Warnings: Swearing, lots of flirting. Slow burn. Smut at the end: fingering (f receiving), oral (f and m receiving).
Summary: Jessie and Matthew meet at a New Years Eve party and form an instant connection. When a fire rips them apart, can fate bring them back together?Â
Word Count: 12,700
Comments: This is my entry for @wyattjohnstonâs winter fic exchange written for @luvsherleafs
This is by far the longest piece Iâve written for Tumblr. I had a really clear vision of where I wanted it to go, and I eventually got it there. In the end, Iâm so proud of how it turned out. I hope you enjoy, and would love to know what you think.
Many, many thanks to Mari @eyesthatroll and Bre @fallinallincurls for looking this over and assuring me it wasnât garbage when I was in the trenches of writing.Â
Me and youÂ
We were a strange situationÂ
And kissing youÂ
Felt like Christmas VacationÂ
An exciting place to escapeÂ
Sometimes I wish that I could've stayed
Cause you were my favorite HolidayÂ
-Christmas Vacation by LĂLĂ
Back to You
Matthew couldn't tear his eyes away from her and knew he wasn't the only one.Â
With dark hair cascading down her back in a long, shiny waterfall, big eyes and a plump little mouth that looked just made for kissing, she was the kind of classic girl next door people wrote into movies and books for the hero to find his way back to.
He especially liked what she was wearing. Bare legs werenât really something he would advise at two hours to January in Ottawa, but at least it wasnât a mini skirt like most women were tugging at constantly. Her shorts had a gold stripe on the sides that caught the flashing lights, as if they might have once been extravagant tuxedo pants tailored explicitly to show off her curvy legs. Her dark shirt had flecks of something metallic in the fabric - a wrapped and tied number like heâd never seen before.Â
Laughter was all over her face as she danced with the people around her. Slamming her foot (clad in gold oxfords) down with the beat before circling her hips in time with the music.Â
âDo you need a towel, man?âÂ
âWhat?â Matthew asked, pulling his eyes away to look at his brother.
âI asked if you needed a towel,â Brady repeated, failing to keep the teasing smile off his face, âfor the drool.â   Â
Matthew flipped him off, and Brady laughed.Â
âGo talk to her,â he encouraged, pushing Matthew off the bar stool. âIâm sick of watching you sit here and stare at her. Go do something about it.â Â
He hesitated. It hadn't been that long since heâd broken up with Heidi.
âGo,â Brady repeated, shoving him across the walkway onto the dance floor. âMove on.â
Although he wasn't sure if he was ready to meet someone new, Matthew knew Brady was right. Heâd be kicking himself come morning if he let a woman this good looking go without at least shooting his shot.Â
As he weaved through the crowd of dancers, his competitive drive growled in his chest, pleased. Heâd be damned if he let someone else get to her first.
âYour admirer is coming this way,â Roger said, nodding to someone over Jessieâs shoulder.Â
She glanced over. A tallish guy with curly hair was walking right at her, a determined intensity all over his handsome face. Her gaze swung back to Roge, eyes wide.Â
âJust letting you know so you can prepare,â he said with a wink. âI told you those shorts would bring all the boys.âÂ
Although she'd made them for the occasion, she didn't think they would pull the amount of attention they were getting. Her clothes often garnered a lot of lingering glances, though they usually came from other women.Â
Someone tapped on her shoulder and she turned.
The same guy was standing in front of her. He was much taller up close, had light eyes, and his hair looked like it might be blonde. It was hard to tell under the dim dancefloor lights.Â
He flashed her a charismatic smile. The gap between his front teeth only added to his charm.Â
âCan I buy you a drink?â he asked, leaning in and yelling to be heard over the music.Â
Jessie wasnât generally the type to accept drinks from random strangers, but this guy was hot, had nice style, and of all the dudes that had stared at her that evening, was the first one to do something about it.Â
âSure,â she yelled back.Â
âWanna go to the bar?â
After she nodded and they started walking through the mass of dancers, she glanced over her shoulder. Roge lifted his phone out of his pocket and shook it at her. His flashlight turned on.Â
She sent him a text about going to the bar and his flashlight, made sure the ringer was turned on, and slipped her phone back into her shorts pocket. Another good thing about making her own clothes: she could make the pockets as big as she needed.
Matthew couldnât keep the smug smile off his face at the glares and disappointed looks that followed them to the bar.
âWhat'll you have?â the bartender asked as they came to a stop in the corner of the club. It was a bit quieter.Â
âA mojito, pleaseâ she said, before gathering her hair into a fist behind her and running her hand down the length of it.Â
Momentarily distracted by her actions and the flash of dark red, the bartender had to ask him again what he wanted.Â
âBeer would be great,â he said, flashing a bright smile, âwhatever light you recommend.â Glancing back at the girl, he ran a hand through his hair to make sure it wasnât doing something stupid, and said, âI'm Matthew, by the way. â
âJessie. Are you from around here?â
âNo, but my brother lives here. You?â
âMy family is from here, but I'm usually in the states.â she said, watching the bartender muddle the mint in her drink. He didnât seem to be doing anything funny with it.Â
âYeah? Which one?â
âNew York. Well, technically New Jersey, but I study in New York.â
âWhat do you study?â Matthew asked, lifting his beer bottle to his lips.Â
âFashion.â
âI should have guessed,â he said.Â
âYou should have?â
âYeah. You have great style.â
The smile that spread over her face made him want to kiss her.Â
âWhat do you do, Matthew?â she asked, as she brought the black straw in her drink to her mouth. She caught it between her tongue and teeth before her lips wrapped around it.Â
His train of thought ran off the rails with visions of her mouth wrapping around other things.
Thankfully, autopilot kicked in and saved him from looking like a total creep, âI play hockey.âÂ
âSeriously?â
He nodded. âI'm based in Florida.â
âWhy the hell are you in Ottawa for New Years,â she asked, aghast, âwhen you could be somewhere warm?â
âWe played here yesterday, so my family are all staying with my brother. Why are you here?â
âMy dad grew up here, and wanted us to experience the joys of the frozen tundra at Christmastime,â she said with a long sweep of her hand, as if gesturing to the whole country.Â
He laughed again, and held her eye contact. It was so intense, she was the one to break it.Â
âAnyway,â she flipped her free hand, âwhat do you do for fun?âÂ
âI honestly donât have that much free time, but I always enjoy a good libation,â he said, holding up his bottle.Â
A wide smile spread over his face when she clinked her glass against it as she said, âamen.âÂ
âAnd I like to hang out with people and I play a lot of other sports.âÂ
âI will never understand why athletes always want to play other sports. Itâs not like I sew upholstery when Iâm not making clothes.âÂ
He laughed, loud and genuine, and Jessie felt her heart flutter a little.Â
âIt can be hard to turn off the competitive drive, so it helps to have somewhere to channel it. So did you make these clothes?â he asked, nodding at her outfit.Â
âYeah. I found this gold fabric,â her fingers ran down the stripe on her left hip, âand fell in love with the idea of tuxedo shorts for New Years. I play around with a lot of menswear styles.âÂ
âI like them,â he said. If he, by some miracle, got nominated for another award, maybe he would get a gold striped tux made.Â
âWe have to wear suits to all of our games, so Iâm always looking for something new and interesting,â he said.Â
The conversation lulled for a moment, and he continued, âwhat do you do for fun?âÂ
âI also enjoy a good libation,â she clinked her glass against his again, âand I like to play tennis and I love movies.âÂ
The rest of the night was spent in that little corner of the bar, talking and laughing - Matthew was funny. Quick with a movie quote and a sarcastic comment in her ear. She told him about coming to the club with her cousins, only one of whom she really knew, and he told her about coming with his family. A younger, married brother, and a sister still in college.Â
He refreshed their drinks and marveled at finding a woman who could keep up with his banter, genuinely laughed at his jokes and seemed interested in him as a person rather than as Matthew Tkachuk.Â
They talked about hockey, she knew some as her dad was Canadian, but not a lot, then about fashion.Â
She admitted one of the reasons sheâd said yes to his drink had been his pants.Â
âListen, more American men need to understand how many more girls theyâd get if they just wore the right pants!âÂ
He cocked an eyebrow.Â
âYour pants are fitted properly so I can see your ass and your thighs, and it makes you about a thousand times more attractive.âÂ
A cocky smile spread over his face, âOh, yeah?â he asked, leaning into her space.Â
She gulped, âyeah. If more men wore pants like yours, they wouldnât be single.âÂ
He stayed in her space, and her eyes darted to his lips. He licked them, just to see what she would do at the flash of his tongue.Â
Her eyes darted back to his and her cheeks pinked. He smiled.Â
The music changed to a slower, more house-style song he recognised. Jessie bumped her shoulders to the beat.Â
âDo you want to dance?â Matthew asked. Â
âSure.âÂ
They moved to the floor, and he watched, entranced as she swung her hips in rhythm.
When she turned around, pressing flush against him, his right hand immediately grasped her hip, as if that might provide some kind of grounding from the fluttering feeling in his chest.Â
It wasnât like this had never happened - girls grinding up on him. It happened quite a lot, actually. Sometimes without any kind of consent. But this? Jessie? He couldn't get enough. She was pretty and they had the kind of instant chemistry you couldn't fake.Â
He found himself thinking about her beyond that night. A first since Heidi.Â
For her part, Jessie couldn't stand not touching him any longer. The chemistry between them was so palpable, she was surprised other club goers werenât getting caught in it. Feeling him move against her made desire rumble to life in her belly, growling to be released.Â
They danced that way for - Matthew lost track of how many songs. She felt amazing pressed up against him. He was so in tune with how they moved together, the dancing felt like foreplay.Â
When the countdown to midnight began, she turned to face him. They were still so close - she could feel his body heat seeping through his clothing and into hers, see the way his button down was just starting to cling to his skin.Â
Matthew looked down at her, not hiding any of his interest. She looked back with so much hope and lust in her eyes, his stomach twisted.Â
âThree, two, one!â the crowd cheered.Â
He leaned down, then paused, âokay?âÂ
Rising onto her toes, she closed the gap between them in answer.Â
All of their flirting was leading up to this moment, and Jessie wasnât disappointed at all. It was as if everything around them faded into soft focus and the din of the crowd melted away. It was better than she could have imagined. His tongue brushed along hers, and heat flooded her stomach.Â
Matthew angled closer when her fingers slid into his hair. His hand splayed over her lower back. He wished he didnât have this beer bottle so he could have both hands on her.
It went on and on for what felt like ages - a promise of things to come.Â
Someone cat called from nearby, and Jessie broke away, pursing her lips to hide how flustered she felt. At least he was as breathless as she was, his chest expanding to the confines of his shirt with every inhale.Â
They stared at each other for a moment longer, not quite engaged with the crowd, which was growing increasingly restless with the New Year in full swing.
She was debating between kissing him again, or asking if he wanted to leave all together when the lights went out, plunging them into total darkness.Â
The suddenness of it made her laugh. She thought it must be some kind of prank until all at once, a mono tone alarm started to scream. Lights began to strobe - harsh, bright flashes that instantly made spots appear in her vision.Â
The word âfireâ was popping up in the crowd.
Just as he was starting to register what was happening, murky water cascaded from the ceiling.Â
The club was dissolving into chaos. Matthew snapped out of his reverie, and looked around for Taryn.Â
âI have to find my sister,â he told her.
As Jessie's face was illuminated by the flashing lights, she looked stricken and worried.Â
âIâll call you, though!â he promised.
âBut -â she watched him run off, knowing she hadn't given him her number. She didn't even know his last name.Â
âJessie!â Roger yelled from somewhere to her left. Her eyes roved for him, and landed when he shouted again, waving his cell phone flashlight in his own face.
She ran to him, and they followed the swarming crowd outside.Â
To her complete surprise, smoke was pouring out of the building and the fire department was pulling up. She had been certain someone had pulled the alarm as a prank.Â
âFuck itâs cold out here,â she said, wrapping her arms around herself, as if that would do any good. Her coat was inside, a pair of wool tights tucked in one of the pockets. She'd planned to put them on in the bathroom before they left.Â
âWe should call it,â Lacey said. âCatch the next train. If we hurry we won't have to wait for another one.â
âBut my coatâs in there,â Jessie complained. She hadn't made it, but she may as well have, sheâd altered it so much. It was the best thing in her wardrobe.Â
âWeâll come back tomorrow,â Roger assured, âbut Laceyâs right, we should get out of here. Weâre soaked and itâs below freezing.â
It wasn't just the coat. She didnât want to lose Matthew. She hoped she might run into him in the parking lot, but had yet to see him.  Â
Roger and Lacey were right. Her wet clothing was already starting to freeze - stiffening and biting into her skin. Glancing around the crowd once more, she hoped she might see him, but there were too many people moving in too many different directions.Â
As Roger pulled her away, she hoped against hope the universe would bring them back together. It had been so long since she'd felt a spark like she had with him.
âWho was that girl you were kissing at midnight?â Taryn asked, her tone suggestive as she waggled her eyebrows at her oldest brother.Â
âHer name is Jessie,â he said, looking around for Brady. He finally spotted him with Emma and some of the Sens guys across the parking lot.Â
âSeemed pretty serious.â
Matthew rolled his eyes. âWe got on, thatâs all.âÂ
âIâve seen you look like that before, and that was not just getting on with someone,â Taryn argued. âI hope you got her number.âÂ
âI did,â he assured, then stopped dead in their pursuit through the crowd.Â
Taryn ran into his back. âMatthew!â she complained.Â
He was too busy digging his phone out of his pocket to apologize or move out of the way. Thankfully, it wasnât ruined. As he opened his recent contacts, though, he found his fear confirmed.Â
Taryn pushed on his back, âMatthew, move! I wanna get inside.âÂ
The older brother in him took control, wrapping his arm around Taryn's shoulder to lead them to Brady and finally into the car to go home.Â
As they settled into the SUV, heat blasting to melt the ice that had formed in their hair and on their cheeks, Emma punched Matthew in the arm. âThat was some New Year's kiss, Matty.âÂ
The disappointment of reality bit into him, and he snapped, âI donât want to talk about it.âÂ
âWhoa,â Brady said in warning.Â
Matthew leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. The possibility of her was still buzzing on his skin.Â
The future was being ripped out of his grasp. How could so much hope be dashed so quickly? So completely? He'd been making plans in his head. Immediately, where they were going to spend the night if she was willing. Beyond that, how he would see her whenever he was in New York, and beyond that? Hopefully something that ended up with them together.Â
âOh no,â Taryn whispered, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. âYou didnât get her number did you?âÂ
He shook his head.Â
âOh, Matthew,â Taryn said, laying a hand on his back, âIâm sorry.âÂ
The rest of the night, he lay in Bradyâs guest bedroom, Taryn in the bed next to his, and tried to relax. It wasnât working. He could still feel the phantom of her grinding up against him, and if he thought about it too much, he got hard.Â
Opening Instagram, he typed âJessieâ into the search. There were pages and pages of results. He scrolled through, hoping he might see her face. When the photos started to blur together, he clicked off the app.Â
Feeling hopeless, he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Jessieâs face was etched on the inside of his eyelids. He saw her smiling, heard her laugh ringing in his ears, felt her lips so perfectly fitted between his own. They should have been tangled up in bed together. The actuality of his loneliness was a slap in the face every time he turned over.Â
It was after four when he finally fell asleep.
He woke sometime around 10am when Taryn sat by his feet.Â
âMom wants to know why youâre still in bed,â she said when he sat up, rubbing his hands over his face. âI told her you were hungover.âÂ
âThanks,â he said dryly. Â
âListen, I heard you last night.âÂ
His hands dropped and he gave her a suspicious look. âAnd what did you hear last night?âÂ
She took a deep breath. âI heard you crying.âÂ
A groan fell out of his mouth as his head tipped back. He didnât even try to deny it. It hadnât lasted long, the crying, but he hadnât been able to stop it for a few minutes. He was sure Taryn heard his sniffling.Â
âIs this about that girl?âÂ
âListen, Taryn, I donât want to -âÂ
She cut in, âMatthew, I saw the way you looked after you kissed her. Itâs the same way Brady looks at Emma.â
Shit. He was in deeper than he thought. And they hadnât even slept together yet. He didnât even know her last name. If he knew her last name, heâd be able to find her.Â
Letting his hands fall in his lap, he slouched over, and let the reality of what happened wash over him again. He would get over it eventually, but now? It felt too close to push aside.Â
Tarynâs hand came to rest on his knee, âI was thinking, what if she left something at the club? I mean, people must have left coats and things with the fire alarm. We could at least try. See if you can leave your number for her, or something.âÂ
A spark of hope flickered to life in his chest. âYeah, thatâs a really good idea.âÂ
Jessie wasnât too surprised to see the tent in front of the club when they pulled up. The post on their Instagram page said they would be available for people to pick up their belongings all day. Two women were sitting there, bundled up to the hilt. As she got closer, she saw the propane heaters. At least that was something.Â
âHow can we help you, darlin?âÂ
âYeah, I was here last night, and I hoped I could get my coat that I left with the coat check?âÂ
One of the women stood, âwhat does it look like?âÂ
âItâs a black wool trench, and it has sort of wavy lapels,â she demonstrated on herself. âThereâs a pair of gray wool tights in the left pocket.âÂ
She walked over to a rack behind their table.
The Club had seen better days, that was for sure. Some of the glass had been blown out from the heat, and there were charred bricks on the front from where the flames had licked out the windows.Â
âIs it condemned?âÂ
âNo, but itâll take us a while to remodel, especially with the winter,â the other woman said, giving her a smile.Â
âDid they find out what caused it?âÂ
âNot yet, but weâre pretty sure it was some faulty wiring.âÂ
âHere we go. Is this it?â The other woman, the one with pink hair, turned the coat around.Â
Jessie smiled, relieved, âYes.â
As she reached for the coat, she debated about the next part. What was the harm really? She knew she would be kicking herself all the way home if she didnât.Â
âI know this is a little strange, but I met someone last night, but we were separated before we could exchange numbers, and I wondered if heâd come by?âÂ
âIâm not sure. Weâve seen quite a few people today.â
âHis name was Matthew, and he had curly hair, light eyes, and he was tall.âÂ
They looked at each other, each shaking their head. âI donât think weâve seen anyone like that today.â
She wasnât sure what she would have done if they had.Â
âDo you want to leave a note for him, or something?âÂ
She chewed on her lip, petting the smoke soaked coat draped over her arm. If he happened to come by, it might work. But what if he didnât? Or what if some other guy with curly hair came by, and they gave him her note?Â
She shouldnât have even asked. It was fruitless. What did she expect? That he would just walk out of the building: here I am!Â
âNo,â she said, defeated. âI was just hoping.â
âWell, love has a way of coming back when you least expect it.âÂ
It felt like such a throw-away thing to say. âYeah, I hope so,â Jessie said, turning back to her parents' car, parked in the lot. Â
Matthew walked up to the women sitting in front of the club. He knew he was used to the Florida warmth by now, and just despised the cold on principle, but sitting out here? In this? They were nuts.Â
âHi, honey,â the older, motherly looking one greeted, âdid you leave something here last night?âÂ
Yeah, my future, he thought.Â
âNo, I was hoping,â he reached up to scratch the back of his neck nervously. âI mean, I met someone here last night and I was -âÂ
âAre you Matthew?â the other woman interrupted.Â
His eyes shot to hers. âYeah,â he said, breathless with anticipation.Â
âOh no,â the women looked at each other. One had her hand over her mouth.Â
âSomeone was just here looking for you.âÂ
Hope started hammering in his chest.Â
âPretty little thing, lovely red hair.âÂ
âYeah,â his heart was running so fast he felt like he might be sick.Â
âIâm so sorry honey, we asked her if she wanted to leave a note or something, but she decided not to.âÂ
Now he really was going to throw up.Â
They had been so close. So close to meeting again. Why hadnât she left a note? Why didnât he just get her number last night?Â
Because heâd planned on asking her for it in the morning.Â
âWell, thanks anyway,â he said, hand falling limply at his side.Â
âGood luck. I hope she finds her way back to you.âÂ
âThanks,â he said, turning back to the car. Taryn was watching with wrapped anticipation. He shook his head and her expression fell.Â
**Nine Months Later**
For the first time since moving, the bright Florida sunshine wasnât bright enough to make Jessie smile as she got out of bed. That September morning, she woke up to an anxious fluttering in her chest, trying to tell herself it was going to be a day like any other. She would go to the shop and sew that new sculptural blazer for the window. She'd help Raul with his clients and do the same things sheâd been doing every other work day for the past three months.Â
It didnât matter that some of the Florida professional hockey team were coming in for suits for the new season. Sheâd already checked, and there wasnât a Matthew on the books.Â
Even if he did show up, he had probably moved on. It was just her romantic streak that kept him alive in her memory.Â
After a few miserable, sulky hours on New Year's Day, Roger had finally suggested she look him up.Â
âI donât know his last name, Roge.âÂ
âDidnât you say he plays hockey in Florida?â heâd asked, pulling out his phone. He found a roster for her to look through - all men in blue, none of them Matthew. There wasnât even a Matthew on the team.Â
âI think itâs hopeless,â she said.Â
âHold on, thereâs another one.â
âAnother what?âÂ
âAnother team.âÂ
âHere, I think this is him?â he turned the phone around and Matthew was staring at her, a smug little smile on his face.Â
Her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were blue. And his hair was a dark blonde, with almost a gingery tone to it.Â
âMatthew Tkachuk?â she asked, trying to pronounce all the letters. It came out a bit of a garbled mess.Â
âLook him up on Insta.âÂ
So she had. She found him easily. He was verified with over 150 thousand followers.Â
She messaged him, hoping.Â
Hey this is Jessie from last night before the fire stole our thunder.Â
Heâd never even seen her message. She had checked every day for a while, then every couple of weeks until she'd all but forgotten about it, moving on with her life.Â
Pulling out her phone now, she scrolled down to the thread. The date was still staring at her, no read notifications in sight.Â
Matthew wasn't even all that great. Thatâs what she told herself every time she went on another failed date with some guy so boring she wanted to just drop off the chair and fall asleep on the bar floor. If she let herself believe he really was as charming and interested and seemingly built just for her as heâd seemed, she would never go on another set up or app date again. It had been the alcohol and the rush of the new year that had painted him in such rosy light. It was likely he was just another boring dude like all the rest.Â
The pink lace she put on under her clothes before going to work was for her, and she wasnât hoping anyone would get to see it.Â
She absorbed herself with structuring the new womenâs blazer all morning until the appointment at 2.Â
Matthew wasnât entirely certain why heâd agreed to go with Benny that afternoon. He already had a suit guy in St. Louis. He didnât need another one. But Sam was persuasive, a few other guys were going, and Matthew was always looking for something new. When you have to wear the same item of clothing over and over again, might as well make it something interesting.Â
Walking into the little shop, he could see why Sam liked it. There were racks and racks of interesting fabrics. Subtle and bold patterns and solid colors he never would have considered for a suit before.Â
As the other guys got to browsing, Matthew wandered over to the wall of photos. In every one, a short, dark haired man was posing with various people in beautiful suits. Sam was up there as were Barky and Bob. He didnât know they came here too. Apparently, this was the place to be.Â
Something rustled in the back, and he turned. Nothing was there, but a glass cabinet that housed a display of cufflinks.Â
âMatthew?âÂ
His head shot up.Â
A pretty young woman who wasn't in any of the photos was standing in the doorway behind the display case, holding up the heavy velvet curtain. He could see a row of sewing machines under her arm. She had on a blue skirt and a green blouse. A fabric flower was attached to her wrist, a porcupine of pins sticking out of it.Â
His breath locked in his chest. She was here. In Florida. She was in front of him. The girl from the New Years Eve party he couldnât quite convince himself to let go of for half a season and the whole summer.Â
Her hair was shorter than it had been - ending at her collar bone - and a dark auburn red. He supposed it had probably always been that color. She had creamy pale skin with a dusting of freckles across her nose, and shit, had her eyes always been that green?Â
Heâd never seen her out of that harsh club lighting, he realized. Of course she would be prettier in the daylight.Â
The murmuring behind him hushed into silence, and his mind went completely blank, as if heâd never had a thought in his life.Â
âHey,â he heard himself say. The shock of seeing her was so intense, he couldnât remember her name. Heâd just been thinking about her last week after another failed third date.
Sam shot him a questioning look. Â
He was in shock. He was overwhelmed. He was⊠he was⊠he was acting like an idiot.Â
His heart thundered in his ears. She was looking at him like she was trying to figure out if he remembered who she was.Â
âJessie,â she said hesitantly, pointing to her chest. âFrom New Years?â
Didnât he remember? His face was branded into her memory. The dream of him - of them - roared to life in her chest unbidden. Her body reacted instantly, as if no time had passed.Â
Right. Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, he thought.
Cool. He needed to play this cool. âOh, hey,â he said. âHowâve you been?âÂ
As soon as it was out of his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hope fell right off her face. He saw the moment it happened, and it sliced through him like a knife to the gut.Â
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.Â
She wasnât some old acquaintance he hadnât seen in a while. She was the girl he kept coming back to. The one he thought about after failed dates or that relationship that started at the beginning of the summer only to fizzle out six weeks later. She was his, it might have been, girl.
The man walked in then, forcing her into the shop. âAh, I see you have met Jessica. She just graduated from FIT in New York,â he bragged, âand is helping us expand into womens suiting. Sheâs also a marvelous tailor, so sheâll be helping with the suits as well. Jessica, these are the clients I was telling you about. From the ice hockey team. Good clients. They like interesting things.âÂ
She painted a smile on her face that almost looked convincing. âI canât wait to help.âÂ
âYou,â Raul said, âI don't know you.â
âMatthew,â he said, holding a hand out to the older Italian man. âSam said you make the best suits on the eastern seaboard.â
Raul pulled out the leather bound book that served as his ledger, and flipped to the section Jessie had been looking at that morning, simply marked, Hockey.
âLast name?â he asked.Â
He spelled it out, then pronounced it, âTkachuk. The T is silent.âÂ
Raul nodded, noting the silent letter next to his name.Â
âJessica and I will take your measurements,â he said, gesturing him over to the plinth near the mirrors surrounded by dark wood.Â
Jessie picked up a notebook and followed Raul. Matthew had definitely recognised her, heâd been shocked by her appearance, even. Then he treated her likeâŠlike a one night stand or an acquaintance he wasnât quite sure he wanted to reunite with. It hurt more than it should have to have the things she was telling herself come true.Â
She had hoped Raul would let her help the other clients, but luck seemed to be against her. At least he hadnât handed her the tape. She didnât know what she would have done if her hands brushed against Matthewâs body. She already felt on edge just being in the same room as him.Â
âVery important to get the thigh measurement with these hockey players,â Raul was saying as he threaded a measuring tape around Matthews upper thigh. âBig legs.âÂ
âItâs from all the skating,â Matthew said, almost out of habit.Â
Jessie was doing a very good job of not looking at him. She had a little notebook in her hands and she kept her eyes trained on it as she wrote down every body part and corresponding number Raul called out. Upper thigh, lower thigh, calf, hip to knee, knee to ankle. Matthew had been measured like this before, so he just stood still and let the man do his work.Â
âSo, Jessie, right?â Josh asked, leaning onto one of the mirrors, nearby where she was standing, not quite in Matthewâs peripheral vision.Â
She hummed in agreement. Raul was still calling out numbers to her, and she couldnât divide her focus that well.Â
âWhat brought you all the way down to Florida from New York?âÂ
Matthew clenched his jaw to keep from telling Josh off. As much as he wanted it, he didnât have any claim over Jessie.
âUm,â she said, still jotting numbers. She spared a glance at him. He had long, unruly, dark hair, dark eyes, and a goofy smile. She smiled back, âcan you give me just a minute to finish up here?â she asked, pointing at Matthewâs stomach with the cap of her pen.Â
Josh blushed, âyeah, of course.âÂ
She went back to her notebook, face impassive once more.Â
Josh stayed where he was.Â
âSo Chucky, what do you think about the schedule this year?âÂ
Matthew shrugged, then snapped himself back into place at Rauls reprimand. âSorry,â he mumbled.Â
Jessie gagged internally. hoping that wasnât really his nickname. Chucky was either a possessed doll, or a possessed rat mascot, neither of which she liked to think about for very long.Â
They continued to talk about something with their team. When she and Raul finished, she handed the notebook off to him, which he would transcribe into the ledger. He still didnât trust her to do it the way he liked.Â
Matthew didnât move off the plinth, but she turned to the other man, âsorry, what was your question?âÂ
She sounded so polite, so formal. Sure, theyâd only met that one night, but she hadnât been guarded like this at that club in Ottawa. He supposed that was probably his fault. God, why was he such an idiot?
âI wondered what brought you to Florida. Itâs a long way from New York.âÂ
âOh, the heat,â she said. âI was so tired of the north-east cold.â
âAnd you know RaulâŠâ
âHe and one of my mentors are great friends, and he got us in touch. I have some family down here, and wanted to live somewhere warm for a change. Raul wanted to expand into some womenswear, and tailoring happens to be one of my specialties.â She said it without much emotion. Just stating the facts. âWe met, I made him and myself a suit to audition, and here we are.âÂ
Matthew opened his mouth to say something about how he was glad she was here, but she walked away before he could force the words out.Â
Josh gave him a look that said something like, women, right?Â
Matthew walked away before he said something stupid.
âWhile I update the rest of your measurements, Jessica can help you with fabrics. Sheâs excellent with color. Jessica, why donât you get the samples and help them pick out what they need.âÂ
She nodded, went into the back and came out with five big binders. She set them on the table, and flipped some of them open.Â
She helped Reino pick out a dark teal, a blue and a few subtle plaids before moving on to someone else.Â
Matthew was the last at the table.Â
âWhat are you looking for?â she asked, trying to keep her voice and demeanor level. No need to let him know how her heart still pounded just looking at him when it was so obvious he didnât care about her.Â
âI'm always looking for something interesting,â he said. âWhat would you suggest?âÂ
Her eyes darted up to his face. His eyes were so blue - much more intense in person. He had the kind of eyes poets say hold summer skies and glacial lakes. It was the first time she really saw them, and they took her breath away.Â
âWell,â she forced herself back to work, âyou could pull off almost anything with your coloring. How adventurous are you?âÂ
âIâm willing to try anything once,â he said, trying to sound flirtatious. It just came off desperate.Â
She chewed on the inside of her lip. âHow many suits are you looking for?âÂ
âEight,â he said.Â
He didnât need eight suits. But if it kept him at this table for longer, he would buy as many as she would sell him.Â
âAll for here?âÂ
âFor here?â
âTo be worn here, in Florida? The others have mentioned needing some for travel.â
âOh, Iâll need three or four for travel, three at least for the cold.âÂ
They talked through colors. She opened a binder she hadnât given anyone else. None of the other guys were as handsome, or seemed as adventurous with their style as Matthew.Â
âIf youâre brave enough, I think this lilac would look really good on you,â she said, pulling the pastel fabric sample off the board and holding it up. He was more bronze than he had been when theyâd met, but it would still look good when his summer tan faded.Â
âOkay,â he said. He trusted her style. Heâd never worn lilac, but if she thought it would look good, heâd give it a shot.
Jessie got the feeling he was just agreeing with her to get this whole thing over with. Still, she couldnât help pulling the best fabrics for him, even an expensive light blue linen blend that would make him look like Brad Pitt in Santorini. He didn't balk when she mentioned the price. He didn't even seem to notice.Â
âChucky, how did you know Jessie?â Bennet said as they walked down the block to the public parking theyâd all met at.Â
âA party,â he said, trying to sound non-committal.Â
People got into their cars, but before Matthew could leave, Benny came up to his driver's window. âYou wanna tell us whatâs going on?âÂ
âYouâre never this quiet,â Reino said from his place on Bennyâs left.Â
Matthew sighed and got out of the car. This was going to take a while. Sam had always been a bit of a brother to him and he knew he wouldnât let him go without an explanation.Â
âJessie and I met last New Years Eve,â he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the hood of his car.Â
âOkay, and what did you do? Hookup and never call her again?âÂ
âNo!â He sounded too defensive, even to his own ears.Â
Reino raised an eyebrow, âso what happened?âÂ
His hands raked into his hair so he didn't have to look at them as he told the story. âWe met at this club in Ottawa, and we had this amazing connection. I've never felt anything like it before. Like, boom: Instant chemistry.â It felt even worse to say it out loud.Â
Both guys just waited.Â
âBut the club caught fire.âÂ
âWait, what?â Benny asked. âReally?â
âI know, man,â Matthew said, throwing his hands up, âand I thought I had her number, so I left her to find Taryn, but I didnât, and I couldn't find her after. I didnât think I was ever going to see her again, and then, all of a sudden she was here,â he gestured in the direction of the shop, âand I justâŠâÂ
âFucked it?â Benny asked.Â
âYeah.âÂ
âSo go back and talk to her,â Reino said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.Â
He scoffed. âWhat would I say? âHey, sorry I completely forgot your name and treated you like our connection didn't matter, but I actually havenât been able to stop thinking about you for the past nine months?ââÂ
âBetter than not saying anything,â Benny said.Â
Matthew shook his head, âI canât go back in there.âÂ
âWhy not?âÂ
âYou didnât see her face. Thereâs no way she wants to talk to me.âÂ
A few weeks later, Jessie was piecing Matthewâs jacket from the blue linen in the back of the shop. The fabric was so light and delicate, she couldnât even have music going while working with it. One wrong move and there would be pulled threads all over the place. She knew Raul would disapprove, but she gave herself twice the seam allowance to make sure she could finish the inside raw edges. Otherwise the fabric would start to pull apart - eventually, quite literally, fraying at the seams.Â
âUh, hello?â someone asked.Â
She jumped and dropped the scissors. She let them clatter to the floor with a curse. Sheâd been so focused on the task at hand, she hadnât heard the bell ring.Â
âOne second,â she called, before securing her pattern with an extra pin, picking up the scissors and coming out to the sales floor.Â
âHi, sorry about that. I got kind of in the zone. What can I do for you?âÂ
It was one of the hockey guys. The one with strawberry hair. She couldnât help but glance around him to see if heâd brought anyone with him.Â
She shouldnât even be looking for Matthew, especially considering he'd ignored all of her phone calls about his suiting. All the same, seeing him again had awoken her longing in a way she couldnât quite tamp down.Â
âRaul said I had some suits he wanted me to try on,â he said.Â
She asked his name, then went to the back to retrieve the garment bag. She remembered this one. Sheâd convinced him an oxblood red wouldnât look too harsh with his coloring, and she was hoping he would like the results.Â
Giving him a pair of pants, she left him in the changing room while she cut extra threads on the inside of the jacket.
Immediately, she could see the pants were a smidge too loose. They talked about his preferred fit, and he avoided looking at her as she pinned the inner thigh. All men reacted this way, but to Jessie, this was all about the garment. As far as she was concerned, he was a mannequin under these clothes.Â
Finally, the questions that had been ruminating in her mind got the best of her. âSo, did Matthew get traded or something?âÂ
âChucky?â he asked, surprised. Â
âI guess so.âÂ
âNo,â he was laughing as he said it, âhe has seven more years on his contract.â
âOh.âÂ
âWhy?âÂ
âIâve just called him a few times about measurements, or fittings, and heâs never called back or come in.â
âReally? He told me he was here yesterday.âÂ
Of course he was coming in on her day off. Why had she even told him that in the message?
She stood up, and moved onto the jacket after asking him if he ever planned to wear it with a sweater. He wasnât sure. Or if she should shorten the sleeves. He liked them a little longer.Â
âChucky told us what happened in Ottawa,â he said.Â
Jessie felt her shoulders tense, but kept working. âYeah?â she asked, not daring to look up. All this still felt too close to the surface, and she didnât want this man she barely knew to know how much it had hurt when Matthew brushed her aside.Â
âYeah, he said he looked for you after the fire.âÂ
âI tried to stay, but my cousins and I were soaking wet and it was below freezing so we had to catch the train.âÂ
âHe said he went back the next day and youâd been there, but didnât leave a note.âÂ
That made Jessie gasp. Audibly. She blushed and tried to brush it off, âI was worried it might go to the wrong person,â she said, âplus I messaged him on Instagram and he never responded.âÂ
He hummed, debating the best way to approach this. He wanted to do some digging without letting on thatâs what he was doing. âHe said you guys had quite the connection.âÂ
Was she really going to go into this with one of his teammates? She hadnât talked to anyone about it but Roger. Words bubbled up into her mouth so fast, she guessed she was.Â
âYeah, we did.â God, why did she have to sound so moony?
âDo you think thereâs still something there?âÂ
âHe made it pretty obvious thereâs not.âÂ
âI donât think he meant to do that. He was pretty shocked to see you.â
âI was shocked to see him too, but I didnât just brush him aside.âÂ
âListen, Jessie - itâs Jessie, right?â
She nodded.
âMatthew can be pretty thick. He gets so in his head, sometimes he doesnât really think things through, but he told us what happened, and how much he liked you, and he said he fucked it and you wouldnât want to see him again.â
She hummed, and got him a new suit to try on. Sheâd been right. The oxblood did look killer on him, like he could be in a GQ shoot. He looked impressed.Â
âWould you want to see him again?â Sam asked.Â
âIf he came in here himself?â
He nodded.Â
âIâd at least give him a chance.âÂ
Even though she would usually just move on, sheâd never felt anything like the instant connection she and Matthew shared on New Years. It was the kind of thing she thought only existed in books and rom coms. Experiencing it in real life made it into something she couldnât just walk away from. Â
They talked about where they were from and made comfortable small talk for the duration of the fitting. She told him how relieved she was when Raul trusted her enough to run the shop by herself one day a week.Â
âListen, Iâll tell Chucky to come by next Wednesday. Weâre leaving for the opening roadie that day, but Iâll try to get his head out of his ass before we leave.âÂ
She giggled.Â
He could see why Matthew liked her, and could see how their personalities would match up well. She was kind and easy to talk to - quiet at first, but got louder as she got comfortable, and Chucky was just loud all the time. He could tell they both valued relationships more than things.Â
The next week, after their final practice before the season opening road trip, Benny cornered Matthew in his stall. âYou need to go see Jessie.â
âShe doesn't want to talk to me, man.â
âThe way she asked me about you last week would say otherwise.â
He scoffed.Â
âI told her you still like her -â
âYou what?!â
âShe brought you up first and you weren't doing shit, so donât tell me I was ruining your plans or some bull. She said she's called you a bunch of times, but you only show up when she's not there.â
âIt's just easier,â Matthew mumbled. It wasn't his fault she told him when she'd be gone.
Benny rolled his eyes. âDude, wake up. She still likes you.âÂ
Matthew looked at him, skeptical, âshe told you that?âÂ
âYes, but she didnât need to. The first thing she asked me was if youâd been traded. We werenât even talking about you.â
 A ridiculous amount of hope lit up his face.
âI knew it! You still like her too!â
Whatâs not to like? Matthew thought.
âShe runs the shop on Wednesdays. Just go talk to her.â
âHow do you know?â
âBecause I went there last Wednesday, dumbass. She told me.âÂ
Matthew hesitated, still unconvinced.Â
âGo. Now. Iâll drive you myself if I have to. Iâm sick and tired of you moping around when thereâs such an easy solution to your problem.â
âOkay, okay. Iâm going,â Matthew said, holding his hands up in defeat.Â
âAnd check your instagram. She said she sent you a message.âÂ
Usually when she walked onto the sales floor after the doorbell dinged, Jessie would have to search for someone among the racks of fabric samples and ready to be tailored suits. This time, a man was standing at the counter, watching her with the same determined intensity heâd shown the first time they met.
He was here. Finally. Four of his suits had been sitting in the storage room for more than a week, further proof that he was avoiding her.Â
âHi Matthew,â she greeted hesitantly.Â
âHey Jessie.â
They looked at each other in awkward silence for a moment.Â
âCan I help you with something?âÂ
âYeah, Raul told me some of the suits were ready?â
âThey are.â
âI just came to pick those up.âÂ
âOh,â the tiny spark of hope fizzled out again. Sam must not have made it through to him.Â
She looked instantly downcast.Â
To hell with it. He couldn't make any more of an ass of himself. âAnd I wanted to see you,â he blurted.
âYou wanted to seeâŠme?â she repeated, pulling a pen from her ponytail to start fiddling with it. He didnât know why, but it struck him as such an endearing gesture.Â
âYeah,â he said, heart falling. Was Sam setting him up? He was a prankster, but not to this level, usually. Not when it was this important.Â
âWhy would you want to see me?â she asked, feeling that guard go up. Every time she got her hopes up about Matthew, he tore them down.
Thoughts raced through his mind. He could lie so easily, but where would that get him? It was time to just own up and blurt it out. Her reaction be damned. âBecause I really like you.â
She looked surprised. Way more surprised than heâd expected. âI thought you didnât remember.â
âHow could I forget?â he asked. âI thought you must hate me since I forgot your name and acted like such an ass that first day.â
Shaking her head, Jessie wondered how on earth they got into this situation. âI mean, I was disappointed, but then, you backed it up by never coming to the shop when I was working, I thought you must be trying to avoid me.â
âI was.â
One of her eyebrows shot up.
âNot like that,â he floundered. âLike, I couldnât stand to see you and remember how well we got on, and how much I like you, and how pretty you are when I knew I'd blown my chance and you hated me.â
She let out a laugh. âThat makes no sense. What did I ever do to make you think I hated you? I called you every time something was finished, or we needed a new measurement. I gave you the best fabric selections.â
Had that been because she liked him? âI donât know, it did in my brain. I guess I was so embarrassed I forgot your name when I like you so much, I was telling myself you must be angry with me.â
Jessie rolled her eyes. âYou know, Matthew, for someone so smart, you can be pretty dumb.âÂ
âYou think Iâm smart?â Heâd been called many things in his life, but smart was rarely one of them.Â
âYes. I think youâre very smart, except when it comes to romance, I guess.âÂ
He chuffed a laugh, grabbing the back of his neck. âI really fucked this one up, didnât I?âÂ
âI donât know,â she said, trying to be cool and hoping against hope that this last shot would land on target. If it didnât, she was kicking him out and scrubbing him from all her memories. âI think you might still have a chance.âÂ
His eyes snapped to hers. âYeah?âÂ
She nodded.Â
Heart pounding, but trying to keep that flirty, cool skin on, he walked around the counter to remove the barrier between them.Â
Knowing he still liked her brought all those feelings from the club rushing back. Sheâd never felt like that with anyone else. If only he knew how many times sheâd replayed that night. How many times she remembered how he felt and how no one had ever kissed her like that, or swept her off her feet so quickly.
âPlay your cards right,â she said, feeling breathless with the nearness of him. âAnd I think you might get another chance at bat.â
As he leaned in closer, her pupils dilated, and her eyes darted to his mouth. He licked his lips just to see her force her eyes back to his like last time. Her blush was even more adorable in the daylight.
âIf I swing, what are my odds of getting a home run?âÂ
She laughed. It didnât break the spell. It turned out that palpable chemistry was still between them, just waiting to be ignited. Their eye contact was hot and glued together.
âMaybe not today,â she said, âbut I think itâs a safe bet that youâll get on base.âÂ
Time moved in slow motion as he leaned in further, looking at her mouth, then her neck, then her cleavage, barely visible through the two undone buttons of her starched, white shirt, before snapping back to hers as she stopped him with a hand pressed tightly to his chest. Â
âWe canât do this here. There are cameras on the floor,â she said.Â
His head dropped forward in defeat. âI have to leave for Vegas in two hours,â he said, feeling more than a bit desperate. âI really donât want to wait until Iâm back.âÂ
âI donât want to either, but Iâm telling you, if Raul catches me making out with a client, Iâm going to be out on my ass.âÂ
âSo what do we do?â
She thought for a moment before an idea struck her. âFollow me.âÂ
She made a big show of walking into the back, digging his new lilac suit out of the garment bag and hanging it in the private dressing room. âYou go in there. When I come back and ask you how itâs fitting, you need to tell me something needs to be adjusted and invite me in, okay?âÂ
âRight. Yeah, okay.âÂ
She put out the sign that said she would return soon and locked the front door. It wasnât that unusual to lock up when they were helping a high profile client, anyway. Plus, Wednesdays were always the slowest day of the week, hence why she was allowed to man the shop alone. She just hoped Raul wouldnât have any reason to review the tapes.Â
Her whole chest felt like it was full of helium as she walked back to him. Were they really about to do this?Â
âEverything going okay in there?â she asked.Â
âSomethingâs wrong with this suit jacket,â he said. âCan you come take a look?âÂ
Upon entering, she found Matthew with his shirt already off.
Sweet Jesus, she was not prepared for that. For his sculpted body, and his chest hair, that tapered into a thin trail running down the center of his abs before it dipped enticingly into the waistband of his pants.Â
âThatâs not fair,â she said.Â
âWhatâs not fair?â he reached for her and drew her to him, hands splaying over her waist.
âYouâre already half naked,â she said, eyes wandering down his chest again.Â
âYou could be too,â he teased, playfully pulling at the shirt tucked into her waistband. He didnât actually pull any of the fabric loose, which she appreciated. He was letting her set the pace.
âDamn, Jessie. Youâre the only woman I know who can make a pant suit look sexy.âÂ
She laughed, and pulled the whole shirt over her head, leaving her in a white camisole, a black lace bra peeking out from underneath it.Â
âDo you always wear black lingerie to work?â he asked, voice gone husky as he ran a finger under one of the straps.Â
âOnly when I think you might come in.âÂ
His eyes snapped to hers, thrilled but questioning.Â
âSam told me he was going to try to get you to come by today.â
âSo this really is for me?â he felt dizzy with the prospect.
âNo. Itâs for me. I put it on this morning, thinking that at the very least if you came in and you were an ass again, you wouldnât get the satisfaction of seeing how hot I look in my bra,â she said, before stripping off the camisole so he could see exactly how hot she looked in her bra.Â
Seeing her, in black suit pants, a gold belt buckle flashing at her waist, and her sheer, floral lace bra that plunged between her breasts, the breath was sucked out of his lungs.Â
His ongoing ache for her intensified, pressing insistently against the confines of his jeans.Â
He stepped toward her when she once again stopped his progress with a hand to the chest. âI really like you, Matthew,â she said, swooning a little at the happiness that lit up his face, âbut I was serious. I don't want to have sex.âÂ
âCan you define that a little more?âÂ
âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âLike you don't want oral sex, orâŠâÂ
She wouldn't have guessed oral sex would even be on the table. She practically had to beg past boyfriends for it.Â
âI mean I don't want to have penetrative sex. The first time with someone new is hard enough. I don't want to make it more complicated by taking a bed out of the equation.âÂ
âI get that. Plus, it'll give me something to look forward to when I get back,â he said with a grin and a cheeky wink.Â
God, maybe they really were made for each other.Â
As his left hand slipped to the back of her neck, the other spread over her rib cage, thumb brushing against the soft lace that cupped her breast.Â
She sucked in a breath, letting her hand ghost up his torso over the ridges and valleys, until her fingers hooked over his shoulder. The other slid around to his back.
It felt like it had been a million years since theyâd last done this. Not the touching, not the skin to skin, which felt likeâŠit felt like heaven, but the longing.Â
Jessie was looking at him with that same hope and lust in her eyes. It made his stomach twist with that same wanting to fulfill them both.Â
It was so long coming, he wanted to savor every movement, every breath, every glance. Her eyes were so green. Somehow even more green up close.Â
Finally, when their lips met, she sighed, melting against him.Â
This was all together more intense and less hurried than their first kiss had been. It was a slow burn, a thorough seduction, a fulfillment of everything Matthew had been dreaming of that night they lost each other.Â
When he pulled away, their heavy breaths crashed together.Â
Fingertips sliding up her back, he tried to memorize the feel of her. Her skin was so soft.Â
Jessie was growing impatient. Any other moment, she would love this slow seduction. Most of the time she felt like men moved too fast. Today though, she had so much sexual frustration built up for him that the weight of desire was already heavy between her legs.Â
Taking matters into her own hands, she leaned in and trailed her mouth along his jaw before nipping the soft spot behind it, just under his ear. He shuddered when she soothed it with her tongue.Â
âIâve been dreaming of this for so long,â she confessed, barely above a whisper.
That snapped him into action. Taking her waist, he pulled her flush to him, and crushed his mouth to hers.Â
There was the passion sheâd been looking for.Â
As they surged together, she felt so restless and turned on, she tried to hook a knee over his hip in an attempt to slot him between her legs.Â
Groaning against her, his hand slid over her rear and down her leg to keep it elevated and wrapped around him.Â
Kissing her was so much better than he remembered. How was that possible? She was so good in his dreams. In reality, she was living - flesh and bone and wanting - and he couldnât get enough.Â
Moving to her neck, he sucked her pulse point. He felt her tremble against him, but her hand still came up to pull him back to her mouth. âNothing visible, okay? I have to go back to work.âÂ
He nodded and caught her lips. It might be too late for that one, but he wouldnât do it again.Â
Her desire was a wildfire, consuming every part of her. It wanted to consume him, too.Â
When she tucked two of her fingers behind the button of his jeans, a moan fell into her mouth.Â
âOkay?â
âYeah.âÂ
She tore the zipper down, and palmed him through his boxers. His hips jumped into her hand as a moan ripped from his throat.
His fingers fumbled to her belt buckle and paused.Â
âPlease,â she whimpered.Â
He was clumsy with desperation and the distraction of her kissing and biting his neck, but he finally got it open and her pants undone.Â
The weight of the buckle sunk the waistband to the floor with a heavy clink, and Jessie stepped out of it, kicking off her shoes at the same time. Sinking her hand into his pants, she shoved them down his muscular legs.Â
He nearly fell over in his attempt to get out of his shoes so he could free himself from the shackle of the fabric around his ankles.Â
Jessie giggled, and moved with him as he stepped away. He finally got his first look at her in her underwear. Made of some fabric he couldnât name, they were also black and cut high on her hip. He could see it was a thong in the mirrored wall behind her.Â
His jaw grew heavy with longing, but managed to make his mouth work enough to tell her, âyouâre so beautiful, Jessie.â
âThank you. I think youâre really handsome.â she said, running a hand down his chest. And he was - he could be a living specimen in the greek sculpture exhibit in the Louvre with his curly hair and sculpted body.Â
Sliding his hands over her hips, he pulled her to him once more. He hesitated for a moment, and Jessie took charge, too impatient to wait. âMatthew?âÂ
âHmm?âÂ
âI really appreciate you getting my consent, I really, really do, but you can just move forward. Iâll tell you if I donât like something.âÂ
âOkay.âÂ
She captured his mouth again and the fire roared to life between them, stoked hotter by so much skin touching skin.Â
Sneaking his fingers into the waistband of her panties, he pushed them down, trusting that she would stop him if she wanted to.
She didnât want him to.Â
His fingers traced back up her leg and when he stroked her, she broke from the kiss to let her head lull forward onto his shoulder. Her panting breaths were the stuff of his dreams. She was already so wet, and he wanted nothing more than to bring her pleasure.Â
âOh,â she moaned when he explored more, running a couple of rough fingers from her entrance to her throbbing bundle of nerves. She rocked into his hand, and he took the hint, caressing her over and over again until she was trembling and moaning.Â
âMatthew,â her voice was wrecked: desperate and thick with longing.Â
âWhat do you need?âÂ
âYour fingers,â she begged, âinside me.âÂ
He obeyed, following the rhythm she set. Pressing the pad of his thumb to her clit, a wicked, self satisfied smile took over his face as her head tipped back, and her breath hitched.Â
âOh,â she moaned, âjust like that.â Her hands slid to his arms, clinging to his biceps.Â
He rutted against her thigh in an attempt to pacify some of his own lust.Â
Body shaking, she cried out.Â
Matthew continued to stroke and leaned in, kissing her right through her orgasm. He wanted to eat her pleasure for breakfast - sustain himself with it on long, lonely nights. He knew he would dream of her voice and all her little sounds through the whole ten days away, anxious to come back to the very actual reality of her. He kept having to remind himself this wasnât a dream.
Feeling her core pulse around him again and again, the release was so long coming, it seemed to go on forever.
As her breathing finally slowed, he eased his fingers from her.Â
âOh my god,â she said, still clutching him to stay upright. âIâm so pissed we had to wait nine months for this.âÂ
Laughter barked out of his mouth.
When she could make her hands work, Jessie pulled his hard, hot length from his boxers, and stroked a few times.Â
His mouth fell open, and he panted, âitâs bullshit, right?â
âSuch bullshit,â she agreed, devouring the pleasure that washed over his face.
âWait,â he said, grasping her wrist. âI want this to last.âÂ
âYou already got me off,â she said. âWhat do you need to wait for?âÂ
âI'm not going until you've come at least twice. What's the point of women being able to have multiple orgasms if I can't give them to you?â
That was some flawed logic, but she allowed him to pull her hand away. She wasnât going to say no.
âCan I taste you?âÂ
âIf you want,â she said hesitantly, as if he might be pulling some kind of prank. She'd never had a man offer to go down on her first.
âI do want,â he said, guiding her to lean against the mirrored wall and sinking to his knees. âI've been wondering how you taste since we met.â
Maybe that oral fixation all the girls talked about online was actually true.
âCan you put your leg up here?â he asked, sliding a gentle hand to the back of her knee, and lifting so the joint bent around his palm. He guided her foot to the stool.Â
When he looked up at her, his blue eyes shining with excitement, she retraced their steps to get there. Not even ten minutes before would she have expected to end up with Matthew Tkachuk eating her out in the back dressing room.Â
âThat feels okay?â he confirmed, palm stroking back up her thigh.
God, he was even making sure she was comfortable. Her whole body fluttered in anticipation. âYeah,â she breathed.Â
Every other time a man had given her oral, they were fast and sloppy, obviously trying to get it over with as soon as possible. With Matthew, he seemed to be dragging it out for his own pleasure, tasting and teasing like he just couldnât get enough. He was driving her crazy - winding her tighter and tighter.Â
âMatthew,â she moaned. It was better than any of his dreams. Better than any fantasy. âMore. Please. More.âÂ
She felt his lips briefly curve into a smile against her before he really got to work. Licking with the whole flat of his tongue, then flicking with the tip, he was suddenly everywhere.Â
Her hand scrambled for purchase on the wall behind her. Met only with the slick mirror, her fingers fumbled into his hair, searching for anything to hold on to.Â
He groaned into her, almost as if in pain.
âO-okay?â she asked, voice shaking as she attempted to loosen her grip.
When she felt his response but couldn't hear it, it took all her willpower to push him away. She was not going to hurt him, especially when he had been so insistent on her consent. She could feel his hard breathing rushing over her and it set her skin to trembling.Â
âOkay?â she asked again.Â
âGood,â he assured, eyes flicking up to meet hers. âI'll let you know if you pull too hard,â he said with a wink before diving back in.Â
Her head thunked back against the mirror. He really was made for her, that was the only explanation.Â
 God, she was perfect. She tasted like paradise, like water in the desert, like his favorite meal after a long period of fasting. She satiated his every craving.Â
âMatthew,â she moaned. âOh my god, Matthew.â
His competitive drive growled into a higher gear, demanding to please her until she whimpered and begged. He licked and sucked and spelled his own name with his tongue, gauging where she liked to be touched most.Â
Pleasure began to tingle low in her pelvis. It loosened her hips and turned her legs to putty. She'd never had a man take this much interest, let alone put so much effort into her pleasure. She moaned something unintelligible, even to her own ears.
He slipped a finger into her, and she cried out. Her hand tightened in his hair when he added another.Â
A whimper on every exhale, she panted, trying to keep some semblance of control. It shattered when he gently kneaded her g spot.Â
Pleasure thundered low in her belly, and she was forced over the cliff, glad to know Matthew would be there to catch her fall. Her vision turned hazy as she crashed. Time and space exploded into nothing more than shadowy constructs. She heard herself shout as if listening from another room.
When she came back to herself, Matthew was still languidly tasting her folds, one of his forearms braced over her hips to keep her upright.Â
Pushing him away from her core, she tried to catch her breath.Â
As he sat back, he wiped his face with his free hand. The satisfaction of pleasing her rumbled contentedly in his chest.Â
âDonât take this the wrong way, but I think I fucking love you.âÂ
He laughed, a look of delighted surprise on his face.
The reality of what she'd just said hit her and Jessie covered her face with her hands, âoh my god. I can't believe I just said that out loud.â
âThat might be the nicest thing anyoneâs ever said to me during sex.âÂ
Relief sunk into her bones. Soul mates. They had to be soul mates.Â
A few moments later, she finally found her feet and pushed away from the mirror.
âAlright,â she said, reaching for him and wrapping her fingers around his erection. He stumbled toward her, anxious to feel more.Â
She smoothed the precome leaking from the tip onto the shaft with her thumb. âI think it's my turn to taste now.âÂ
Matthew wasn't entirely sure what he'd expected her to do, but lowering to her knees in front of him right away hadn't been at the top of the list. He expected her to jerk him off for a minute, maybe kiss and tease him a little. Not that he was complaining. If she was willing, he'd gladly accept.Â
âDo you like more suction or more mouth?â she asked before licking the underside of his shaft.Â
Oh God.
âI dont - I don't care.â He wasn't sure he was even going to last long enough for it to make a difference. He felt so close to the surface already.Â
âYou don't care?â she repeated, sitting back on her haunches to look up at him.Â
With her mouth off of him, he could explain his reasoning a little better.Â
âFrankly, I've been dreaming about this for so long, I could almost bust just from seeing you on your knees.âÂ
She was flattered and also a little relieved she wasn't the only one.Â
âOkay,â she said as she reached up to pump him a few times. âSomething we'll figure out later.â
The fact that she was thinking about the future, too, made him weak.Â
Her lips wrapped around his tip, tongue caressing, and he was right there.Â
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.Â
âJessie,â he moaned, âgod that feels good.â
Was it the best blow job ever? Objectively no, but it was Jessie, so it felt more important than any that came before it. He felt like he was fifteen again, getting his first head, amazed by everything and having no restraint.Â
âI'm - I'm gonna come,â he moaned, trying to pull back so as not to come in her mouth.Â
Jessie would rather have it in her mouth than all over her, so she gripped the backs of his thighs to keep him in place.Â
âOh, fuck.â How could she possibly be this perfect?Â
She sucked and caressed and he exploded with a long low groan.Â
She kept licking, albeit more gently, until he pulled back, sensitivity making it too much to bear.
âHoly shit,â he said. The room felt muggy and he felt content in a way he'd been longing for since they'd lost each other.Â
âYeah,â she agreed.Â
He helped her to her feet, and pulled her against him, wanting to feel her close.Â
A while later, her phone, which had fallen out of one of her pants pockets, buzzed and the time flashed.Â
âShit! I have to go,â he said, scrambling for his clothes. âI still have stuff to pack!âÂ
âWhenâs your flight?â
âIn an hour and a half, but I have to drive home and then to the airport.â
They rushed to get their clothes back on. He hated seeing her bra disappear under the camisole again.Â
As soon as he was dressed, he grabbed her jaw and kissed her. Her hands floated from tucking her shirt to cup his face.Â
He'd just had her, but the wanting roared back to life as soon as she touched him, as if his body was trying to remind him what was possible between them. Like he could ever forget.Â
âThis was so amazing. I promise I'll take you on a real date when I'm back, and I'll call you while Iâm gone,â he said. âI'm sorry I have to dash out of here.â
He kissed her again, hard and purposefully, before rushing out of the dressing room.Â
âWait!â she chased him onto the sales floor still tucking her shirt, âmy number. You need my number.âÂ
âOh my god,â he slapped a palm to his forehead. âI can't believe I almost left without it again!â
She giggled, âyou're not getting away from me this time.â
They exchanged numbers and Matthew raced home.Â
He rushed to pack the last of his things, grateful for the example his dad set, in always having a base bag packed the day before a road trip just in case something came up.Â
He was the last one on the plane, a first for him.
âChucky just got fucked!â someone yelled.Â
Matthew felt his cheeks get hot. His hair was probably wild from Jessie's hands, and he could feel the love bite on his neck, a sure sign it would soon be a full blown mark.Â
Reino met his eyes and raised a brow. Jessie? he mouthed.Â
Matthew nodded.Â
He wiped the back of his hand over his brow in mock relief.Â
âOh thank God,â Bennett exclaimed from across the aisle. âI thought I was going to have to lock you two in a room until you got together.â
Matthew laughed.Â
When he got settled, he sent Jessie a text. Just on the plane, but I'm missing you already. I'm back on the 14th, so pencil me in for that date.Â
I have you in for the weekend. We have a lot of time to make up for.Â
OMG! Where do I start? Let's start with Thank You! I was pissed when I saw the notice because I knew I couldn't read it right there and then because - life, and I wanted to take my time and enjoy. I'm so glad I waited to enjoy this! Mutual falling mixed with stupidity is such a favourite! And Matthew lends himself to that so well! I may have yelled when she didn't leave a note. And there was laughter as I remembered the suits - such an attention to detail! Bless the Panthers media team for all those pics! And I am never going to look at a dressing room the same way. đ„” I loved it! đ
It's your winter fic exchange writer again. I have a few more questions for you.
Do you have any OC names you really like? I was thinking Dessa or Blake or maybe Jessie? I'm happy to use whatever name you'd like, though.
And do you have any tropes you'd like me to avoid? Or any you'd like me to include? I know in your submission, you said you like happy endings, so I'm planning on that, but I wanted to see if there's anything else you'd like to see.
Hope you have a lovely day! đ
Hey!
I like Blake and Jessie for names.
Tropes - pretty much anything goes. Oblivious to lovers with mayhem and shenanigans is always fun. I am about happy endings. We all need happy endings to distract from real life.
Hope that helps. Have fun with it. I can't wait to see what you create! đ
Heya! I'm your writer for the 2k24 Winter Fic exchange! Wanted to know if you have any players you're REALLY into atm, and what your favorite thing about that person is?
I'm so excited to start writing!
Hello!
To be honest right now, I'm not sure who I'm really into. But you can never go wrong with Matthew Tkachuk because of his sheer force of will to get things done by whatever means it takes.
summary: morgan hasn't seen nick in years and her strongest memories of him are the crush he had on her in college. when he gets signed to columbus after years apart, morgan realises that maybe she should have given him a chance.
chapter word count: 3.8k
last < table of contents > next
Morgan sat up on her couch, her right foot resting on the coffee table with her knee wrapped in athletic tape. Sheâd done too much. It was exactly what her PT had told her she should be able to handle, but the pain and the swelling she could feel under the tape let her know that she was right to have been so cautious up to that point.
The tape would have to come off after she was done using it as a barrier for the ice pack sheâd pulled from the front of her freezer. She wasnât looking forward to that either.
To distract herself, she decided to make a phone call sheâd been putting off for a few days. Dialling the newly saved number caused a lump to form in her throat; she couldnât even guarantee sheâd been given the right number.
She had barely put the phone on her good knee and set it to speaker when it was answered.
âThis is Nick.â
It was the right number. That was something.
âThis is Morgan,â she said, hoping that she was the only one he knew. Or that her voice was the same over the phone. âYouâre a really hard guy to get a hold of.â
There was a laugh on the other end of the phone, and it was much happier than she had been expecting. She smiled to herself.
âWell, I didnât know you were trying to get hold of me.â
âI had to call half the cross-country team before someone could give me one of your boysâ numbers,â she revealed, all the phone calls sheâd made and messages sheâd sent running through her mind, âand I spoke to some idiot named Thom who gave me the fucking third degree about who I was and what I wanted before heâd even admit to knowing you.â
It had been an infuriating conversation, with Thom asking the same questions repeatedly after silences so long that Morgan was positive heâd put the phone down and walked away. She never wanted to speak to him again.
âIâm kinda glad Thom didnât just give it up for free,â Nick said thoughtfully. âYou coulda been anybody. A stalker.â
She snorted, âYeah? You got a lot of those?â
âThereâs this one girl who made a million phone calls just to get my numberâmy buddy had to text me to make sure it was okay to give it to her.â
That explained the silences from Thom.
She picked at the frayed edges of the athletic tape as she conceded, âOkay, maybe Thomâs not a total idiot.â
Nick laughed, countering that he had more than a few stories that would prove otherwise and when Morgan hummed, her own laugh bubbling, he launched into a tale that included a win, LIVE, and an embarrassment of a fake ID.
The mention of hockey reminded Morgan that there was a game on, and, while Nick was speaking, she turned on the television, making sure to mute it in case Nick was pretending it wasnât on. Itâs what she would do in his position.
âCanât believe you had to get to Thom,â Nick said at the end of his story, disbelief clear in his voice. âYou wouldnât have even been at school with him.â
Morgan hummed and ran through the list of people she had to message and call to get through to himâit took five people because the first two had deleted any hockey players numbers the second they graduated, the third was able to give her the number of person four who was a junior on the cross-country team, and finally she got Thomâs number.
âMust have been desperate to speak to me.â She could hear the smirk in his voice, the image clear in her mind even after she hadnât seen it in person for years. She rolled her eyes.
âYouâve been waiting for me to call, havenât you?â
âYeah, was going to give it another 24 hours before I sent a text to make sure you werenât dead.â
âThom gave you my number?â Morgan asked, scandalised by the idea.
âCourse he did.â
âNothing was ever a secret between you boys so I donât know why Iâm surprised,â she said slowly, a little distracted by a loose thread of tape, that she tracked it as it unravelled across the length.
Nickâs laugh drew her right back into the conversation. âYou call me just to talk about me and the boys?â
âI heard you broke your ankle and wanted to like⊠offer my assistance or whatever,â Morgan said, hoping she sounded as nonchalant as she aimed for.
A brief moment of silence was followed by the confused question: âWhy would you do that?â
âBecause being injured fucking sucks?â Her knee twinged in empathy. âYouâre in a new city without a real good support system; I just thought Iâd offer.â
âMy mom came down.â
Morgan froze, her chest tightening, because she knew a rejection when she heard one. She hadnât realised how much she was looking forward to itâto seeing Nick, to helping himâuntil the opportunity was taken away from her.
âThatâs nice of her,â Morgan said, knowing that she sounded frosty even if she desperately tried to fight it. âIf you want to hang out with somebody who isnât your mom, you have my number. Iâll let you go. It was nice to talk to you, Nick.â
She was inches from ending the call when Nick said, frantic and loud, âWaitâMorganââ
âYeah?â
âThanks for calling. Itâs been four days, and it does fucking suck,â he admitted, quieter than he had been the entire rest of the phone call.
Morgan stared down at the melting ice pack on her knee. She said, quietly, âCall me if you need me, okay? Promise Iâll answer.â
Nick did call.
Morgan was so surprised, having fully expected him to just forget he had her number at all, that she answered her phone at her desk for the first time ever. In a hushed voice, speaking into the microphone of her headphones while staring at her screen and typing half-hearted emails to save as drafts for later editing to throw off the scent. He hadnât questioned her simple responses or her hushed voice when he asked if she wanted to keep him company on Saturday, but he had sounded extremely pleased when she said she would.
When Nick sent her his address, she couldnât help but laugh at how close he lived. Sheâd assumed he would live downtown, being young and without a familyâa fifteen-minute walk had been even closer than she expected and also meant she could get away with minimal knee strapping and not the soft knee-brace sheâd been thinking about.
Her entire body was taken over by a nervous buzzing as she knocked on the doorâthey were the same nerves she got on a first date which didnât make much sense to her at all. The knock was a warning, only, as heâd told her the door would be unlocked because he wasnât allowed to move and his mom was heading out. Morgan had to deal with the weirdness of walking directly into a new house.
A nice house.
A very nice house.
She called out to him and followed his voice to the living room where he was set up on the couch, his leg lifted up onto the coffee table just as hers had been when she spoke to him a few days prior. The set up looked a lot more precarious than hers had, with many more pillows around his leg and his body.
âStop looking at me like that; I get enough of it from my mom.â
Morgan swiftly turned her pout into a smile, and her heart skipped a beat when Nick returned it. She had forgotten just how contagious his smile wasâsheâd always gotten caught up in the way his eyes crinkled behind his glasses.
She asked him if she could get him anything before she sat down, earning an immediate eyeroll and then, after a pause, he sheepishly asked if she could fill up his water bottle. She could still see him from the kitchen and followed his pointing to the cupboard with his glasses so she could get her own waterâit was only a little disappointing that she couldnât open every cabinet and snoop. She always wanted to know how different the lives of the rich were.
Morgan was careful when she sat down on the couch, careful to keep enough distance between them that she didnât accidentally jostle his legâhe seemed to brace for it anyway.
âWhyâd you reach out?â he asked, curiously. âYou were the last person I expected a call from.â
She sighed, âWhen you got to Columbus at the end of the season, I was about six weeks out from ACL surgery and should have been at least able to walk without a knee brace but I wasnât. So, I guess I kind of know what youâre going through.â
She pulled her good leg underneath her, shifting her body so that she was facing him, her cheek resting on the back of the couch.
âYou didnât want to put up with me while you were recovering?â
His question hurt, and the pull of his eyebrows hurt even more, adding to the pang in her chest that came with talking about her ACL out loud.
âI was way more worried about how big a bitch I was. Iâd rather not be friends at all than have you hate me.â
It was clear that the I could never hate you was on the tip of Nickâs tongueâshe didnât know him all that well, but she was positive heâd never had a thought that wasnât immediately clear on his faceâbut he didnât say it.
âHowâs your knee now? You should be pretty much normal?â he asked instead.
Her knee throbbed, but it was psychosomatic; it had been fine all morning because she hadnât tried to go for a run in a few days. She still rubbed it to remove some of the ache.
She laughed, hopeless, a little wet. âNo, but this isnât my pity party.â
âWe donât do pity parties around here,â Nick said, even if his expression was still clearly laced with pity.
Though they might not do pity parties in the Blankenburg household, they did an excellent job at lounging around with injuries. Nick had already decided they were ordering take out for lunch and offered Morgan free rein of the remote and his Disney+ account.
Morgan didnât know when she fell asleepâone minute she was seeing Bender and Fry on the television screen, and the next she was blinking her eyes open when she heard hushed voices speaking around her. She rushed to sit up straight, desperately trying to take in her surroundings and feeling her blood run cold when she realised that she was still in Nickâs apartment. It ran even colder when she heard Nick suck in a sharp breath and clutch at his thigh. A woman, who Morgan could only assume to be Nickâs mother, was standing at the edge of the couch, smiling at the two of them.
âHi Morgan, itâs nice to meet you.â
âUh, hi, Mrs BlanksâBlankenburg,â Morgan said, wishing she didnât sound so obviously like sheâd just woken up. She probably looked exactly the sameâif she hadnât imagined Nickâs hand in her hair then that probably looked disastrous.
âMrs. Blanks works surprisingly well,â Nickâs mom said kindly, âbut so does Karin.â
Morgan nodded, her cheeks burning, and she looked down at her hands that sheâd folded in her lap.
âWhat do you kids feel like for dinner?â
âOh, no,â she said, her head snapping up as she rose to feet. She ignored the ache caused by the awkward position sheâd been in paired with the sudden standing. âI should get going. I didnât mean to be here so late.â
âAre you leaving because you actually have to, dear, or because you think youâre being an imposition?â
Morgan turned back to Nick for help, for anything that would help get her out the door, only to be met with, âYou canât lie to my mom.â
âI was thinking we could have chicken casserole,â Karin said, politely ignoring Morganâs hysterics, âif that makes you want to stay.â
Not wanting to come across as any ruder than she already may have, and also desperate for a good home cooked meal, Morgan sat down for dinner with Nick and his mom. Karin stressed that they usually ate at the dining table and that they were only on the couches because of Nickâs ankle. Morgan didnât have the heart to tell Karin that she didnât even own a dining table.
She didnât want to stay too long after dinner, already feeling like sheâd long overstayed her welcome, so Morgan helped clean up before quietly announcing that she better be heading off.
âThank you for feeding me.â Morgan shuffled her feet as she stood near the door. âIt was really great.â
âYouâre more than welcome, dear. Iâm sorry Nick ate what could have been your leftovers.â
âIâm sure heâll make it up to me,â Morgan said, shooting Nick a smile. He smiled back from where he was twisted up on the couch so he could watch her leave.
She waved at him timidly.
When Morgan looked back at Karin, she was taken back by the open arms waiting for her. Karin didnât allow any time for thought or excuses before she was wrapping Morgan in a hug.
Warmth filled Morgan immediately. She screwed her eyes shut and hugged Karin back, trying not to squeeze too tight. An ache in Morganâs chest started to releaseâit didnât disappear entirely, though she hadnât even known it was there until it was starting to go.
Karin didnât seem to be bothered by the pressure or how long it took Morgan to pull away.
âYou come back any time, Morgan,â Karin said, pulling away only far enough to hold Morgan by her upper arms. âNick could use the company of someone who isnât his mother or someone on the team.â
Avoiding the invite to Thanksgiving Dinner had been a difficult task, even though Morgan hadnât been able to get to Nickâs house in the four days between her visit and Thanksgiving.
Multiple phone calls and half a dozen texts solely about Thanksgiving had been directed at her in the four days since she last saw him because sheâd been coy in telling him what her plans wereâit felt rude to reject the invite when all she was doing was eating left over stir-fry and continuing her binge watch of Ink Masters. It just felt ruder to crash the Thanksgiving of a guy sheâd just reconnected with and his mom.
Showing up at his house after work on the Friday was easily done, especially when Karin was ready with leftovers that Morgan devoured without hesitation. She got away with some sketchy explanations of her Thanksgiving plans and was grateful that Nick was ready to turn the conversation away from the questions.
Karin pottered around in the kitchen, warming the leftover apple pie and brewing hot chocolate to Nickâs protests that he couldnât get out of shape just because he was injured to which she responded, âitâs Thanksgiving, Nicholas. The calories donât count.â
There was hockey on the television, the Blue Jackets having tied it up against the Islanders. Nick was particularly excited about Kent Johnsonâs first multi-point night. Morgan wasnât unexcited by itâshe was a hockey fan at heart and, though she was loathe to admit it, had been dubbed a Blue Jackets fan at birth before theyâd even played their first gameâbut she was sure Nickâs friendship with Kent was responsible for how he was buzzing beside her on the couch.
Her own best friend from collegeâTaylahâhad moved back to Spokane after graduation, and Morgan had moved to Columbus. It would be nice to be able to watch her accomplish her goals, even if it was on a television screenâthe phone calls, Insta posts and Snapchats didnât always cut it.
âYou had an alright day yesterday?â Nick asked, seemingly out of nowhere, his voice quiet and his head lowered close to Morganâs so that his mother didnât hear.
âYeah,â she assured him, leaning in, too, until her head was resting on his shoulder.
For having seen him twice since she graduated two years prior, the comfort and safety he provided was surprising. Her head on his shoulder was no more incriminating than falling asleep with her head in his lap and his hand in her hair, so she relaxed down into the couch, even closer to Nick, and didnât so much as flinch when Karin returned with the cherry pie.
âAre you lying?â Nick asked gently.
âIâm a horrible liar,â she admitted.
Nick very quickly became the person Morgan spoke to most frequently. He had a lot of spare time and seemingly used it to text her a variety of memes, random updates or strange thoughts that had entered his headâshe was having to consciously put her phone away in her desk drawer just to be certain she was getting work done.
Calling him as she walked home from work hadnât even struck her as a weird thought until he was answering in a voice that was equal parts chipper and soft. Morgan could not be held responsible for the silent sigh that left her lips when she heard his voice.
âWhat can I do for you, Mo?â
âYour momâs still staying at yours, right?â
âYeah,â Nick said and Morgan knew there was a smile on his face, âsheâs not leaving any time soon.â
âCan you invite me for dinner?â
âTonight? Yeah, sure.â
Before she could tell him that it didnât have to be that nightâthat, while she was ready to ask for an invite, she did not want to be an impositionâshe heard shuffling, the tell-tale grunt that accompanied Nick pushing himself awkwardly off the couch. She tried to get his attention again but she didnât think he had the phone anywhere near his ear because all she heard from him was his muffled talking to Karin.
âAre you gonna come straight from work?â he asked, shocking Morgan who hadnât expected him to be talking to her again.
She glanced around her, working out exactly where she was, and nodded to herself. âUh, yeah, Iâm walking home now, so I can just detour to you.â
His excitement was contagious, and Morgan found herself smiling as she ended the call.
Nick was waiting at the door for her when she showed up, kneeling against the scooter heâd procured and leaning over the handlebar, scrolling through his phone. She questioned it, saying that she would still have come even if heâd been sitting on the couch since she calledâNick didnât have time to respond, because as they moved further into his house, Karin commented that he was getting increasingly more excited to have company that wasnât just her.
It wasnât like he was housebound, was Morganâs immediate thought, but a much stronger thought had been brewing on her walk, and she was desperate to get it out before she lost the nerve.
âMrs. Blanks, could you teach me how to cook a few things?â Morgan asked with her hands wringing nervously behind her back. âIâm not horrible or anything, but some different dishes would be really great, and Iâve liked everything youâve cooked.â
Karinâs smile was immediate, âThat sounds like a wonderful idea. Nick only has one apron, unfortunately.â
âI donât need an apron,â Morgan protested. âIâve never used one.â
âBut thatâs such a pretty dress youâre wearing, I couldnât forgive myself if something happened to it.â Karin paused for only a brief moment before saying, âNick, go get a shirt Morgan can wear as an apron.â
Without protest, Nick hobbled from the room on his crutches. Morgan stood in the kitchen and waited safely out of the splash zone, lest she get hit with anything and disappoint Karin by ruining her dress.
Her eye roll was immediate when Nick handed over a shirt with Columbus Blue Jackets emblazoned on the front. Even Karin sighed, âNick, really?â
Morgan pulled it over her head and then gathered her hair into a low ponytail with the scrunchie on her wrist while Nick was defending the shirt choice by saying it didnât matter if it was completely ruined because he could always get more.
He hobbled back to the chair theyâd moved closer to the kitchen for him, and Morgan waited until she had his attention to smile and thank him. When she could see him again, he was staring at her with his mouth slightly agape. She tilted her head, curious as to what he was doing, only for Karin to get her attention and hand her a knife.
They were cooking a beef stew that Karin kept saying was easyâit just had to sit in the casserole dish on the stove for a few hours. Morgan had twitched at that, hoping it wasnât noticeable; she didnât want to be rude when she was being taught and fed for free. It was just that it was nearly six, and theyâd only just started the preparation phase.
âThis is for you to take home, Morgan,â Karin said, reading Morganâs lack of subtlety. âWeâll do a cheatâs Bolognese sauce, and be eating before you know it.â
Morgan grimaced and accidentally made eye contact with Nick; she didnât know how to handle his curiously soft expression.
Going for a run was not in Morganâs kneeâs best interest. It was, however, much needed for her mental health, so she laced up her trainers, put on her headphones and hit the sidewalk in the park at an unmaintainable pace.
The cool morning air bit at her face, but she inhaled it deep into her lungs and felt tension roll off her shoulders instantly. Not even the twinging in her knee was going to stop her, and she powered through it for what felt like aeonsâthe ten-minute mile she managed was enough to stop her dead in the middle of the path. It had been a decade since a ten-minute mile was an unmaintainable pace.
She stepped off the path just in time to avoid a collision with a man who was running at a much more reasonable pace. The ache in her knee wasnât so much an ache as it was a sharp pain, a sure-fire sign that the run had been a mistake.
Crying in the park wasnât an option; biting into the inside of her cheek was the only way she could manage to get through the new pain as she tried to hide her limp on the way back home.
summary: morgan hasn't seen nick in years and her strongest memories of him are the crush he had on her in college. when he gets signed to columbus after years apart, morgan realises that maybe she should have given him a chance.
chapter word count: 700
n/a < table of contents > next
Living and working in Downtown Columbus hadnât been Morganâs goal as a kid growing up in Commercial Point, Ohio. She didnât think she ever had much of a goal besides âGet Out of Commercial Pointâ, so at least she could tick that off her list.
Deciding to go out for dinner was an unwise decision for her bank account but not for her mental well-being, so she detoured on the way home from workâso much later than she should have been finishingâto her favourite Italian restaurant.
It had been a long time since Morgan felt embarrassed about dining alone, and the restaurant had come to expect it of her. She sat at a private little table at the back of the restaurant, ordered crab linguini, put in her earphones and opened up TikTok. It was the same as any other time before.
Except for what happened when she was walking out of the restaurant, and a hand wrapped around her wrist as she passed a table. She flinched, pulling her arm back to herself as she spun around, taking out an earphone as did.
âMorgan. Hey,â the guy who grabbed her wrist said, looking at least a little apologetic for having caught her attention in the way he had.
Morgan nodded and greeted him as she had done for the two years theyâd run in similar circles: âFreshman.â
The guy he was with snorted out a laugh and earned himself a glare.
âI graduate in a couple weeks, you know,â âFreshmanâ retorted, amused but happy. âYou can probably call me something else by now. Blanks. Nick.â
The other guy at the table, who Morgan knew as Kent Johnson only because she was into hockey, excused himself, telling Morgan she could have the seat for a minute if she wantedâshe stayed standing even if it meant having to step closer to the table every so often so that somebody could pass.
âSo,â she said slowly to Nick, âdid you follow me or the sick looking kid to Columbus?â
He looked back towards where Kent had disappeared to and laughed, before saying, âNeither. I got scouted.â
She crossed her arms over her chest, lowered her head and her voice so she could say, âSorry it was to the shithole that is Ohio.â
âItâs not that bad,â he said, an all too familiar quirk at the corner of his mouth.
Morgan straightened up, uncrossed her arms and shrugged, âI suppose it might be okay if you live in the rich parts.â
Nickâs brow pulled together in confusion, and he played with his hands on top of the table before gesturing vaguely out the door to say, âIâm staying in a hotel near the arena.â
She wasnât all that surprised. Heâd be in Columbus for about two minutes before the season ended.
Kent re-joined them, his eyes flickering between the two of them as if he hadnât expected Morgan to still be standing at the table.
âIt was good to see you again, Freshman,â Morgan said to Nick before speaking to Kent, âand actual freshman. Maybe weâll run into each other again.â
She was halfway to putting her earphone back in her ear when she saw Nickâs mouth open, so she kept it out to wait for him to speak.
âDo you wantââ he cleared his throat. âWe can hang out?â
It was easy to wish he hadnât said anything at all. The hopeful look on his face made it difficult to even think about what she would say next. She just knew she had to say it.
âI donât think so.â When his hopeful expression immediately disappeared, she tacked on, âSorry. Itâs not personal. I justâI canâtâItâs not a good time to let new people into my life.â
âIâm not new,â he argued, his laugh much sadder than sheâd been expecting.
âFreshâNickânot right now.â
He nodded silently. Morgan nearly changed her mind right then and there but she held strong, putting her earphone back in her ear and finally getting out of the restaurant. On her way out, she tried not to kick out the stiffness in her knee until she was well out the door.
sign ups close November 24 at 11:59pm AEDT (what time is that for me?)
youâll receive your match no later than December 1
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NEW THIS YEAR:
there will be no multi-chaptered fics allowed. whatever you do with the fic after (i.e. if it becomes a series) is fine, but the fic posted for the exchange must be a standalone fic.
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this is a hockey imagine exchange, meant for reader inserts or OC fics (not player/player)
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Explanation
this functions like secret santa/kris kringle, where people sign up and are then provided a person they will be writing a fic for.
on the google form linked above, you will fill in a bunch of information including players and genres you like to read about and players you like to write aboutâi then do my absolute best to match these up with each other so that people are receiving what they want and writing within their comfort limits.
there are also spaces to tell me genres and players you want nothing to do with, so that i wonât pair you up with a person who exclusively writes things you arenât interested in.
after youâve received your match (the person youâll be writing for), you can then head into their inbox anonymously and really drill down into what your match would like to receive.
summary: five times matthew came home to you from a roadie
warnings: lots of fluff, pregnancy, babies
a/n: hey hi hello! iâve wanted to write for ratty for awhile and finally came up with this. hope yâall enjoy!
xoxo
nina
one.
You danced around your kitchen as you made dinner, your hips swinging to the music pouring from your speakers as you stirred the pasta on the stove. You loved cooking and you often found yourself getting lost singing to your favorite songs as you worked in the kitchen.
âAnd all the girls think that theyâd be your partner,â you sang into your wooden spoon, your hips moving as you belted the words. âTheyâd be your partner! Youâre so vain, you probably think this song is about you!â
A deep chuckle sounded behind you, making you drop your spoon as you spun around. Leaning against your entryway was your best friend Matthew Tkachuk, his sly grin plastered on his face as he smirked at you, âDonât let me interrupt, you know I love Carly Simon.â
âJesus you canât scare me like that,â you gasped as you put your hand to your chest, only causing Matthew to laugh harder. âHow did you even get in here? When did you get back?â
âYou gave me a spare key months ago,â you watched as Matthew grabbed a paper towel and crouched down to grab your dropped spoon, wiping up the mess of sauce it left behind. âGot in an hour ago, wanted to see my favorite girl.â
You could feel the blush creeping up your cheeks as Matthew smirked at you. Youâd been friends for a few years now and he never failed to pull that reaction out of you.
âI was just making dinner if you want to stay,â you offered, gesturing over your shoulder to the pasta and sauce you had going. âItâs pesto, your favorite.â
âGood thing I brought your favorite wine,â Matthew walked back to the entryway before reappearing with your favorite red wine and a bouquet of multicolored tulips. âAnd your favorite flowers.â
âMattyâŠ,â your eyes widened in shock as you looked at your best friend who simply grinned at you. âWhat in the world are you doing?â
âJust trying to show my favorite girl how much I appreciate her,â Matthew smiled as he stepped closer to you, setting the wine and flowers on the counter before skating his arms around your waist. âIâve been thinking about you all week. Couldnât get you off my mind.â
Your heart was racing as you met Matthewâs eyes, his grip on your waist pulling you closer to him, âAnd what were you thinking about?â
âHow youâre my best friend and how much I need you in my life,â Matthewâs voice dropped down to just above a whisper as he leaned his forehead against yours. âHow much I want to kiss you, to stop calling you my best friend and start calling you my girlfriend. How much I love youâŠ.â
As soon as the word leaves Matthewâs lips youâre closing the short distance between the two of you, your lips pressed together as your fingers tangled in the curls at the nape of his neck.
âOnly took you five years,â you grinned up at Matthew who in turn rolled his eyes before he leaned down to kiss you again. âAnd for the record⊠I love you too.â
two.
Youâd had quite possibly the longest day at work ever. Between your boss being an absolute dick and your clients being snarky and rude you were ready to curl up in bed with a bottle of wine and a trashy rom com. And that didnât even get into the traffic that had you coming home at an ungodly hour.
It didnât help anything that Matthew was on the road right now and wasnât due back until tomorrow. Your hands shook as you unlocked your apartment, the urge to call your best friend turned boyfriend so strong that you were shakily grabbing for your phone as you made your way inside.
Once you closed the door you leaned your head against the cool wood, heart hammering in your chest as you tried to hold back tears.
The attempt failed.
Your shoulders shook under the weight of your cries, your bag dropping to the floor as you cried to yourself in the doorway of your apartment. The weight of the day settled over you as your knees grew weak and you nearly dropped to the floor.
But you didnât drop, instead a pair of strong arms wrapped around you and you gasped slightly as Matthew pulled you to his chest.
âHey hey, itâs okay baby,â Matthew soothed as he held you close. âItâs alright, I got you.â
Your sobs continued as Matthew led you to the couch where he promptly sat down and held you close as you continued to cry. You sat in his embrace for a few minutes, letting him soothe you as you clung tightly to his shoulders.
âI thought you were supposed to be back tomorrow,â you sniffled as Matthew rubbed his hands across your back. âI thought-â
âIâm here now, thatâs all that matters,â Matthew mumbled as he pressed a kiss to your hair. âWhatâs wrong baby? What can I do to help you?â
You relaxed slightly as Matthew held you, his body pressed so close you couldnât help but take the comfort he was giving you.
âI just⊠It was a long day,â you sighed as you pressed impossibly closer. âIt sucked and all I wanted was you and now youâre here.â
âOf course Iâm here baby,â Matthew cooed as he pressed his lips to your temple. âIâll always be here for my favorite girl. No matter what.â
Matthew held you through the night, eventually pulling you toward your bed and dressing you in your pajamas. He held you the whole night and when you woke in the morning with him pressed against you, you couldnât remember why you were upset in the first place.
three.
It was late, but not late enough for you to have to explain why you werenât asleep yet. Matthew was due home any minute now, and you were more excited than you would ever been. Even though the Panthers had lost in the semi finals for the Stanley Cup, you couldnât hold back the grin that was threatening to split your face.
Matthew walked into your bedroom just shy of midnight. When he spotted you wearing his jersey and what looked to be little else his grin widened.
âSorry you guys got knocked out,â you whispered as Matthew toed off his shoes and made his way toward you.
âSâokay. I have some fun plans for the off season Iâve been eager to get to,â he grinned as he began to unbutton his shirt, your eyes going straight to his toned chest.
âLike what?â
Matthew smirked as he removed his shirt and moved toward the bed. He grabbed your left hand and pressed a kiss to the ring that adorned your finger, âLike making my favorite girl my wife in a few weeks.â
âTwenty one days, seventeen hours, and twelve minutes but whoâs counting,â you grinned as Matthew straddled your legs and pressed kisses to your cheeks. âMatty!â
âIâm sorry I only respond to âhubbyâ now,â you laughed loudly as Matthew buried his face in your neck, lightly nipping at the skin. âGod I love you baby.â
âI love you more, hubby.â
four.
It was nearly 3 AM but you couldnât sleep. The other side of the bed was cold and Matthew would be home soon from a roadie out to California. Normally you wouldnât stay up to wait for him, heâd usually slip into bed at some ungodly hour and wrap his body around yours. But he had taken a hard hit in his game against San Jose last night and you couldnât stop worrying about him.
You heard the front door creak open then close quietly, Matthewâs footsteps echoing softly in the living room before he started up the stairs. It wasnât long before he appeared in the doorway of your shared bedroom, heaving a sigh as he saw you were still up.
âIâm fine, baby,â Matthew tried to reassure you, but as you turned on the bedside lamp you let out a loud gasp. âIt looks worse than it is.â
âYou have a black eye and stitches, Matthew,â you threw the covers off, walking toward your husband. Once you stood in front of Matthew, his eyes avoiding yours, you cupped his face in your hands. âJesus MattyâŠâ
Matthew shrugged out of your hold, beginning to pull off his suit as you sat on the edge of the bed, âItâs fine, that fucker had it coming.â
âYou canât keep getting into stupid fights on the ice,â you warned as you crossed your arms under your breasts with a wince. Youâd never been concerned about his on ice antics before, but it was different now. âI need you to come home in one piece.â
âI always do, donât I,â Matthew scoffed but when he turned around he could see the tears shining in your eyes. âBaby it was one fight. Iâm a hockey player, itâs what I do.â
You nodded and sniffled, wiping at your cheeks, âI know but⊠I canât keep watching you put yourself on the line, I canât keep worrying every time youâre playing that something horrible is going to happen.â
Matthew stepped towards you, his boxers hanging low on his hips as his shirt and pants had been abandoned behind him, âHey, Iâm okay. Iâm not going anywhere okay? Whatâs really wrong, huh? Youâve never had a problem before.â
âIâm sorry I just-â
âDonât apologize,â Matthew shook his head and pressed a kiss to your forehead. âI love you, youâre the most important person in my life, my favorite girl. Iâm sorry I scared you.â
You nodded but sat in Matthewâs embrace for a few more minutes, letting his warm body soothe your anxiety.
âIâm gonna brush my teeth and Iâll be right back,â Matthew pressed another kiss to your forehead before tucking you into bed and heading for the bathroom. Your eyes had just closed when you heard him all but shriek. âBabe?â
Matthew reappeared in the doorway as you sat up, his eyes wide as he held up two plastic sticks. You grinned sheepishly as he looked from the tests to you, âI forgot they were in there. I was going to buy a tiny jersey and surprise you and-â
Before you could get another word out Matthew was across the room, pulling you into his arms as he peppered your face with kisses. You couldnât help the laugh that bubbled out of you as he held you close.
âFuck baby, Iâm never getting in another fight ever again,â Matthew murmured as he pressed his face to your hair. âIâm never leaving again, Iâll only play home games and when the baby comes Iâll retire and-â
âMatthew,â you giggled as you pressed your hand to your husbands cheek. âYouâre not retiring, youâre barely 30. And youâre not changing your schedule. Just be a little more careful, okay?â
With a nod Matthew settled into bed next to you, his hands instantly gravitating to your flat stomach. He sighed into your neck as he pulled you close, pressing a kiss to the warm skin, âI canât believe weâre having a baby.â
âMe neither,â you smiled as you cuddled into his hold.
âIâm screwed if itâs a girl, arenât I?â
âAbsolutely.â
five.
âRiley get down from there before you bust your head open,â you sighed as your three year old daughter grinned at you from her place on the kitchen counter. âIâm so serious right now! When your dad gets home heâs going to be so mad!â
âDaddy!â
âYes, daddy,â you crossed your arms over your swollen belly and fixed the toddler with a glare. âHeâs not going to like that youâre not listening to mommy.â
âDaddy! Daddy!â
You sighed as you rubbed a hand over your face in exasperation. Being nine months pregnant and dealing with your daughter while Matthew was on a roadie was not easy. Riley had a wild streak that made her hard to handle on good days, but she always seemed to act up more when Matthew wasnât around to help you.
âRiley Chantal I really hope youâre listening to your mama,â you whipped around and sighed in relief as you saw Matthew standing behind you. âGet off the counter.â
Riley scrambled off the counter as Matthew pulled you into a hug, your shoulders dropping as you let him hold you, âThank god youâre here.â
âMissed my favorite girl,â Matthew murmured into your hair as he held you close, one hand coming down to cradle your baby bump. âHowâs little man doing?â
âSheâs doing fine,â you grinned as you watched Riley run toward her father. She wrapped her arms around his legs and Matthew broke away from you to lift Riley up. âYou happy daddyâs home?â
Riley nodded as she looked up at Matthew, âMimi is coming over!â
âMimi Chantal?â Matthew questioned as Riley nodded her head. âWhyâs she coming?â
âCause mommyâs having a baby, duh,â Riley said the statement with an air of certainty as she looked at you. âRight mama?â
Matthew looked at you in confusion but you simply smiled as youâd settled a hand onto your belly, âMy water broke half an hour ago.â
âAnd you didnât call?!â
âI checked your location and made sure you were headed home,â you stepped around Matthew and gestured to the hospital bags by the door. âI was ready, been ready for a few weeks now.â
âHoly fuck-â
âBad word daddy!â Riley shrieked as she slapped a hand over Matthewâs mouth.
âSorry baby girl,â Matthew sighed as he kissed Rileyâs cheek, watched as you leaned against the wall and closed your eyes. âBabe?â
âIâm fine,â you breathed out, eyes snapping open. âIâve been having contractions all day.â
âBabe!â
The front door burst open just then as Chantal walked in, Riley immediately wiggling out of Matthews arms to run to her grandma.
âMatthew Brendan I really hope youâre not yelling at the woman whoâs about to have your baby,â you chuckled at Chantalâs remark before another contraction hit you. You took a deep breath but struggled to hold back your groan as pain surged up your back.
Before you could say anything Matthew was at your side, rubbing your back and holding you close, âOkay letâs get going before you have this baby in the car.â
You straightened up and gave Riley a kiss before following Matthew out the door, accepting his help as you stepped up into the passenger seat of your SUV.
âLooks like I came home right on time,â Matthew grinned as he leaned across the console to kiss you.
This can be just a blurb request for this concept i have in mind, where the reader is like a volunteer in one of the isles' organizations and barzy getting this "love at first sight" or meet cute situation đ
(I know the gif below has Brock in it too but let's just focus on Barzy shall we?)
âI donât think Iâve ever heard this many grown men have such high pitched voices in my life.â Your co-worker, Hannah, murmurs under her voice as she plays with a strand of her baby pink hair.
You canât help but giggle, because itâs technically very true.
It had barely even been five minutes since multiple players from the New York Islanders had entered their locker room, and already, they were either sprawled out on the floor or sitting in their locker stalls, playing with the puppies and dogs brought specifically for the calendar shoot. Three of them had even asked for applications in the last minute or so, immediately looking to adopt.
Youâd been a vet nurse at the Bayport Animal Society for a little over a year now, and it was your first time tagging along on one of their many âPuppy with a Purposeâ events. This one in particular had been a huge buzz around the office for the past two months.
The Islandersâ organization wanted to do something different for their annual calendar and had decided to go with an âadopt donât shopâ campaign, and wanted to feature the dogs from Bayport Animal Society along with making a considerable donation to your job in exchange.
You nudged Hannah when one of your more rowdy puppies, Rocky, started chewing on the hem of one of the playersâ jeans. âLooks like Rockyâs still teething.â
Hannah snorts. âAt least heâs not pooping.â
A player sat a few feet away from you on the floor in front of one of the stalls, cuddling up with one of your favorite dogs, a Doberman named Brutus, who was fast asleep despite bouncing off the walls ten minutes earlier, resting his head in the playerâs lap as he rubbed his belly in soothing circles.
The look on the playerâs face as he stared down at Brutus said everything you needed to know - he was absolutely smitten, and one doggy snore away from signing the adoption papers. Youâd thought of adopting Brutus yourself, since he was such a loving boy, but you worked too much, and didnât want him to spend anymore time at the society than he already had.
Hoping to help your good boy seal the deal, you excused yourself from Hannahâs side and quietly approached the player, not wanting to wake Brutus.
âThatâs Brutus,â you say gently, âHeâs two, but heâs an absolute sweetheart. Heâs everyoneâs favorite at work, including mine, and he loves everyone he meets.â
âYeah,â the player says, âI can tell. Heâs been glued to my side since I came in, and I-â
The player looks up then, and when he does, you feel your heart skip a little.
HeâsâŠwell, heâs gorgeous is what he is. Like if Apollo suddenly came to life. His jawline is as sharp as marble, and his brown eyes are warm as he stares at you.
âI uhâŠâ he starts. âIâm Mat.â
You nod a little, offering your name in return. âIâm one of the vet nurses at Bayport.â
âNice to meet you,â he says, his eyes still focused on your face. His gaze unnerves you a little, unsure of what it is he sees, or what heâs thinking, so you offer a small smile, hoping to ease the sudden growing tension.
A tension that is cut quickly when one of the photographers for the shoot says âCan we clear the staff from Bayport so we can take a couple of quick photos?â
It snaps you both out of it, and you laugh nervously. âI um, Iâll leave you to it.â You say, before youâre backing away and returning to Hannahâs side.
When you approach her, sheâs got a perfectly arched brow aimed in your direction. âWho is he?â
âMat,â is all you can say. âHe uh, might take Brutus home.â
Hannah smirks at something she sees behind you, then glances at you with a teasing smile as she tosses her baby pink hair over her shoulder. âMy guess is thatâs not all he wants to take home.â
~
âWhoâs that bombshell?â
Matâs head snaps to his right where Hudson is, trying to wrangle a puppy chewing on the hem of his jeans. He follows Hudsonâs eyes to where youâre standing, and tries to tamp down the rage he feels when he realizes Hudsonâs staring at your ass.
His hand flies out before he can think and swats Hudson on the arm. Hudson winces, shooting a rueful look at Mat. âThe fuck was that for?â
âShe works for Bayport you fuckin' toad, youâre supposed to be professional.â
Hudson frowns at Mat. âThe one with the pink hair?â
PinkâŠhair?
Mat turns back to where you are, and to his surprise, he sees another woman beside you, with baby pink hair.
"Oh," Mat says, turning back to Hudson.
Hudson raises a brow. "Who did you think I was talking about?"
"No one," Mat shakes his head, looking back at Brutus. "My bad."
To be fair, he hadnât even noticed the pink haired woman. Heâd been way too busy staring at you. Hadnât stopped staring at you since he finally tore his eyes away from Brutus.
The pup had walked straight up to him the second he came into the room and Mat instantly knew he probably wouldnât be leaving today without adopting this dog, but he also couldnât figure out why heâd been so drawn to the pup in the first place.
That is, until you said Brutus had been your favorite, and then Mat had torn his eyes away, fulling intending on asking more about him, and then he saw you, and everything just...stopped.
He didn't know how he didn't notice you the second he walked into the locker room, didn't understand how a woman so beautiful, so perfect, hadn't stolen his attention immediately, but he'd been beating himself up for it every second since laying his eyes on you for the first time.
It had already been fifteen minutes since you introduced yourself since he and some of the others had been dragged away to take pictures, and in Mat's opinion, that had been fifteen minutes too long that you'd been away from him.
He glances down to where Brutus lays beside him, chewing on the tennis ball Mat fished out of his stall, and scratches between his ears gently. "Hey boy, if I promise to take you home, can you help me out?"
Brutus' ears perk up and his head tilts at Mat, like he understood every single word, tennis ball still gently clutched between his teeth.
"Wanna help me get a date with your pretty friend?" Mat asks, and Brutus tilts his head in the other direction. "Well I'll take that as a yes, c'mon buddy."
When Mat stands, he's slightly surprised but pleased when Brutus also gets up and trots along side him, following him as Mat crosses the locker room over to where you and the pink haired woman Hudson was eyeing earlier are sitting.
As he approaches, you look up at him from under your lashes before you head lifts to gaze at him fully, and his heart begins to hammer uncontrollably.
"Hi again," he starts, and is cut off from finishing his sentence when Brutus stops in front of you and lowers his head for pats.
You laugh a bit, smiling at Mat. "Hi there. Having fun with Brutus?"
Almost as if he knows he's being discussed, Brutus adorably curls up between you and Mat on the floor, resting his head on your shoes and his tail on Mat's shoes.
"I am actually," Mat admits. "Pretty sure he's coming home with me."
"Just Brutus?" The girl with the pink hair says, and Mat watches in amusement as your eyes blow wide and and you elbow her in her side. Pink hair doesn't miss a beat, sticking her hand out to Mat and saying "I'm Hannah, her best friend and favorite co-worker."
"Mat," he responds, taking Hannah's hand and shaking it once. "Nice to meet you. And no actually, not just Brutus."
This time he laughs out loud at the matching shocked expressions on your faces, and he scratches his head nervously, realizing he could be swinging for the fences here. "I just mean...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out so inappropriately."
"Don't apologize," Hannah says, nudging you in the side.
"I just meant, if you're not doing anything after this, I could use some help picking out some of Brutus' favorite things, since you know him a little better than I do."
"I mean..." You start, "Bayport gives you a basket of his things when you bring him home - ow!" You shoot a look at Hannah, who glances down at Brutus as though she didn't just elbow you in the ribs.
Mat smiles, taking it in stride. "Well in that case, how about dinner? I know a great place with a patio that allows dogs. It's pretty great, and I'm sure Brutus would love it, too."
There's a second where Mat can see you hesitate, and he mentally prepares himself for the impending heartbreak, can feel his heart start to pound in anticipation for a let down, but then you're smiling shyly, and nodding. "Yeah, I'd love that."
You'd love that.
Not like.
Love.
Mat's sure his smile stretches all the way across his face, and even Brutus perks up, looking up at you with something Mat is sure resembles happiness.
"Yeah? Okay, how about Thimble Island, tonight at six?"
"It's a date," you say, and the way you look at him when you say it has Mat certain of two things.
The first is that you were the reason Brutus came up to him, and the second?
He's pretty sure if this leads where he hopes it will, he'll give this dog anything in the world that he wants.
here we are! finally with the masterlist! all the thanks in the world to the 39 people who signed up for the exchange and the lovely D who came in as my saviour and wrote a pinch hitter fic without even being signed up
please read all the fics below, so much love and care was put into them and they all deserve your attention. a reblog if you can would also be incredible.
please respect all warnings at the beginning of fics. if a fic has been marked as smut or 18+ and you are younger than, do the right thing and do not read it.
keep your eye out for the winter fic exchange 2k24 sign up post. if you want me to let you know when it's happening you can click here.
the summer fic exchange 2k24 masterlist
Buffalo Sabres
Jeff Skinner
gotta trust how you feel inside by @laurenairay for @ nhl-stories
Tyson Jost
i should've fought harder by @butgilinsky for @ typical-simplelove
a Devon Levi fic was written by @waysicouldhave for @ jackhues but they have since deactivated.
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov
Every Summer Has a Story by @comphy-and-cozy for @teokka
HATE HATE HATE by @luvmmarner for @ comphy-and-cozy this is a multi-chaptered fic, so keep an eye on it!
How Long? by @lifeofpriya for @ luvmmarner
Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar
all's well that end's well to end up with you by @fallinallincurls for @ ya-pucking-nerd
i've found love (and all that goes with it) by @huttons for @ fallinallincurls
Mikko Rantanen
Do That by @selfindulgentpoorlywritten for @ kurlyteuvo
Nathan MacKinnon
It Starts With a Cookie by @luvsherleafs for @ princessphilly
Dallas Stars
Jake Oettinger
taking on the world together by @laurenairay for @ jarmorie
Los Angeles Kings
Pierre-Luc Dubois
as the seasons change by @gravestrain for @ bqstqnbruin
This is my entry for the Summer Fic Exchange organized by @wyattjohnston. She does a fabulous job organizing these exchanges that we all enjoy. I hope you enjoy this @princessphilly. Nate is always a favourite and this was kinda different for me. Thanks to @puckngrind for keeping me motivated and suggesting Nate fall first. Enjoy!
Cassie OâNeil knew when the Zadorov interview came out saying that Nathan MacKinnon was very much like Michael Jordan and could be a jerk to his teammates on ice and off, and that he was militant about food - it was going to cause some problems. And when the cute little social media girl had stopped posting the menu from the plane that always had cookies on it, it was taken as validation of the theory that he had banned sodas, sugar and normal food on the plane for his teammates.
And Nateâs attempt to get everyone to eat healthier so they played better was shot down the first time they went to Buffalo and he suggested there shouldnât be wings from the Anchor bar brought onboard for their short flight to Montreal. No matter how much the guys were willing to follow the leader, you do not mess with Erik getting the best wings in the world while in Buffalo. That would have been grounds for being pushed off the plane while over Lake Ontario.
It really came to a head, when after a rough game, with Cassie trying to get treatments done while they were in the air leaving no time for her to actually grab dinner, that Nate pushed his luck. As she grabbed a cookie and moved to head back to check on Bowen, Nate stepped in front of her and tried to take the cookie.
âAs a member of the training staff, you should be eating something better than a cookie,â Nate growled at her, going to grab the cookie. Everyone around them stopped.
âTouch the cookie Nate Dawg,â Cassie warned, âAnd you will find out how life on LTIR is when I break your hand after I punch you in the nose.â Â
There was a brief stare off, while they both held an edge of the cookie. When Nate didnât let go, her eyes narrowed.
âYou really should be nicer to the person who is about to have you on a med table and who hasnât had time nor has the time to eat a full dinner because you idiots keep jumping in front of pucks, tripping on your non-existent toe picks, and slamming into huge dudes just as miserable as you are compacting bones in unnatural ways. If I want a chocolate chip cookie, I will have a damn chocolate chip cookie,â she ended on a bellow.
By this time, Cale and Gabe had moved beside Cassie and Nate, Cale slowly moving towards Cassie while Gabe moved towards Nate.
âJust let go of the cookie, Nate,â Gabe said soothingly. âPlease donât mess with the physical therapist who can hurt you in many torturous ways all while assuring you it has to hurt before it gets better.â Gabe slowly raised his hand towards Nateâs, hoping the dumbass would just let go of the cookie before he had to make him let go.
âCassie, heâs going to let go of the cookie. Or I can get you a new cookie,â Cale tried to calm her down. She side eyed Cale and saw Devon hand him another cookie, which he held out to her. Her eyes flicked back to Nate, before she took the offered cookie from Cale, while snapping the one Nate held in two.
And when Nateâs jaw dropped at what sheâd done, she shoved the partial cookie in his mouth, closing her hand over it, before saying, âEat the damn cookie. Lifeâs too short to not eat the damn cookie!â Before pushing past him towards the back of the plane. Â
There was stunned silence for ten seconds, before Erik drawled, âHowâs the cookie?â to Nate, causing everyone to start laughing. Â
âSheâs a menace,â Nate said around the mouthful of cookie, before he actually chewed and swallowed.Â
âYou only think that because everyone else lets you get away with being a dick,â Gabe retorted. âAnd you may finally have met your match.â
********
For weeks after the cookie incident, Nate and Cassie kept their distance. She would tend to let one of the other trainers look after him unless she had no other choice. While Nate realized heâd been an ass about the cookie, not realizing how busy she had been with no chance of actually grabbing dinner, he also thought avoiding Cassie was the best plan. While Cogs and Gabe tried to convince him to apologize, Nate thought dropping the subject would be a better idea. And if he made sure that there were quick healthy snacks and fruit always there for the training staff, that was something no one needed to know. Â
On what should have been just another regular Wednesday night in January where the Bruins were in town and you were hoping for two points - all hell broke out. Cassie was just making her way up the tunnel to the bench at the start of the game, when Taylor Hall train wrecked Nate clearing the Avs zone. Cassie watched Nate drop and then she saw all the blood and knew he was in trouble.Â
âJimmy, prep the room with towels, ice packs, saline and gauze,â she called to the training intern. She watched as the other staff trainer was on the ice with Nate, trying to assess what was happening while Gabe was barking at Hall beside her. She grabbed one of the ipads, to get the replay to see if she could get a better look at the hit. Â
âDammit,â she muttered, when she saw it was the stick that clipped him hard. âGet Doc down to the room please,â she asked over the headset. She glanced to see that they had Nate up and he was heading to the bench, bitching the whole way. She headed down to the room, making sure with a glance everything was ready while she pulled on gloves and waited. Â
âLetâs get him on the table,â she guided him in and onto the table. âJimmy, ice pack on the back of his neck,â she directed, moving to switch out the towel on his face, with a cool, wet one, wiping more blood away to get a better look, while having him hold gauze pads to his nose to catch the blood still pouring out.
âScale of one to ten, where are you pain wise?â she asked, gently prodding him along his cheeks.
âEight, fuck! That fucking hurt,â he bellowed when she got close to his nose. Â
âStop whining,â she tossed back at him, slathering cool gel around his eyes and cheeks to try and minimize the swelling in case Doc wanted scans.
âWhat do we have, Cassie?â Doc asked, coming up to Nate.
âBroken nose for sure. I think weâre gonna need scans because there might be a cheek fracture on the right side,â she detailed, moving to the side and sliding her hand over Nateâs as Doc checked him out. Nate groaned and squeezed her hand when Doc checked his nose.
âDefinitely need to see the damage to the septum,â Doc said quietly. âNate, weâre gonna get you changed and to the hospital for some scans. You might need surgery to fix this.â
âFuck,â Nate swore loudly, as Doc went to call the hospital prepping them for Nateâs arrival. Â
âHey, itâs fixable,â Cassie said quietly. âLetâs get you undressed, to the hospital and theyâll get you back on the ice in no time.â
Late that night, after another long game day, Cassie drove to the hospital to check on Nate. She winced when she saw the scans, seeing they were going to have to repair Nateâs septum so he could breathe normally. And Nate didnât know that Cassie had sat by his bedside after the surgery so that he wasnât alone until his Mom arrived. But when he woke up, there was a bakery bag with a note.
"I'm a quite yummy gluten free chocolate chip cookie. And life's too short to not eat the cookie."
His Mom didn't say anything about the smile on his face as he ate the cookie.
********************
For the next few weeks, there was a truce between Nate and Cassie. He missed some games and didn't get to play in the All Star game in Vegas after the surgery, but otherwise was healing normally. The team headed out on the road, and an otherwise normal night in frigid Minnesota, the truce ended in spectacular fashion.
Matt Dumba hit Mikko as he entered the Wild zone, Mikko bouncing back up and carrying on, when Nate challenged Dumba to a fight. Cassie watched in disbelief as Nate, fresh off the concussion and nose repair exchanged punches with the scrappy Dumba.
"What the fuck is he doing?" Cassie muttered, apparently loud enough for Coach Bednar to hear.
"Good question," he responded, watching the shenanigans with that not exactly happy coach face.
Cassie watched as Nate was escorted to the box, apparently none the worse for the fight. But post game, after being reamed out by his coach, Nate sheepishly approached Cassie in the treatment room.
"Cass," he started. She glanced up and then her eyes went wide when all she saw was Nateâs bare chest, before realizing he was holding up his hand. "I think somethings wrong," he said.
She saw the swollen fingers, the bruises starting to come out on his hand and then the discoloration on his shoulder and shook her head in disbelief.
"You think something is wrong?" She muttered.  He nodded at her. "You THINK something is wrong?" Her volume raised, as Nate shut the door.
"What gave it away, Nate? When you decided just weeks after recovering from a concussion and nose surgery that it was a good idea to get in a fight? Was that it? Or is it the fact that right now it looks like you've dislocated your shoulder and maybe fractured your hand?" She turned and pushed him onto the chair.
He followed her directions while she moved his shoulder, feeling how the muscles and tendons moved. She tested the arm thoroughly and then moved to grab an ice pack to put on his hand.
âI need to go talk to Coach Bednar,â she told Nate, moving towards the door. She didnât realize heâd moved behind her until he reached over her to slam the door shut, his body pressed up behind her.
âCass, what are you going to tell him?â Nate asked nervously.
âYou have a sprained shoulder and until I get x-rays to confirm a possible hand fracture,â she responded. âAnd Iâm not signing off on you playing.â
âWhat the fuck,â Nate exclaimed. âCass, you canât do that.â
âItâs my job to do that,â she countered, spinning around and finding herself facing a semi-naked and irate Nate right in her face. âBack up, Nate,â she demanded. The tension could have been cut by a knife as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to back down.
âYou are so infuriating,â he bit out. Â
âTough shit,â she responded. âMy job is to protect youâŠ.â is as far as she got before Nateâs hand cupped the back of her head as he lips slammed into hers. Apparently her lips were all on board as her mind screamed not to kiss him back. Who knows what would have happened if there hadnât been a knock on the door and the handle started to twist. Nate jumped back, a look of shocked surprise on his face, while Cassie spun back to the door, to see Gabe poking his head in.
âEverything okay?â he asked, his head swinging between the two of them.
âYes,âstated Nate at the same time Cassie said âNoâ.
âI need to talk to Coach Bednar,â Cassie said, pushing past Gabe.
âCassie,â Nate called, but she didnât turn around. âWell, shit.â
âNate, whatâs going on?â Gabe asked him, noticing the bruising starting to appear on Nateâs arm.
âI fucked up,â he muttered. âThereâs something wrong with my shoulder and hand. Sheâs not going to let me play,â he paused. âAnd I may have kissed herâ
Gabe blinked several times trying to process that information. âOkay. Sheâs a little pissed at you getting in that fight,â Gabe agreed. âAs am I and the coaching staff,â he eyed him. âAnd you kissed her? You do nothing but complain what a hard-ass she is and you decided kissing her was the way to go?â Gabe hissed at him. âWhat were you thinking?â
âThat I needed to shut her up for a minute so I could get her to not bench me,â Nate sighed. âAnd that she looked so damn adorable when she was mad at me,â he looked up at Gabe. âI know, I know, not my finest moment.â
Before Gabe could respond, Coach Bednar is striding into the room, anger coming off him in waves.
âYou are going back to Denver for proper assessment and treatment,â he started. âAnd the only way you are going to be allowed back on the ice is if Cassie approves it. No discussion.â He walked out of the room, leaving a frustrated Nate staring after him.
âIâm sure this is going to be fascinating to watch,â Gabe laughed, walking out to tell the boys how much of an idiot Nate has been and to start the betting pool on when Cassie would kill him.
********
Cassie was giving Jimmy, her intern, all kinds of instructions which he was frantically noting on his IPad as she was pulling her bag off the bus the guys were taking to their charter flight to Calgary. She wasnât happy about having to fly back to Denver with Nate, but when the Coach and GM ask you to do something, you do it. They didnât know that she still hadnât processed the fact that Nate had kissed her or that she had no idea what that meant. Was it just a heat of the moment, he-man show of dominance? Or was there something else to it? Damned if she knew.
âJust call me if you have any questions,â she said to Jimmy when he looked a little panicked. âYouâre going to be great. You do this stuff all the time with me and I have no doubt you are going to rock this.â
âThanks, Cassie. Youâre a great teacher,â Jimmy said, then turned when one of the other trainers called for help, waving to Cassie before jogging over to help load equipment.
Cassie sighed, before turning to look for sure to be grumpy Nate. He was no doubt not happy being sent home and she was sure he was not going to be happy he had to get her to sign off on him playing again. She spotted him huddled with Gabe and Cogs in what looked like a heated conversation.  Â
"Come on, Princess," she called, walking up to them. "Say goodbye to the guys, we have a plane to catch."
âPrincess? Iâm a Princess?â Nate growled.
âWould you prefer Diva?â Cassie asked calmly. She waited for an answer, watching his mouth open and close, while there were snorts from the guys. âNate, Iâm tired and we have a plane to catch that isnât going to our next game but home because you had a moment and here we are.â She turned to the guys. âHave a good game guys, play smart and Iâll see you in a few days.â
Sliding the strap of her carryon bag over the handle of her suitcase, she started walking to the car that was waiting for them, knowing Nate could catch up to her in no time once he snapped out of his little pouty moment. And he did, the two of them continuing to head to the car that would get them to the main airport. After several minutes, Nate sighed and then turned his head towards her.
âIâm sorry, Cassie,â he said softly. Â
âFor what?â Cassie asked. âBeing the reason weâre heading home before everyone else? Or for being an idiot and getting into a fight after just having your nose repaired?â Nate blinked when he realized she had said nothing about the kiss. Interesting.
âAll of it,â he said. âAre you going to let me play?â
âNot until I know what all the tests say. We have x-rays first thing tomorrow morning. Doc set it up, so buckle up, Buttercup, weâre going to be spending a lot of time together over the next few days.â Â
*******
Cassie hadnât been kidding - they spent nearly the next twenty four hours either together or connected via text message. She had fallen asleep on the plane, and somehow so had Nate despite him being uncomfortable. He woke before her to find her snuggled into his side, using him as a pillow. He smiled softly, thinking maybe she didnât hate him as much as it seemed. He said nothing when she woke up and proceeded to check his shoulder. Then it was off to the hospital for x-rays - he was beginning to hate this building having spent so much time in it over the last month. Â
Nate came out of the treatment room and saw Cassie standing in front of the nurses station, reviewing the scans and x-rays, a small frown between her eyes. He watched as she flipped between them, stopping to zoom into one before moving to the next. He wasnât sure what to think when she sighed and stood looking into the distance. He gave her another minute before he walked over to her, standing behind her to get a peek at the x-rays.
âWell?â he asked quietly.
âYour hand isnât broken, but there is a chip in your middle finger. And you sprained your shoulder,â she answered. He nodded, waiting to hear her verdict. âI need to call Bednar,â she grabbed her phone. Nate clamped his hand over hers holding the phone.
âCassie, donât leave me hanging. Are you going to let me play?â Nateâs voice had a slight plea to it.
Cassie looked up at him, seeing his worry. She really could mess with him here - which he kinda deserved after being stupid enough to get in the fight, but something stopped her.
âIâm recommending a couple of days PT, and then we will reassess.â she nodded at the x-ray of the hand. âIâm a little worried about that chip and how you will be able to grip your stick. The main PT will be to keep your shoulder moving and loose while it heals.â She looked back up at him. âIâm not letting you on the ice for at least a week.â
âText me the PT schedule,â he said, before turning and heading to the exit. He knew there was no way he could argue with her because Bednar had given her all the power. And if he yelled in frustration when he got home, no one knew or heard.
*********
Cassie was on the treadmill at the Avs facility, trying to release some of the stress that had been mounting for weeks. Yes, she realized that the biggest source of her stress was a large, blond, ridiculously hot center and a situation that she didnât seem to have any control over. She wasnât sure what to think about that kiss that kept replaying over and over in her head. What did it mean? Why hadnât he said anything? And because he hadnât brought it up, she wasnât bringing it up either. She knew that wasnât the healthiest but so be it.
She was so deep in her head that she hadnât noticed that Nate had come in and was on the treadmill beside her. She barely registered the beeping telling her she was starting to cool down after having done five miles without actually realizing she had. It took hearing Gabeâs voice asking Nate a question to pop her back into reality. She quickly wiped down the equipment before heading to her office to prep for the day.  Today was the day for Nateâs reassessment and she was so ready for this period of anxiety to be over.
Coach Bednar was discussing Nateâs progress with Cassie when Nate walked into the treatment room. He stripped off his sweatshirt and jumped up on the table, waiting for Cassie. He was pretty confident that she was going to clear him. He had followed everything she had given him to do or not do - including no ice time or weight room. Other than the treadmill, he hadnât had much of an outlet for his frustration. The positive was that his cardio was incredible.
âOkay, letâs get started,â Cassie had snapped gloves on and walked over to Nate. She started with checking the range of motion in the shoulder - watching for any reaction from Nate and feeling the movements through her hands. After twenty minutes, she handed him a stick and told him to grip it, first bare handed and then with gloves on. Coach watched and when Cassie gave him a nod, he patted Nate on the shoulder and stated, âSee you on the ice,â before leaving the room.
âYouâre good to go,â Cassie advised when Nate didnât leave. He nodded, not sure whether he should say anything.
âCassie?â he said quietly, waiting for her to look up at him. She hadnât noticed him coming up behind her until she turned and he was right there in all his shirtless glory. How did he do that? Sneaky ninja skills. His eyes searched her face, as she waited for him to continue. Cassie realized she was going to miss Nate, miss having her hands on all that muscle, now that heâd been cleared to play. She wasnât sure what heâd seen, but as he made to take a step back, she hooked a foot behind his knee and pulled him forward, knocking him off balance, his hands slamming into the counter on either side of Cassie for balance. The surprise on his face was nothing to the shock that appeared when she said, âI think you should kiss me again.â
She reached to pull his mouth to hers, which shook Nate out of his surprise and his hands gripped her hips and lifted her onto the counter as his lips crashed into hers. It was all hunger and pent up longing in one glorious sweep of his tongue dancing with hers. A crash in the hall had them pulling apart, eyes locked.
âYou need to get ready for practice,â Cassie whispered.
âThis isnât over,â Nate answered, dipping his head to softly bring his lips to hers. âNot by a long shot. Have dinner with me tonight?â he asked, forehead meeting hers while he waited for her answer. She nodded, giving him a quick peck before pushing him back.
âGet out of here and get ready for practice Hot Shot,â she told him, turning to clean the table heâd been sitting on. âAnd donât block any pucks,â she called as he went through the door. She heard his laugh as he went to get changed for practice.
*******
Cassie and Nate kept their dating a secret for all of two weeks, when Cale of all people caught them. Poor guy, all he had wanted was to make sure there wasnât any damage from blocking a puck, when he opened the door, asking Cassie for help and then stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Nate sneaking a kiss. He backed out of the room, hitting Erik who then let everyone know that heâd called it and to pay up.
âThis is all your fault, Hot Shot,â Cassie shook her finger at Nate, who promptly sucked it into his mouth before she poked him. âWeâll keep it on the down low he said until weâre ready to tell them,â she mocked.
âYou werenât very covert,â Cogs said loudly. âI saw Nate sneaking into your room in Dallas.â
âAnd Maddie and I saw you holding hands leaving the restaurant last Saturday,â NAK confirmed.
âNot to mention he brought her a cookie before the game,â Bo added, causing Cassie to groan and bury her head in Nateâs chest. They were never going to live this down.
âFine,â Nate glared at them. âYou all told me what an amazing girl she was and I needed to stop fighting with her. I just took all of your advice.â
Gabe looked at Erik, and then back at Nate. âCassie, promise me you will still be on his ass all the time for his stupid shit.â Cassieâs eyes widened in surprise.
âHe may be a good kisser, Gabe, but Iâm gonna keep calling him out on his dumb shit,â Cassie answered him with a nod. Nate pinched her and she kicked him in the shin.Â
âHeaven help us,â Gabe snorted, turning back to getting changed. The others followed him, sly grins on their faces.
Cassie kept her word to Gabe. For the rest of the season and into the playoffs, she called Nate out whenever it was needed. When he blocked a puck and kept saying he was fine until she saw the bruising and he knew he was in for it when she very deliberately pressed her finger into the center of the bruise until he groaned. He made sure she remembered to eat while she took care of all the injuries. Heâd been there when she was exhausted after spending the night in the hospital when Naz had his surgery, Cassie insisting she needed to get to the rink and make sure everyone else was fine - taking her home and using his kissing skills to relax her enough to pass out.
On an incredible June night in Tampa, when the clock wound down and they won the Stanley Cup, Cassie had watched with tears in her eyes as Nate hoisted the Cup. Theyâd finally won something.
During a summer of never-ending Cup celebrations, Cassie was kept busy keeping track of everyoneâs rehab. The next season was the hardest season for her, with pretty much everyone getting injured, including not the best patient Nate, at least once. She considered wrapping Mikko in bubble wrap at one point as he was one of the few who hadnât missed time with something. Nate subtly made sure Cassie was taking care of herself during all of it, from making sure she ate to dragging her away from the rink for some relaxation.
The disappointment of getting knocked out in the first round was strong, but after the short summer and all the injuries, it was maybe a blessing. There was a lot of healing that needed to happen. And there was always next season.
And on a quiet night in July, just before Cassie and Nate were set to head to British Columbia and Tysonâs wedding, Cassie was sitting on the dock, enjoying the quiet. She laughed when Knox stuck his face in her lap with big eyes begging for some loving.
âYou are a very needy dog, just like your Daddy,â she was scratching his ears with a smile on her face, knowing Nate was behind her.
âHey, I am not that needy,â Nate argued, setting a tray on the table. âI brought you a snack,â he dropped a kiss to her forehead and waited. Â
Cassie glanced at the tray and did a doubletake. On a very pretty china plate was a huge chocolate chip cookie with a message - Marry Me. Her eyes flew to Nate, who was on one knee with a ring between his fingers.
âIt seemed fitting as it all started with a cookie,â he smiled. âAnd a very wise woman once told me that life is too short to not enjoy the cookies.â She rolled her eyes, before leaning forward and kissing him.
âYes, Iâll marry you,â she answered, Nate sliding the ring on her finger. âBut Iâm not sharing the cookie.â Nate started laughing, hauling her up and into his arms.
âWouldnât expect anything less.â he said before sealing the deal with a kiss.
A/N: this was written for the lovely @luvsherleafsâ for @wyattjohnstonââs 2023 summer fic exchange! i am so sorry for the wait on this one, i have been in and out of the doctor for the past month, but i am so so proud of how this one turned out. i can only hope it was worth the extra wait. đ«¶
summary: things between you and mat started off on the wrong foot, but he continues to take you by surprise in making it up to you. in more ways than one.
word count: 2.6k
inspired by tell me why by taylor swift.
warnings: mentions of drinking, allusions to sex, minors dni.
âWell you could write a book on how to ruin someoneâs perfect day. Well, I get so confused and frustrated, forget what Iâm tryinâ to say.â
When you first laid eyes on Mat Barzal, you couldnât lie, you found him attractive. Very attractive.
But then, almost comically so, he opened his mouth and that feeling had dissipated far too quickly for his sharp looks to have even mattered. Alas, you had found the entirely infamous and all-too-common dealbreaker, something most girls lovingly referred to as âthe ick.â
It all started when your best friend Maddy had volunteered the two of you to go on a double date with herself and her boyfriend Oliver. You didnât mind that she dragged you along to the bowling alley you had agreed to meet at, but that quickly changed once you met Oliverâs teammate.
Maybe it was the way the bowling shoes resembled those of which belonged to clowns that had you tripping over your own two feet. It didnât help that you were a natural born klutz.
âI see I have you falling head over heels already,â Mat smirked.
Maddy, sensing you would take that as a challenge, comes up with a response before you can even think of one, âPump the brakes, Barzy, letâs not act like you both have perfect dating track records here.â
âObviously,â you rolled your eyes, âor else we wouldnât be here.â
As soon as the words moved past your lips, he noticeably relaxed, âSo you donât want to be here either?â You hated how he immediately placed that feeling upon you. Even if you werenât necessarily looking for a romantic connection, it doesnât mean that you arenât a girl who deserves some effort.
Quickly brushing those feelings of self-consciousness off, you found a response to his question, âBelieve it or not, there are plenty of places I would rather be on a Saturday afternoon than a dimly lit bowling alley that smells like cat pee.â
You couldnât help but admire how he threw his head back in laughter at your comment. However, it only took a second before shaking yourself out of it, deciding you needed to find more reasons to justify liking him beyond his looks.
Then, you remembered how Maddy had referred to him just a minute earlier, and it definitely wasnât his first name. âAlsoâŠâ you trailed off for a second, trying to remember what it was, âBarzy?â you questioned, wanting to know what that whole nickname was about.
âMy last name is Barzal,â he shrugged, âItâs a hockey nickname.â
Of course it was.
The bowling alley âdateâ â if you willâ was awful. Definitely not something to write home to your mother about. He was a showoff⊠and you were the kind of person who needed bowling bumpers.
You couldnât stand how he had to be great at everything. Over the next few months, you would run into each other at various social events, and there would always be some sort of competition between the two of you. He never let you win once. He would beat you at pong, beat you in darts, even trivia night (you caught him googling answers at one point). It was beyond infuriating.
Tonight, it was Maddyâs birthday party, in your apartment, and a game of flip cup was initated by someone from the Islanders crew. Although it was a team game, it was certainly no coincidence that you and Mat were put in charge of opposing sides. It wasnât a secret to anyone in the room that you had a nasty losing streak against Mat, and try as they may, their effort to help you didnât change tonightâs outcome. You lost big time, but this time, it was Oliverâs fault.
âStill canât find it in ya to win, can ya?â Mat gloated, getting up close and personal. You could smell on his breath that he had more than just a couple drinks in his system.
You scoffed, âI didnât even get the chance to drink and flip the damn thing, if youâre gonna brag, go to your buddy Oliver over there,â you pointed over your shoulder at the guilty suspect.
âExcuses, excuses,â he smirked, continuing to poke the bear. He was well aware of the effect his winning streak had over you.
This time, however, you had absolutely had it with him, âWhatâs so wrong with letting me feel like Iâm good at something for once?â
He put his hands up in mock surrender, âChill, itâs just a game.â
You brought your hand up to your face, pinching your brow in an attempt to collect yourself, âOf course, you,â you gestured to him up and down, âa man, would say that. If itâs just a game, why cheat at bar trivia?â You knew you had struck a nerve, watching his eyes widen, now knowing that you had caught him using his phone that one night, âIt must be so âchillâ to make a girl feel small, to make her feel inadequate.â
He had the audacity to look confused at your statement, âWoah, I donât think that at all.â
âSo, you just think itâs funny to make me mad, see me waste energy on something that is just a game to you? Youâre right, thatâs hilarious. Congrats on your flipping victory, Mathew.â You brushed past him, storming off to your apartmentâs kitchen to get some peace and quiet⊠and a new drink.
As you leaned against the countertop, taking deep breaths to steady yourself, you knew that this was far from the end of your fiery exchanges. Something told you that the dynamic between you and Mat was just getting started, and you werenât entirely sure if you should embrace it or run the other way.
You didnât have too much time to dwell on it however, as you heard footsteps towards the entryway of your kitchen getting closer. You had no doubt in your mind that it was Mat. The grip you had on the counter suddenly tightened, your knuckles turning white, steeling yourself for the emotionally draining conversation that was to come.
Mat approached your turned back cautiously, his usually confident demeanor replaced with some semblance of vulnerability. âHeyâŠâ he trailed off as he sidled up to you, not wanting to startle or upset you more than you already were.
You turned to him and just nodded, wordlessly giving him the opportunity to say what he needed to say. âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to get under your skin like that. It was wrong of me to rub it in your face, especially when I cheated,â he sighed.
You hummed at the admission of his apology, not quite ready to forgive him unless you knew his motives, âWhy did you do it?â
âI had fun on our âdate,ââ he paused, using mock quotation marks and all, âbut, you seemed so guarded. Since then, Iâve just done everything I can to get a reaction out of you.â
âSo⊠you thought the best way to do that was by making me mad?â you pushed, still not understanding.
Mat ran a hand through his hair, looking rather sheepish, âI know. And obviously by the fact that I had to cheat in trivia, you should know Iâm not the smartest. I just didnât know how else to express that I was⊠interested.â
Your eyes widened in response, âInterested?â You struggled to wrap your head around the idea.
âWhen we first met, I thought that there was a spark. Iâve never met someone so fiery and passionate, yet cold and distant at the same time. I was kinda at a loss for what to do, and now I feel like I fucked it up.â Despite how hard you imagine that was for him to admit, his gaze never wavered from you once. You could tell he was being sincere.
You felt your heart practically skip a beat, âWell, you certainly have a funny way of showing your interest,â you retorted, slightly warming up to the idea of letting your guard down.
âI know, and Iâm sorry. Iâll do better next time.â
âNext time, huh?â you teased.
He laughed in response, âWell yeah, if you havenât noticed I donât take to the idea of losing very well, and Iâll be damned if I lose the chance to win you over, too.â
âIâll hold you to that,â you replied, gesturing for a cheers with your drink against his.
As the weeks passed since your conversation in the kitchen, you and Mat had grown closer in your friendship. You guys actually went out of your way to spend time with each other, occasionally engaging in friendly competition now and then of course, but sometimes, Mat would let you win. Now, it seemed like an entirely new competition had developed, one you lovingly dubbed âHow-long-will-Mat-hold-out-before-making-a-move.â You had workshopped the name a few times before settling on that one, a shorter name wouldnât have done enough to indicate your frustration. You doubted he knew this game was ongoing. Or how desperate you were to get laid.
Tonight, you were hoping to change your luck. You had joined the rest of the Islanders for a post-win celebration, and if Mat wasnât going to make a move, you would find someone on the dance floor who would. You knew that you were a catch, and it didnât take too long for you to start dancing with a guy you had just met.
As it turns out, Mat had fully intended on making a move tonight. However, he hadnât exactly planned for when that would be. It was only when he looked over in your direction that he realized he was running behind schedule. His eyes locked with yours, but instead of acting like a deer caught in the headlights, you smirked, inviting him to challenge your dancing partner in order to win your affection.
Keeping true to his word, he wanted you to know how much he detested losing, especially to a guy who looked like a Walmart version of Leonardo DiCaprio. He made his way to the dance floor, suddenly more determined than ever to win you over.
He doesnât even remember how he did it, but he managed to pry you off of the other guyâs body, mumbling something about cutting in and the most insincere apology. Turns out, fake-Leo was okay with losing out on the girl because it was âMat fuckinâ Barzal! Youâre the man, dude!â
âYouâre welcome,â you could feel him whisper in your ear.
âMhmm,â you sighed into him, your back pressing into his front.
Matâs arms tightened around you, and you could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath. The music continued to pulse around the two of you, but at this moment, you were in your own little world.
âYou know,â Mat broke your little trance with his voice, âIâve been wanting to do that for a while.â
You turned to face him, your face now just inches from his, âTook you long enough.â
âSorry, do you want me to get wannabe Leonardo DiCaprio turned Islanders superfan back over here?â
âAbsolutely not!â you barked out between laughter at his preposterous proposal.
âHmm, thatâs what I thought,â his lips brushed against your ear.
âCan you shut up? I hate when youâre right,â you whined in jest.
His voice remained in a playful whisper, âSure, as long as you shut up, too.â
âWhat is that supposed to meââ And before you could finish, his lips were on yours.
Time seemed to stand still as your lips met, a surge of electricity passing between you both. All the pent up frustration, tension, and chemistry had built up to this moment. Your fingers instinctively found their way to Matâs hair, pulling him closer as you responded to his kiss with equal fervor. He deepened the kiss, the two of you going at it until you finally had to separate for air.
Normally, you would have had the decency and self-respect to keep the PDA to a minimum. Normally, you would have suggested leaving the place to get more familiar with each other within the privacy of your own home. But when it came to Mat, you just couldnât find it in yourself to care about what was normal or not.
The unisex bathroom at the club did the job, and in the weeks that passed since, so did his bed, your bed, his countertop, your work office, and so on so forth. There was no room, and not a single surface within the realm of your friends-with-benefits situationship tat was off limits.
You know what else wasnât off limits? The uncontrollable banter that remained between the two of you. Mathew made sure to remind you, even in the middle of providing aftercare.
âGod, even when youâre in bed you still have to run your mouth,â you groaned, frozen in a starfish position in Matâs bed.
âYou love it though,â he retorted whilst handing you a towel, slipping that word into his response as though it meant nothing.
You just rolled your eyes in response. âWhat, all the sudden a cat got your tongue? I have to say Iâm disappointed, you almost always have something to say,â he pressed on with a disapproving click of his tongue.
You narrowed your eyes, âMathew, you could hand me a thesaurus right now and it wouldnât be able to list enough words to accurately describe how much I loathe your presence.â Hate seemed like too strong of a word now.
He dramatically scoffed before coming up with a rebuttal. âThat makes sense, why the fuck would a dinosaur be able to tell you how much you dislike me?â he countered with way too much confidence.
You nearly doubled over at his response. âIâm sorry,â you uttered out in between laughs, âdid you just say a dinosaur?â
âUh yeahâŠâ he trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself. âIsnât that what a thesaurus is?â
âA thesaurus is the book that has all of the synonyms and antonyms of a word so you arenât stuck using the same words over and over,â you explained.
He rolled his eyes, clearly not interested in whatever explanation you just gave. âWhatever, all Iâm getting from this conversation is that you donât hate me.â
You raised your eyebrows in shock, he was surprisingly way more attentive than you gave him credit for. However, you quickly recovered, âYouâre right. I donât hate you, Mathew,â your grin growing more mischievous by the second, âevery conversation we have gives me the confidence that thereâs someone out there in this world that is dumber than me.â
âFuck you!â he laughed. There was no point in arguing it when he knew it was true.
âAt least ask me on a date first,â you retorted, despite knowing it was too late for that already.
You expected him to cringe at the thought of going on a date with you. Instead, his smile grew wider and wider, âYou free Friday?â
âYou canât be serious,â you deadpanned. You hated that you couldnât tell him that you in fact were very busy on Friday with some exciting plan to celebrate the beginning of the weekend. What you hated even more though, was that you were more than tempted to take him up on his offer.
âIâll take that as a yes.â he smirked, âDinner at Casa di Giorgioâs on 52nd. Iâll pick you up at 7 pm sharp.â
Mat continued to take you by surprise. This time, your date far usurped the happenings of the first time the two of you had met. Not only were you free that Friday, but so long as he asked, you made sure that you were free for every Friday after.
This was so worth the wait! The banter, the perfect description of bowling shoes (why are they like that? Why?), and the hint of cluelessness was so good! And my nephew thinks a thesaurus is a dinosaur too! Made me laugh! Thank you for this lovely fic!
here is my entry for @wyattjohnstonâs summer fic exchange 2k23!! this fic is for @ya-pucking-nerd !! i had so much fun writing this and i hope you love it just as much! writing cale has always been a favorite of mine and this one was no exception. and shutout to @tonyspep as always for brainstorming so much of this idea with me!
i ALSO made a playlist for this fic which you can listen to here!Â
hope you enjoy!! feedback is always appreciated! xx
word count: 5.3k
~~~~~
Caleâs offseason has hardly started, yet his phone is already lighting up with a call from you to no doubt make summer plans before he heads back to Calgary to enjoy time with his family and to start his summer training.Â
Itâs not unusual for his best friend to call him and the soft, giddy smile on his lips at just the sight of your name on his phone display is nothing new either, but when the call connects and words are practically spewing from your lips, he knows something must be wrong.
âWoah, woah, woah. Slow down. I canât understand a word youâre saying.â Cale cuts you off, trying to figure out whatâs going on.
âI said,â You emphasize, taking a deep breath to ensure you speak slower this time, âyou got invited to Ryanâs wedding right? The one thatâs in a few weeks in Montana?â
âYeah, I did. What about it?â
âWell, uh, I kinda realized that showing up by myself would be lame right? Like this guy used to be insanely in love with me, but now heâs getting married and Iâm, well, not even close to being in a relationship let alone a serious one.âÂ
hey!! itâs ur fic writer here, donât want u to think iâve forgotten <3 iâve unfortunately had to deal with migraines that have hindered my writing progress :( iâm hoping to have it up by tonight, but if not, it will be up tomorrow!
Ah, no worries! I hope you feel better...migraines are horrible. I can be patient - I promise!
This is my entry for the Summer Fic Exchange organized by @wyattjohnston. She does a fabulous job organizing these exchanges that we all enjoy. I hope you enjoy this @princessphilly. Nate is always a favourite and this was kinda different for me. Thanks to @puckngrind for keeping me motivated and suggesting Nate fall first. Enjoy!
Cassie OâNeil knew when the Zadorov interview came out saying that Nathan MacKinnon was very much like Michael Jordan and could be a jerk to his teammates on ice and off, and that he was militant about food - it was going to cause some problems. And when the cute little social media girl had stopped posting the menu from the plane that always had cookies on it, it was taken as validation of the theory that he had banned sodas, sugar and normal food on the plane for his teammates.
And Nateâs attempt to get everyone to eat healthier so they played better was shot down the first time they went to Buffalo and he suggested there shouldnât be wings from the Anchor bar brought onboard for their short flight to Montreal. No matter how much the guys were willing to follow the leader, you do not mess with Erik getting the best wings in the world while in Buffalo. That would have been grounds for being pushed off the plane while over Lake Ontario.
It really came to a head, when after a rough game, with Cassie trying to get treatments done while they were in the air leaving no time for her to actually grab dinner, that Nate pushed his luck. As she grabbed a cookie and moved to head back to check on Bowen, Nate stepped in front of her and tried to take the cookie.
âAs a member of the training staff, you should be eating something better than a cookie,â Nate growled at her, going to grab the cookie. Everyone around them stopped.
âTouch the cookie Nate Dawg,â Cassie warned, âAnd you will find out how life on LTIR is when I break your hand after I punch you in the nose.â Â
There was a brief stare off, while they both held an edge of the cookie. When Nate didnât let go, her eyes narrowed.
âYou really should be nicer to the person who is about to have you on a med table and who hasnât had time nor has the time to eat a full dinner because you idiots keep jumping in front of pucks, tripping on your non-existent toe picks, and slamming into huge dudes just as miserable as you are compacting bones in unnatural ways. If I want a chocolate chip cookie, I will have a damn chocolate chip cookie,â she ended on a bellow.
By this time, Cale and Gabe had moved beside Cassie and Nate, Cale slowly moving towards Cassie while Gabe moved towards Nate.
âJust let go of the cookie, Nate,â Gabe said soothingly. âPlease donât mess with the physical therapist who can hurt you in many torturous ways all while assuring you it has to hurt before it gets better.â Gabe slowly raised his hand towards Nateâs, hoping the dumbass would just let go of the cookie before he had to make him let go.
âCassie, heâs going to let go of the cookie. Or I can get you a new cookie,â Cale tried to calm her down. She side eyed Cale and saw Devon hand him another cookie, which he held out to her. Her eyes flicked back to Nate, before she took the offered cookie from Cale, while snapping the one Nate held in two.
And when Nateâs jaw dropped at what sheâd done, she shoved the partial cookie in his mouth, closing her hand over it, before saying, âEat the damn cookie. Lifeâs too short to not eat the damn cookie!â Before pushing past him towards the back of the plane. Â
There was stunned silence for ten seconds, before Erik drawled, âHowâs the cookie?â to Nate, causing everyone to start laughing. Â
âSheâs a menace,â Nate said around the mouthful of cookie, before he actually chewed and swallowed.Â
âYou only think that because everyone else lets you get away with being a dick,â Gabe retorted. âAnd you may finally have met your match.â
********
For weeks after the cookie incident, Nate and Cassie kept their distance. She would tend to let one of the other trainers look after him unless she had no other choice. While Nate realized heâd been an ass about the cookie, not realizing how busy she had been with no chance of actually grabbing dinner, he also thought avoiding Cassie was the best plan. While Cogs and Gabe tried to convince him to apologize, Nate thought dropping the subject would be a better idea. And if he made sure that there were quick healthy snacks and fruit always there for the training staff, that was something no one needed to know. Â
On what should have been just another regular Wednesday night in January where the Bruins were in town and you were hoping for two points - all hell broke out. Cassie was just making her way up the tunnel to the bench at the start of the game, when Taylor Hall train wrecked Nate clearing the Avs zone. Cassie watched Nate drop and then she saw all the blood and knew he was in trouble.Â
âJimmy, prep the room with towels, ice packs, saline and gauze,â she called to the training intern. She watched as the other staff trainer was on the ice with Nate, trying to assess what was happening while Gabe was barking at Hall beside her. She grabbed one of the ipads, to get the replay to see if she could get a better look at the hit. Â
âDammit,â she muttered, when she saw it was the stick that clipped him hard. âGet Doc down to the room please,â she asked over the headset. She glanced to see that they had Nate up and he was heading to the bench, bitching the whole way. She headed down to the room, making sure with a glance everything was ready while she pulled on gloves and waited. Â
âLetâs get him on the table,â she guided him in and onto the table. âJimmy, ice pack on the back of his neck,â she directed, moving to switch out the towel on his face, with a cool, wet one, wiping more blood away to get a better look, while having him hold gauze pads to his nose to catch the blood still pouring out.
âScale of one to ten, where are you pain wise?â she asked, gently prodding him along his cheeks.
âEight, fuck! That fucking hurt,â he bellowed when she got close to his nose. Â
âStop whining,â she tossed back at him, slathering cool gel around his eyes and cheeks to try and minimize the swelling in case Doc wanted scans.
âWhat do we have, Cassie?â Doc asked, coming up to Nate.
âBroken nose for sure. I think weâre gonna need scans because there might be a cheek fracture on the right side,â she detailed, moving to the side and sliding her hand over Nateâs as Doc checked him out. Nate groaned and squeezed her hand when Doc checked his nose.
âDefinitely need to see the damage to the septum,â Doc said quietly. âNate, weâre gonna get you changed and to the hospital for some scans. You might need surgery to fix this.â
âFuck,â Nate swore loudly, as Doc went to call the hospital prepping them for Nateâs arrival. Â
âHey, itâs fixable,â Cassie said quietly. âLetâs get you undressed, to the hospital and theyâll get you back on the ice in no time.â
Late that night, after another long game day, Cassie drove to the hospital to check on Nate. She winced when she saw the scans, seeing they were going to have to repair Nateâs septum so he could breathe normally. And Nate didnât know that Cassie had sat by his bedside after the surgery so that he wasnât alone until his Mom arrived. But when he woke up, there was a bakery bag with a note.
"I'm a quite yummy gluten free chocolate chip cookie. And life's too short to not eat the cookie."
His Mom didn't say anything about the smile on his face as he ate the cookie.
********************
For the next few weeks, there was a truce between Nate and Cassie. He missed some games and didn't get to play in the All Star game in Vegas after the surgery, but otherwise was healing normally. The team headed out on the road, and an otherwise normal night in frigid Minnesota, the truce ended in spectacular fashion.
Matt Dumba hit Mikko as he entered the Wild zone, Mikko bouncing back up and carrying on, when Nate challenged Dumba to a fight. Cassie watched in disbelief as Nate, fresh off the concussion and nose repair exchanged punches with the scrappy Dumba.
"What the fuck is he doing?" Cassie muttered, apparently loud enough for Coach Bednar to hear.
"Good question," he responded, watching the shenanigans with that not exactly happy coach face.
Cassie watched as Nate was escorted to the box, apparently none the worse for the fight. But post game, after being reamed out by his coach, Nate sheepishly approached Cassie in the treatment room.
"Cass," he started. She glanced up and then her eyes went wide when all she saw was Nateâs bare chest, before realizing he was holding up his hand. "I think somethings wrong," he said.
She saw the swollen fingers, the bruises starting to come out on his hand and then the discoloration on his shoulder and shook her head in disbelief.
"You think something is wrong?" She muttered.  He nodded at her. "You THINK something is wrong?" Her volume raised, as Nate shut the door.
"What gave it away, Nate? When you decided just weeks after recovering from a concussion and nose surgery that it was a good idea to get in a fight? Was that it? Or is it the fact that right now it looks like you've dislocated your shoulder and maybe fractured your hand?" She turned and pushed him onto the chair.
He followed her directions while she moved his shoulder, feeling how the muscles and tendons moved. She tested the arm thoroughly and then moved to grab an ice pack to put on his hand.
âI need to go talk to Coach Bednar,â she told Nate, moving towards the door. She didnât realize heâd moved behind her until he reached over her to slam the door shut, his body pressed up behind her.
âCass, what are you going to tell him?â Nate asked nervously.
âYou have a sprained shoulder and until I get x-rays to confirm a possible hand fracture,â she responded. âAnd Iâm not signing off on you playing.â
âWhat the fuck,â Nate exclaimed. âCass, you canât do that.â
âItâs my job to do that,â she countered, spinning around and finding herself facing a semi-naked and irate Nate right in her face. âBack up, Nate,â she demanded. The tension could have been cut by a knife as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to back down.
âYou are so infuriating,â he bit out. Â
âTough shit,â she responded. âMy job is to protect youâŠ.â is as far as she got before Nateâs hand cupped the back of her head as he lips slammed into hers. Apparently her lips were all on board as her mind screamed not to kiss him back. Who knows what would have happened if there hadnât been a knock on the door and the handle started to twist. Nate jumped back, a look of shocked surprise on his face, while Cassie spun back to the door, to see Gabe poking his head in.
âEverything okay?â he asked, his head swinging between the two of them.
âYes,âstated Nate at the same time Cassie said âNoâ.
âI need to talk to Coach Bednar,â Cassie said, pushing past Gabe.
âCassie,â Nate called, but she didnât turn around. âWell, shit.â
âNate, whatâs going on?â Gabe asked him, noticing the bruising starting to appear on Nateâs arm.
âI fucked up,â he muttered. âThereâs something wrong with my shoulder and hand. Sheâs not going to let me play,â he paused. âAnd I may have kissed herâ
Gabe blinked several times trying to process that information. âOkay. Sheâs a little pissed at you getting in that fight,â Gabe agreed. âAs am I and the coaching staff,â he eyed him. âAnd you kissed her? You do nothing but complain what a hard-ass she is and you decided kissing her was the way to go?â Gabe hissed at him. âWhat were you thinking?â
âThat I needed to shut her up for a minute so I could get her to not bench me,â Nate sighed. âAnd that she looked so damn adorable when she was mad at me,â he looked up at Gabe. âI know, I know, not my finest moment.â
Before Gabe could respond, Coach Bednar is striding into the room, anger coming off him in waves.
âYou are going back to Denver for proper assessment and treatment,â he started. âAnd the only way you are going to be allowed back on the ice is if Cassie approves it. No discussion.â He walked out of the room, leaving a frustrated Nate staring after him.
âIâm sure this is going to be fascinating to watch,â Gabe laughed, walking out to tell the boys how much of an idiot Nate has been and to start the betting pool on when Cassie would kill him.
********
Cassie was giving Jimmy, her intern, all kinds of instructions which he was frantically noting on his IPad as she was pulling her bag off the bus the guys were taking to their charter flight to Calgary. She wasnât happy about having to fly back to Denver with Nate, but when the Coach and GM ask you to do something, you do it. They didnât know that she still hadnât processed the fact that Nate had kissed her or that she had no idea what that meant. Was it just a heat of the moment, he-man show of dominance? Or was there something else to it? Damned if she knew.
âJust call me if you have any questions,â she said to Jimmy when he looked a little panicked. âYouâre going to be great. You do this stuff all the time with me and I have no doubt you are going to rock this.â
âThanks, Cassie. Youâre a great teacher,â Jimmy said, then turned when one of the other trainers called for help, waving to Cassie before jogging over to help load equipment.
Cassie sighed, before turning to look for sure to be grumpy Nate. He was no doubt not happy being sent home and she was sure he was not going to be happy he had to get her to sign off on him playing again. She spotted him huddled with Gabe and Cogs in what looked like a heated conversation.  Â
"Come on, Princess," she called, walking up to them. "Say goodbye to the guys, we have a plane to catch."
âPrincess? Iâm a Princess?â Nate growled.
âWould you prefer Diva?â Cassie asked calmly. She waited for an answer, watching his mouth open and close, while there were snorts from the guys. âNate, Iâm tired and we have a plane to catch that isnât going to our next game but home because you had a moment and here we are.â She turned to the guys. âHave a good game guys, play smart and Iâll see you in a few days.â
Sliding the strap of her carryon bag over the handle of her suitcase, she started walking to the car that was waiting for them, knowing Nate could catch up to her in no time once he snapped out of his little pouty moment. And he did, the two of them continuing to head to the car that would get them to the main airport. After several minutes, Nate sighed and then turned his head towards her.
âIâm sorry, Cassie,â he said softly. Â
âFor what?â Cassie asked. âBeing the reason weâre heading home before everyone else? Or for being an idiot and getting into a fight after just having your nose repaired?â Nate blinked when he realized she had said nothing about the kiss. Interesting.
âAll of it,â he said. âAre you going to let me play?â
âNot until I know what all the tests say. We have x-rays first thing tomorrow morning. Doc set it up, so buckle up, Buttercup, weâre going to be spending a lot of time together over the next few days.â Â
*******
Cassie hadnât been kidding - they spent nearly the next twenty four hours either together or connected via text message. She had fallen asleep on the plane, and somehow so had Nate despite him being uncomfortable. He woke before her to find her snuggled into his side, using him as a pillow. He smiled softly, thinking maybe she didnât hate him as much as it seemed. He said nothing when she woke up and proceeded to check his shoulder. Then it was off to the hospital for x-rays - he was beginning to hate this building having spent so much time in it over the last month. Â
Nate came out of the treatment room and saw Cassie standing in front of the nurses station, reviewing the scans and x-rays, a small frown between her eyes. He watched as she flipped between them, stopping to zoom into one before moving to the next. He wasnât sure what to think when she sighed and stood looking into the distance. He gave her another minute before he walked over to her, standing behind her to get a peek at the x-rays.
âWell?â he asked quietly.
âYour hand isnât broken, but there is a chip in your middle finger. And you sprained your shoulder,â she answered. He nodded, waiting to hear her verdict. âI need to call Bednar,â she grabbed her phone. Nate clamped his hand over hers holding the phone.
âCassie, donât leave me hanging. Are you going to let me play?â Nateâs voice had a slight plea to it.
Cassie looked up at him, seeing his worry. She really could mess with him here - which he kinda deserved after being stupid enough to get in the fight, but something stopped her.
âIâm recommending a couple of days PT, and then we will reassess.â she nodded at the x-ray of the hand. âIâm a little worried about that chip and how you will be able to grip your stick. The main PT will be to keep your shoulder moving and loose while it heals.â She looked back up at him. âIâm not letting you on the ice for at least a week.â
âText me the PT schedule,â he said, before turning and heading to the exit. He knew there was no way he could argue with her because Bednar had given her all the power. And if he yelled in frustration when he got home, no one knew or heard.
*********
Cassie was on the treadmill at the Avs facility, trying to release some of the stress that had been mounting for weeks. Yes, she realized that the biggest source of her stress was a large, blond, ridiculously hot center and a situation that she didnât seem to have any control over. She wasnât sure what to think about that kiss that kept replaying over and over in her head. What did it mean? Why hadnât he said anything? And because he hadnât brought it up, she wasnât bringing it up either. She knew that wasnât the healthiest but so be it.
She was so deep in her head that she hadnât noticed that Nate had come in and was on the treadmill beside her. She barely registered the beeping telling her she was starting to cool down after having done five miles without actually realizing she had. It took hearing Gabeâs voice asking Nate a question to pop her back into reality. She quickly wiped down the equipment before heading to her office to prep for the day.  Today was the day for Nateâs reassessment and she was so ready for this period of anxiety to be over.
Coach Bednar was discussing Nateâs progress with Cassie when Nate walked into the treatment room. He stripped off his sweatshirt and jumped up on the table, waiting for Cassie. He was pretty confident that she was going to clear him. He had followed everything she had given him to do or not do - including no ice time or weight room. Other than the treadmill, he hadnât had much of an outlet for his frustration. The positive was that his cardio was incredible.
âOkay, letâs get started,â Cassie had snapped gloves on and walked over to Nate. She started with checking the range of motion in the shoulder - watching for any reaction from Nate and feeling the movements through her hands. After twenty minutes, she handed him a stick and told him to grip it, first bare handed and then with gloves on. Coach watched and when Cassie gave him a nod, he patted Nate on the shoulder and stated, âSee you on the ice,â before leaving the room.
âYouâre good to go,â Cassie advised when Nate didnât leave. He nodded, not sure whether he should say anything.
âCassie?â he said quietly, waiting for her to look up at him. She hadnât noticed him coming up behind her until she turned and he was right there in all his shirtless glory. How did he do that? Sneaky ninja skills. His eyes searched her face, as she waited for him to continue. Cassie realized she was going to miss Nate, miss having her hands on all that muscle, now that heâd been cleared to play. She wasnât sure what heâd seen, but as he made to take a step back, she hooked a foot behind his knee and pulled him forward, knocking him off balance, his hands slamming into the counter on either side of Cassie for balance. The surprise on his face was nothing to the shock that appeared when she said, âI think you should kiss me again.â
She reached to pull his mouth to hers, which shook Nate out of his surprise and his hands gripped her hips and lifted her onto the counter as his lips crashed into hers. It was all hunger and pent up longing in one glorious sweep of his tongue dancing with hers. A crash in the hall had them pulling apart, eyes locked.
âYou need to get ready for practice,â Cassie whispered.
âThis isnât over,â Nate answered, dipping his head to softly bring his lips to hers. âNot by a long shot. Have dinner with me tonight?â he asked, forehead meeting hers while he waited for her answer. She nodded, giving him a quick peck before pushing him back.
âGet out of here and get ready for practice Hot Shot,â she told him, turning to clean the table heâd been sitting on. âAnd donât block any pucks,â she called as he went through the door. She heard his laugh as he went to get changed for practice.
*******
Cassie and Nate kept their dating a secret for all of two weeks, when Cale of all people caught them. Poor guy, all he had wanted was to make sure there wasnât any damage from blocking a puck, when he opened the door, asking Cassie for help and then stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Nate sneaking a kiss. He backed out of the room, hitting Erik who then let everyone know that heâd called it and to pay up.
âThis is all your fault, Hot Shot,â Cassie shook her finger at Nate, who promptly sucked it into his mouth before she poked him. âWeâll keep it on the down low he said until weâre ready to tell them,â she mocked.
âYou werenât very covert,â Cogs said loudly. âI saw Nate sneaking into your room in Dallas.â
âAnd Maddie and I saw you holding hands leaving the restaurant last Saturday,â NAK confirmed.
âNot to mention he brought her a cookie before the game,â Bo added, causing Cassie to groan and bury her head in Nateâs chest. They were never going to live this down.
âFine,â Nate glared at them. âYou all told me what an amazing girl she was and I needed to stop fighting with her. I just took all of your advice.â
Gabe looked at Erik, and then back at Nate. âCassie, promise me you will still be on his ass all the time for his stupid shit.â Cassieâs eyes widened in surprise.
âHe may be a good kisser, Gabe, but Iâm gonna keep calling him out on his dumb shit,â Cassie answered him with a nod. Nate pinched her and she kicked him in the shin.Â
âHeaven help us,â Gabe snorted, turning back to getting changed. The others followed him, sly grins on their faces.
Cassie kept her word to Gabe. For the rest of the season and into the playoffs, she called Nate out whenever it was needed. When he blocked a puck and kept saying he was fine until she saw the bruising and he knew he was in for it when she very deliberately pressed her finger into the center of the bruise until he groaned. He made sure she remembered to eat while she took care of all the injuries. Heâd been there when she was exhausted after spending the night in the hospital when Naz had his surgery, Cassie insisting she needed to get to the rink and make sure everyone else was fine - taking her home and using his kissing skills to relax her enough to pass out.
On an incredible June night in Tampa, when the clock wound down and they won the Stanley Cup, Cassie had watched with tears in her eyes as Nate hoisted the Cup. Theyâd finally won something.
During a summer of never-ending Cup celebrations, Cassie was kept busy keeping track of everyoneâs rehab. The next season was the hardest season for her, with pretty much everyone getting injured, including not the best patient Nate, at least once. She considered wrapping Mikko in bubble wrap at one point as he was one of the few who hadnât missed time with something. Nate subtly made sure Cassie was taking care of herself during all of it, from making sure she ate to dragging her away from the rink for some relaxation.
The disappointment of getting knocked out in the first round was strong, but after the short summer and all the injuries, it was maybe a blessing. There was a lot of healing that needed to happen. And there was always next season.
And on a quiet night in July, just before Cassie and Nate were set to head to British Columbia and Tysonâs wedding, Cassie was sitting on the dock, enjoying the quiet. She laughed when Knox stuck his face in her lap with big eyes begging for some loving.
âYou are a very needy dog, just like your Daddy,â she was scratching his ears with a smile on her face, knowing Nate was behind her.
âHey, I am not that needy,â Nate argued, setting a tray on the table. âI brought you a snack,â he dropped a kiss to her forehead and waited. Â
Cassie glanced at the tray and did a doubletake. On a very pretty china plate was a huge chocolate chip cookie with a message - Marry Me. Her eyes flew to Nate, who was on one knee with a ring between his fingers.
âIt seemed fitting as it all started with a cookie,â he smiled. âAnd a very wise woman once told me that life is too short to not enjoy the cookies.â She rolled her eyes, before leaning forward and kissing him.
âYes, Iâll marry you,â she answered, Nate sliding the ring on her finger. âBut Iâm not sharing the cookie.â Nate started laughing, hauling her up and into his arms.
âWouldnât expect anything less.â he said before sealing the deal with a kiss.
This is my entry for the Summer Fic Exchange organized by @wyattjohnston. She does a fabulous job organizing these exchanges that we all enjoy. I hope you enjoy this @princessphilly. Nate is always a favourite and this was kinda different for me. Thanks to @puckngrind for keeping me motivated and suggesting Nate fall first. Enjoy!
Cassie OâNeil knew when the Zadorov interview came out saying that Nathan MacKinnon was very much like Michael Jordan and could be a jerk to his teammates on ice and off, and that he was militant about food - it was going to cause some problems. And when the cute little social media girl had stopped posting the menu from the plane that always had cookies on it, it was taken as validation of the theory that he had banned sodas, sugar and normal food on the plane for his teammates.
And Nateâs attempt to get everyone to eat healthier so they played better was shot down the first time they went to Buffalo and he suggested there shouldnât be wings from the Anchor bar brought onboard for their short flight to Montreal. No matter how much the guys were willing to follow the leader, you do not mess with Erik getting the best wings in the world while in Buffalo. That would have been grounds for being pushed off the plane while over Lake Ontario.
It really came to a head, when after a rough game, with Cassie trying to get treatments done while they were in the air leaving no time for her to actually grab dinner, that Nate pushed his luck. As she grabbed a cookie and moved to head back to check on Bowen, Nate stepped in front of her and tried to take the cookie.
âAs a member of the training staff, you should be eating something better than a cookie,â Nate growled at her, going to grab the cookie. Everyone around them stopped.
âTouch the cookie Nate Dawg,â Cassie warned, âAnd you will find out how life on LTIR is when I break your hand after I punch you in the nose.â Â
There was a brief stare off, while they both held an edge of the cookie. When Nate didnât let go, her eyes narrowed.
âYou really should be nicer to the person who is about to have you on a med table and who hasnât had time nor has the time to eat a full dinner because you idiots keep jumping in front of pucks, tripping on your non-existent toe picks, and slamming into huge dudes just as miserable as you are compacting bones in unnatural ways. If I want a chocolate chip cookie, I will have a damn chocolate chip cookie,â she ended on a bellow.
By this time, Cale and Gabe had moved beside Cassie and Nate, Cale slowly moving towards Cassie while Gabe moved towards Nate.
âJust let go of the cookie, Nate,â Gabe said soothingly. âPlease donât mess with the physical therapist who can hurt you in many torturous ways all while assuring you it has to hurt before it gets better.â Gabe slowly raised his hand towards Nateâs, hoping the dumbass would just let go of the cookie before he had to make him let go.
âCassie, heâs going to let go of the cookie. Or I can get you a new cookie,â Cale tried to calm her down. She side eyed Cale and saw Devon hand him another cookie, which he held out to her. Her eyes flicked back to Nate, before she took the offered cookie from Cale, while snapping the one Nate held in two.
And when Nateâs jaw dropped at what sheâd done, she shoved the partial cookie in his mouth, closing her hand over it, before saying, âEat the damn cookie. Lifeâs too short to not eat the damn cookie!â Before pushing past him towards the back of the plane. Â
There was stunned silence for ten seconds, before Erik drawled, âHowâs the cookie?â to Nate, causing everyone to start laughing. Â
âSheâs a menace,â Nate said around the mouthful of cookie, before he actually chewed and swallowed.Â
âYou only think that because everyone else lets you get away with being a dick,â Gabe retorted. âAnd you may finally have met your match.â
********
For weeks after the cookie incident, Nate and Cassie kept their distance. She would tend to let one of the other trainers look after him unless she had no other choice. While Nate realized heâd been an ass about the cookie, not realizing how busy she had been with no chance of actually grabbing dinner, he also thought avoiding Cassie was the best plan. While Cogs and Gabe tried to convince him to apologize, Nate thought dropping the subject would be a better idea. And if he made sure that there were quick healthy snacks and fruit always there for the training staff, that was something no one needed to know. Â
On what should have been just another regular Wednesday night in January where the Bruins were in town and you were hoping for two points - all hell broke out. Cassie was just making her way up the tunnel to the bench at the start of the game, when Taylor Hall train wrecked Nate clearing the Avs zone. Cassie watched Nate drop and then she saw all the blood and knew he was in trouble.Â
âJimmy, prep the room with towels, ice packs, saline and gauze,â she called to the training intern. She watched as the other staff trainer was on the ice with Nate, trying to assess what was happening while Gabe was barking at Hall beside her. She grabbed one of the ipads, to get the replay to see if she could get a better look at the hit. Â
âDammit,â she muttered, when she saw it was the stick that clipped him hard. âGet Doc down to the room please,â she asked over the headset. She glanced to see that they had Nate up and he was heading to the bench, bitching the whole way. She headed down to the room, making sure with a glance everything was ready while she pulled on gloves and waited. Â
âLetâs get him on the table,â she guided him in and onto the table. âJimmy, ice pack on the back of his neck,â she directed, moving to switch out the towel on his face, with a cool, wet one, wiping more blood away to get a better look, while having him hold gauze pads to his nose to catch the blood still pouring out.
âScale of one to ten, where are you pain wise?â she asked, gently prodding him along his cheeks.
âEight, fuck! That fucking hurt,â he bellowed when she got close to his nose. Â
âStop whining,â she tossed back at him, slathering cool gel around his eyes and cheeks to try and minimize the swelling in case Doc wanted scans.
âWhat do we have, Cassie?â Doc asked, coming up to Nate.
âBroken nose for sure. I think weâre gonna need scans because there might be a cheek fracture on the right side,â she detailed, moving to the side and sliding her hand over Nateâs as Doc checked him out. Nate groaned and squeezed her hand when Doc checked his nose.
âDefinitely need to see the damage to the septum,â Doc said quietly. âNate, weâre gonna get you changed and to the hospital for some scans. You might need surgery to fix this.â
âFuck,â Nate swore loudly, as Doc went to call the hospital prepping them for Nateâs arrival. Â
âHey, itâs fixable,â Cassie said quietly. âLetâs get you undressed, to the hospital and theyâll get you back on the ice in no time.â
Late that night, after another long game day, Cassie drove to the hospital to check on Nate. She winced when she saw the scans, seeing they were going to have to repair Nateâs septum so he could breathe normally. And Nate didnât know that Cassie had sat by his bedside after the surgery so that he wasnât alone until his Mom arrived. But when he woke up, there was a bakery bag with a note.
"I'm a quite yummy gluten free chocolate chip cookie. And life's too short to not eat the cookie."
His Mom didn't say anything about the smile on his face as he ate the cookie.
********************
For the next few weeks, there was a truce between Nate and Cassie. He missed some games and didn't get to play in the All Star game in Vegas after the surgery, but otherwise was healing normally. The team headed out on the road, and an otherwise normal night in frigid Minnesota, the truce ended in spectacular fashion.
Matt Dumba hit Mikko as he entered the Wild zone, Mikko bouncing back up and carrying on, when Nate challenged Dumba to a fight. Cassie watched in disbelief as Nate, fresh off the concussion and nose repair exchanged punches with the scrappy Dumba.
"What the fuck is he doing?" Cassie muttered, apparently loud enough for Coach Bednar to hear.
"Good question," he responded, watching the shenanigans with that not exactly happy coach face.
Cassie watched as Nate was escorted to the box, apparently none the worse for the fight. But post game, after being reamed out by his coach, Nate sheepishly approached Cassie in the treatment room.
"Cass," he started. She glanced up and then her eyes went wide when all she saw was Nateâs bare chest, before realizing he was holding up his hand. "I think somethings wrong," he said.
She saw the swollen fingers, the bruises starting to come out on his hand and then the discoloration on his shoulder and shook her head in disbelief.
"You think something is wrong?" She muttered.  He nodded at her. "You THINK something is wrong?" Her volume raised, as Nate shut the door.
"What gave it away, Nate? When you decided just weeks after recovering from a concussion and nose surgery that it was a good idea to get in a fight? Was that it? Or is it the fact that right now it looks like you've dislocated your shoulder and maybe fractured your hand?" She turned and pushed him onto the chair.
He followed her directions while she moved his shoulder, feeling how the muscles and tendons moved. She tested the arm thoroughly and then moved to grab an ice pack to put on his hand.
âI need to go talk to Coach Bednar,â she told Nate, moving towards the door. She didnât realize heâd moved behind her until he reached over her to slam the door shut, his body pressed up behind her.
âCass, what are you going to tell him?â Nate asked nervously.
âYou have a sprained shoulder and until I get x-rays to confirm a possible hand fracture,â she responded. âAnd Iâm not signing off on you playing.â
âWhat the fuck,â Nate exclaimed. âCass, you canât do that.â
âItâs my job to do that,â she countered, spinning around and finding herself facing a semi-naked and irate Nate right in her face. âBack up, Nate,â she demanded. The tension could have been cut by a knife as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to back down.
âYou are so infuriating,â he bit out. Â
âTough shit,â she responded. âMy job is to protect youâŠ.â is as far as she got before Nateâs hand cupped the back of her head as he lips slammed into hers. Apparently her lips were all on board as her mind screamed not to kiss him back. Who knows what would have happened if there hadnât been a knock on the door and the handle started to twist. Nate jumped back, a look of shocked surprise on his face, while Cassie spun back to the door, to see Gabe poking his head in.
âEverything okay?â he asked, his head swinging between the two of them.
âYes,âstated Nate at the same time Cassie said âNoâ.
âI need to talk to Coach Bednar,â Cassie said, pushing past Gabe.
âCassie,â Nate called, but she didnât turn around. âWell, shit.â
âNate, whatâs going on?â Gabe asked him, noticing the bruising starting to appear on Nateâs arm.
âI fucked up,â he muttered. âThereâs something wrong with my shoulder and hand. Sheâs not going to let me play,â he paused. âAnd I may have kissed herâ
Gabe blinked several times trying to process that information. âOkay. Sheâs a little pissed at you getting in that fight,â Gabe agreed. âAs am I and the coaching staff,â he eyed him. âAnd you kissed her? You do nothing but complain what a hard-ass she is and you decided kissing her was the way to go?â Gabe hissed at him. âWhat were you thinking?â
âThat I needed to shut her up for a minute so I could get her to not bench me,â Nate sighed. âAnd that she looked so damn adorable when she was mad at me,â he looked up at Gabe. âI know, I know, not my finest moment.â
Before Gabe could respond, Coach Bednar is striding into the room, anger coming off him in waves.
âYou are going back to Denver for proper assessment and treatment,â he started. âAnd the only way you are going to be allowed back on the ice is if Cassie approves it. No discussion.â He walked out of the room, leaving a frustrated Nate staring after him.
âIâm sure this is going to be fascinating to watch,â Gabe laughed, walking out to tell the boys how much of an idiot Nate has been and to start the betting pool on when Cassie would kill him.
********
Cassie was giving Jimmy, her intern, all kinds of instructions which he was frantically noting on his IPad as she was pulling her bag off the bus the guys were taking to their charter flight to Calgary. She wasnât happy about having to fly back to Denver with Nate, but when the Coach and GM ask you to do something, you do it. They didnât know that she still hadnât processed the fact that Nate had kissed her or that she had no idea what that meant. Was it just a heat of the moment, he-man show of dominance? Or was there something else to it? Damned if she knew.
âJust call me if you have any questions,â she said to Jimmy when he looked a little panicked. âYouâre going to be great. You do this stuff all the time with me and I have no doubt you are going to rock this.â
âThanks, Cassie. Youâre a great teacher,â Jimmy said, then turned when one of the other trainers called for help, waving to Cassie before jogging over to help load equipment.
Cassie sighed, before turning to look for sure to be grumpy Nate. He was no doubt not happy being sent home and she was sure he was not going to be happy he had to get her to sign off on him playing again. She spotted him huddled with Gabe and Cogs in what looked like a heated conversation.  Â
"Come on, Princess," she called, walking up to them. "Say goodbye to the guys, we have a plane to catch."
âPrincess? Iâm a Princess?â Nate growled.
âWould you prefer Diva?â Cassie asked calmly. She waited for an answer, watching his mouth open and close, while there were snorts from the guys. âNate, Iâm tired and we have a plane to catch that isnât going to our next game but home because you had a moment and here we are.â She turned to the guys. âHave a good game guys, play smart and Iâll see you in a few days.â
Sliding the strap of her carryon bag over the handle of her suitcase, she started walking to the car that was waiting for them, knowing Nate could catch up to her in no time once he snapped out of his little pouty moment. And he did, the two of them continuing to head to the car that would get them to the main airport. After several minutes, Nate sighed and then turned his head towards her.
âIâm sorry, Cassie,â he said softly. Â
âFor what?â Cassie asked. âBeing the reason weâre heading home before everyone else? Or for being an idiot and getting into a fight after just having your nose repaired?â Nate blinked when he realized she had said nothing about the kiss. Interesting.
âAll of it,â he said. âAre you going to let me play?â
âNot until I know what all the tests say. We have x-rays first thing tomorrow morning. Doc set it up, so buckle up, Buttercup, weâre going to be spending a lot of time together over the next few days.â Â
*******
Cassie hadnât been kidding - they spent nearly the next twenty four hours either together or connected via text message. She had fallen asleep on the plane, and somehow so had Nate despite him being uncomfortable. He woke before her to find her snuggled into his side, using him as a pillow. He smiled softly, thinking maybe she didnât hate him as much as it seemed. He said nothing when she woke up and proceeded to check his shoulder. Then it was off to the hospital for x-rays - he was beginning to hate this building having spent so much time in it over the last month. Â
Nate came out of the treatment room and saw Cassie standing in front of the nurses station, reviewing the scans and x-rays, a small frown between her eyes. He watched as she flipped between them, stopping to zoom into one before moving to the next. He wasnât sure what to think when she sighed and stood looking into the distance. He gave her another minute before he walked over to her, standing behind her to get a peek at the x-rays.
âWell?â he asked quietly.
âYour hand isnât broken, but there is a chip in your middle finger. And you sprained your shoulder,â she answered. He nodded, waiting to hear her verdict. âI need to call Bednar,â she grabbed her phone. Nate clamped his hand over hers holding the phone.
âCassie, donât leave me hanging. Are you going to let me play?â Nateâs voice had a slight plea to it.
Cassie looked up at him, seeing his worry. She really could mess with him here - which he kinda deserved after being stupid enough to get in the fight, but something stopped her.
âIâm recommending a couple of days PT, and then we will reassess.â she nodded at the x-ray of the hand. âIâm a little worried about that chip and how you will be able to grip your stick. The main PT will be to keep your shoulder moving and loose while it heals.â She looked back up at him. âIâm not letting you on the ice for at least a week.â
âText me the PT schedule,â he said, before turning and heading to the exit. He knew there was no way he could argue with her because Bednar had given her all the power. And if he yelled in frustration when he got home, no one knew or heard.
*********
Cassie was on the treadmill at the Avs facility, trying to release some of the stress that had been mounting for weeks. Yes, she realized that the biggest source of her stress was a large, blond, ridiculously hot center and a situation that she didnât seem to have any control over. She wasnât sure what to think about that kiss that kept replaying over and over in her head. What did it mean? Why hadnât he said anything? And because he hadnât brought it up, she wasnât bringing it up either. She knew that wasnât the healthiest but so be it.
She was so deep in her head that she hadnât noticed that Nate had come in and was on the treadmill beside her. She barely registered the beeping telling her she was starting to cool down after having done five miles without actually realizing she had. It took hearing Gabeâs voice asking Nate a question to pop her back into reality. She quickly wiped down the equipment before heading to her office to prep for the day.  Today was the day for Nateâs reassessment and she was so ready for this period of anxiety to be over.
Coach Bednar was discussing Nateâs progress with Cassie when Nate walked into the treatment room. He stripped off his sweatshirt and jumped up on the table, waiting for Cassie. He was pretty confident that she was going to clear him. He had followed everything she had given him to do or not do - including no ice time or weight room. Other than the treadmill, he hadnât had much of an outlet for his frustration. The positive was that his cardio was incredible.
âOkay, letâs get started,â Cassie had snapped gloves on and walked over to Nate. She started with checking the range of motion in the shoulder - watching for any reaction from Nate and feeling the movements through her hands. After twenty minutes, she handed him a stick and told him to grip it, first bare handed and then with gloves on. Coach watched and when Cassie gave him a nod, he patted Nate on the shoulder and stated, âSee you on the ice,â before leaving the room.
âYouâre good to go,â Cassie advised when Nate didnât leave. He nodded, not sure whether he should say anything.
âCassie?â he said quietly, waiting for her to look up at him. She hadnât noticed him coming up behind her until she turned and he was right there in all his shirtless glory. How did he do that? Sneaky ninja skills. His eyes searched her face, as she waited for him to continue. Cassie realized she was going to miss Nate, miss having her hands on all that muscle, now that heâd been cleared to play. She wasnât sure what heâd seen, but as he made to take a step back, she hooked a foot behind his knee and pulled him forward, knocking him off balance, his hands slamming into the counter on either side of Cassie for balance. The surprise on his face was nothing to the shock that appeared when she said, âI think you should kiss me again.â
She reached to pull his mouth to hers, which shook Nate out of his surprise and his hands gripped her hips and lifted her onto the counter as his lips crashed into hers. It was all hunger and pent up longing in one glorious sweep of his tongue dancing with hers. A crash in the hall had them pulling apart, eyes locked.
âYou need to get ready for practice,â Cassie whispered.
âThis isnât over,â Nate answered, dipping his head to softly bring his lips to hers. âNot by a long shot. Have dinner with me tonight?â he asked, forehead meeting hers while he waited for her answer. She nodded, giving him a quick peck before pushing him back.
âGet out of here and get ready for practice Hot Shot,â she told him, turning to clean the table heâd been sitting on. âAnd donât block any pucks,â she called as he went through the door. She heard his laugh as he went to get changed for practice.
*******
Cassie and Nate kept their dating a secret for all of two weeks, when Cale of all people caught them. Poor guy, all he had wanted was to make sure there wasnât any damage from blocking a puck, when he opened the door, asking Cassie for help and then stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Nate sneaking a kiss. He backed out of the room, hitting Erik who then let everyone know that heâd called it and to pay up.
âThis is all your fault, Hot Shot,â Cassie shook her finger at Nate, who promptly sucked it into his mouth before she poked him. âWeâll keep it on the down low he said until weâre ready to tell them,â she mocked.
âYou werenât very covert,â Cogs said loudly. âI saw Nate sneaking into your room in Dallas.â
âAnd Maddie and I saw you holding hands leaving the restaurant last Saturday,â NAK confirmed.
âNot to mention he brought her a cookie before the game,â Bo added, causing Cassie to groan and bury her head in Nateâs chest. They were never going to live this down.
âFine,â Nate glared at them. âYou all told me what an amazing girl she was and I needed to stop fighting with her. I just took all of your advice.â
Gabe looked at Erik, and then back at Nate. âCassie, promise me you will still be on his ass all the time for his stupid shit.â Cassieâs eyes widened in surprise.
âHe may be a good kisser, Gabe, but Iâm gonna keep calling him out on his dumb shit,â Cassie answered him with a nod. Nate pinched her and she kicked him in the shin.Â
âHeaven help us,â Gabe snorted, turning back to getting changed. The others followed him, sly grins on their faces.
Cassie kept her word to Gabe. For the rest of the season and into the playoffs, she called Nate out whenever it was needed. When he blocked a puck and kept saying he was fine until she saw the bruising and he knew he was in for it when she very deliberately pressed her finger into the center of the bruise until he groaned. He made sure she remembered to eat while she took care of all the injuries. Heâd been there when she was exhausted after spending the night in the hospital when Naz had his surgery, Cassie insisting she needed to get to the rink and make sure everyone else was fine - taking her home and using his kissing skills to relax her enough to pass out.
On an incredible June night in Tampa, when the clock wound down and they won the Stanley Cup, Cassie had watched with tears in her eyes as Nate hoisted the Cup. Theyâd finally won something.
During a summer of never-ending Cup celebrations, Cassie was kept busy keeping track of everyoneâs rehab. The next season was the hardest season for her, with pretty much everyone getting injured, including not the best patient Nate, at least once. She considered wrapping Mikko in bubble wrap at one point as he was one of the few who hadnât missed time with something. Nate subtly made sure Cassie was taking care of herself during all of it, from making sure she ate to dragging her away from the rink for some relaxation.
The disappointment of getting knocked out in the first round was strong, but after the short summer and all the injuries, it was maybe a blessing. There was a lot of healing that needed to happen. And there was always next season.
And on a quiet night in July, just before Cassie and Nate were set to head to British Columbia and Tysonâs wedding, Cassie was sitting on the dock, enjoying the quiet. She laughed when Knox stuck his face in her lap with big eyes begging for some loving.
âYou are a very needy dog, just like your Daddy,â she was scratching his ears with a smile on her face, knowing Nate was behind her.
âHey, I am not that needy,â Nate argued, setting a tray on the table. âI brought you a snack,â he dropped a kiss to her forehead and waited. Â
Cassie glanced at the tray and did a doubletake. On a very pretty china plate was a huge chocolate chip cookie with a message - Marry Me. Her eyes flew to Nate, who was on one knee with a ring between his fingers.
âIt seemed fitting as it all started with a cookie,â he smiled. âAnd a very wise woman once told me that life is too short to not enjoy the cookies.â She rolled her eyes, before leaning forward and kissing him.
âYes, Iâll marry you,â she answered, Nate sliding the ring on her finger. âBut Iâm not sharing the cookie.â Nate started laughing, hauling her up and into his arms.
âWouldnât expect anything less.â he said before sealing the deal with a kiss.
summary: kat's vacation gets gatecrashed by the one guy she cannot stand.
word count: 2,140
note: this is for @torontoflames as part of the summer fic exchange 2k23. i've tried my hand at enemies-to-lovers and i hope you enjoy! @laurenairay and @matthewtkachuk are gems and helped me with this a lot <3
There were few sounds in the world Kat found more infuriating than Jackâs laugh. Intellectually she knew that it was a perfectly fine laugh, nothing unusual or grating about it; that didnât stop her eyes from rolling back into her skull when it filled the room.
Had he ever done anything specific to warrant such a visceral reaction? Kat honestly couldnât remember. She was sure there was something at some point that had laid the groundwork for her ever-simmering hatred even if she could no longer recall.
More pressing than his laugh at that exact moment, though, was his presence on the once-in-a-lifetime Greek Island Vacation that Kat had been dreaming about since she was fifteen. It had all been going to plan with no setbacks and no surprises until two weeks out when she heard Jack had purchased flights on a whim.
Still, Kat tried to smile across at Sarah, who was furiously trying to butter her toast before it got too cold and was completely unaware that Katâs grip on her spoon was leaving indentations in her hand.
âAbout time you two woke up,â Sarah joked, tilting her head up to meet Nicoâs lips before he sat down, leaving Jack to take the empty seat beside Kat.
Sarah knew all about Katâs dislike of Jackâin fact, sheâd forced Nico to be the one to break the newsâand it was an open secret at the table, so Kat continued to glare holes in Sarahâs head, getting more intense every time Jack opened his mouth.
When the vacation was organised, Kat hadnât been bothered by Nico coming along. She liked Nico, she liked that Sarah was dating him, she liked that heâd suggested a very nice resort over their original plans and offered to pay the difference, and even though she knew it would mean she would be spending quite a lot of time on her own it was okay. Going on a day tour organised by the resort was perfect, swimming in the cove by the resort was fantastic and, truthfully, even when Jack was the only one around to play tennis against it was fine.
Because he was on the other side of the court and she could unleash any hatred she had in the form of an overhand shot that landed rapidly and directly at his feet or on the other side of the court and make him dive. Jack took it all in stride, as he so often did, and rolled through each dive like the pro-athlete he was.
His diving got more theatrical when a few young women appeared on the next court.
âAre you for fucking real?â Kat grumbled under her breath as Jack missed the easiest shot sheâd sent him all afternoon because he was distracted by one of the women waving at him.
Kat couldnât shake the annoyance she felt with the flirting because there was no way she and Jack didnât look like a couple and it was just plain rude for them to be flirting so blatantly.
âDo you want to keep going or are we done?â
âServe it up, letâs go,â Jack responded, unfazed and seemingly unaware that Kat was being more curt with him than normal.
Kat served it directly at his feet and delighted in the panicked jump he took to get out of the way; she was less delighted by the giggles from his new posse       . Really, as much as she didnât want Jack to be ruining her holiday, the least he could do is pay attention if he was spending time with her.
He held it together long enough to serve it back to Kat in the exact right spot for Kat to lob it back to him rather viciously. The humph that left him as it connected with his stomach was music to her ears and exactly what she needed to be able to leave feeling satisfied.
If Jack noticed that she was leaving the court, he didnât say a thing.
Kat spent the next day wandering the resort and the island by herselfâwell, on a resort organised tour. She left before anyone else was awake and arrived back home in time for dinner as a group where nobody questioned her decision to be alone.
It was better than being stuck watching Jack flirt with the gaggle of young women who seemingly followed him everywhere. Including to dinner. He was aware enough, thankfully, to read the looks on her, Sarah and Nicoâs faces and understand that his new friend was not welcome.
âIf you go on another day trip, can I come?â Jack asked.
âI guess,â Kat said, less reluctant than at the start of dinner. As annoying as she found him and his laugh, he did have a way of wearing her down over every meal; it just never lasted long enough to dissipate completely. âProbably not tomorrow. Iâm getting drunk by the pool tonight.â
Jackâs smile was so wide it must have hurt his cheeks when he said, âI could get drunk by the pool.â
They were able to cajole Sarah and Nico into joining them and Kat was grateful for the evening with her best friend and for the distraction from Jack. There wasnât much swimming done, just some wading into the shallow end between drinks because the staff on duty were sticklers for the no glass in the pool rule.
Sarah talked about the day trips out of the resort, and they agreed that theyâd check out the scooter tour through Rhodes both as something different from what theyâd both been up to and because they knew that Nico and Jack would undoubtedly do something together that was worth laughing at.
âIâm yours for the rest of the vacation,â Sarah promised. âI know Iâve been the worst friend ever leaving you with Jack.â
âI knew what I was getting into.â Kat was sure that her words were just a little hollow and her smile not entirely convincing because Sarah frowned and then said she was disappearing back to her room for a few minutes but would be right back with a present.
Kat was left with nothing to do but kick her feet under the barstool.
Across the bar she noticed a man sitting by himself and she made a decisionâshe wasnât going to be the only person on the trip not getting laid, so she stood up, tried to subtly make her bikini top do something for her tits and walked towards the man with her shoulders back.
She tapped on his shoulder when she reached him, put on her most flirty smile when he turned around, and said, âHi, Iâm Kat. What are you drinking?â
The manâs face went through multiple different facial expressions, none particularly clear but none at all good, and Katâs confidence shattered into pieces when he laughed so abruptly and so harshly that he immediately started choking.
âNothing you can afford to buy me, sweetheart, and nothing Iâd buy for a girl who got into her mommyâs make up.â
Kat wasnât entirely sure how she got away, she had no memory of leaving because all she could see in front of her was his face, yet she ended up at the open door of a cubby and hid away in it without hesitation and kicked the door shut behind her.
If she wasnât willing away the tears in her eyes, she may have been able to appreciate it for the secluded, cozy space that it was and not the stark reminder that she was going to be the only person on her vacation who didnât have any fun.
The scraping of the door had Kat glaring at the ceiling; none of the details of that were clear either through the tears.
âDo you want to talk about it?â
âWith you?â she asked, nothing but bite in her voice. âNo.â
Footsteps drew closer to her and it was the final straw for a tear to escapeâshe tried to swiftly wipe it off her cheek before Jack saw. The movement was more than enough to give her away.
âI can go find Sarah but I donât know if you want to explain and relive that.â
âExplain that I tried to put myself out there and he literally laughed in my face? Probably not.â She inhaled sharply. âWow, Iâm reliving it anyway.â
âI know you donât like me very muchâand donât lie about it,â he interjected when she opened her mouth to deny. âItâs fine. You donât have to like me. I just donât think you should let one guy ruin your trip.â
Kat laughed, so hard that she snorted, at the irony of the one guy who had ruined her trip saying that. Jack preened, thinking he had accomplished something by making her laugh.
âI can handle being rejected,â she said firmly before admitting meekly, âHe hit every insecurity I have in like two sentences.â
âHe doesnât know what heâs talking about. Look, you arenât exactly my favourite person in the world either but youâre hot and heâs an idiot, so.â
Katâs mouth opened, and then shut when she couldnât get any words out. She didnât even know what words she wanted to say. All she could do was stare up at Jack and try to make sense of what heâd said.
âDonât make it weird,â he joked as he nudged her thigh with his knee.
Knowing that if she kept looking at him she was certainly going to make it weird, Kat looked out one of the cubbyâs windows and briefly caught sight of Sarah returning to poolside with Nico.
âWhy did you crash my vacation?â she asked, finally getting to the question sheâd been wanting to ask since she heard heâd bought flights.
âYour vacation?â Jack asked incredulously as if it was the first he was hearing about him inviting himself along at all.
âThis is a vacation Sarah and I have been thinking about since freshman year,â Kat explained, exasperation growing inside her again as it so often did when Jack was involved. âI barely got over Nico being invited.â
Jack was sure and certain, far less incredulous, and told her, as if heâd had his explanation planned for quite some time, âI crashed your vacation because I knew someone was going to end up being the third wheel. I really kinda thought itâd be Neeks but I was prepared to make you like me if I had to.â
Unable to keep looking away, Kat was taken aback by the soft smile on Jackâs face. Sheâd never seen him look less than smug and was utterly disarmed by the change. And by the way it made her feel.
âThank you. For being here. On my vacation and right now.â
âDonât make it weird,â he said with the same nudge of her thigh as earlier.
He extended his hand to her, saying that they should rejoin Nico and Sarah before they started to worry or ask questions. Kat pretended she didnât feel the fluttering in her stomach when their hands touched. She also ignored the disappointment she felt when he let go when she was standing.
Instead of walking with her to Sarah and Nico, Jack turned in the direction of the bar. If he were anybody else, Kat might be worried that he was going to find the guy who had rejected her. As little as she actually knew him, it didnât take much leap in logic to realise he was just going to get them drinks.
Sarah and Nico were sitting at a table closer to the pool than Sarah and Kat had been, a little brown bag on the table in front of them.
âThis my present?â Kat asked, reaching out to open the bag slightly. âOh, yum, baklava.â
She took one of the empty seats and wasted no time tearing open the bag and indulging. Sarah and Nico watched her for a moment, before their eyes shifted back towards the bar, and Kat knew that theyâd seen her and Jack leave the cozy cubby together.
âSomething you want to share?â Sarah asked, one eyebrow slightly raised.
âNope,â came Jackâs voice from above Katâs head, shortly followed by his arm and the drink he was placing in front of Kat.
As the moon rose and the sun disappeared completely from the sky, Kat reluctantly admitted to herself that Jack wasnât all that badâeven his laugh was contagious more than grating in the aftermath of his comforting moment.
Kat took the opportunity when Sarah and Nico went to get another round of drinks to ask Jack, âDid you mean it? That you think Iâm hot?â
A familiar smirk formed on Jackâs face, his hand moving to her bare thigh.
âDonât make it weird, Kat.â
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