For ThemAnaheimDucks, hope you'll like it! :) And thanks everyone for 18K reads, never thought I'd get them that much:D
"Hey, Y/N/N!" one of your two best friends, Rickard Rakell, waves his hand as soon as he sees you on the stands. You wave back at him and start laughing at your other best friend, Hampus Lindholm, who nearly exits head-first over the boards.
"Hello, you two! Hampus, you really need to stop being so clumsy, you're gonna get yourself injured."
"And you need to stop distracting him," Rick teases and chuckles as Hampus tries to punch his arm.
"Oh, Rick, don't tell me you are jealous," you tease back, making Rick blush and Hampus grin.
"I am just so happy to see you, guys."
You gaze unintentionally wanders across the ice and lands on a tall figure in Ducks' jersey with blonde hair and wide white grin. Both of the guys follow your gaze and they chuckle in unison: "Still head over heals for Jakob?"
"I don't know what are you talking about?" you state, but your sentence sounds more like a question than a real statement. Plus, your cheeks are dark red.
"About you, having crush on our teammate."
"I hope you didn't tell him..."
"You want us to tell him?"
"NO!" you exclaim, making the entire team turn to you. Including Jakob. You blush even harder and both of your friends notice that.
"Well, he's noticed you," chuckles Rickard and pecks your cheek: "See you later, Y/N/N."
"Yeah, we should go. Will you wait for us, Y/N/N?"
You nod your head and playfully punch your best friends: "See you later, guys. Be good. And Hampus...don't kill yourself, okay?"
For the last time they turn to you and skate to the rest of the team.
Two hours later you are waiting for them in front of the arena and scrolling through your Instagram. You lift your head in the exact same moment when Jakob comes around the corner. You feel your cheeks blush a bit, but you hope it's not that obvious.
"Hello. You are Rick's and Hampus' friend, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Y/N," you stretch your arm.
"Nice to meet you, Y/N. You probably know my name, but introducing can't hurt, right? I am jakob," he smiles, shaking your hand.
'I know," you blush again.
"It was nice meeting you, Y/N, but I have to go. My girlfriend is waiting for me."
His girlfriend? You feel your heart sink, but you put on a brave face and look at him: "It was nice meeting you too, Jakob."
You watch as he leaves through the door, a knot forming in your throat. Of course he has a girlfriend!
Soon after Rickard and Hampus come out and the first thing you do is attacking them with a question: "Why no one of you cared to tell me Jakob is not single?"
"Uh, we didn't want you to be upset..."
"We didn't know you'd find out... how did you find out?"
"He mentioned her. Thanks a lot, guys."
Rickard stops you by putting his hand on your arm: "Listen, Y/N/N, I- we are sorry for not telling you."
You sigh and look at your best friends, seeing they are truly sorry: "Okay, okay. But you buy me a coffee in Starbucks."
"Why are we still here then?" Hampus puts his arm on your shoulders and leads you to his car. All three of you get in his car and head towards the closest Starbucks coffee shop.
"So, how was your practice?" you ask as soon as you sit down, all three of you holding your favorite beverage in your hands.
"Well, quite okay. I just hope our hard work will reflect in our games..." Hampus answers.
"You guys are playing great..."
"Well, the stats wouldn't agree," Rickard smiles sadly and you realize how much their losses affect their confidence.
"Who cares? You will show everyone how good can you be, trust me," you put your coffee down and put your hands on Hampus' and Rickard's.
"Trust me," you repeat softly.
"Let's hope you're right. So, Y/N, are you coming to our practice again tomorrow?"
"If you don't mind..."
"Not at all. Having our best friend on the stands motivates us," they say at the same time.
"Great. So, yeah, I'll come tomorrow too."
The next day you meet in front of the main door, both of the guys with their bags and sticks. Being a bit late, they quickly hug you and together they head towards their locker rooms, leaving you to accommodate yourself on the stands.
Before the practice begins, someone calls your name. You turn around and see Jakob waving you to approach him.
"Yeah?"
"Just wanted to say hi. How are you?"
Flattered by his attention, you look down and answer: "Good. How are you?"
"Could say the same. What brought you here?"
"Rakell and Lindholm. I like watching hockey practices..."
"That's a rare hobby. I don't know many girls who like to watch our practices."
"Well, I grew up in a hockey family. Plus, I hang out with Rick and Hampus."
He chuckles quietly: "A hockey girl, then?"
"Head to toes. Uh, you should go back..."
"Good idea. See you," he skates back to the rest of the team. You notice Rickard nudging Hampus and they both look at you, winking at you.
For about two months same things happen all over again. You arrive with guys, drop them off to go to the locker room, wait on the stands for practice to begin and talk with Jakob in a mean time. During the breaks, you talk with your best friends, but before the practice starts you talk to Jakob. And with every day passing by, you feel yourself falling deeper and deeper in love with him, developing a small crush into a head-over-heels crush.
Once, during the break, Rickard calls you over: "How are things between you and Jakob?"
"He still has a girlfriend..."
"Not anymore," Hampus corrects you. You look at him: "What are you talking about?"
"I've heard he left her."
"Ha-ha, great way to make fun of me for having crush on him."
"Uh, Y/N, he is being serious," Rick steps up for his teammate. You roll your eyes "Those jokers"
"Now you have to trust us, Y/N," Hampus smiles before skating back on the blue line.
While watching practice, you notice Jakob's glance occasionally slip towards you and from time to time your eyes meet. He waves his hand, making you blush a bit, but you still return him a wave.
Then you notice your two best friends wiggling their eyebrows, letting you know your wave did not go unnoticed.
This time changing into normal clothes takes Rickard and Hampus more time than usual. And you suspect it's because they want to give you some more time with Jakob.
Again, Jakob is the first one to come out and again, he stops next to you: "Enjoyed practice?"
"As always. Bruce really doesn't let you res too much."
"Don't even talk about it. Listen, uh, are you in hurry?"
"No. Why?"
"I was wondering maybe...we could grab a coffee or something. You seem like an interesting person and I'd like to get to know you better."
"What about your girlfriend?" you ask and as soon as words slip out of your mouth, you regret them.
"We are over. Beside, it's just a coffee..."
"I'll just let Rick and Hampus know, okay?"
"No problem. I'll wait for you outside."
He pecks your cheek and walks out. As soon as he disappears, you sprint to Ducks' locker room, where Rickard and Hampus are already waiting for you. You throw your arms around their necks and hug him: "I am going out with Jakob," you squeal.
Guys chuckle and playfully punch your arm: "See? We told you he is not in a relationship anymore."
"Have fun," Hampus smiles as Rickard continues: "Don't forget to call us when you get home and tell us everything."
