon had a busy day until 9:30. My coffee was barely finished before Jon appeared, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Hey,” He mumbled, walking towards the refrigerator.

“Morning,” I responded. As I waited, all that could be heard in the kitchen was the coffeemaker and Jon’s movements. I poured my finished drink just as he spoke again.

“Did you turn the thermostat down last night?”

“Is it too cold for you?” I watched as he looked over at me.

“I’m kind of used to it at this point,” He responded.

“I did turn it down before I got in bed, why are you asking?”

“Can we compromise and keep it above 60?” 

“You live here, too, so if that’s what you want,” I shrugged.

“You really don’t have to be like that,” He sighed. “I’m just asking.”

“I’m not being like anything, Jon. Maybe you’re reading into things a little too hard.”

“You hog the blankets, which I don’t mind because I know you don’t do it on purpose. But it felt like the North Pole last night and I don’t want to get sick.”

“Oh, trust me, I know. We cannot let the star captain get sick when he has hockey to play,” I mumbled.

“Y/N,” He ran his hands over his face. “We gotta figure this out because I don’t want to keep fighting you every single day.” I didn’t say anything and Jon closed the fridge and looked at me. “You have to realize we can’t even talk to each other without arguing, right?”

“Mhm.”

“And, you don’t see that as a problem?”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “Are you seriously asking me that? I asked you a week ago to talk yet here we are.”

“I had a game that day,” He defended. “I had to focus on that.”

“I’m happy that you so boldly point out that hockey comes before me, especially when we’re both going through a tough time. But, what about the next day? I’m pretty sure you had two days off and we still haven’t talked.”

He looked down at the counter, “Hockey doesn’t come before you, you know that.”

“Say that to me when it’s actually true. Other than that, don’t lie to my face,” I grabbed my cup, moving towards the hallway. “I have to get ready for work.”

I walked back to our bedroom, going straight to the bathroom and closing the door behind me. I turned the shower on, beginning to get undressed. I sipped my coffee slowly as I let the water heat up.

As mature as I was, I knew I had my moments where biting my tongue would have been the better option. I would absolutely be respecting Jon’s wishes about the temperature of our room, because it was our shared space. But, he didn’t have to know that yet. Especially when I have already told him he could change the thermostat whenever he was uncomfortable.

I showered and brushed my teeth quickly, wrapping my towel tightly around my body. I exited the bathroom to see Jon buttoning his shirt. He looked up when I entered the room.

I moved to my walk-in, grabbing my clothes for the day. Rushing myself to get dressed, I stumbled around the closet for a few minutes. When I walked out, Jon was fully dressed, reaching into his bag.

“I’m not gonna be back tonight til after 8,” He said.

“I know,” I responded, brushing through my hair.

“Make sure you actually eat today,” He said, followed by the zipping of his bag. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” I did my best not to frown as Jon walked out of our bedroom. 

In the past two weeks, I could count on one hand the amount of affection that we’ve shown each other. We used to kiss or be touching each other in someway at all times. But now, the only time Jon was within three feet of me was when we were in bed. I guess that’s a plus, that we still sleep next to each other. I would be lying if I didn’t notice the deliberate space between us under the covers, though.

As the front door closed behind Jon, I continued getting ready for work. Until I had to stop. 

Washing my coffee cup in the sink, I felt the familiar sensation in my eye and head, signaling the migraine to come. I groaned to myself, pausing to down a full glass of water. 

At the on-site of migraines, I always had a decision to make. I could either one, power through it and continue on with my day or two, call it and get back in bed. The frequency of my migraines increased with stress so I wasn’t surprised as my left temple began to pulse. Looking at the time, I had over an hour before I had to be at my desk and thirty minutes to leave our condo. Already feeling nauseous, I decided that today would be the day that I called it. I would have all day to recover, with Jon being gone, and I could get a much needed break from work and the world. 

After calling my boss and explaining the situation to her, she agreed before I even finished. Annoyed at the fact that I was already dressed and basically ready to go, I changed back into sleep clothes. I didn’t realize until I walked past the mirror that my sleep clothes consisted of one of Jon’s shirts and a pair of his boxers as shorts. 

Forcing myself to eat, I made a small breakfast of eggs and toast before climbing back under the covers in our dark room. In the past, I made sure to tell Jon when I was experiencing a migraine so that he knew. I wasn’t sure if it was anger towards him or my sleepiness but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. No message to Jon. 

I spent the day in bed, slipping in and out of consciousness. Other than to use the bathroom, I stayed under the comforters as the sun set that afternoon.

I assume I slept through the entire day as I awoke to movement in Jon’s closet and the light on. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my eyes after them being closed for basically over 12 hours. Jon walked out his closet and I watched as he looked around the room, his eyes landing on me.

“Hey,” He said, noticing that I was now awake. He moved closer to my side of the bed, crouched down so we were at eye-level. If my head hadn’t of been hurting, I would have noticed how close he was for the first time in awhile. He searched my face, “Are you okay?”

“I have a migraine,” I mumbled. 

“Did you eat?”

“A little,” I responded.

“You know you have to eat more than a little,” He said, standing up. “I’m gonna change and then I’ll make you something.”

“You don’t have to,” I sighed. “I’m sure you’d probably prefer to not be around me right now.”

“Not responding to that,” He called from his closet. “I always want to be around you, no matter what’s going on.”

I turned over in bed, pulling the covers back over me. “That sounded like a response, Jonny boy.”

The nickname slipped out before I could even think about it and when I looked back at him in his closet, he was smiling softly. I looked away just as I felt a smile creep onto my lips. It was the first time in a few days that our expressions towards each other were anything but annoyance or indifference.

“Can you see okay?” He asked after a few moments.

“Yeah, the aura went away a couple hours ago.”

“And, your head?”

“Pounding,” I said, simply. I heard Jon sigh before I felt his hand on my leg.

“Do you want to come downstairs to the couch?”

I nodded, moving to sit up. “How was practice?”

“Fine,” He shrugged. “Can we talk later though? I’ve been thinking a lot today.”

“I was being a bitch earlier, I’m sorry,” I admitted. “It was a simple request.”

“I’ve been an asshole for two weeks,” He responded. “This morning was nothing compared to that.”

He moved so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Hockey is tough right now, I get that. We’ve been through this before, Jon. Work is kicking my ass, too, and it’s overwhelming,” I said. “I don’t know why we’re clashing so much but we know how to communicate. I know how to talk to you and you know how to talk to me, but…”

“...But, we're still fighting,” He finished, nodding.

“I know I can be a lot, and you have to worry about not only me but your team, too. I can’t imagine how much stress you’re under right now but you have to let me know what you need or want from me. I can’t just keep walking on eggshells while I’m stressed myself. It’s not fair.”

“I know,” He sighed. “I didn’t realize how much I was pushing you away. I don’t ever want you to be walking on eggshells around me. You live here just as much as I do and I’m sorry for everything. I know I can forget to stop bringing hockey home with me every night and I’ve clearly been doing that. I’m not gonna make excuses for it because we already talked about this. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t care if you bring hockey home. Obviously, I would like it if I didn’t have to sit through hours of guys slamming into each other on the ice, but I would do it if it’ll be helpful for you. I don’t mind watching hours of hockey. I know it’s a priority for you right now, and I don’t expect that to change. But, we’re a team. I want to help so you’re not beating yourself up every single day.”

He smiled, “I know.”

“It’s not just you, I know I can be better, too. When I’m stressed, I know I can be a handful and a half and you’re an angel for dealing with it. I’m not easy to talk to and you still take care of me. I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve the world,” He said. “But, I don’t care how much of a handful you think you are, I love you and that’s not gonna change.”

“I’m just sorry,” I mumbled, looking down.

Jon moved closer, pulling me into his chest. “I think you’re just being nice because your head hurts. I’m equally at fault for this, if not, more.”

I laughed against his chest, immediately regretting it as I was reminded of my migraine.

“I mean it,” I said once he pulled away.

“Okay, so we’re both sorry, and we’re both gonna do better, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” He kissed me and I sighed against him.

“I missed you,” I said. “Even though we’ve both been here.”

“I missed you,” He smiled, pecking my lips again. “But, your head still hurts so dinner first.”

He helped me out of the bed, wrapping his hand around mine as we walked downstairs. 

“I’ll get you some water and bring it over,” Jon said as I sat down on our couch, leaning against the arm. I watched as he dimmed the lights in our apartment, looking over at me to hold up his thumbs in question. “Is this good for you?”

“Yeah,” I laughed softly. “Did you know the lights did that before you showed me this place?”

He nodded, smiling. “Thoughtful, eh?”

“I guess you could say that,” I shrugged. He walked over to me, handing me a glass of water.

“You don’t think I’m thoughtful?” He raised his eyebrows in question.

“I think you’re a sap when you want to be,” I laughed, making my head throb. I flinched, leaning back slightly.

Jon leaned in, pressing his lips to my temple. “Stop laughing at me, you’re making your head worse.”

I puckered my lips to him in response. He smiled, shaking his head while standing up straight. “You’re trying to distract me. I have to get you something to eat and then I’ll kiss you.”

“That’s unfair,” I whined.

“Once you eat, I promise you’ll have my full attention, baby,” He laughed. “So needy.”

You turned in the chair, smiling. “I am. How are you feeling?”

“No, you’re not working right now and you don’t get to ask me about my feelings,” Tyler said, taking the spot next to you.

“That’s kind of why I have this job, I want to know about people’s feelings even when I’m not being paid for it.”

“Well, that’s nice but I have been meaning to ask you something. Off the record,” He said.

“How off the record?” You asked. “I would have to report anything concerning, obviously.”

“No, not like that. Do you ever stop thinking about work?” He raised his eyebrows.

“No,” You laughed. “But, okay, off the record. What’s up?”

“Completely off the record,” He repeated. “Would you date one of the players?”

“I shouldn’t be dating anyone that I have sessions with. Conflict of interest,” You explained.

“Understood,” He nodded. “What about someone you don’t have sessions with?”

Before you answered, you tried to think about the players you didn’t officially meet with. Anton Khudobin. Or Jamie. “Uhm, I’m not sure. I would have to look into it.”

“You really want me to pull this out of you?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Jamie?”

“What about us?” You blushed, but attempted to hide it by furrowing your eyebrows.

“You can’t even hide it, don’t try,” He pointed out. “And, neither can he when he stares at you all time.”

“He stares at me?”

“You guys are so blind to each other, it’s sad,” He shook his head, chuckling. “And, I know he drove you home last week. Changed your car battery?”

“That was innocent!” You exclaimed. “I don’t know how to change a car battery.”

Tyler raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, your reaction isn’t suspicious at all.”

“Okay, off the record,” You said, narrowing your eyes at him because you knew he wouldn’t let this go. “I may or may not have a slight crush. I’m not a liar, so I can say that. However, I still work for the team so I don’t know how that could ever work.”

“If you guys date, isn’t that your personal business?” He asked as if it was the most obvious thing.

“It’s not that simple,” You pursed your lips. “But, I’m not sure and I’m not going to look into it just because you claim he stares at me. I don’t really want to look like an idiot.”

“Oh, trust me, I’m his best friend and I know when he pays extra attention to someone, like he does with you.”

“I’ve learned to only take things to heart that come from the source. So, I won’t get my hopes up about a possibility, Tyler.”

“Fair enough,” He smiled, standing up as you got your drink from the bartender.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You rolled your eyes. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Just have a good night,” His smile widened before you went back to the table.

****

You stepped out of the car moving your purse higher up on your shoulder. “I’ll see you guys at the practice, go to bed.”

“No,” Klingberg joked. “Good night, Y/N.”

“Night, guys,” You waved, making your way into the hotel lobby.

“Hey,” You heard from beside you. You looked over, and up to Jamie. 

“Hi, Jamie,” You said as your hands began to sweat remembering your conversation with Tyler earlier tonight.

“Can I walk you to your room?” He asked.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to,” You responded. 

“It’s okay, I want to,” He said. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Well, then, you may walk me to my room,” You smiled. You hit the elevator button and looked back at him.

“Did you have fun tonight? I’m sure the captain always has a different experience at these outings than everyone else.”

“Yeah, it was fun,” He shrugged. “It was a nice calm night.”

“Yeah, I was surprised at how calm some of the guys could be. Some, being Rads. I was ordered to be here by Tyler and John so I had no option.”

He laughed, and the elevator doors opened. You stepped in and you hit the 8th button.

“See? It’s not even a hassle, we’re on the same floor.”

“I guess so,” You smiled.

“How’s your busy schedule treating you?” 

You did my best not to blush under his stare in such a tight space. “It’s tiring, to be honest. But, it all feels better when I go to bed.”

He laughed again, “I’m sure.”

You got off on your floor and walked side-by-side to your door. 

“So, there was a reason for me walking you to your room,” He cleared his throat.

“Oh?” You raised your eyebrow. You both stopped at your door and Jamie turned to face you.

“I might be coming out of left field here, I’m not sure,” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. He locked eyes with you, “And, I know you work for the franchise, but would you want to maybe go out sometime? Just us?”

You knew that your face was tomato red, and you reached in your bag to grab your key to play it off.

You could literally feel the heat in your face as you tried to formulate a response. “Sorry, I’m trying to play it off, but I am definitely flustered. I wasn’t really expecting this.”

He smiled, “It’s okay.”

“I can usually hide my nerves,” You mentally face-palmed at how honest you were being about being nervous around him. 

“You don’t have to hide anything,” He said. “At least with me.”

“I know, which I guess is why I can’t shut up right now. I would love to go out with you,” You finally said. “But, it just has to stay between us? At least until I figure out if I would get fired for it.”

“You won’t, I checked.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, I kind of wanted to make sure I didn’t put you in a bad position. I talked to Coach last week.”

“Last week?” You exclaimed, quietly. “So, he’s known that you were going to ask me out this whole time?”

Jamie nodded, “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t want to waste your time asking if we would get in trouble for it.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s actually nice that you thought about it first,” You smiled. 

“So, just to clarify, you did say yes, right?”

“Yes,” You nodded. “I would really like that.”

“Good, I feel like I can breathe now,” He laughed. 

“Breathe?”

“Yeah, you’re not the only person with nerves,” He teased. “I will call you?”

“Okay, sounds good. I guess I’ll talk to you later then, Jamie.” You unlocked your door as he stepped back.

“Have a good night, Y/N.”