me for the past few days
Stranger Things
dirt enthusiast

#extradirty
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Origami Around
occasionally subtle

@theartofmadeline

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oozey mess
DEAR READER

blake kathryn
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@ferraricc2
me for the past few days
BELMONT CAMELI as garrett graham in off campus ↳ 01x01 – the deal
garrett graham ❄︎ team effort.
pairing – garrett graham x reader summary – everyone keeps asking for too much. garrett has a very simple solution. warnings – fluff, established relationship, people-pleasing, boundary issues, garrett being protective, strong language, alcohol mention notes from me – based on this ask!! so so cute, thank u babe! word count – 2.1k
navigation – masterlist |
Garrett notices it first at Malone’s, which is annoying because Malone’s is loud, sticky, crowded, and absolutely not the sort of place where he should be having emotional realisations over his girlfriend’s inability to say no.
She’s tucked into the booth beside him, one knee pressed against his thigh under the table, her drink sweating a wet ring onto the wood in front of her. The place is packed in the usual Friday-night Briar way, all flushed faces and hockey jackets and girls laughing too loudly over music.
Dean’s somehow acquired a tray of shots no one asked for. Logan’s flirting with a girl at the bar. Tucker sits across from them, calm as ever, eating fries.
Garrett has one arm stretched along the back of the booth behind her shoulders, his fingers idly playing with the ends of her hair.
Clingy Boy - Garrett Garham
𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: Garrett Graham X fem!reader
𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: you wake up to a knock at your door to be met with your very drunk and clingy boyfriend
𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: kissing, swearing, garrett being drunk, garrett proposing
𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 1k
𝐘𝐨𝐮 let out a small groan as there are multiple knocks at your door making you drop the bed covers out of your hand and walk over to your door.
As you open the door you are met with Garrett hanging off the shoulder of Logan with a smile on his face.
“My baby!” Garrett yells as he moves into your arms
“He wouldn’t shut up about staying with you tonight” Logan says to you
Garrett’s head is tucked into your shoulder and neck with his arms around your waist.
“Thanks for getting him here safely” you tell Logan
“Have fun” Logan says before you shut the door
“I love you” Garrett says kissing your neck “Missed you so much”
“Alright, let’s get you sitting down” you say moving Garrett to sit on your lounge
“Hey, who was that?” Allie asks coming out of her room “Oh”
“I’m so sorry if he woke you” you say to her
“No, you’re fine i wasn’t even asleep yet” Allie tells you
“Baby” Garrett says grabbing onto your hand
“I’ll get you to bed in a minute, okay” you say giving Garrett a smile
“You’ll stay with me?” Garrett asks giving you puppy eyes
“I’m not going anywhere, baby” you say kneeling down in front on him with your hands on his knees
“I’ll leave you to put him to bed” Allie says with a smile “Goodnight”
“Goodnight” you and Garrett say to her
You get up only for Garrett to let out a whine as you walk over to your mini fridge to pull out a bottle of water.
“You left you” Garrett says with a pout
“I’m right here” you say handing him the water “And i’ll never leave you”
“I love you so much i can’t lose you” Garrett says grabbing your cheeks in his hands
“You won’t lose me, i promise” you say before kissing his cheek “Drink some water please and then we can go to bed”
“Okay, baby” Garrett sips at the water as you quickly walk into your room to finish making your bed and pull out some of Garrett’s clothes that he has left here
“I’ve got some clothes for you to wear” you say walking back out and Garrett lifts his head up
“I missed you” he says standing up to pull you into a hug
“I missed you too” you say hugging him back “Let’s get ready for bed, yeah?”
“Yeah” he nods his head
You pull away and grab onto his hand then walk to two of you into your room shutting the door behind the both of you. Garrett sees his clothes sitting on your bed and starts to get changed immediately.
You move around your bed and lay down under the covers as Garrett’s falls on the bed with a groan and rolls over to lay his head onto your chest.
“I love you so much, baby” Garrett says looking up at you
“I love you too my clingy boy” you say leaning down to kiss his forehead
“I’m not clingy” he says and squishes his face into your neck “Just telling you i love you”
“Don’t need to be embarrassed” you say running your fingers through his hair
You feel Garrett melt more into your touch and lets out a groan with his arms tightening around your body.
“Get some sleep, love” you whisper into his hair
“Baby” Garrett says moving his head up to look at you but his eyes are closed “I love you”
You let out a small laugh “I love you more” you say smiling
“Not possible” Garrett mumbles as you kiss his nose
It didn’t take long for him to pass out with his arms wrapped around you and his head moved down to your chest.
The next morning when you woke up you let Garrett stay asleep while you went to your early class and to grab some breakfast for the two of you.
Once you walked back into your room and put your bag down Garrett is slowly waking up with a groan and he opens his eyes to see you moving around your room.
“Baby” Garrett says with a groan “I’m sorry”
“Sorry? Why are you sorry?” you ask moving to sit down next to him on the bed
“I woke you up, made you deal with me all because i fucking missed you” Garrett says sitting up to lean on your headboard
“I wasn’t even asleep yet and i would much prefer you to come to me when your drunk then go home alone or with someone else” you tell him moving a little closer
“Fuck, baby. You know i would never go home with anyone but you” Garrett says grabbing your hand
“I didn’t mean it like that” you say with a shake of your head “I meant with someone who would take advantage of you”
“All i wanted was to be with you” Garrett says moving to put a hand on your cheek “I love you so much and clearly my drunken brain knows that too”
“So you remember what happened when you got here?” you ask him
“I remember everything” he says with a smile
“I love you too, baby” you say leaning in to kiss his lips “And i brought you breakfast”
“I fucking love you so much” Garrett says leaning his head back making you laugh and reach over to grab the bag of food for him
“All your favourites” you say then grab the drink for him “And coffee”
“So-” Garrett says taking a bit of his food “-you wanna get married?” he asks
“Garrett you can’t ask me things like that” you say with a laugh and hitting his arm
“Why not?” he asks sitting up more
“Ask me when we’re out of college and have a house and jobs, then i’ll say yes” you say taking a sip of his coffee
“Alright, deal” he says smiling at you
keeping it casual | garrett graham
summary: you haven’t talked to garrett or anyone else since he denied being in love with you. you’re eventually forced together by dean and have no choice but to figure it out.
warnings: fluff + angst. suggestive content.
it had been a couple of weeks since you last talked to garrett or any of the other guys. the truth bomb that dean dropped causing a strenuous rift between the two of you.
time felt like it had moved slowly since then, every day dragging it’s feet as though it was never going to end.
you still saw him floating around campus, the muscle in his jaw ticking whenever his eyes landed on you.
keeping it casual | garrett graham
summary: you talk with the guys while waiting around at the house and dean accidentally let's it slip that garrett is in love with you.
warnings: nothing specific.
frat houses were an unclean place full of boisterous men and they were a place no one with any self respect would be seen dead, and yet here you were.
in your defence, you were only here to see garrett. everyone else was a package deal apparently.
garrett graham was the star athlete at briar u, known for his supposed ice hockey skills. you say supposed because he's never actually invited you to a game, and you weren't about to show up all "go team" if he didn't want you there.
₊ ֹ ˖ BF!GARRETT ABSOLUTELY LOVES SEEING HIS JERSEY ON HIS GIRL ﹙ even if he’s mad at her ﹚ ᱺㅤㅤ ୨౿
there were three things in the world that got garrett going the most. first was hockey. second was when you put him in his place. third was discovered recently.
a newfound interest: you in his jersey.
he’s had lots of girls wear his color and number in the stands, cheering for him during games, but he’s never ever had an actual girlfriend put one on.
until you.
in his eyes, it’s basically like walking around in lingerie, so what happens when you put the said jersey on, that’s reaching your knees almost, as a trump card when you’re both fighting?
tonight was supposed to be a get together between you and allie and the guys, a movie night she and dean insisted on to get some quality time.
and you were excited for it; you’d be lying if the idea of cuddling up with garrett throughout the night didn’t get you all warm and fuzzy.
but the asshole just had to ruin it by starting an argument (he started and you dragged it out for no reason but we’ll just ignore this bit) this morning over something stupid you don’t even remember.
you didn’t talk for the whole day because, well, you’re both stubborn as hell; neither of you was willing to be the first one to apologize.
so hence you pulling the card on him, strutting into the living room where everyone’s sprawled on the couch, logan and grace—the only ones on the floor because it “keeps them grounded”—logan’s philosophical bullshit.
garrett’s eyes heat up, arousal already seeping through his pores as he tracks your movement. just as he thinks, for the sake of his friends, you’ll sit next to him, you go right next to allie instead, separating her from a very much annoyed dean and cuddling up with her the whole time, glaring at garrett.
he glares right back.
for fuck’s sake, he can see your black panties from where he’s sitting. he’s glad tuck and dean are closer to you so they don’t get the view.
graham <3 : is that an invitation to get fucked?
he’s still eyeing up your legs as he pulls out his phone, sending you a quick text. you know damn well what he mean. overall you were the one to put them on. his favorite pair on you.
you: get fucked <3
you answer right back.
graham <3 : i admire the enthusiasm. should we go to my room to follow through?
you: boringggg
from all the time that you’ve been with him you damn well sex is never boring with him, but you text back anyways , annoyed at him and his dirty mouth that always paints your cheeks red and your panties a little too wet, you make a show of putting your phone away, further pissing him off.
but he knows he can't stay mad for long when he has you bent over his bed later, while your shake and writhe with his name on your back as he fucks you so good you can't remember what you were even fighting about.
Done Playing Games | Garrett Graham x Reader
Don't Move
Pairing: Garrett Graham x Reader
Word Count: 961
Request open!
Off campus masterlist
Garrett Graham had many opinions.
He had opinions about practice schedules, bad refs, terrible coffee, and the correct number of snacks one should keep in a dorm room at all times. He also had a strong opinion about you sleeping on his chest.
Mostly, the opinion was that he liked it.
A lot.
It started innocently enough. You had both been curled up on the couch in the hockey house after a long day, a movie playing low in the background while Garrett’s hand absently traced slow circles over your shoulder. At some point, sometime between the third tired laugh and the moment your head settled against his chest, you had drifted off.
Garrett noticed immediately.
He glanced down, saw your face softened in sleep, and went perfectly still like he had been handed something sacred.
“Aw, come on,” he muttered under his breath, though he was smiling.
Your breathing was slow and even, your hand resting lightly against his stomach, and Garrett looked at you with the same expression he usually reserved for game-winning goals and especially good insults. Fond. A little stunned. Deeply, annoyingly soft.
Then his phone buzzed on the coffee table.
He did not reach for it.
It buzzed again.
Still no movement.
A few minutes later, Tucker poked his head into the living room and stopped when he saw the two of you.
“Dude,” he whispered, “you asleep too?”
Garrett looked up slowly, because somehow he had managed to become protective over your nap in the span of ten minutes. “No.”
Tucker took in the scene, then smirked. “You planning on moving?”
Garrett shot him a warning look. “No.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
Tucker laughed quietly. “You’re trapped.”
Garrett glanced back down at you and brushed a thumb over your arm. “I’m not trapped. I’m committed.”
That made Tucker grin wider. “You’re ridiculous.”
Garrett leaned his head back against the couch. “And yet I’m winning.”
Tucker snorted and left them there.
The movie kept going, but Garrett barely heard it. Your weight against him was warm and comfortable, your breathing a steady rhythm against his chest. He did not intend to move. Not for anything.
Which was probably why, twenty minutes later, when Dean shouted from the kitchen that they were out of ice, Garrett did not respond.
A moment later, someone yelled, “Garrett! You want me to go get,”
“No,” Garrett called back automatically, without looking away from you.
He barely heard the laughter that followed.
Another minute passed. Then his phone buzzed again. Then again. Then a text from Logan. Then a text from Tucker. Then Garrett finally looked at the screen and saw:
we need you for the pizza order also you’re being weird is she dead or just asleep
Garrett frowned and typed with one hand.
sleeping. go away.
His phone immediately rang.
He stared at it like it had personally offended him, then rejected the call.
A minute later, Dean appeared in the doorway with the air of a man who had decided to make this his problem.
“We need food,” Dean said.
Garrett didn’t even look up. “Get food.”
“We need your card.”
Garrett finally raised his head. “I’m busy.”
Dean stared at him. “Busy doing what?”
Garrett looked down at you with obvious affection and no shame whatsoever. “This.”
Dean’s gaze followed his, then he made a face. “Oh, that’s disgusting.”
Garrett grinned. “You’re jealous.”
“I am not jealous.”
“You are absolutely jealous.”
Dean leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms. “You’re never letting her up again, are you?”
Garrett looked down at you as your fingers twitched slightly in your sleep, then smiled. “Nope.”
Dean shook his head. “You’re hopeless.”
“Correct.”
Just then, your eyes fluttered open, unfocused and sleepy, your face still pressed to Garrett’s chest. You made a soft sound and blinked up at him.
Garrett’s entire expression changed immediately.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “You awake?”
You looked around a little, confused and sleepy. “Mm.”
He smiled. “Hi.”
You yawned and shifted just enough to look up at his face. “How long was I asleep?”
“Long enough.”
You frowned a little, then realized where you were and let out a tired hum. “You didn’t move?”
Garrett shook his head. “Nope.”
You blinked. “You’re still sitting here?”
He gave you a very serious look. “I made a decision.”
That made you smile, soft and sleepy. “What decision?”
He leaned closer and kissed your forehead. “That I wasn’t getting up for anything.”
You laughed weakly and settled back against him again. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Yeah.”
“Were you at least comfortable?”
Garrett smiled down at you with the kind of tenderness that made the whole room go quieter. “I am now.”
You stared at him for a second, then reached up and touched his cheek with the back of your hand. “You’re sweet.”
He looked offended on principle. “I am always sweet.”
Dean made a gagging noise and walked away muttering something about never wanting to see that again.
You laughed and Garrett tightened his arm around you a little, clearly delighted to have you awake again but still unwilling to let you go.
“You hungry?” he asked.
“A little.”
“Good.”
“How is that good?”
“Because I was about to order pizza and refuse to move anyway.”
You smiled into his chest and shook your head. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re warm.”
That made you laugh again, softer this time, and Garrett looked absurdly pleased with himself for getting it out of you.
He kissed the top of your head and murmured, “Still not moving.”
You sighed dramatically, but you were smiling, and that was enough for him.
For the rest of the night, he refused to get up for anything at all.
And honestly, you didn’t really want him to.
Okay but picture this meet cute: John Logan falls hard (on the ice, on the street, your choice) and the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is reader very softly asking him if he's okay (for sure he thinks he went to heaven)
OMGOMGOMG THIS IS SO CUTE YES. YOU ATE W THIS.
Falling for You (Literally)
☄︎ Pairing: Reader x John Logan ☄︎ Rating: PG ☄︎ Words: 553
It’s nearly midnight when Logan bursts out of the library doors and into the freezing night. He shivers slightly as he scans the courtyard looking for you.
You had been sitting a few tables over from him all evening. He had spent three hours of distracted studying, trying to build up the courage to walk over to you and say hello. When he finally had the perfect opening line, you had gotten up, packed your bags, and was already walking out. He knew he couldn’t just let you disappear so he ran out after you, not thinking to put on his jacket.
i like you, in case you that wasn’t clear
summary - you cancel your first date with garrett, because you get in your own head & believe you aren’t worth his time
pairing - garrett graham x reader
word count - +3.2k
a/n - lowkey just wrote this one for me & all my pmos girlies :((
It was hard to believe that you were going on a date with Garrett Graham.
Like THE Garrett Graham, who notoriously doesn’t do girlfriends, had asked you out after (apparently) secretly pining for you for months.
You can’t even remember when your friendship had started with him, but now you couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. He made you feel safe and comfortable, whilst also being able to have a good laugh and make-fun of each other.
Garrett was someone who had bettered your life.
Which is why you felt awful, sitting on the edge of your bed, phone clutched tight in your hands, drafting a message for a rain-check. An eternal rain-check.
spin me in circles
summary - it's your birthday and your boyfriend won't stop kissing you for more than a minute. safe to say, he's obsessed with you.
pairing - garrett graham x gf!reader
word count - 2.3k
You felt the slight pressure from Garrett's fingers squeezing the back of your neck as he continued to kiss you.
There was a reason you carried around chapstick all the time - because Garrett was the world's No. 1 needy boyfriend and never went more than two hours without kissing you.
Garrett kissed you in a series of short pecks, allowing you both to catch your breaths momentarily. You could feel the small smile form on his lips as he kissed you again.
"God, do you two ever stop?" Allie laughed, dumping two jugs of beer on the table for everyone.
You were all at Malone's to celebrate your birthday. Well, you were meant to be celebrating with the girls by dancing and the guys each offered you a birthday shot of tequila, but instead had been cornered to the end of a booth by your boyfriend who genuinely couldn't seem to stop kissing you. As Allie pointed out moments ago.
baby, i'm back
summary - you surprise Garrett after studying abroad for a year
pairing - garrett graham x girlfriend!reader
word count - +2.3k
a/n - lowkey love this duo enough to continue with either a summer series for them or a mom&dad type series!! lmk what you think!
For an off campus party, Garrett Graham seemed pretty miserable.
The party was small and contained. Only close friends of the guys had been invited to celebrate the start of summer. No more exams or schoolwork. Just sun, sand and sex.
Everyone had gathered in the back garden, just outside the house on the decking. Tucker was manning the grill, with Logan supervising. Dean and Allie were attempting to play a game of badminton, but were mostly just arguing. A couple other hockey guys were sitting around chatting, with Grace and Sabrina nearby. And it was Hannah who noticed Garrett sat by himself not taking part in anything.
“You okay?” Hannah asked and sat down on a chair opposite Garrett.
“Yeah.” Garrett gave a fake smile.
“Convincing.” Hannah joked, “What’s up?”
Garrett had become close enough with Hannah to know she wouldn’t take the piss out of him. He was glad that Allie kept bringing her around, because she was one of Garrett’s closest friends now.
Garrett held up his phone briefly, “My, uh, girlfriend hasn’t texted me since yesterday and I’m just a bit worried.” Garrett frowned, looking from Hannah down to his notificationless phone.
“You have a girlfriend?”
Date rescue. (G.Graham)
Pairings: Garrett Graham x fem!reader
Summary: you're on a date with a total douche who keeps bragging about playing on the AHL and (unknowingly) fanboying over your best friend who thankfully makes an apperance just in time to rescue you from a nightmare date.
Word count: 1.2k
⋆˚࿔ tina's note 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ I got this idea at 2AM while half asleep and rambled it to my notes app because I was too tired to type then laughed this morning when I read the note back because it's literally me going "And like the date is an asshole and he's talking about like… and like… but like… and then Garrett like… and blah blah blah and like… and yeah that's it" but here's the (hopefully) better version of my 2AM ramblings
Off campus masterlist
“hey,” hannah says softly, concern filling her pretty eyes. “are you okay? let me get you some water.”
she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge in the boys’ house while you try to get the room to stop spinning. you steady yourself against the kitchen counter, accepting the bottle when she hands it to you.
“do you need a ride home?” she asks softly. “garrett won’t mind if i use his car.”
“i’m good.” you lie.
“(y/n),” the softness fills her tone again and you feel like you could burst into tears at any second. “i know you’re sad and that you’ve been drinking, and i don’t think they’re the best combination right now. especially not when the reason you’re sad is standing over there.”
you don’t bother to look in her direction to know she’s looking at logan.
“the worst part is i don’t hate him,” you sniffle. “it isn’t his fault that i’m unloveable.”
“don’t talk about yourself like that,” she takes your hand and squeezes it gently. “you’re amazing, and one of the best people i know. he’d be the lucky one, okay? and he’s an idiot.”
you can’t help the tears that break through the barrier you carefully constructed to attempt to keep them at bay.
“come on,” hannah puts her arm around you. “let’s get you home.”
as hannah walks you towards the door, you lock eyes with logan. he looks like he wants to say something, but the moment passes and he lets you walk out of the door with regret filled eyes.
“you’re a good friend, hannah.” you whisper, wishing so badly you could be her if it would make logan love you.
I need something John Logan HE IS SO FINE!
I’ve been posseessed by Tucker and cooked up this for you!!
The Fight
Summery: Logan finds out some douchebag from Eastwood was saying stuff about you in the guest team locker room.
Pairing: John Logan x fem!reader
Warning: Violence, swearing, douchebags from Eastwood.
John had just gotten out of the showers, dressed in his grey sweatpants and a plain white shirt, damp hair sticking to his forehead as he tied his shoes. He was already worked up after an intense game against Eastwood, barely winning by one goal.
Off Limits {Garrett Graham x reader}
Masterlist
Summary: You never asked to be the daughter of Briar University's hockey coach, and you definitely never asked to spend a week being chauffeured around campus by Garrett Graham. The problem? You can't stand each other.
Warnings: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, banter, panic attack comfort, and a very inconvenient crush.
If there was one thing you hated more than hockey, it was hockey players.
Which was unfortunate, considering your father happened to be the head coach of Briar University's hockey team.
The universe clearly had a twisted sense of humor.
"You're late."
You looked up from your phone to find your dad standing in the doorway of his office, arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm two minutes late."
"Three."
You rolled your eyes. "Wow. Somebody should really get you a hobby."
Your father shook his head. "Funny."
"I know."
He stepped aside and motioned for you to come in. The familiar scent of coffee and old paperwork greeted you immediately. You'd spent half your life in hockey arenas and coaching offices, and somehow you'd never grown to like either of them.
You dropped into the chair across from his desk.
"Why am I here?"
"Because your car is in the shop."
"And?"
"And I'm doing you a favor."
The way he said it immediately put you on edge.
"No."
His eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean, no?"
"Whatever you're about to ask."
"I'm not asking."
"That's even worse."
A grin appeared on his face.
You groaned.
"Absolutely not."
"You don't even know what it is yet."
"You're about to tell me one of your players is going to drive me to class."
His grin widened.
"Oh my God."
"It's temporary."
"No."
"It's only for a week."
"No."
"You don't have a choice."
You sat up straighter. "I am a grown woman."
"You are a grown woman who forgot to get an oil change for eight months."
"That's irrelevant."
"It literally caused your car to break down."
You opened your mouth to argue.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"Still irrelevant."
Your father laughed.
Traitor.
Before you could continue the argument, the office door opened.
A tall figure stepped inside.
Unfortunately, you recognized him immediately.
Garrett Graham.
Captain of the Briar hockey team.
Campus golden boy.
Professional pain in your ass.
His eyes landed on you and narrowed slightly.
Fantastic.
The feeling was mutual.
"Coach," Garrett said as he stepped into the room.
Then he noticed you sitting there.
"Oh."
You crossed your arms.
"Oh."
Your father looked between the two of you.
"...Why do I feel like I shouldn't leave you alone together?"
"Because she's mean," Garrett said.
You barked out a laugh.
"Me? You're the one who almost ran me over with a golf cart."
Garrett looked offended. "It was moving at three miles per hour."
"You still hit me."
"You stepped in front of it."
"You were texting."
"I wasn't texting."
"You were."
"I was changing a song."
"While driving."
Garrett pointed at you. "See? Mean."
You pointed right back. "See? Idiot."
Your father pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Jesus Christ."
Neither of you stopped glaring at each other.
Then Garrett frowned.
"Wait a second." He looked at your father and then back at you. "You're Coach Jensen's daughter?"
You stared at him.
"You didn't know that?"
"No."
"You've met me three times."
Garrett shrugged. "I don't memorize everyone's family tree."
"You literally asked if I was lost the first time we met."
"Because you were standing in the middle of the locker room hallway."
"I was waiting for my dad."
"You looked lost."
"I looked bored."
"You always look bored."
You hated how smug he looked when he said it.
Mostly because he wasn't entirely wrong.
Your father slammed a folder onto his desk.
Both of you jumped.
"Enough."
The room fell silent.
He pointed at Garrett.
"You are driving her to class until her car is fixed."
Garrett's face immediately fell.
You suspected yours looked exactly the same.
"No."
Your father pointed at you.
"You don't get a vote."
Then he pointed at Garrett.
"And neither do you."
Garrett looked genuinely horrified.
"Coach—"
"Garrett."
"Coach."
"Garrett."
You almost laughed.
Almost.
Apparently the captain of Briar hockey folded under parental disappointment just as easily as everyone else.
"Fine," Garrett muttered.
"Fine," you echoed.
The second you left the office, Garrett fell into step beside you.
Neither of you spoke at first.
The silence lasted all of seven seconds.
"Just so we're clear," Garrett began.
You sighed.
"Here we go."
"I'm only doing this because your dad scares me."
You snorted.
"Good."
"He should?"
"He absolutely should."
That earned the first real smile you'd ever seen from him.
It disappeared almost immediately.
Unfortunately, you noticed it.
Even more unfortunately, Garrett Graham was annoyingly attractive when he smiled.
Not that you planned on admitting that.
Ever.
"You know," Garrett said, shoving his hands into his pockets, "you could try being pleasant once in a while."
"You could try being quieter."
He winced dramatically.
"Ouch."
"Did I hurt your feelings?"
"Deeply."
"Good."
Garrett laughed.
"You enjoy this, don't you?"
"A little."
His laughter grew louder.
You hated that too.
Mostly because it was surprisingly nice to listen to.
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By Thursday, you were ready to commit crimes.
Specifically against Garrett Graham.
It had only been four days.
Four.
And somehow he'd managed to annoy you every single one of them.
Monday, he criticized your music.
Tuesday, he criticized your coffee order.
Wednesday, he criticized your parking abilities.
Today, he'd decided to criticize your major.
"You don't need a psychology degree to know people are weird."
You glared at him from across the table in the student union.
"I hope you fail your next exam."
Garrett pressed a hand dramatically against his chest.
"Violent."
"Deserved."
He opened his mouth to respond.
Then stopped.
His expression shifted.
Only slightly, but enough for you to notice.
"You okay?"
You blinked.
"What?"
The room suddenly felt warmer.
Much warmer.
You swallowed.
"I'm fine."
Garrett didn't look convinced.
The noise around you seemed to grow louder.
Conversations overlapped.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Someone laughed nearby.
Your chest tightened.
Not now.
Please not now.
You pushed back your chair and stood.
"I have to go."
Garrett frowned.
"You look pale."
"I'm fine."
The lie came automatically.
You turned and headed for the nearest exit before he could stop you.
Your pulse hammered in your ears.
Your breathing became shallow.
The familiar panic began spreading through your chest.
No.
No, no, no.
Not here.
Not in public.
You shoved through the doors and stumbled outside into the cold afternoon air.
The world tilted.
Your hands shook.
You couldn't catch your breath.
You hated this.
You hated how helpless it made you feel.
How out of control.
How weak.
The cold air burned your lungs as you sucked in a breath that never felt deep enough.
Your vision blurred around the edges.
The campus courtyard stretched out in front of you, but it didn't feel real. Everything looked too bright, too far away, like you were watching it through a foggy window.
Your heart slammed against your ribs.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
You pressed a trembling hand against your chest as if you could physically force it to slow down.
Breathe.
Just breathe.
But every breath caught halfway down.
Your throat felt tight.
Your fingers tingled.
The familiar dizziness washed over you, making your knees weak.
People walked past without noticing.
A group of students laughed nearby.
Someone dropped a backpack.
The sound made you flinch.
Everything felt too loud.
Too much.
Your thoughts spiraled.
What if someone sees?
What if you pass out?
What if you can't stop it this time?
What if—
"Hey."
You squeezed your eyes shut.
Of course he'd followed you.
"Go away, Graham."
"No."
You let out a bitter laugh.
"Didn't realize you cared."
His answer came after a brief pause.
"I don't."
You shot him a look.
Garrett shrugged.
"Okay. Maybe a little."
Your chest tightened again.
Not because of the panic this time.
Garrett crouched down in front of you.
Not too close.
Just close enough that you could hear him clearly.
"You having a panic attack?"
You looked away.
Apparently that answered the question.
For a moment, neither of you spoke.
You focused on the concrete beneath your shoes.
On the violent shaking in your hands.
On the embarrassing fact that Garrett Graham was seeing you like this.
Then Garrett spoke again.
"Hey."
You reluctantly looked up.
His expression had completely changed.
Gone was the cocky grin.
Gone was the teasing.
He looked... concerned.
The realization somehow made your eyes sting.
"Look at me for a second."
You did.
"You're okay."
A shaky laugh escaped you.
"No, I'm not."
"Yeah, you are."
His voice remained calm.
Steady.
Like he wasn't bothered by this at all.
Like he wasn't judging you.
"Doesn't feel like it."
"I know."
The simple answer nearly broke something inside you.
Because he sounded like he actually understood.
Your breathing hitched again.
Garrett nodded toward your hands.
"Can you unclench your fists?"
You looked down.
Your nails had dug crescents into your palms.
You hadn't even noticed.
Slowly, you loosened your grip.
"Good."
Another shaky breath.
Another wave of dizziness.
Garrett stayed exactly where he was.
Not crowding you.
Not touching you.
Just there.
"Can you count five things you can see?"
You frowned.
"What?"
"Just humor me."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
You hated how comforting it sounded.
Slowly, you looked around.
"The fountain."
"Good."
"The tree."
"Good."
"The bike rack."
"Keep going."
You swallowed.
"The red bench."
"Good."
"The... the statue."
"Perfect."
Garrett nodded.
"Now four things you can touch."
You blinked.
"My jacket."
"Okay."
"The concrete."
"Good."
"The sleeve of my sweater."
"Keep going."
You pressed your fingertips against the cold metal railing beside you.
"The railing."
"That's four."
His voice never wavered.
Never rushed.
Like he had all the time in the world.
The panic still sat heavy in your chest, but it wasn't swallowing you whole anymore.
The roaring in your ears began to fade.
Your breaths came a little easier.
A little deeper.
Garrett continued guiding you through it.
Three things you could hear.
Two things you could smell.
One thing you could taste.
By the end of it, your heartbeat had slowed from a frantic sprint to something manageable.
Not normal.
But manageable.
You leaned back against the wall behind you and closed your eyes.
Exhaustion settled over you immediately.
Panic attacks always left you drained.
Like you'd just run a marathon.
For a few moments, neither of you spoke.
The silence felt different now.
Softer.
When you finally opened your eyes, Garrett was sitting beside you on the freezing concrete.
The same guy who spent every morning arguing with you over absolutely nothing.
The same guy who drove you insane.
And yet he'd followed you outside.
He'd stayed.
He'd talked you through it without making you feel stupid.
Without making you feel broken.
Without making a joke.
"Better?" he asked quietly.
"A little."
His shoulders visibly relaxed.
Like he'd been worried.
The thought caught you off guard.
"Good."
For a moment, neither of you said anything.
You stared straight ahead.
"So."
Garrett glanced at you.
"So."
"You can't tell my dad."
A soft laugh escaped him.
"That's your first concern?"
"Absolutely."
He shook his head.
"You're unbelievable."
"Is that a yes?"
Garrett pretended to think about it.
Then he nodded.
"Your secret's safe."
For the first time since you'd met him, there was no sarcasm in his voice.
No smug grin.
No argument waiting to happen.
Just sincerity.
And somehow that felt far more dangerous.
Because for the first time, you weren't entirely sure you hated Garrett Graham anymore.
And that was a problem.
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