nhl one-shots | multi

voicemail | m. barzal

"You see- I have something really serious to tell you... and it might ruin everything between us, but im really hoping that it doesn't because gosh you mean the world to me.... And I dont wanna lose you." The girl whimpered over the line- just the thought of to having mat in her life was enough to make her cry- it was honestly a miracle that she didn't start sobbing with the amount of alcohol coursing through her veins.

"I have a secret..... I love yooou- but dont tell anyoneeee because if you dooo I might cry- but I have loved you ever since you hit a hockey puck into my glass window..." she hummed in adoration of the memory. She had been studying at her desk, just a few days after the beginning of 6th grade. Mat was in her class but he was usually away for hockey tournaments and other things.

The girl had just finished her math questions when a rubber hockey puck came flying through her window- shattering the glass and causing her to let out a scream as it clattered to the floor. It was the start of a wonderful friendship that had blossomed into romantic feelings over the years.

Wincing as she arrived at the airport, Y/N didn't waste any time before she paid the cab driver and hauled herself from the car- running into the airport and checking in. She needed to make it onto her plane and she needed to get to New York as fast as she could.

After a 5 hour flight, Y/N was in New York- wide eyed and sleep deprived. Still recovering from her hang over- Anders had sent Tito to pick her up, it was his job to keep mat away from his phone and that was what he planned on doing.

"I can't believe you really flew all this way just to ensure that Mat doesn't look at his phone- you really do love him." Tito snickered, helping the woman load her bag into the car. They had about an hour long drive from the airport to Long Island- And while Anders was pretty good at keeping secrets, they could only distract Mat for so long before he started to get suspicious.

The plan was to drive to the rink where Anders had called a 'specialty' practice for Mat and some of the other plays- basically cleaning up skills that were weak in the last game. While Mat was on the ice, Y/N would go into the locker room and take his phone- clearing the voicemail before he could ever listen to it.

It was a pretty solid plan in Y/N's opinion, but that didn't mean she wasn't terrified about having it go wrong or downhill. Mat was unpredictable- so if he heard the message, she really wasn't sure what his reaction would be. All through their childhood, his focus had been solely hockey. He had a few girlfriends here and there, but Y/N never noticed the similarities that she shared with the girls- how she had the same hair colour, same height... but none of them even compared to her.

Mat was head over heels for the girl next door and she was oblivious to the whole thing. After almost kissing her in the 9th grade, Mat sort of gave up- she had pulled away and he feared that he made her uncomfortable. So he promised himself that he would never put her in that situation again, instead he would settle for someone he didn't love and suffer.

Finally getting some sleep during the drive to Long Island, Y/N was able to relax a little. Tito promised to take her directly to the rink, just to ensure that Mat wasn't given the chance to look at his phone. Everything was going smoothly until they arrived- Y/N in her sleep deprived haze, had gotten lost on the way to the locker room- Tito being needed at home. He loaded the girl's bag into Ander's car and directed her into the building.

Getting to the locker room was easier said than done, but after taking about three wrong turns- she finally made it to the orange and blue corridor. Pushing past the large metal doors, Y/N scanned the wall until she found Mat's name- running towards his kit bag and digging through it. Her hands pushed at his dirty clothes and toiletries before finally grasping the metal device.

With his phone in her hands- she quickly unlocked it and went to his voicemails- seconds away from deleting it when the door suddenly swung open. Mat was walking in, pulling off his helmet and his gear when his eyes locked onto hers- He was surprised to say the least, almost at a complete lost of words.

Quickly pushing the phone behind her back, Y/N looked like a deer in the headlights- caught red handed. "Y/N? What are you doing here?" Mat gasped, walking towards her and quickly embracing her- throwing his helmet to the side, he didn't care about getting her covered in his sweat- it hadn't been that hard of a practice.

Y/N gulped- pushing the phone int her back pocket. "I came to surprise you!" She lied, quickly wrapping her arms around him and embracing him- she missed the feeling of his hair bushing against her cheek, and how his arms held her tightly. She missed him more than anything.

Pulling away shortly after, Mat smiled brightly. He wasn't expecting to see her until at least Christmas- but the surprise was surely welcome. Nothing that his bag was open, he instantly furrowed his brows- nothing how she held one hand behind her back. "Did you- what are you hiding?" He asked, going to reach for her hand.

As the girl jerked back, he only became more suspicious. "Y/N..." he spoke with a warning tone. Y/N walked backwards- mat reaching out and grabbing her arm- nothing that she had his phone. "What are you doing?" He asked, starting to fight with her playfully to get the phone. "Mat no-" she squeaked, jumping over him to try and stop him.

But while they fought, their fingers slipped and the message started to play. Y/N was terrified. Her voice flooded through the tiny speaker and standing frozen in front of him- she watched shakily as Mat listened to her drunken self confess her feelings. Tears welled up in the girl's eyes and she was beyond embarrassed. "I'm so sorry mat... I tried to delete it before you heard." She whimpered.

The man looked at her with soft eyes. His heart was beating erratically and as soon as he saw the girl's eyes water, his lips parted- ready to comfort her but she shook her head. "I just wanted to delete it and forget about this whole thing- I never wanted you to find out... I was drunk and It was a mistake calling you." She felt like she couldn't breathe.

And while she was expecting mat to say something along the lines of 'its fine' or 'you should leave' she was surprised when he frowned and took her hand. "What about me? Did you ever think about what I wanted?" His voice was delicate and wholesome- he was showing an array of emotions, pain and frustration... love.

Y/N was caught off guard, her eyes widening as she stared at him dumbfounded. Mat chuckled softly. "I remember having the biggest crush on you Y/N... You never noticed- but I was in love with you..." he admitted.

Suddenly the girl started asking questions- "What what? Since when? Why didn't you say anything-" she rambled quickly before punching his shoulder. "You love me?" She asked almost frustratedly as she was pissed off at herself for being so oblivious.

"So thats why Anders was strict about phones today..." the hockey player mumbled under his breath- cutting her off from her rambling, Mat stumbled back and rubbed his shoulder. "Well you can't just put me on the spot like that." He teased her. Bringing her close with a pull of her hand- she pressed into his chest and looked up at him. Grinning brightly, Mat swooped down and kissed her lips tenderly- he molded against her and sighed in content- feeling her flesh against his own was perfect, she was everything he had dreamt of and couldn't believe it had taken him this long to grow a set of balls.

"I can't believe you flew all the way here just to steal my phone and delete a voicemail." Mat rolled his eyes- the girl chuckled and pursed her lips.

"Shut up."