Je T'aime | D. Mercer

CH 14

Liliane took in a deep breath before she stepped foot in the locker room, Dawson following behind her.

"Hey, Auclair. Can I pull you real quick?" Nico asked. Liliane nodded before dropping her stuff down and following her captain out of the room. She didn't know what this was about, but she was going to keep her cool, unlike last time.

"Jesper told me about a conversation you had." Liliane resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Does nothing stay between two people on this team?

"Dawson had a problem with the staring and I really didn't like it easier so I asked him to stop. That's all. Nothing bad." Liliane said. Nico nodded in understanding.

"I know it was nothing bad, but next time you have a problem, come to me first. It's easier for me to talk to people and for them to listen than you. Okay?" Nico said. Liliane nodded. She wasn't at fault for this. She doesn't know how things on the team worked yet, so this was just a learning experience.

"j'ai compris." Liliane smiles and turns to walk back into the locker room, but then Nico stops her again.

"There's something I need you to know. I know you were upset about not being able to act like you're dating Dawson, but I promise it's not just you." Liliane's eyes widened. She knew it, didn't she?

"It's Jack, isn't it?" Liliane whispered. Nico nodded.

"How'd you know?" Nico asked with a curious smile. Liliane looked down at the ground.

"Body language from Jack. Nothing too crazy." Liliane said. Nico hummed.

"I'll let you get back to the locker room." Nico said, cutting their conversation short. Liliane retreats back into the locker room, much calmer than the first time she left from a conversation with Nico. Dawson eyed her as she walked in with a smile on her face.

"What was that all about?" Dawson asked with a raised eyebrow. Liliane shrugged.

"Nothing bad. I don't know if I can share." Liliane said. Dawson nodded.

"Privacy thing?" He asked.

"Yeah." Liliane responded. She went to go slip on her jersey, but she paused. She looked over to Dawson who wasn't looking at her. She placed her jersey down in front of him and she grabbed his. Dawson watched as she slipped his jersey over her head and put her arms through it. She waited.

"What's with taking my jersey?" Dawson asked, his hands on his hips with a smile on his face.

"If we won when we mixed them up, what's the harm of doing it again?" Liliane said. Her smile grew as Dawson grabbed her jersey and put it on. Jack and Nico were watching them from across the room.

"They're not listening to you, are they?" Jack whispered. Nico shrugged.

"They're probably making the jersey switch a ritual. I wouldn't say they aren't listening." Nico said. Jack hummed.

"We should make a ritual." Jack said. Nico smiled and shook his head.

"We already make out before we come here. Is that not enough anymore?" Nico joked. Jack rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

"Oh, shut up." Jack laughed. He took another glance back at Liliane and Dawson, who were now in the correct jerseys.

"They're going to be good together." Jack said. He's heard she was just like him. Staying up late to watch film, not getting enough sleep because of a loss, quietly disagreeing with everything said around them. But, just as Jack had Nico to keep him grounded and safe, Liliane has Dawson.