I don't know if anyone still follows me (actually) or my stories, but I'm back! And I do plan on continuing 'Consequences' very soon and potentially have another story coming soon. Thank you for following along!
After Auston left Tessa’s, he drove around for hours before ending end up at Mitch’s condo. Instead of going up, he texted Mitch and asked him to come downstairs. He wasn’t quite ready to deal with Steph yet.
When Mitch came down, all he needed was one look at his best friend’s red-rimmed eyes and forlorn face to know immediately that they had broken up. They stood there in the cold, leaning against Auston’s car, not speaking for a long while.
“So...” Mitch finally spoke, seeing his breath in the air. “That’s it?”
Auston nodded silently, hands tucked in his pockets, still staring at his shoes.
“She okay?”
Auston shook his head no.
“You okay?”
Auston sighed, and shrugged. “Been better, that’s for sure.”
“So now what?”
Auston finally turned and looked his best friend in the eye. Now what. He had no plan. He couldn’t see anything beyond Tessa for the past 6 months. That was the problem, wasn’t it? So now that she was out of the picture, everything should have been clear. That’s what he wanted. But...he couldn’t see anything.
“I don’t know,” Auston shrugged again. “I guess it just goes back to normal for a bit. Focus on hockey. Hang out with you guys.”
Mitch nodded, arms crossed tightly to keep himself warm. “Do you think she’ll ever talk to any of us again?”
“I hope so,” Auston answered honestly. Everyone loved Tessa, and he knew the team became like a second family to her.
“Me too,” Mitch agreed, putting a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. Tessa had become a big part of everyone’s life, his girlfriend included. He hoped that if anything, Tessa would be open to maintaining some of those relationships.
They stood there for a little while longer, neither knowing what more to say.
--
When Lydia got home, Tessa was curled up in a ball under a blanket on their sofa, watching The First Wives Club.
Oh boy, Lydia thought. The First Wives Club was one of their mutual comfort movies. She gently placed her bags down, slipped her shoes off, and moved slowly into the living room. Tessa didn’t move an inch.
“T?” Lydia whispered gently. As she reached the sofa, she placed her hand on Tessa’s back. Tessa looked up at her, eyes glassy, and she knew immediately. “Oh, Tessa,” Lydia sighed.
She climbed further on the couch, spooning Tessa, arms wrapped tightly around her. As Tessa broke down, body wracked with sobs, Lydia felt tears slip out of her own eyes.
Damnit.
--
The next morning, everyone was steering clear of Auston at the rink. They didn’t know what happened the night before but they knew something was going on. He didn’t speak so much as grunted in response, skated harder than anyone had seen before, ripped shots with more force than necessary, and was basically a walking/skating sign of ‘Do Not Cross’.
Mitch could feel some questioning glances directed at him from the guys, but all he could do was shrug and shake his head. They’d find out sooner than later.
As they headed back to the locker room, Morgan held Mitch back a bit. “What’s up, Mo?”
“It’s over, isn’t it?” Morgan whispered knowingly. He had hoped Auston would have taken the time to really think about this decision and decide to work on things, but it was pretty obvious that wasn’t the case.
“Yeah,” Mitch nodded. “Last night.”
Mo shook his head sadly. He liked Tessa a lot, and he knew Auston loved her. This was going to be a rough one.
“Have you talked to her?”
“No,” Mitch shook his head. “I wanted to give her some time. I told Steph last night and I know she reached out to Tess, but last I heard Tess hadn’t responded.”
“Might be a while before any of us hear from her,” Morgan guessed, making his way to the locker room.
As they entered the room and headed to their stalls, they learned pretty quickly that they would be hearing from Tessa very soon. Painfully soon for some of the parties involved.
“What’s this?” Mitch asked, noticing an envelope in his stall. Morgan shrugged, seeing an envelope in his as well.
“We’ve been recruited to help out with a Launchpad event in a couple weeks,” Willy showed his own letter.
“All of us?” Morgan asked.
“No, looks like it’s just you, Johnny, Mitchy, Matts, and I,” Willy answered. “Matts, what is your girl getting us into this time?”
Mitch and Morgan turned to Auston who was staring at his letter. They watched as he balled it up, and tossed it in the trash can at the centre of the room.
“I wouldn’t know,” Auston grunted angrily. He furiously tossed his things in his bag and stalked out the door, no other words spoken.
Willy glanced curiously at Mitch and Morgan. “What's with him?”
Mitch and Morgan sighed and started packing up. “You don’t wanna know,” Mitch answered sadly.
This was going to suck.
--
“Shit, shit, shit,” Tessa muttered to herself, head in her hands at her desk. “Are you sure they were already delivered?” she barked at Sadie, one of the Launchpad volunteers.
“Uh, yes, just this morning,” Sadie answered cautiously. “Was there something wrong with the letters?”
“Do you know who they picked?” Tessa demanded, ignoring Sadie’s question.
“They let the coach pick,” Sadie replied. “They said they’d let us know today so we can make any arrangements we need.”
Tessa sighed and rubbed her hands against her tired and sore eyes. If she slept an hour last night, she just did. When she finally got herself into the shower and ready for work, she knew this was going to be a long day.
“Okay, thanks Sadie,” she said sincerely. “I’m sorry for speaking to you that way. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Sadie nodded, knowing how unlike Tessa the outburst was. “I can let you know as soon as I know?” she offered timidly.
Tessa nodded, offering a small smile. “Thanks,” she said. She waved in tiny as Sadie exited her office, closing the door behind her.
At the sound of the click, Tessa dropped her head to her desk, landing on a stack of paperwork for the upcoming event.
Launchpad was hosting an all-around “skills” event for kids with players from each major Toronto sports organization, recruiting 4 players from each team. It was basically a mini All-Stars game for kids. And she knew, as much as she hoped against it, that there was no way the coach wouldn’t pick his star player to participate in such a front-facing community event for kids.
Which meant her goal to avoid Auston for as long as possible was being squashed in less than two weeks. Great.
About twenty minutes later, Tessa got the call from Sadie that she had been dreading. Of course she wasn’t surprised. She had half a mind to call Auston and ask him to make up an excuse and hand the invite off to someone else, but she couldn’t do that to the kids who would be at the event. So, she was just going to have to suck it up. It was one day, that was it, right? That’s what she kept telling herself at least.
She was still buried in paperwork when a soft *knock knock* came on her door.
“Come in,” she called, barely looking up from the files on her desk when Lydia entered.
“Hey chicky,” Lydia called back softly. “I come baring gifts,” she held up coffee and a muffin.
Tessa smiled weakly at her. “What are you doing here?” she chastised. Lydia was just as busy with work and school as she was. She didn’t need to be wasting her time checking in.
“I figured your day might be a little stressful and wanted to bring you some treats,” Lydia shrugged, plopping herself down in a seat across from Tessa, who was staring at her disapprovingly. “Don’t give me that look. Judging by your desk, I can see your day is going well?”
Tessa sighed and pushed away the stacks of paper to grab her hot coffee. “You remember that All-Star style event I was telling you about?”
“Mhm,” Lydia nodded.
“Guess who’s going to be there?” Tessa raised her eyebrows over her coffee.
“Ah fuck,” Lydia groaned. She completely forgot about the event. “So what? Ask him to give it to someone else.”
“I can’t do that,” Tessa shook her head. “The kids love him, I can’t be the reason they don’t get to see him.”
“They love all of the players, Tess,” Lydia replied. “I think he can miss this one event.”
“Well I can’t ask him to do that regardless,” Tessa sighed. “It’s unprofessional. The least I can do is maintain a professional working relationship with the team, even if I don’t want anything else to do with them.”
“I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that,” an unexpected voice came from the doorway, causing both girls to jump.
Seeing Mitch standing there, a hesitant look on his face, almost made Tessa burst into tears.
“What are you doing here?” Lydia demanded harshly. He might not have been the one to break her best friend’s heart, but his close association with the person who did was enough for her.
“Probably the same thing you are,” Mitch answered easily. He expected a little push back, but Tessa was his friend too. “Came to see this one,” he nodded to Tessa.
“I’m fine, Mitch,” Tessa answered dismissively. “Did he send you here to check on me?”
“No,” Mitch answered honestly. “Considering he’s not really talking to anyone today, he doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“He’s not talking to anyone?” Lydia exasperated, standing up to face Mitch. “He does what he does then acts like the wounded puppy? He has some fucking nerve.”
“Lydia-” Tessa tried to interject.
“He’s hurting too, you know,” Mitch defended. “He’s not some heartless monster. You know just as well as I do how much he lo-”
“Oh, don’t even get me started,” Lydia laughed sarcastically. “He’s hurting too? Do you even hear yourself right now? He broke her hear-”
“Enough!” Tessa slammed her hands on her desk in frustration, startling her friends. She didn’t have the capacity for this today. “Enough, please.”
Lydia and Mitch shared a look and watched as Tessa sank back into her chair, the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“Sorry, Tessa,” they both said in unison. Lydia went to give Mitch a dirty look but was interrupted by her phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and sighed.
“You have to go,” Tessa said knowingly. Lydia nodded regretfully. “I’m okay, Lydia. Besides, you’ll get to go all Mama Bear on me when I’m home later anyway so you’re not missing out on anything.”
“I’ll see you later, babe,” she reached across the desk to squeeze Tessa’s cold hands. “And you,” she pointed to Mitch warningly, “you better not be here to defend your friend.”
Mitch held his hands up in surrender. Lydia rolled her eyes, waved goodbye, and walked out the door, shutting it behind her. When she was gone, Mitch took the opportunity to sit in the seat across from Tessa.
“What are you doing here, Mitch?” Tessa demanded.
“Well, after seeing the state of my best friend this morning, I figured you might not be holding up much better,” he shrugged. “I wanted to see you.”
“Well you’re seeing me,” Tessa laughed ruefully. “What else can I do for you?”
“T, don’t do this,” Mitch shook his head. “We’re friends too, aren’t we?”
Tessa nodded sadly.
“Then why can’t think just be a friend checking in on a friend?”
“It’s not that simple, and you know it,” Tessa replied.
“Maybe so, but I wanted you to know that I’m here for you too,” Mitch offered. “And so is Steph, who I know is worried sick about you right now.”
Tessa looked at her hands guiltily. She ignored all of Steph’s messages.
“Mitch, I really appreciate the effort, I do,” Tessa sighed. “But this is a lot, okay? It hasn’t even been 24 hours. I have this ridiculous event to plan-”
“I wanted to talk to you about that too,” Mitch cut in. “Auston is going to be there.”
Tessa dropped her head into her hands on her desk and took a deep breath. “I know,” she muttered, not lifting her head. “I didn’t pick him.”
“I figured,” Mitch replied. “I don’t think he’s super into going either, so maybe we can see if someone can replace him?”
Tessa raised her head slowly and gave Mitch a once over, needing him to be a mind reader. Mitch sighed.
“Yeah, I know,” he relented. “He has to go for the kids.”
“Is he trying to get out of it?”
“No!” Mitch was emphatic. “He wouldn’t do that. But he knows he hurt you, Tess. I’m sure he’s worried about what him being there does to you.”
“It won’t do anything to me,” Tessa shook her head. “This is exactly one of the risks I knew I was taking by getting involved with him. Regardless of personal feelings, I have to put that aside and be professional. I have to be there so I will suck it up.”
“I really am sorry, Tessa,” Mitch offered. He hated his best friend, just a little, for what he did to this sweet girl.
Tessa sighed for what felt like the millionth time, a tear slipping out and running down her cheek. “Thanks,” she replied weakly. “Mitch, I appreciate you coming by, but I really do have a lot to do.”
Mitch nodded, understanding. He had probably already been there for much longer than she preferred. Standing up, he reached over and squeezed her hand.
As he got to the door, he turned around before leaving. “Tess?”
Tessa glanced up from a file on her desk. “Mm?”
“I really did mean it. We’re your friends too, so don’t forget that,” Mitch said sincerely. “When you’re ready, we’ll be here, okay?”
My Side of the Fence: A.M. Imagine (Complete)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Tessa wasn’t usually one to worry about Auston not contacting her all the time, but lately he hadn’t been contacting her at all. She was the one doing all of the initial texting, calling, and making plans. And when she did, she barely got any real response from him. He was, for lack of a better word, distant. And she had no idea why.
“T,” Lydia poked her head into Tessa’s room, finding her best friend laying flat on her back on her floor, her phone held tightly in one hand. “What are you doing, silly girl?”
Tessa barely moved her head to face Lydia, not wanting to move. “Just thinking.”
“Oh no, that’s never good,” Lydia laughed, moving to lay next to her on her side. “What’s wrong?”
Tessa sighed. She was being ridiculous, right? So he wasn’t calling or texting her in the mornings or right after practice or before he went to bed. So he wasn’t asking her to hang out. So he’s been a little dismissive when she asks about making plans. That doesn’t mean anything, right?
“Tess,” Lydia whispered gently, reaching her hand out to take the phone out of Tessa’s grip and replace it with her own hand.
Tessa reached up with the hand not being held by Lydia’s to wipe a stray tear that had slipped out. She wasn’t being ridiculous, and that was exactly the problem. Something was wrong with Auston, and most likely her.
“I think Auston’s pulling away from me,” she finally whispered, as more tears slipped out.
“What? Why?” Lydia was shocked. She knew Auston hadn’t really been around the apartment lately, but he had also been on a pretty long road trip and spent some time home in Arizona. Lydia also knew just how much Auston adored Tessa.
Tessa proceeded to explain his lack of contact, his general disinterest, and just how she felt. When she was finished, she was on her side facing Lydia’s sad face.
“Oh, honey,” Lydia said gently, “Are you sure it’s about you? I know he hasn’t been playing as well as he’s used to lately, and the Leafs aren’t doing so well. It could just be that? You haven’t been through a slump together yet.”
“No, it’s not that,” Tessa was sure of it. “Something is off, Lyd. I think he’s starting to have second thoughts about me and us.”
It hurt to finally say it out loud, but it also felt relieving.
“You need to talk to him, T. That’s the only way you’ll know for sure.”
__
Lydia was right and Tessa knew it. The only way she’d get any definite answers was by asking the necessary questions. Now it was just a matter of getting him to come over.
Tessa clicked on his name, dialling the familiar number. It rang longer than it usually did, and she wondered if maybe he was napping or playing video games with the guys.
On the seventh ring, he picked up. “Hey,” he said plainly. “What’s up?”
I’m fine, Auston, thank you for asking, Tessa thought.
“Hey,” she willed her voice not to tremble. “Are you busy?”
“Uh,” Auston hesitated. “Not really. What’s up?”
“Can you come over? I can make dinner or something,” Tessa offered.
“Tess, I’m pretty beat today,” Auston replied. “Coach made us bag skate today because we’ve been so shit lately.”
“I understand,” Tessa tried to push through. “But I really want to talk. I feel like we haven’t really had a chance to lately.”
“We talk every day.”
“We exchange pleasantries and give a general overview of our days, Auston,” Tessa sighed. He was making this hard on purpose. “You don’t have to spend the night.”
She could hear him sigh and start to move on the other end of the line.
“Sure, I’ll be over in a half hour,” Auston replied shortly. “But I already ate, so don’t worry about making anything.”
__
When the knock on the door finally came exactly 30 minutes later, Tessa felt her stomach drop. He wasn’t going to break up with her. He was just having a rough time and didn’t know how to ask for support. Lydia was right. She had to be.
“It’s open,” she called from the kitchen where she had been making tea. The door opened and a very cozy but tired looking Auston walked through, making his way into the living room, barely looking her way.
“Hey,” he said plainly.
“Hey,” she responded. “I’m just making tea.”
Auston finally looked at her, and sighed. This girl, the one he loved, who didn’t even know he loved her, looked so uncomfortable and unsure in her own home. A very different girl from the one he first met at the Launchpad event who said no so easily. He was being an ass and he knew it, but why did she have to make this so much harder? He knew that seeing her would just make this harder, which was why he had been avoiding her. He sat on the arm of the couch, facing her as she poured hot water into two mugs at the kitchen island.
“Tess,” Auston called gently.
“Hmm?” she responded, not looking up.
“Tess,” he repeated, with more force this time. Tessa looked up from the counter and as soon as she caught his eyes, she knew. And he knew she knew. “We need to talk.”
Tessa put the kettle down, her eyes blurring as they filled with tears. She refused to let him see her cry, so she turned her back to him to return the kettle to the counter and quickly swiped at her eyes, hoping he didn’t see it. He did, of course. Keeping her back to him, Tessa could hear him move and start walking towards her.
When Auston reached her, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back flush to his chest, and resting his head against hers.
“I’m so sorry, Tess,” he whispered, pressing his lips against her temple. He could feel her start to shake under his grasp and just squeezed her tighter. They stood like that for ten minutes before Tessa started to pull away. She wiped her eyes and cheeks aggressively, and turned to face him.
“Why?” she asked, her eyes staring into his.
“Why?” he repeated. He tried to keep his eyes on hers, but he could see the hurt he was causing, the hurt he promised not to cause, and had to look away.
“Yes, why? Why are you doing this?”
“Tess, it’s not you, it’s-”
“Do not finish that sentence with ‘me’,” she spit out angrily. How dare he try to break up with her with some standard fucking cliche. “I deserve more than that, don’t you think?”
Auston closed his eyes and sighed. She was right, but how was he supposed to tell her that he was breaking up with her because he loved her?
“Tess, I just think with everything going on, it’s just not a great idea for us to be together right now. I have a lot going on, and I know I’ve been a pretty shitty boyfriend to you lately,” he gave her a pointed look but didn’t see any rebuttal coming his way on that point. So she agrees, he had been shitty and he knew it. “Which I am sorry for, by the way. You didn’t deserve that.”
“You’re right, I didn’t,” Tessa crossed her arms against her chest. “I also deserve more than ‘it’s not a great idea right now,’ don’t you think?”
“I don’t have another reason, Tess,” Auston sighed, fighting the urge to reach out and hold her. The fire in her eyes told him it wasn’t wise. She had shifted so quickly from being sad to being angry that he wasn’t sure what would be okay, so he kept his distance and kept his back up against her counter as they stood on opposite ends of the kitchen.
“So you fight for me to give you a chance, even though you knew I had reservations, you promise you won’t hurt me, you introduce me to your family...” Tessa trailed off, trying to compose herself. “And what? You’re having a rough couple of weeks at your job and I’m the part you think cutting out will help?”
“I just need to focus on hockey right now,” Auston responded shortly, figuring it would be easier the less gentle he was. “My priority is and has always been hockey. I’m just trying to be fair to you, here.”
“Ohhh,” Tessa laughed ruefully and rolled her eyes. “I get it. You’re breaking up with me because it’s in MY best interests. Right. I understand.”
Tessa started to walk towards the door, picking up the jacket he left hanging on the arm of the couch along the way.
“Well, thanks for coming over finally,” Tessa stated with no emotion. “I guess I’ll see you around.” She stood at her door, not looking in his direction. She waited until she heard him finally start to move. When Auston reached the door, she held out his jacket to him.
“Tess,” he began, not grabbing the jacket yet. “I never meant to hurt you. I care about you so much.” Tessa responded by pushing his jacket into his chest. Auston reached for the hand that was holding his jacket, but she pulled it away as soon as she felt contact and folded her arms across her chest again.
“I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I hope we can stay friends or even just in the same friend group. Everyone really loves you and would hate it if you weren’t around anymore,” he waited for a response, some acknowledgement of his words, but it never came.
“I’ll have one of the girls bring you a box of your stuff that you’ve left here. Now please leave,” Tessa opened the door. Auston sighed and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead.
“I really am sorry, Tessa,” he whispered one last time, before making his way out the door. As soon as he was over the threshold, the door closed and locked behind him. He leaned back against the door and closed his eyes, as a single tear trickled down his cheek. He waited to hear her footsteps walk away from the door on the other side, but they never came. He turned his head slowly, pressing his ear up against the door. What he heard broke his heart even more. Tessa’s soft cries.
Auston grumbled as he slowly ambled to his front door. Whoever was here at 8am on his day off was about to get their head ripped off.
He peaked through the peep hole and was confused to find Mitch standing on the other side of the door. He sighed and pulled open the door, sweeping his hand out dramatically to welcome Mitch into his condo.
Mitch laughed. “Morning Tone,” he nodded, handing Auston a coffee and walking further into the space to place the rest of the breakfast treats on the kitchen island.
“Did we have plans today that I’m unaware of?” Auston asked, his anger dissipating at the smell of food.
“Nope!” Mitch popped the ‘p’ sound for emphasis and then plopped himself down on Auston’s massive cloud couch.
Auston waited for Mitch to explain the reason for his arrival, but nothing came. Sometimes the guys just stopped by each other’s places unannounced but it was rarely alone and rarely this early.
Instead of pushing, Auston grabbed a couple of plates and brought the food into the living room, sitting across from Mitch on the couch.
“Sooo...” Mitch started. “How are things?”
“Things?” Auston replied, confused. Something was up.
“Yeah, you know, I feel like you have been a little on edge lately,” Mitch shrugged.
“Well, we’ve sucked, so that’s been a lot of fun,” Auston answered sarcastically, even more confused. Mitch was also on edge because of their place in the standings, hell the whole team was.
“I know when we suck like this, I have a bad habit of taking it out on Steph and end up making her feel pretty shitty,” Mitch took a sip of his coffee. “She’s pretty good at calling me out for it, but sometimes I don’t notice.”
“Uh huh,” Auston responded. He had a feeling he knew what Mitch was trying to get to, but he wasn’t going to make this that easy. “So, is everything okay between the two of you right now?”
“Oh yeah, we’re great,” Mitch waved him off. “I just figured with you and Tessa being in a fairly new relationship and her not really experiencing these bad stretches before, she might be having a hard time.”
“She’s been great,” Auston shrugged.
“So you guys are good?” Mitch pushed.
Auston sighed, wiping his hands on a napkin as he finished his breakfast sandwich. “What’s going on, Mitch?”
“You tell me,” Mitch replied. “Tess seems a little out of sorts lately and I wondered if you noticed.”
Oh, Auston noticed. He noticed because he knew he was the cause of it. He could feel her walking on eggshells around him, which wasn’t like her. He just didn’t think she’d go to Mitch or Steph about it.
“Did Steph tell you this?”
“No, Steph hasn’t mentioned anything.”
“So you just picked up on this on your own?” Auston doubted.
“Look, I’m not going to lie to you and I don’t think Tess would expect me to. She asked me to hang out the other day because she’s concerned about you.”
“Concerned about what?” Auston was surprised she even brought it up to Mitch and was kind of annoyed that she did. “Me?”
“Yeah, and how you feel about her,” Mitch replied, searching Auston’s face for any sign that Tessa was right. Unfortunately, at Auston’s groan and pained expression, he found it. Shit.
Auston rubbed his eyes, thinking about what to say.
“Matts, you know you can tell me anything,” Mitch offered. “I thought you were in love with Tessa.”
Auston laughed. So everyone did know. Great.
“Am I wrong?” Mitch was very confused.
“No, you’re not wrong,” Auston replied. “I’m in love with her.”
“That’s...great? Isn’t it?”
“Not when I have to break up with her,” Auston answered defeatedly.
Mitch could feel the confusion on his face turn to complete shock within seconds, his jaw dropping. What. The. Fuck.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Mitch hoping he heard Auston wrong, Auston knowing that if Mitch reacted this way, it was only going to get worse.
“Why, I repeat, why do you have to break up with her?” Mitch asked. “You just said you love her!”
“That’s why, that right there,” Auston answered, standing up and walking to the kitchen to throw away the trash. “It’s too much too soon. I have loved Tessa pretty much from our first date. I think about her all day every day. She’s the first person I want to talk to in the morning, the last person I want to talk to at night. I want to tell her everything. I want to invite her to everything. I-I...I picture a future with her and it’s terrifying. She’s everywhere all the time. It’s...it’s suffocating.”
“Loving her is suffocating?”
“I guess,” Auston sighed, plopping back down on the couch. “I don’t know. She’s not suffocating. But this relationship, this intensity is and I honestly feel like I’m losing my mind some days.”
“It honestly just sounds to me like you’re scared,” Mitch stated pointedly. “Scared of how much you love her.”
Auston knew his friend was right, but everything in him was telling him to run. To not be 24 years old and have his future already mapped out.
“Man, I just need a break. I feel like I need a reset and maybe just see what else there is. And while I’m feeling like this, it’s not fair to her. Because I’ve been awful, Mitch. And she doesn’t deserve that.”
“She also doesn’t deserve to be broken up with without the whole truth,” Mitch responded. He was always going to be on Auston’s side, but he cared about Tessa too.
“I know, I have to tell her soon,” Auston agreed.
“You’re going to tell her everything?” Mitch clarified.
“No,” Auston shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt her even more. I’m just going to tell her that I need space to focus on hockey.”
“That is the biggest fucking cop out and you know it,” Mitch reprimanded.
“You think I want to hurt her?” Auston spat out. “This is killing me. But I can’t keep feeling like this.”
Mitch sighed. It kind of felt like old Auston, old commitment-phobe Auston, was back and it was disappointing.
“You’re making a huge mistake,” Mitch told him honestly. “Huge.”
“Maybe I am,” Auston relented. “But I need to do something to get my head on straight and I can’t do that while being with her.”
“All I’m saying is to think about it and make sure this is 100% what you want to do,” Mitch warned. “Because with Tessa, there might not be any going back.”
“I know,” Auston said sadly. He knew what he was risking.
“Why not just try to talk to her about how you’re feeling first? She might understand.”
“Would you? Would Steph understand if you told her that loving her was suffocating you? That your perfect relationship made you feel trapped?” Auston demanded.
“I don’t think those are the words I would use exactly,” Mitch rolled his eyes, glancing at his phone. “I have to meet Mo and Willy, you want to join?”
“Nah, I’m good man,” Auston stood up and started following Mitch to the door, hands deep in his sweatpant pockets. “You think Steph will ever talk to me again?”
“She’s going to be pissed,” Mitch rubbed his face in frustration. “Just do me a favour? Think about it a bit more, think about talking to her first, okay? No rash decisions.”
“That’s what Mo said too,” Auston responded. At Mitch’s look of confusion, Auston relented. “He picked up on it at the Christmas party.”
Wow, Mitch thought. Tessa was right. He’s been thinking about this for a while now. How did he miss it?
“Man, I’m really sorry you’ve been stressing about this and I didn’t even know,” Mitch said earnestly, clapping a hand on Auston’s shoulder. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
Auston nodded gratefully. “Yeah, I know. I just felt like the worst person on the planet.”
“Not on the planet, no,” Mitch shook his head. “Maybe in Toronto though.”
Mitch laughed at Auston’s small smile. “Thanks man.”
Christmas came and went without much fanfare for either Tessa or Auston. They both enjoyed a quiet holiday with their families, chatting sparsely throughout the week. Tessa usually initiated the conversation, but Auston was pretty quick to respond. They FaceTimed on Christmas Day, at the request of both of their parents who wanted to see the other and send well wishes.
It was now New Year’s Eve and Tessa was curled up under a blanket by the fire in the chalet. It had been a long day of skiing, snowboarding, and shopping for the 4 girls Tessa had this tradition with. Lydia and Claudia were there, of course, as well as their friends Tegan and Jemele. She looked forward to this tradition every year and as much fun as she was having, she also missed her giant teddy bear of a boyfriend and his hideous moustache. She had sent him some videos earlier in the day of the slopes and he responded with emojis, but not much else. She was sure he was just busy getting ready for the party at Mitch and Steph’s.
“Hey T,” Jemele called from the kitchen. “Do you want some more chili before I put it away?”
“No thanks,” Tessa called back, not wanting to move from her seat by the warm fire. “Do you girls need any help cleaning the kitchen?”
“No, we’re good, we’ll be done soon,” Claudia responded. Lydia and Tessa had prepared and cleaned up after breakfast, Tegan took care of lunch, and Jemele and Claudia took care of dinner, so they always tried to keep the work fairly even.
Tessa pulled out her phone, checking again to see if Auston had responded to anything she sent with anything other than just emojis. No such luck.
“T, what’s up?” Lydia asked, as she returned to the living room after her shower. “Lover Boy still not responding?”
“Not really,” Tessa responded, closing their chat after she texted to say that she hoped he had a good night with Mitch and everyone. “I’m sure he’s just busy with the guys, getting ready for tonight.”
Lydia nodded, because while that was what she believed, she wasn’t convinced it was what Tessa actually believed.
The girls settled in for the rest of the night, getting ready to watch a movie. At 11:08pm, Tessa’s phone buzzed. She didn’t usually leave it on, but wanted to know when he responded without feeling the need to check every few minutes.
(8:15pm) Tessa: I hope you have fun tonight with everyone! Tell them I said Happy New Year.
(11:08pm) Auston: You too, Tess. I’ll call you at midnight.
That put Tessa at ease - when they realized they were be spending the holiday apart, they had agreed that they would at least call after midnight, so she was happy he remembered.
At 11:59pm, the girls paused their movie so they could watch the ball drop and do the countdown. As the clock struck midnight, they all cheered and hugged. The girls with partners turned to their phones to send their well wishes, so Tessa decided to do the same. Just as she was about to FaceTime Auston, his name popped up as calling her, sans video.
“Happy New Year, Aus,” Tessa said sweetly, moving to her bedroom at the chalet for some privacy.
“Happy New Year, Tess,” he responded just as softly. He had missed her voice. Tessa could hear music in the background, and was also pretty sure she could hear Mitch’s loud voice shouting ‘shots!’ too.
“Is that Mitch?” she laughed.
“Yeah,” Auston sighed. “He’s been pushing shots all night. Here, let me move somewhere quieter.” Tessa could hear Auston weave through the people at the party, a couple of ‘Happy New Year Tessa!’s ringing out from familiar (and some unfamiliar) voices. She waited until it got quieter and heard a door shut.
“Where did you go?” she asked curiously, trying to place him so she could have a visual. She missed him.
“Mitch and Steph’s bedroom,” he responded as he leaned against the window that overlooked the Toronto skyline. “How was your night?”
“It was good,” she answered, laying back on her bed. “We were just watching a movie and then watched the ball drop. I’m pretty tired actually.”
“I bet,” he nodded. “Those slopes looked unreal.”
“They were! It’s been such a fun trip.”
“That’s great, Tess.”
“How was - or is, I guess I should say - your night so far?” she asked, curling herself into a ball and resting her head on her pillow.
“Not too bad,” Auston answered. “Everyone’s had a good time, and it’s just been teammates and their partners, so it was nice to keep it pretty chill. They all said they wished you were here though.”
“I wish I could’ve been in two places at once,” she laughed. She really wanted to spend the holiday with Auston, but also wanted to spend it with her girlfriends. In the end, tradition won out.
There was a brief silence on the line as Tessa waited for Auston to respond, but nothing came.
“I miss you,” she whispered. She had been thinking it all day, all week, but something held her back from saying it until now.
“Mm, do you?” he responded gently, his exhaustion finally hitting him. He was tired of so many things and felt like he could fall apart at any moment, but he didn’t want her to know and worry about that.
“Mhm.”
“I miss you too, Tess,” he said, trying to keep his voice even as a wave of emotion washed over him. He did miss her, and that made him more emotional than usual. Like he told Morgan, everything about her and them felt all-consuming, and even overwhelming. He just felt everything all at once with her, and really wanted a moment of feeling nothing so he could get his head on straight.
“Aus?” Tessa spoke, breaking the silence.
“Mm?”
“Happy New Year,” she repeated from earlier.
Auston smiled softly to himself. He really did love this sweet girl. So why did it feel so scary?
“Happy New Year, baby,” he replied. “See you in 2022.”
__
Tessa knew that as soon as the holidays were over, it would be go, go, go again, but this was warped speed, even for her. She was in the final stretch of her Master’s program, she had March Break and summer camps to plan for Launchpad, and Auston’s season was picking up speed. He had a crazy January schedule, which included an outdoor game, a long California road trip, and a bunch of back-to-backs. For his sake, and also for hers, she hoped the team could get it together and get some wins. She figured that would at least put him in better spirits.
He hadn’t been angry or cranky or anything lately, just...kind of meh, for lack of a better word. He didn’t have the bright and excitable energy he usually carried himself with. Sometimes she’d go visit him at the rink or see practice videos and she’d see him laughing and carrying on like usual, but as soon as he was off the ice and with her, he seemed different.
She was having a hard time not taking it personally, to be honest. But other than his team losing, she wasn’t really sure what could have changed between now and that night of playing in the snow.
She wanted to ask Auston what was wrong, but knew he’d just say nothing even though that was obviously not true.
So, she called in reinforcements.
“T, why are we outside right now?” Mitch whined, his hands stuffed into his coat pocket as they stood at the entrance of a simple hiking path.
“Because I like to move when I’m stressed and also because it’s not that cold, you big baby,” she locked her car behind her and pocketed the keys, heading towards the path. “Let’s go, slowpoke,” she reached out to pull him by the arm.
“What are you stressed about?” Mitch asked as he reluctantly followed her.
“Just stuff,” she answered, looking ahead.
“Stuff,” Mitch mused. “Okay, stuff. Like school stuff?”
“A little.”
“Work stuff?”
“Kind of.”
“Family stuff?”
“Not really.”
“Friend stuff?”
“Nope.”
Mitch reached out an arm to stop her. He was cold, annoyed, and now worried.
“What stuff, T?” he ask sincerely.
Tessa sighed. What if she was wrong and making something out of nothing and Mitch told Auston? Would he be annoyed that she was talking to his friends about him? Would he tell her to mind her own business?
“Has Auston seemed different to you lately?” she asked, avoiding Mitch’s eyes.
“Different how?” Now Mitch was more confused than ever. He thought things between Auston and Tessa were good. They were great for each other and were obviously in love.
“Just,” Tessa started walking again. “Different. I don’t know how to explain it. He just seems...disinterested, I guess?”
“Disinterested in...” Mitch pressed.
“Me?” Tessa said quietly, briefly looking at Mitch to see if any kind of recognition crossed his face.
“What?!” He was so confused. Auston loved Tessa. He would bet any amount of money on it. “Tess, you know Matts is crazy about you.”
Did she know that though? She thought she knew that, but lately she was starting to doubt his feelings for her. She wasn’t crazy. As much as she wished that’s what she could blame this on, she knew something was different.
“Tess,” Mitch said sternly. He pulled her arm to stop her from walking again. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Mitch,” she shrugged. She felt helpless because it was all entirely based on a feeling. She hated this. “It’s not the same right now. He’s not the same. He doesn’t really initiate calling or texting or making plans. He doesn’t seem excited about making plans together. We barely talk about anything of substance,” she rambled on, hot tears escaping her eyes. “He just doesn’t seem like he’s really there with me, or like he even wants to be. But then I see him at the rink and he seems more like himself. I’m the only thing that’s different.”
Mitch was floored. He had no idea where any of this was coming from. Auston hadn’t said anything to him about her recently. Which, come to think of it, was also odd for him. Auston would usually tell stories about her throughout the day, or make a reference to her, but ever since they got back from holidays, he hadn’t really said anything about her. Maybe there was more merit to this than he originally thought.
“T,” Mitch pulled her into a tight embrace. He could feel her shaking beneath him, and he wasn’t 100% convinced it was just from the cold. “It will be okay. I’ll talk to him.”
“No!” she ripped herself out of his grasp. “No, I don’t want him to know I asked. I don’t want to make it worse. I just wanted to know if you saw it too.”
“I mean, not that I really noticed,” Mitch fibbed. Technically he didn’t notice until right this moment, and it didn’t feel right to tell Tessa that and confirm her fears when he wasn’t even sure what he did or didn’t notice. “I’ll talk to him-”
He held up a hand when Tessa went to refute him again.
“I’ll just bring it up casually and see what’s going on, if anything,” Mitch reiterated. “I don’t have to say anything specific about this conversation, but I also want to know if he’s okay. For you and for him, okay?”
Tessa sighed. She couldn’t expect Mitch not to say anything. Auston was his best friend. If the roles were reversed and this was about Lydia, she’d absolutely tell her.
“Okay,” she relented. Mitch wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they finished the loop.
“It’ll be okay, T,” he said kindly. “Don’t worry.”
“Whoa, Matts,” William exclaimed, clearly impressed. “That’s quite some arm candy you’ve got there.”
Before Auston could angrily tell William not to speak about Tessa that way, he realized his buddy was actually looking at the new watch on his wrist and laughed. “Oh yeah, she did a good job, didn’t she?” he held out his wrist so William, Mitch, and Morgan could get a better look. Tessa was off chatting with Steph and William’s date, Katie.
“What do you think that set her back?” Mitch asked, as he examined it closer.
“Too much,” Auston shook his head, remembering that he had actually been pretty upset with her for spending that much money on him when he knew she had worked so hard to save while in school. He didn’t want to fight about it, especially as they were exchanging their first Christmas gifts, but he couldn’t help but worry that she thought she had to spend that money just because of his job and lifestyle. When she mentioned how much he had probably spent on her earrings, he knew she had a point, but he could afford it without worrying about it. He didn’t want to say that and offend her, but it bothered him.
“Well, it’s a beauty,” Morgan agreed. “Are you going to be together over the holidays?”
“No,” he sighed. That had also bothered him more than he admitted. “She’s going home to London for Christmas, and then she has plans with some girlfriends for New Year’s. I guess they’ve rented out a chalet at Blue Mountain for the past few years, and now it’s a tradition.”
“Steph mentioned something about that when I asked her if Tessa was joining us for our New Year’s party,” Mitch responded, taking a sip of his gin and tonic. Mitch and Stephanie were hosting a New Year’s party for the team at their new condo together and Auston had been looking forward to spending the night with his friends and his girl, but she had other plans apparently.
He didn’t realize he had been staring at her across the room until she caught his eye and sent a curious look his way as Stephanie, Katie, and now Christina chatted around her. He quickly recovered, sending her a wink before turning back to the guys.
“Yeah, not this year,” he responded to Mitch.
“When does she go to London?” William asked, feeling a little sorry for his friend.
“Tomorrow. She has to finish grading papers tomorrow morning, and then she heads out some time in the afternoon, and doesn’t come back until January 3rd,” he sighed.
“Did she ask you to go and meet her family?” Morgan asked, as they all started to make their way to their table.
“She did,” Auston replied, taking his seat next to Morgan and leaving the seat next to him empty for Tessa. “It just depends because my grandma is coming here too, and I don’t want to miss seeing her, so I’m hoping I can. I’ve only met her dad through FaceTime so far.”
Auston knew how much Tessa’s dad meant to her, and knew how much she wanted the two of them to meet, but their schedules just never seemed to match up. Tessa understood that he’d want to stay in town for his grandma, so she wasn’t upset, but he really wanted to make it work.
“Well, I’m sure you guys will have lots of time to meet,” Morgan responded. “Considering how crazy in love you two are, I think there will be tons of chances.”
Auston coughed on the drink he had been taking. In love. Morgan knew?
“What?” Morgan asked, oblivious.
“What makes you think she’s in love with me?” Auston whispered, hoping no one else was overhearing this conversation. William and Mitch had already moved on and were talking about the new updates to Call of Duty.
Morgan stared blankly at Auston. When it didn’t seem like Auston was joking, his jaw dropped slightly.
“Are you kidding?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“No!” Auston whisper shouted. “You think she’s in love with me?”
Morgan reached over and knocked on Auston’s forehead before Auston pushed his hand away. “Hellooo, anyone in there?” Morgan teased. “You can’t actually be serious?” When Auston just stared, he laughed, amazed. His friend was an idiot. “You are serious. Jesus, what has this girl done to the confidence of Auston Matthews?”
“What do you mean?”
“Matts, a person would have to be blind or stupid to not know that the two of you are in love!” Morgan thought this was obvious to everyone, but apparently the only people who didn’t know Auston and Tessa loved each other were Auston and Tessa. Go figure.
“How did you know I love her?” Auston demanded. He hadn’t told anyone yet.
“Did you get hit in the head recently and have just been hiding it?” Morgan squinted his eyes at his clueless friend. “Man, it’s so obvious. And it’s also so obvious she feels the same! I just assumed you had already said it.”
“I mean, not technically,” Auston looked away, making sure Tessa wasn’t within earshot.
“What does ‘not technically’ mean?”
Auston sighed. He might as well tell someone. It had been weighing on his mind ever since that night.
“I actually told her I love her a few weeks ago,” Auston whispered.
“That’s great!” Morgan exclaimed. When Auston didn’t seem to share in his excitement, he paused. “Isn’t it?”
“I mean, I said it and she was asleep but I didn’t know she was asleep so she didn’t even hear it,” Auston shrugged, embarrassed. “And then I just decided to keep it to myself for a bit. I guess I just don’t feel ready to say it.”
“Why not? You said it once already,” Morgan was confused.
“I think maybe it was just for the best that she didn’t hear it yet,” Auston felt the heat climbing his neck as he tugged at his collar. “I just think that’s too much too fast, and we’re still getting to know each other and figure it all out.”
“What is there to figure out?” Morgan pressed.
Auston hadn’t told anyone that he had been having doubts about him and Tessa, not even Mitch. He felt so guilty for how he was feeling, but if he were honest with himself, telling her he loved her so easily terrified him. His feelings for Tessa were big and loud and everywhere, and they were still so young. What if he messed this up? What if he did hurt her? They were both so busy with their own careers and lives and she was...she was perfect. And somehow, that made her even more terrifying.
“Matts, you can tell me,” Morgan whispered, knowing this was not the appropriate venue for this conversation, but also seeing his friend struggle made it seem necessary.
“Sometimes I just worry that I jumped into this too fast,” he admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, Tess is perfect and I do love her, but I’ve basically been one-track minded ever since we met and it’s just...all-consuming. My feelings for her just feel all-consuming all the time, and most of the time that’s great and amazing, but sometimes it’s just overwhelming and I worry about doing or saying the wrong thing and not being able to go back from that.”
“I mean, you are going to do or say the wrong thing sometimes, and so is she,” Morgan offered. “That’s normal in a relationship like this.”
“I know, I just don’t think if I’m ready for a relationship ‘like this’ and I feel awful even thinking that,” Auston pressed his hands to his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on. No more alcohol for him tonight, he figured.
“Look man, I can see how into her you are, I can see how amazing she is, and I can see how deeply you both care for each other,” Morgan clapped him on the back. “My advice, even though you didn’t ask for it, is just not to make any rash decisions based on fear. You don’t know what decisions you’ll be able to walk back later on,” Morgan nodded towards where the girls were making their way over and Auston stood up from his seat, turning to see Tessa looking at them curiously.
“What has you two so serious?” she asked, accepting her chair that Auston had politely pulled out for her.
“The usual,” Morgan offered when he could see Auston struggling.
“Sports,” Morgan, Tessa, and Stephanie all said at once, laughing at themselves.
“Well, no sports talk,” Steph reprimanded. “This night is supposed to be fun!”
“She’s right,” Tessa leaned over and tucked herself under Auston’s arm. “Fun,” she looked up at him, knowing there was more on his mind than he was letting on. Auston leaned down and placed a quick peck on her lips.
“Fun,” he repeated.
**
It was nearing 2am when Auston and Tessa climbed out of the Uber the Leafs had supplied for them. Tessa had Auston’s suit jacket wrapped around her shoulders tightly as they entered the building silently.
Neither had much to drink, both with so much on their minds, but they had a fun night with their friends. As they entered his apartment, Tessa slipped out of her heels and headed towards the bathroom to start to get ready for bed. She knew something was off with Auston tonight, but had just hoped it was about how badly the team had been playing lately. But she would catch him with a blank look on his face from time to time, clearly lost in thought. Sometimes she would feel him staring at her, but he would either wink or turn away quickly when he had been caught. She thought if she went to get ready for bed, it would give him some time to himself.
She stood in front of his bathroom mirror, taking out her earrings and pulling her hair out of its tight bun, as Auston walked in behind her and leaned against the door, keeping his eyes on hers in the mirror.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked. He knew he had been in his head all night and had hoped his behaviour didn’t ruin the night for her. She deserved to take it easy for once.
“I did,” she nodded, running a brush through her hair. “Thanks for having me.”
Auston reached out to take the brush from her hands, and took over for her. She sighed as he did. It was an oddly sweet gesture to have your hair brushed by someone else. “Well thanks for coming,” he responded, watching as her eyes closed. She looked peaceful. She looked beautiful. She looked...perfect.
Auston couldn’t help himself as he pushed his body up against her back, he mouth going right to her exposed neck. When he heard her little moan, he dropped the brush on the counter with a clank. He continued his attack on her neck, his hands rubbing up and down against the silky fabric of her dress.
“Auston,” Tessa moaned, the atmosphere in the room changing quickly. When she tried to turn to face him, he held on tighter, keeping her in place. He wanted to see her in the mirror.
“Mm mm,” he responded, as his hands finally found the hidden zipper on the side of the dress. He slowly slipped it down her body, revealing only a black thong. He knew she hadn’t been wearing a bra, and he was more than happy to have that confirmed as he stared at her nearly naked body in the mirror. He watched as her nipples perked, reaching up to gently squeeze her breasts. He could feel the heat radiating off of her.
“Auston,” Tessa repeated, trying not to lose herself right then and there.
“You’re so beautiful, baby, you know that?” he whispered against her neck, as his hands pushed her thong down to the ground and his hand moved to cover the spot that had now been exposed. “Look at yourself.”
Tessa kept her eyes closed, pushing her bottom back into him, needing to feel him. It was obvious he was turned on, and she hated that he still had so many clothes on. Barriers. Clothes were just barriers to her in this moment.
“Tessa,” Auston’s hand on her heat stopped moving. “I want you to see yourself when I’m touching you. Open your eyes, baby.”
Tessa slowly opened her eyes, taking in her flushed face, hard nipples, and the sexy smile of the man behind her. She rolled her eyes playfully, before reaching down to press his hand against her heat again. “Keep going,” she whispered.
Auston, who wasn’t one to deny her a request, immediately started playing with her again, slipping a middle finger in slowly. “Oh, baby, you’re so ready for me,” he moaned, his dick straining against his dress paints. “Can you feel how ready you are, Tess?” he grabbed a hand that had been in his hair and replaced his finger with her own. The moan she let out was incredible. “Touch yourself, baby. Show me what you want.”
“Auston,” Tessa moaned, as he watched her slick fingers slide in and out. “Auston.”
“Tell me, baby, tell me what you want.”
“I want,” Tessa stuttered, trying to catch her breath. “I want you to take off your clothes. I want to feel you.”
“Feel me where, baby?” Auston asked as he pulled back slightly to unbutton his shirt and let it fall to the floor.
“I want-” Tessa sucked in a breath as she felt his clothed member brush against her naked behind.
“What Tess? What do you want?” he demanded as he slowly unzipped his pants and let them and his briefs fall to the ground. He kept his distance, not wanting her to feel him yet. He needed to hear her say it first.
Tessa sighed deeply, reaching for his hand to replace hers. He let her take it, but just kept it pressed against her. Tessa moaned and groaned, clearly frustrated.
“You have to say it, Tess,” he teased, his lips brushing against her neck softly.
“I want you to fuck me,” she finally breathed out, her eyes now wide open and staring into his in the mirror.
“Baby,” Auston pushed a finger into her, spreading her out, making sure she was ready for him. “I want to fuck you so hard, baby.” He pumped his fingers in and out faster as Tessa reached for her hips to pull him flush up against her backside. She wiggled her butt and that was all Auston needed. He reached over to grab a condom out of the top drawer and quickly slipped it on, all while holding her in place.
He spun her around, picked her up and sat her on the counter before sliding himself into her, groaning as he felt her stretch. Tessa’s hands fisted in his hair as she screamed incoherently, moving with his rhythm. Auston kept one hand on her backside and brought the other up to her face, making sure she was looking at him. He leaned in to kiss her deeply. He was nearing his climax and he could tell she was too.
“Tess, I’m-” he grunted.
“I know baby, I know,” she responded. “Me too.”
Auston thrusted in and out, keeping his eyes trained on hers. He wanted to see her face when she came.
“Baby, you have to come first,” he begged, it was getting too hard to hang on. “I need to see you come, Tess.”
Tessa moaned loudly, feeling her stomach start to clench. Auston could feel her walls tighten around him as she let out a loud exclaim. She tried to pull his head to her chest, but he held strong. He watched as the pleasure crossed her face, and knew he was done for in more ways than one.
He pumped one more time, finally spilling his release into the condom. He let his head head drop to her shoulder as she gently played with his hair. He could hear her heart pounding, could feel his pounding just the same. He slowly pulled out, but stayed in her embrace for a little while longer.
Finally, she lifted his head and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Thanks,” she whispered. He laughed lightly. He was exhausted.
“You too, baby,” he kissed her again before pulling away and removing the condom. He washed his hands and then reached over to gently lift her off of the counter. When he placed her on the ground, he squeezed her close in a tight embrace.
After they both cleaned up, they climbed into bed, with Tessa tucked under his arm. She was sound asleep within minutes.
And yet, Auston, who had been exhausted before the night even began, was wide awake, his head swimming with thoughts.
He loved her and he knew now that she loved him.
His girlfriend, his dream girl, this stunning creature in his arms, loved him. She didn’t even have to say it, but Morgan was right. It was there and it was obvious.
I have no idea who actually still follows me or cares about this story anymore, but I’m back! I had all of these big plans for this story and ended up cutting it short, but I had been re-reading my drafts and I don’t know - just wanted to keep it going. So, to that end, I have quite a few more chapters already written and am just going to enjoy continuing Auston and Tessa’s journey. I hope you’ll come along!
_______________
Everything between Auston and Tessa had been going so well that it was making Tessa a little nervous. How was it possible that they had been together for nearly 4 months now? It of course wasn’t her longest relationship by any stretch, but every now and again she had to remind herself of how far they’ve come from their first meeting and how much he has proven her first thoughts about him and his intentions wrong.
She was also starting to realize just how deep into this she was. She had already had a bit of a sense of her feelings for him changing, but the night of the first snowfall really solidified it for her. She was falling in love. But she wasn’t quite ready for that big declaration to make its way out into the world just yet, especially when he hadn’t made any kind of indication that he was there yet.
“Earth to Tessa!” she could hear Steph call in what felt like a far away distance.
“Hmm?” she shook her head, shaking herself free of her inner monologue. “Sorry Steph, did you say something?”
“Honey,” Steph laughed, “I’ve been going on and on for ten minutes now about how frustrating Mitchell is to buy for because he already has everything he wants, and you were so politely nodding along that I thought you were actually listening!”
“Sorry,” Tess smiled sheepishly. “I thought you guys agreed not to do presents this year?”
“We agree on that every year and somehow he still ends up getting me something!” Steph exclaimed with a huff, though Tessa knew she wasn’t actually frustrated. From what she understood, Mitch was surprisingly a pretty good gift-giver. “But that’s not the point. Where were you just now?”
“Just thinking,” Tess answered, moving from the rack of bags to the counter where the watches were stored. Maybe she could get Auston a watch for Christmas?
“Okay, don’t make me pull it out of you,” Steph laughed. “What did Auston do to make you look so in love?”
Tessa’s head snapped up at Steph’s last word. “What? No I don’t. I was just thinking about what I should get him for Christmas.”
Steph stopped her own browsing to turn and give Tessa a look of disbelief. Did she really think no one knew how she and Auston felt about each other?
“Have you and Auston not said ‘I love you’, yet?” Steph asked, struggling to hide her shock. Those two were so clearly head over heels in love with each other that it seemed ridiculous to even pretend otherwise. When Tessa just shook her head, Steph let out a bark of laughter, quickly trying (and failing) to hide it with her hand.
“Thanks Steph,” Tessa rolled her eyes.
“Oh honey, I’m sorry,” Steph reached out and tugged at the sleeve of her puffer jacket. “I’m just a little confused is all. Everyone and their grandmother can see how you two look at each other.”
"What are you talking about?” Now it was Tessa’s turn to be confused. “We’re just not there yet.”
“Or neither of you are willing to admit that you are,” Steph offered. When Tessa flushed, Steph knew she hit the nail on the head. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t think there’s any rush to say it if you’re not ready. You two seem pretty happy as is.”
“We are really happy,” Tessa smiled. “I just don’t want anything to mess it up.”
“Why would expressing your love mess anything up?” Steph handed her credit card over to the cashier who was ringing up the wallet she was buying for Mitch.
“It’s only been about 4 months. It just seems too soon, especially given his history,” Tessa felt bad that she still had those doubts about them, but every time one of the Launchpad volunteers or a girl at school brought him up and what they may or may not have done with him last season, she just couldn’t let it go. She tried really hard, because she trusted him and because he hadn’t done anything to make her think otherwise since they started seeing each other, but it wasn’t easy.
“T, his present is you and only you. His history is just that - history,” Steph smiled and thanked the cashier as she accepted her bag. She linked her arm through Tessa’s as they left the store and re-entered the cold Toronto winter outside. It had been flurrying all day, big fluffy snowflakes, but it was also brutally cold with the wind chill.
“I know, I just can’t help but remember who he is to the people in this city sometimes,” Tessa replied. “Don’t get me wrong - I don’t think he’d ever cheat on me. But sometimes just remembering how other people see him, and how some of those people had him, makes me uncomfortable.”
“That’s totally normal,” Steph said as she unlocked her car door and climbed in, Tessa climbing into the passenger seat. “But you can’t let it get to you or stop you from furthering your relationship with him. You deserve to love and be loved in a big way, Tessa. Telling him you love him won’t mess anything up, I promise,” she said sweetly, reaching over to squeeze Tessa’s hand.
“Thanks Steph,” Tessa smiled sincerely.
“Okay good, now that that’s settled,” Steph started the car and pulled out of their parking spot, “let’s talk about what we’re going to wear to the Leafs Christmas gala!”
Tessa laughed and shook her head. Leave it to Steph to go from having a deep conversation about love to fashion.
**
It was December 22nd, and the Leafs had just been shut out by the Boston Bruins 1-0 on home ice the night before. Auston took an unusual penalty towards the end of the third period when it was 0-0 and Marchand took advantage of the opportunity to win it for the Bruins.
Tessa knew he wasn’t going to be in a great mood. He never was after a loss, as to be expected, but the losses had been piling up lately and Auston hadn’t scored in 5 games, so he was more frustrated than usual. Usually he would come over after the game, but that night he texted and said he just wanted to go home and sleep on his own. She had to admit she was a little hurt by that, but she also had 50 papers to grade before December 23rd, which was why she wasn’t at the game, so it was probably better that she did stay home alone.
Fortunately they were heading into the Christmas break, she would get some time off from school and work, Auston wouldn’t have any games or practices for a few days, and they had the gala to look forward to that night. She was really excited for it as it had been a while since they were able to go out with everyone.
She was just putting the finishing touches on her make-up when she heard a knock at the door. “Lyd!” she called, from the bathroom. “Can you let him in?”
Tessa heard Lydia get up from the couch to open the front door. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Thighs himself,” Lydia teased, as Tessa rolled her eyes. “You clean up pretty well, Matts.”
“Thanks Lyds,” Auston laughed. “Where’s my girl?”
It was embarrassing how he could still make her blush with something as simple as that statement, but here she was applying blush when she apparently didn’t even need it.
“Teeeeessa,” Lydia sing-songed. “Your Thigh Master is here!”
Tessa put in her new gold and diamond encrusted ‘huggie’ earrings that Auston had surprised her with a few days ago as an early Christmas present, gave herself a once over, and walked out into the living room where Auston was waiting.
Auston’s head snapped up from where he had been checking his phone when he heard her footsteps. “Wow,” he breathed as he walked slowly towards her. “Tess. Wow,” he repeated as he finally reached her, placing his hands on her hips.
Tessa chuckled sweetly. “I could say the same thing about you,” she took in his forest green suit that had a light plaid pattern throughout. He had asked her weeks ago what colour she was wearing because he wanted to match, and he found the perfect shade to match her forest green spaghetti strap satin dress.
“You look stunning, baby,” he leaned down to give her a sweet but lingering kiss. He only pulled away when he heard very distinct gagging noises behind them.
“All right, that’s enough snogging lovebirds!” she reached over to snag Tessa’s phone that was on the counter. “Time for your prom photo!”
Auston and Tessa laughed, but posed anyway. Lydia took a few photos with both of their phones, the last one with Auston kissing Tessa’s forehead as she smiled brightly. “Oh, there’s the winner right there,” Lydia handed Auston’s phone back to him. Auston looked at the photo and immediately made it his lockscreen.
“That’s a good one,” he said, looking back to Tessa, who blushed again.
“It is,” she agreed.
“Okay you two, your chariot awaits!” Lydia grabbed her car keys from the kitchen island and started heading towards the door, ushering them outside.
After they reached their destination, Lydia unlocked the car doors to let them out. “Let me know if you need to be picked up. I’ll probably just be grading papers,” she said.
“We’re staying at Auston’s tonight,” Tessa reminded her.
“Either way, I can get you if you need a ride,” Lydia reiterated.
“Thanks Lyds,” Auston leaned over from his seat in the back to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“No problem, Matts,” she beamed. Tessa rolled her eyes playfully at the two of them before also leaning over to give Lydia a kiss on the cheek.
My Side of the Fence: A.M. Imagine (Complete)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Consequences: A.M. Imagine (Complete)
Preview
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
“T, wake up,” Auston whispered into Tessa’s ear as she attempted to sleep soundly.
Tessa let out a small whimper and burrowed herself deeper into Auston’s chest as he lay on his back in bed. It was just after 1am and Auston could not sleep. After spending most of the evening wrapped around each other, they had passed out with Tessa’s head tucked under his chin and her body curled around his, one leg bent and resting on his thighs.
Auston awoke about twenty minutes ago and could see out his window that the city of Toronto was being blanketed with its first big snowfall of the season. There was something about the silence of snowfall in the middle of the night that felt so loud to him and he just couldn’t get back to sleep. He had spent the better part of the last twenty minutes thanking his lucky stars that someone as incredible as Tessa had chosen him, had given him a chance, and then he spent the rest of the time debating with himself about waking her up so she could enjoy the snow with him.
Tessa was a bit of a bear if you woke her up too early, disrupted her slumber, or even tried to talk to her if it was too early in the morning. He had learned that one the hard way.
But he knew how much she loved watching the snow, and he, an Arizona transplant, still felt mesmerized by it at the beginning of winter. That feeling of awe wore off as the snow continued well into March most years, but he could at least appreciate the first one, and he knew she did too. So, he risked an earful from his beautiful girlfriend if it meant getting her to play in the snow with him this one time.
“Baby, please, I promise it’s a good reason,” he mumbled into her hair, placing light kisses on the top of her head and she kept her eyes tightly closed.
“Shhh,” she whispered, bringing a tired hand to his mouth to close his lips. “Shh shh.”
Auston couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled throughout his body. She was a little too cute for her own good sometimes. But he refused to let up.
“What if,” he paused, pulling her body up higher so they could lay face to face and she squished her body to his, “I told you...that it was snowing right now.”
“Mm?”
“Snow, baby. Lots and lots of big fluffy snowflakes. Everywhere.” He rolled them over so he was lying on top of her, watching as her hair spread over his pillows and her legs wrapped around his torso. “Snow.”
Tessa let one eye slowly squint open, eyeing his large bedroom windows. The beautiful scene met her was enough for both eyes to widen and a childlike grin to spread across her face, her dimples on full display.
“Snow,” she whispered, in awe.
The first snowfall never got old to her, even though it was something she had experienced every year of her life so far.
“Told ya it was a good reason,” Auston pecked her lips and then turned their heads so they watched the snowfall together, silently.
“Hmm,” Tessa sighed contentedly, turning her body and shifting so she was in a little spoon position. Auston curled his body around hers and let his cheek rest against hers.
“Let’s go outside!”
“What?” Tessa turned to him, unable to hide the shock. “You’re crazy. It’s almost 2am.”
“So? We can bundle up and you can wear that new matching scarf and mittens set my mom bought for you,” he playfully bit the shell of her ear, knowing she thought the set was quite ugly, but that she felt so appreciative that Ema had thought of her and wanted to give herself something during their most recent visit. Tessa elbowed him softly in the ribs, garnering a light grunt from her rock-solid boyfriend.
“What happened to my California-born, Arizona-raised, sun-loving, winter-hating of almost a Grinch nature, boyfriend?”
“He is trying to open himself to new experiences with his Canadian-bred snow-obsessed, almost of a psychopathic nature, girlfriend. Let’s do it!” he raised himself up from the bed, pulling her hesitant body with him.
“You really are crazy, you know that?” she asked as she begrudgingly followed him and started putting on layers of clothes.
“I prefer the terms wild or spontaneous, thank you very much,” he started pulling on his boots. He helped her into her coat and then wrapped the colourful scarf around her neck. “Let’s go make a snowman, baby!”
Tessa laughed as he pulled her out the front door like a kid on Christmas morning who had been waiting up all night for Santa to come and his parents to wake him up so he could open all of his new presents.
“You look so cute in your new scarf and mittens by the way,” he teased as he pulled her up against him as the elevator descended. “Very...bright.”
“I hate you.”
“Hey, at least I won’t lose you in a blizzard, right?” he yelled back as he took off running the second the elevator doors dinged open.
“I really, really hate you,” Tessa yelled, running after him. When she caught up to him, she jumped on his back and he went tumbling into the snow that had blanketed the park outside of the building, rolling them around a few times before finally settling on top of her, her hat now long gone in the snow and her rat’s nest hair splayed in the white snow. Her cheeks were already rosy and her nose was turning a deep shade of red, but her eyes were bright with laughter and what he hoped was the same joy he felt radiating off his body. She was absolutely beautiful, and he was so, so lucky.
“Tess, I-” he stopped himself. It was too soon, wasn’t it? But if it was too soon, why had it been so hard to keep the words that rolled around in his mouth from coming out and being in the open? Was this love? This soon? Even if it was, how could he say it now? And yet, he felt it down to his bones.
“You what?” Tessa’s soft voice broke him out of his voice.
Auston gazed into her bright, unassuming eyes. It wasn’t possible, he thought. It was way too soon. So, he buried the words and the feelings down deep again.
He pecked her nose, laughing as she wiggled it Bewitched-style. She slipped off her mittens to run her fingers through his already wet hair, pulling his face down to meet hers in a loving kiss. As he deepened the kiss, he was blissfully unaware of what Tessa’s other hand was doing in the meantime.
She took a small packed snowball and plopped it down on the back of his neck, wriggling her body free from under his during his shock. He let out a shocked laugh before standing up and chasing after her laughing frame.
“Oh, you’re gonna get it now,” he yelled, trying to catch up to her.
“Come and get me!”
And so, they played in the snow, chasing each other, making snow angels, snowpeople, and kissing in between every step, well into the early hours of the morning.
When they climbed back into his bed to hopefully squeeze in a few more hours of sleep, Auston was overcome with emotion. He had the girl of his dreams curled up on his chest, and the more time they spent together, the more he realized that he had never been this happy before. He could feel his heart beat rapidly in his chest. What was he doing?
“I love you,” he whispered into the top of Tessa’s head. He didn’t know what compelled him to say it at that moment, but he had been thinking it all day, and if he were being honest with himself, he had been thinking it for a while now. But the words were out now and he couldn’t take them back. He waited with bated breath for Tessa to respond, to acknowledge what he said.
He waited.
And he waited.
And nothing came.
He started to worry that he had overstepped and freaked her out.
“Tess?”
Nothing.
He pulled away slightly, only to find his beautiful girlfriend sleeping soundly on his chest, only moving as his chest moved. She was asleep. She didn’t hear him.
Auston was surprised by the relief that coursed through him. He wasn’t ready to say it yet and for her to hear it. He felt it, he didn’t doubt that. But it didn’t need to be out there just yet.
Laying there wide awake, Auston could feel his heart start to race again. What was he doing, why would he be relieved that the girl he loved didn’t hear him tell her that? Shouldn’t he want her to know how he felt?
September and October came and went in a blur, and now they were nearing the end of November. The air had turned crisp, most of the trees were bare, and daylight came and went so quickly that Tessa felt like she barely had any time for a real-life outside of work and school and all of her commitments.
She had tried her best to watch as many Leafs games on TV in the evenings when she could, even just having it on in the background while she was writing or grading papers. She even attended a couple of home games with Steph and one his with parents. Ema had gotten her phone number so now they texted fairly regularly, especially when they were both watching his games in their own homes.
But exams were coming up soon for her students and that meant some of her own deadlines were rapidly approaching so watching from home had to suffice for the most part. She had been nervous about how Auston’s hectic road trip schedule would coincide with her own commitments, but so far so good.
They had minor hiccups here and there, particularly when Auston felt like she wasn’t taking good enough care of herself and she felt like he was overstepping and intruding on her independence. Or when he had a bad game and was a little snippy with her when she just tried to be positive about it and all he wanted to hear was ‘yeah Auston, you’re right, that game was shit and the refs were brutal’. They were quickly learning the ins and outs of each other’s love languages and communication strengths and weaknesses and learning to where they both needed to work on themselves and how they could better express what they need and want.
It made the distance easier when he called her every night after a game, and if it was a home game, he usually came over to sleep at her place if he knew she had a lot of work to do. She loved that he didn’t mind coming over to her place even though it meant they didn’t always have privacy with Lydia home. In fact, it actually made her fall for him even more when she would sometimes come home after him to find them just hanging out and laughing and watching shows. Auston and Lydia developed a brother-sister relationship that she also developed with Mitch. It was always important to her that Lydia liked whoever she was with because when push came to shove, she would always choose Lydia over anyone else. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like that would be an issue anytime soon.
It was a Wednesday night and Auston had just returned from a week-long road trip, so Tessa was really looking forward to seeing him. Unfortunately, she got stuck at the office doing paperwork so she told him to just go ahead and hang out with Lydia at their place. When she walked in the door from the cold outside, her heart grew three sizes when she heard the laughter coming from the living room. It surprised her to see not only Lydia and Auston there but also Mitch and Steph. They appeared to be deep into a game of Cards Against Humanity.
“There’s the woman of the hour!” Mitch turned to her, getting up from his spot on her couch to wrap her in a big hug. “Fuck, you’re cold!” he pulled away quickly, letting her take off her jacket.
“Hey, who said you could hug her first?” Auston shoved Mitch out of the way to lean down to squeeze her close to him, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Hi, baby.”
“Hi,” Tessa said softly, beaming up at him.
“Hey, move it loser, I get her next,” Steph yanked on the back of Auston’s sweater to pull him away and walk into Tessa’s open arms. “Hey chicky.”
“Should I get up and hug you now or...?” Lydia looked up from her spot where she was burrowed under blankets on the couch, clearly having no intention of moving.
“Nah, I think we’re good,” Tessa winked at her before plopping down next to her and getting under the blankets. “Sorry guys. How long have you been here?”
“Just about an hour,” Steph replied, taking her seat back on the loveseat next to Mitch.
“And just enough time for Steph to be kicking all of our asses at this game,” Mitch muttered, looking at his two winning cards to Steph’s seven.
“Turns out knowing two of the other players well and having the same genitalia as the other makes this a pretty easy game,” Steph shrugged, winking at Tessa.
“The same genitalia?” Tessa repeated, confused.
“Girl humour is apparently a thing, according to Mitchell,” Steph rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.
“It is!” he shouted, as the others laughed.
They all hung out for a bit longer, just catching up, until Mitch, Steph, and Lydia all started to get up to leave. Tessa got up so she could hug them goodbye, before turning to Lydia.
“Going to see Miles tonight?” she asked her best friend.
“Yep,” Lydia started putting on her ankle boots and a jacket. “So, you know, don’t wait up or anything.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Auston yelled from his spot on the couch.
“From what I heard, that doesn’t leave very much to not do, Thighs,” Lydia grinned at him., sending a cheeky wink his way. Tessa’s eyes widened to saucers, before pushing the three laughing loons towards the door.
“Well on that note,” Tessa blushed, keeping her eyes far away from where Auston sat. “We’ll see everyone later. Drive safe.”
Once everyone was out the door, Tessa waited a beat before turning back to find a smirking Auston.
“So what exactly have you told Lydia about us?” he admonished.
Tessa shrugged innocently.
“Probably no more than you’ve told Mitch,” she replied, knowing it was likely true, before walking back into the living room and moving to straddle him, placing her knees on either side of him, her burgundy sweater dress bunching right below her heat to expose her soft legs to him. Her hands trailed up his arms slowly before fisting in the hair at the back of his head. She pulled him back gently by the hair to place a kiss on his awaiting lips, letting it deepen naturally as they sunk back into the sofa.
They pulled away after a bit, both breathless.
“Hi,” she whispered against his lips, opening her eyes to gaze into his.
“Hi,” he repeated, pecking her on the nose. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Aus,” she shivered as his hands pushed her sweater dress up even further as he explored her thighs and her lower back. She let out a sigh that he caught in his mouth, pulling her back to him so he could ravage her. She let him break their kiss momentarily so he could lift the sweater dress over her head. He gently slid one bra strap down her shoulder, placing light kisses where it used to be. He repeated the action on the other side before moving his hands to cup her bra-clad breasts and push them even closer together. He stared up at her as he placed another kiss in the valley of her breasts. She held his gaze and when he pulled away, she pulled his face up to hers to reconnect their lips, all passion and fire, and urgency. He unclasped the bra, removing it from her body completely.
Keeping their lips connected, Auston went to lay them down but was met with resistance. He pulled away from her, confused. “You okay?” he asked softly, massaging her lower back.
Tessa’s breath caught in her throat. She had been ready for this moment for a while, but the timing just never seemed to work out. With Lydia out of the apartment and the desire she was feeling deep into her bones, she knew this was it. She leaned forward and placed a much softer kiss on his neck, just under his ear.
“I’m ready,” she whispered.
Auston felt every hair on his body stand up at her words. He pulled away from her to search her face, to make sure she was certain.
“Tess, are you sure?” he whispered back. He had been ready since the first time they kissed, but he never wanted to push her or make her feel like he wouldn’t be happy to wait for her.
“More than sure,” she replied. She removed herself from his lap, looking down to see him straining in his black sweatpants. Definitely sure, she thought. She reached down to grab his hand, pulling him to his feet and guiding him to her bedroom. He watched his girl walk in only a black thong and knew he would have followed her anywhere.
When they reached the edge of her bed, she turned back to face him. Standing up on her tip-toes, she placed a trail of kisses along his neck, stopping to bite softly just under his ear, eliciting a throaty groan from him. Jackpot.
Before she could reach his lips, she reached for the hem of his sweatshirt and lifted it over his head. He leaned forward to pull her into a kiss, but she pulled back before they could connect. She shook her head at his questioning stare before reaching for the hem of his sweats and pulling them down his legs, sinking herself to the ground with them. When she gazed back up at him, he felt another groan in the base of his throat.
“Tess, you don’t have to,” he started, but she was already pulling down his Calvins and taking him into her mouth. She gave him a few sucks before kissing the tip. It definitely wasn’t the first blowjob she had given him, as they had become very familiar with each other’s bodies recently, but he always wanted her to feel like it was her choice and not his expectation. She gazed up at him, tugging as she did. He let out a deep moan, his eyes fluttering closed. When he opened them again, she was still watching him, her bottom lip tucked under her teeth. “Do not look at me like that right now,” he tried to sound assertive but his voice was strangled.
“Like what?” she replied innocently, before sending him a cheeky wink and taking him in her mouth again. His hand went to the back of her head, not applying pressure, but just needing to touch her somewhere and ground himself. He willed himself not to lose it right there. He pulled away suddenly, pulling her by her elbows up to a standing position. She merely looked at him curiously, as if she didn’t know the effect she was having on him.
“I’d really like to last so I can at least feel what it’s like to be inside you tonight,” he laughed haughtily. He pulled her in for another searing kiss, his hands tangled in her hair as hers gripped his ass cheeks. He gently guided her onto the bed, watching as she used her elbows to shimmy further up the bed until her head hit her pillows. He started to climb over her, stopping to hook his fingers under the only remaining material between them, slowly pulling it down her legs and tossing it to the side. He kissed up one of her smooth legs before reaching her heat and stopping. She knew what she was in for, and while she was also craving the feeling of him inside her, she wanted them to take their time tonight. She shivered as he placed featherlight kisses on the insides of her thighs and her hipbones. He hooked his arms under her thighs, sliding her down closer to him to place a long, warm lick on the centre of her heat.
Tessa bit back a moan as he did it again and again, before settling there, his fingers and tongue going in and out in a way that made her stomach clench. She didn’t think either of them would last very long tonight. “Aus, I’m close,” she stuttered out. “Maybe we should just-”
But he kept going. He wasn’t certain he would last once he felt her around him, so he wanted to make sure he got her off first. He could feel her getting wetter, her lower body trying to lift off the bed as he held her down by her hips. He could feel her trying to hold it in.
“Let go, baby,” he urged. “I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere.” He pumped two fingers in and out, watching as she came undone in front of him, one of his absolute favourite sights. When she had relaxed slightly, he climbed up and settled himself between her legs, their hips touching. He circled her head with his arms, placing gentle kisses all over her face as she continued to come down from her high.
She directed his lips to hers so she could taste herself on him. They kissed languidly for a bit before it turned passionate again, Tessa feeling Auston pressed up against her lower stomach. “I want you,” she whispered.
“I want you so bad, baby,” he replied eagerly. “Do you have a condom?”
She nodded towards her nightstand, watching as he reached over before opening the packet and sliding the condom on himself. She was on the pill and had been for years so she knew it protected her that way. They had both also discussed getting tested to make sure they were clean, which they were. But part of her still wanted that extra precaution, and she was happy Auston did too. She figured eventually they’d probably stop using them, but for now, it made sense.
Auston lined himself up at her entrance, feeling her thighs tighten around his hips. “Are you sure?”
Tessa nodded. It had been a while since she had sex and Auston was fairly large, so she felt a little nervous about potentially feeling any pain.
Auston rubbed her again with his fingers, making sure she felt ready so she’d feel minimal pain. “You have to say it, Tess.”
“Yes,” she moaned, his fingers making her wet again and stretching her slightly in preparation. “Yes. I want this. I want you.”
Auston nodded, lining himself up again. As he slowly pushed inside her, he watched her face for any sign of pain. Not seeing any, he pushed deeper, leaning down to take her mouth in his, letting her adjust to his size. When she reached down to squeeze his ass and push him further, he knew he could start moving.
They moved together, kissing everywhere they could get their lips to reach, touching everywhere their hands could go. They found a rhythm for a while, Auston lasting longer than he had expected when Tessa felt a familiar clench in her abdomen. “Aus,” she moaned, “Aus, I’m so close.”
“Me too, baby,” he grunted against her neck, “me too.”
A few more thrusts and Tessa could feel herself letting go, unraveling around him. Her orgasm pushed Auston to his, the clenching too much for him, his high reaching as quickly as hers was coming down. When he finished, he dropped his sweaty body on hers, careful not to crush her. They laid like that for a while before he leaned up, placed a kiss on her lips, and eased himself out of her. He walked into the bathroom to dispose of the condom and came back with a warm washcloth. Tessa hissed as he cleaned her up, feeling overly sensitive after her second orgasm of the night. He tossed the washcloth in her hamper before climbing under the blanket and wrapping her up in his arms. Tessa laid her head on his chest, finding the rhythm of his heartbeat to soothe the rapid pounding of her own.
“Tess,” Auston broke the comfortable silence, trailing the tips of his fingers up and down her bare back.
“Mm?” she replied, already starting to doze off.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” he whispered, nudging her head with his nose. “I don’t think I tell you that enough, and it’s not just because of tonight.”
“You’re pretty amazing yourself, baby,” she kissed his chest before letting out a yawn.
“Thanks for taking a chance on me,” he kissed the top of her head one more time before curling his body into hers so they were embracing, her face smushed into his chest, her arms tucked together as he wrapped his around her whole body.
They drifted into a peaceful sleep in each other’s arms.
Until they woke up in the middle of the night eager for another round.
When the sun finally came up, they were exhausted, both mentally and physically, but it was worth it. They could hardly keep the grins off their faces and hands and lips off each other as they moved throughout her kitchen to make breakfast together, sneaking kisses here and there.
And when they got a little too heated and their eggs burned, they simply tossed them in the trash before running off to her bedroom pulling off articles of clothing as they went, breakfast long forgotten.
This is moreso a filler chapter, so I’m sorry if it’s a little boring. Just trying to establish more relationships throughout.
______
Tessa was certain she was about to lose her mind.
It seemed like the entire contents of her bedroom closet were scattered all over her bedroom floor, the bed, the chair, and the desk.
What was an appropriate outfit to wear to dinner with your very newly minted boyfriend’s parents? Did such a thing even exist? She was starting to think the answer was no.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t met her previous boyfriends’ parents before. She had. She didn’t really count meeting her high school boyfriend’s parents because they had lived down the road from her family’s farm ever since Tessa could remember. She met that boyfriend, Alex, when she was 6 years old.
She met the parents of her first serious college boyfriend completely by accident. They were moving him into his dorm and she was right across the hall from him. Technically that boyfriend, Dylan, met her father that day as well. When she re-met Dylan’s parents as his girlfriend, it was over a weekend trip they made to their university and they took them out for lunch. She remembered being nervous about that, but it felt nothing like the level of nerves she was currently experiencing.
These were the parents of Auston Matthews, superstar hockey player for one of the richest sports industries in the world. Even though she tried as hard as she could not to think of him as ‘the Auston Matthews,’ she wasn’t an idiot. She knew how the rest of Toronto saw him. She also knew that his parents were likely prepared to snuff her out and see if she was with their millionaire son for the right reasons.
Tessa knew she shouldn’t have anything to worry about - him being ‘the Auston Matthews’ was actually almost enough of a reason for her to say no to him in the first place. She wasn’t a gold digger and couldn’t imagine ever relying on a man for money or fame or clout. But how could she prove that to his parents?
It felt like those moments when you walked into a store, buy nothing, and still think the alarm will go off at the front door as if you had stolen something. That was a legitimate fear Tessa had regularly. And this was feeling like that same emotion.
She needed reinforcements. She needed Lydia.
__
After calling Lydia in to help her, Tessa was finally ready 30 minutes later. She decided to keep it fairly casual since Auston told her not to dress up. She eventually settled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and an emerald green fall sweater. It had a high neck and was only a little tight. It felt like a safe outfit and she knew Auston loved when she wore green. Lydia had been a calming presence while helping her get ready, making her laugh and just feel at ease. It was also an opportunity for Tessa to explain her mid-afternoon skating date with Auston when he asked her to be his girlfriend.
She was now waiting patiently at the restaurant where Auston told her to meet. Originally he had offered to pick her up, but she felt like she needed the drive over to calm her nerves. She was still in her head when the family of three - his sisters still being in Arizona - walked up to her.
“Tess,” Auston greeted her with a huge smile and a warm hug. She could tell he was excited, and she felt a pang of guilt for how much she had been dreading this moment. He pulled away and sent her a subtle wink, clearly knowing she was feeling a little off. “These are my parents, Ema and Brian.”
“It’s so nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Matthews,” Tessa reached out her hand for them to shake, but was caught off guard by Ema ignoring the hand and pulling her into a gentle hug. Brian followed suit.
“Oh, honey,” Ema smiled kindly, “please call us Ema and Brian. We are so excited to finally meet the girl Auston hasn’t stopped talking about for months now.”
“Months?” Tessa turned to look at a sheepish Auston who was conveniently avoiding her gaze.
“To be honest, if it wasn’t for Mitch talking about you too, I was pretty certain you were just a figment of his imagination,” Brian laughed at his now beet-red son’s expense.
“Nope, definitely real,” Tessa laughed, already feeling a little more comfortable. “But I can’t vouch for everything he said about me. And I definitely can’t vouch for anything that may come out of Mitch Marner’s mouth.”
Ema and Brian laughed heartily, already liking Tessa’s sense of humour.
“Let’s eat, shall we?” Brian gestured to the dining area of the restaurant.
Once they were seated they continued to make small talk about the weather in Toronto and Arizona, and Auston’s upcoming game that they were attending. Eventually their orders arrived and the conversation took a more personal turn.
“So Tessa,” Brian started, “Auston tells us that you’re doing your Masters?”
“I am,” Tessa nodded, taking a sip of her water. “I have about a year left if everything goes according to plan with my research.”
“So you’re doing that full time and working with Launchpad?” Ema asked.
“Yes.”
“She’s also a TA at school,” Auston added, a hint of pride in his voice.
“Wow,” Brian was impressed. “So you’re a full-time student, a Project Manager, and a TA? How do you have time for all of that?”
“Honestly, it can be difficult some weeks, but it’s rarely full-speed in all areas at the same time. My research advisor understands my other commitments, so she works with me to develop realistic deadlines for me to submit my research and work. I think I’ve only had one week or two where I had to mark 50 essays, organize the final details and process paperwork for an event at work, and submit a lit review draft.”
“Was that the week I went by your office and you looked like you were going to murder me?” Auston asked, laughing at the memory. It felt like they had come so far since he had sent her those flowers.
“Yep,” Tessa popped the ‘p’ sound and laughed along with Brian and Ema.
“I can’t say that I blame you,” Ema continued. “That’s a lot for one person to take on. You have to be dedicated and organized for all of that to go smoothly.”
“That’s really impressive,” Brian agreed. Tessa smiled thankfully at them, not certain of what else to add.
“She’s definitely way too smart for me,” Auston laughed, putting an arm around the back of her chair. “She’s thinking about doing her PhD after her Masters and working at SickKids.”
Tessa felt a swoop in her chest at the pride she could hear in Auston’s voice when he bragged about her accomplishments.
“SickKids is an incredible place,” Brian started. “Auston and I have a pretty close relationship with some of the staff and kids there.”
“Yes, Auston explained that to me,” Tessa started slowly, knowing that it was a sensitive subject. “I am so sorry that you’ve experienced such a great loss, but it is so admirable that you’ve taken that loss and continuously work to turn it into a gain of sorts for someone else. I’m sure those kids and their families appreciate you so much.”
“My brother was an amazing human being and we just want to continue that legacy,” Brian replied, emotion evident in his voice. “Ema and I are also very sorry for your loss. We know how tough that must have been, and continues to be, on you and your dad.”
Tessa sucked in a breath, unaware that Auston had told his parents not just about her existence, but personal stories that she had shared with him. She let out the breath slowly when Ema reached across the table to capture her hand and give it a squeeze.
“Thank you,” Tessa responded sincerely. When she felt Auston’s hand on her thigh under the table, she turned to give him a small smile and a wink. She could feel the tension in his body, concerned that maybe he had overstepped. She wasn’t upset though; she had learned over the past couple of months just how close Auston was to his family and she wasn’t ashamed of her loss.
“So,” Tessa turned back to Brian and Ema, “are we at the point in the conversation where I ask you to share some embarrassing childhood stories of Auston?”
__
“Thank you so much for dinner tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews,” Tessa reached out to accept their hugs as the four of them stood outside the restaurant.
“Ema and Brian,” Ema gently scolded, accepting the hug. She knew there had to be something special about this girl based on the way Auston had talked about her over the past couple of months, and she was right. Tessa was perfect for Auston. “It was so nice to finally meet you.”
“Yes, we look forward to seeing you again. Do you ever go to any of the games?” Brian asked.
“Rarely,” Tessa shrugged. “I would like to go to more, but my schedule doesn’t always allow for it. And ticket prices are a little out of this grad student’s budget,” she laughed.
“What makes you think you’d be paying for them?” Auston nudged her teasingly. “I might not be good for much, but I think I could get you into a game or two, Tess.”
“Well, just make sure you put her near us. I promise I’m not one of those crazy moms who scream at the coaches or refs,” Ema laughed.
“We should get going though or we will be late for our show,” Brian reached out to wrap Auston in a hug. “We’ll see you back at the apartment tonight, kid.”
“Yeah, sounds good. I’m going over to Mitch’s for a bit, so don’t wait up,” Auston responded, leaning down to kiss his mom on the cheek. “See you guys later.”
“Bye Tessa,” Ema waved as they started making their way to their car.
Once his parents were out of earshot and view, Auston turned to Tessa and pulled her into a tight hug. He tugged gently on her ponytail, tilting her head back so he could finally place a kiss on her lips.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he sighed when he pulled away.
“Didn’t think your parents would approve of a little PDA?” Tessa teased, accepting his hand as he lead her to her car.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t care, but it’s weird,” Auston shuddered as Tessa laughed. “Want to go to Mitch’s with me?”
“Sure,” Tessa handed her car keys over to him. “You drive. What’s going on over there?”
“Nothing big,” Auston took the keys and opened the passenger door for her before climbing in on the driver’s side. “I think he’s just having a few of the guys and their partners over. Thanks for tonight, by the way.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know I just sprung that on you. I think my mom thought you’d been my girlfriend for a while now, so I couldn’t say no when she asked to meet you.”
“Let’s just say that I’m not the best with surprises, so while this was nice, please don’t pull that kind of thing again,” Tessa laughed, remembering the current state of her bedroom floor because of her stress. “But thank you for wanting me to meet them.”
“They absolutely loved you, I could tell,” he beamed, reaching over to pick up her hand and bring it to his lips for a kiss. “But I’m not surprised. You’re an easy person to lo- to like,” he caught himself before the word left his mouth again. It was much too soon for that. Right?
Tessa ignored the slip, thinking he probably didn’t mean to say it.
“So what did your parents mean when they said that they’ve heard a lot about me from Mitch?” she asked, changing the subject. Auston simply groaned, causing her to laugh. His best friend would definitely get him in trouble someday.
__
“So T,” Mitch wrapped an arm around Tessa’s shoulders and pulled her closer to him as they sat on his couch, “can I call you T?”
Tessa looked at him questionably, mostly just for her own amusement to watch him wait, and finally nodded wordlessly.
“Great, so T,” Mitch leaned in as if he were about to tell her something important, “now that you’re official with my boy, I think we have a few things we need to discuss.”
“Oh really?”
“Mhm, best friend duties and all that.”
“Oh, and all that. Okay Mitch, hit me,” Tessa folded her hands in her lap and sat up straighter, pretending to be super serious.
“Now, since Lydia gave Auston her whole ‘if you hurt my best friend I’ll hurt you speech, I feel like-”
“Wait, hold up,” Tessa held up a hand to stop him. “When did she do that?”
“Eons ago,” Mitch waved her away. “As I was saying, I feel like I-”
“What did she say?”
Mitch sighed audibly. He really wanted to make his speech.
“You’re so stubborn sometimes, T,” Mitch rolled his eyes, still keeping up his serious facade, but Tessa could see the mirth that lurked behind his eyes. “She basically told him if he hurt you, she didn’t care how amazing his thighs were, she’d hunt him down and make him hurt just as much, only physically instead of emotionally.”
Tessa let out a bark of laughter. What?
“Anyway,” Mitch continued dramatically, “I just wanted to say that I feel like I should say something similar, but while I have nothing against your thighs, I don’t think I can say the exact same thing. So, all I’ll say is, please don’t hurt my best friend. He really likes you and I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“That ended a lot sweeter than I had expected,” Tessa nodded, impressed. “I respect your best friend responsibilities, and I will tell you I have no intention of hurting him. I don’t know if you can tell, but I really like him too.”
“Oh, I can tell!” Mitch laughed, giving her a squeeze. “I love you two together. But now you have to be my best friend too.”
“I didn’t realize that was part of the deal. I may have to rethink this whole relationship thing,” Tessa started to pull away from him, laughter in her eyes.
“Yep! You’re stuck with me. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” he grinned his shit-eating grin at her.
“Mitchy!” William called from the other side of the living room. “It’s your turn!”
“Call of Duty calls, T,” Mitch leaned forward and placed a smacking kiss on her cheek. “Oh, and if I haven’t said it already, thanks for making my best friend so happy,” he winked at her as he took his place on the other couch.
As he left, Stephanie walked over and took his spot.
“Please tell me he wasn’t giving you his ‘if you hurt my best friend’ spiel,” Stephanie rolled her eyes, handing Tessa a glass of water.
“You know him well,” Tessa laughed. She really liked Steph. Any time they hung out in a group, she was always really friendly, but had enough sass that Tessa never felt like she was just being nice because she was with Auston. She actually treated her the way she treated their other friends.
“He thinks he’s a lot tougher than he is but I deep down he’s so happy that Auston has found someone like you,” Steph replied sincerely. Tessa’s eyes traveled across the room after feeling eyes on her. She caught Auston’s gaze across the room as he pretended to pay attention to the video games the other guys were playing. He sent a wink in her direction before turning back to the TV. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Tessa shrugged, not sure what to say. Everyone kept telling her that, and even though it was meant to be comforting, sometimes it did make those initial doubts she had resurface. She tried to push them back down though. He asked her to be his girlfriend and she met his parents - he was obviously serious about this and them and her.
“Anyway,” Steph broke Tessa out of her thoughts, “how would you feel about hanging out with me tomorrow? We could go for mani pedis or to a yoga class or something together?”
“I’d really like that.”
“Perfect! I finally have someone who I can make fun of Mitch and Auston,” Steph lifted her glass to cheers Tessa. “Welcome to the family, Tessa!”
."So you’re telling me that when I woke up this morning and noticed that you hadn’t returned home, it wasn’t because you were having the best sex of your life with a sexy hockey player?” Lydia shook her head, clearly disappointed in the actions, or lackthereof, of her best friend.
“Lyd, we just started going on dates,” Tessa laughed at her best friend’s antics. “I mean, we made out and did other things, but we didn’t have sex.”
“Okay, then answer me this,” she leaned conspiratorially on arm of the chair in their living room as they lazed around for the morning watching This is Us on Netflix, “in between yesterday evening and this morning, have you or have you not seen Auston Matthews naked?”
Tessa remained silent, but couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her face.
“I knew it!” Lydia clapped happily. “So?”
“Lydia!” Tessa admonished, her cheeks turning pink.
“Can’t hate a girl for trying,” Lydia shrugged, snuggling back under her blanket and returning to their show.
Tessa laughed and snuggled back on the couch and under her own blanket, her mind wandering away from the episode at hand and to the events of the previous night.
When Auston and Tessa got to his apartment, he gave her a short tour of the place and then they decided to pick and movie and cuddle on the couch. At least, that’s what Tessa thought the plan was. Instead, they put on a movie and made out like two teenagers who still lived with their parents and didn’t know when they would get their next moment of privacy together. Not that Tessa was complaining, mind you.
At first, clothes had stayed on and Auston was trying to be respectful of any boundaries that she may have. She could tell that he was holding back a bit, and that he didn’t expect it to go beyond just kissing, which she was grateful for. But at the same time, she felt her own urges take over and so when her hands wandered up the back of his shirt and she ran his nails up and down slowly, he pulled his lips away from her neck and looked into her eyes, a question there that she wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Tess-” he started softly, his hand moving to caress her cheek.
“I don’t want to have sex,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Auston’s eyebrows raised at her bluntness.
“Well, I mean, I do want to have sex,” she stuttered, feeling awkward under his gaze. “I obviously do. But just, not right now.”
She watched as his eyes softened before he leaned down and pecked her gently on her lips.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, or aren’t ready to do, Tess,” he responded. “I’m happy if kissing is all we do tonight. Hell, I’m just so happy that you’re here that we could really just cuddle and watch a movie like we said we would. I just want you, Tess. However you want to share yourself with me. Okay?”
Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know what she was so worried about. She knew Auston wasn’t going to pressure her into anything. If anything, she was more worried about her own urges and self-control that she felt like she had to say something to prevent herself from going farther than her body was currently itching to go.
“Okay,” she nodded, her hands still running up and down his back. “But can you take this off?” she tugged on the hem of his t-shirt playfully.
Auston answered her by sitting back on his knees and pulling the cloth over his head in a swift motion. Tessa couldn’t help but trail her eyes from his handsome face to his solid chest to his defined core and finally to the little bit of hair that peaked out over the edge of his pants. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and tugged him back down to her by a loop on his jeans until they were face to face and chest to chest again.
“You’re in control here, Tess,” he whispered as he placed butterfly kisses across her face before going back to his place on her neck. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
Tessa felt her thighs squeeze together unintentionally and bit back a sigh. If he only knew.
Instead of answering with words, she simply pulled him back in for a kiss.
They spent the rest of the night kissing on that couch, clothes being removed bit by bit, hands moving slowly at first, just trying to learn each other’s bodies. Auston kept his word and didn’t initiate any clothing removal, allowing Tessa to do everything on her own time. When she lay beneath him almost completely naked, only a black thong on, he waited until she took his hands on placed them on her chest. When she looked at him, eyes clouded with lust and passion, and simply nodded, he knew she was trusting herself with him. Eventually, the thong came off as well and Auston thought he was going to lose it then and there.
They fell asleep that night on his couch, wrapped in a blanket completely naked and limbs entangled. It was the best sleep either of them had in weeks.
Tessa was broken out of her memory by her phone buzzing on the table.
“Mr. Thighs himself?” Lydia asked, not even bothering to look up from the TV.
“I’m going to tell him you call him that,” Tessa laughed, reaching out to grab her phone from the table.
“Go right ahead, babe. I think you’ll make him more uncomfortable than me by doing that though,” Lydia winked at her.
Tessa just shook her head and opened her notifications.
Auston: Good afternoon, beautiful. Hope you’re not too tired from last night to meet up with me today?
Tessa: I’ve been wrapped up in a blanket on my couch ever since I got back this morning.
Auston: I don’t think I’ll ever look at my couch the same after last night ;)
Tessa: Shut up! haha What’s going on today that requires me to put on pants and leave the comfort of my home?
Auston: I have a question to ask you.
Tessa: Okay, shoot.
Auston: No, no. I mean, I want to see you because I have a question to ask you.
Tessa: And you can’t ask me this through text or over the phone?
Auston: I mean, technically I could, but that would be pretty lame and I’m trying really hard here to make you think I’m cool and romantic.
Tessa: Romantic? So far I’d say you’re doing well in that category, especially after yesterday’s date. Cool? I don’t know about that one. That might require more effort than even possible.
Auston: Ha ha ha. You weren’t complaining last night. In fact, I think I remember hearing some noises that were the exact opposite of complaining.
Tessa blushed as she smiled at her phone. Lydia looked over to ask her what they were talking about but when she saw the look on her friend’s face, she immediately knew. She was going to call Tessa out on it, but thought better of it. It was pretty amazing to see Tessa, who had been so hesitant about giving Auston a chance so happy because of him. It took a lot for Tessa to trust people and let them into her life, and Lydia couldn’t help but get emotional at the thought of her best friend finding love. So, instead, she simply smiled and turned back to the show, leaving the love birds to have their moment in private.
Tessa: I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. Can I get a hint about this question?
Auston: Nope! But dress warmly. I’ll swing by to get you in an hour. See you soon, baby.
Baby.
Tessa hated herself just slightly for the flutter she felt in her chest. If him calling her a term of endearment through a text message got this reaction from her, she knew she was in for it if he did it in person.
___
“Why are we at the rink? Did you forget something?” Tessa asked, an hour and a half later as they pulled into the parking garage of the Leafs practice arena.
“Nope,” Auston answered simply, pulling into his parking spot. He parked the car, turned it off, and climbed out without so much as a glance at a confused Tessa. He walked over to the other side of the car before she had time to think and opened the passenger door for her, reaching for her hand to help her out. “Just go with it, Tess,” he leaned down and pecked her swiftly on the cheek.
He reached for her hand and started leading her towards the entrance.
As they were walking, she realized that he wasn’t just taking her to the arena, but down to the actual rink.
“We’re going skating, aren’t we?” she asked, as they neared the dressing rooms.
“Yep.”
“What if I don’t know how to skate?”
“I can teach you,” he shrugged, not seeing the problem. “I went horseback riding with you even though you were the expert and I had only ever done it once.”
“Ohh, so now you have to bring me somewhere so you can be the expert then?” she asked playfully.
“Noo,” he returned her playful tone. “But I just thought it would be fun to have the ice just to ourselves for a bit. Also, do you not remember how we met?”
“Oh,” Tessa responded dumbly. She remembered them talking after skating with the kids, but forgot that they had been on the ice together at one point and he would have seen her skating. “So we’re just here to skate?”
“Sort of. I have that question to ask and I’m a little nervous, so I thought if I brought you to the place that brings me the most peace aside from my home in Arizona, then I’d be more comfortable,” Auston shrugged, leading her over to one of the benches in the dressing room where he already had her skates out.
Tessa wanted to ask him what the big deal with the question was, but was immediately distracted by seeing her own skates sitting on the bench that he sat her down at. He kneeled down to unzip her ankle booties and started putting the skates on her feet.
“Hang on,” she reached down to stop his hands from lacing the skate up and lifted his chin to connect their eyes. “How did you get my skates?”
“You ask a lot of questions, you know that?” Auston laughed as Tessa raised an eyebrow at his avoidance of the question. “I may or may not have asked around. I have my ways, okay?”
“All of this for a question? It must be a pretty big one,” Tessa teased as he finished lacing her up and moved on to his own.
“It is,” he agreed, not offering her anything else to go by.
“Should I be nervous too then?” Tessa was starting to feel a little hesitant about what he had planned. What could he want to ask her that made him so nervous?
“Nope, I just want you to be relaxed and have a good time. Just be patient with me, okay?” he stood up and reached for her hands to pull her to her feet, tugging a little too hard and pulling her right into his chest to give her a squeeze and a peck on the head.
“Okay,” she said gently, letting him lead her out to the ice.
They skated around playfully for a little bit, Tessa showing him some of the spins she learned from being in figure skating lessons as a kid. They tried to race a few times, but Tessa’s strides were nothing compared to Auston’s and even though she gave it her all, he was always a stride or five ahead. After about while he took her hands and spun her around slowly in the middle of the ice.
Finally, he leaned down and kissed her, slowly at first, but it naturally deepened, both of them thinking back to the previous night’s events. Auston pulled away and smiled lovingly at her, but Tessa could see the nerves in his eyes.
“Tess, I-” he paused, trying to catch his breath. “You are the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. I was hooked on you from the moment I saw you and even after you turned me down - over and over and over.”
Tessa laughed lightly at the memories, but could feel the tension building in her chest, wanting to know where this was going.
“And these past few months have been incredible, you letting me in and letting me know you. I like you so much and I feel so lame right now, but I guess even though things have been going really well, you still make me so nervous,” he started to play with the zipper on her black puffy vest, hands shaking slightly.
“Nervous that maybe I haven’t done enough to prove to you that I’m in this and that I’m not trying to hurt you. Nervous that maybe I’m being too forward, and I’ll scare you away. I just, I like you so much and I was really hoping you would say yes to being my girlfriend,” he rushed out, timidly raising his eyes to meet her surprised ones.
“Auston,” she whispered, surprised by how serious the moment had turned.
“Will you be my girlfriend, Tess?”
It felt like ages passed to Auston before he saw the start of a smile cross her lips before her whole face lit up. It surprised Tessa how easily the answer came to her.
She nodded, her voice caught in her throat.
“You have to say it, Tess,” he whispered, calling back to the first time he asked if he could kiss her.
“Yes,” the word was barely out of her mouth before Auston’s lips crashed down on hers roughly. He picked her up and spun them around, joy and relief radiating off of him.
“I really like you, you know that?” he whispered into her ear as he set her down gently.
“I’d hope so! You just asked me to be your girlfriend!” she laughed, her arms wrapped around his middle.
“And you were crazy enough to say yes, so I don’t know what that says about you,” he tapped her nose teasingly.
“I guess it means that I maybe kind of sort of just a little bit really like you too,” she beamed, tapping him on the butt a couple of times. “Now as sweet as this was, can we go? I can barely feel my toes!”
Auston laughed, forgetting how cold the rink can be when you’re not used to it. He picked up her up and skated with her towards the exit, before remembering that he had another question to ask her. He probably should have been more nervous about this one, to be honest. He stopped skating and placed her on her own feet, turning to her slowly.
“What?” she asked, confused by the stoppage.
“I have a second question,” he responded.
“Okay, and it can’t wait until we’re somewhere warm?”
“I have all of this nerve right now that I don’t want to waste it.”
“Oh god. Okay, go for it, I’m ready,” she squared her shoulders.
“How would you feel about doing dinner with my parents tonight?” he asked quickly, putting on his best puppy dog face.
“What?” Tessa thought she was going to stop breathing.
“Uh well I kind of told them about you and that you were my girlfriend and that you would love to meet them so we’re going to meet them at 7pm tonight. Okay, great, glad that’s settled,” he rattled off as quickly as possible, before turning towards the exit.
“What?!” Tessa stayed on the ice, not sure if she could even move her feet now. He looked back sheepishly and blew her a kiss before taking off quickly. “Auston Matthews!”
Tessa sighed. He was so fucking lucky that she was a good girlfriend. So fucking lucky.
My Side of the Fence: A.M. Imagine (Complete)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Consequences: A.M. Imagine (In Progress)
Preview
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
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