The Tales of a Future Hockey Wife

Chapter 7: Coming Home

~Eleanor~

"El. El, baby. Wake up Ella." There is a hand on my shoulder shaking it back and forth. I groan without opening my eyes. I scout over to one side of the bed thinking that it's what he wants. I snuggle back into my pillow, but I feel his warm breath close to my ear. He pressed his lips just below my earlobe which makes goosebumps appear on my skin even if I don't want to.

"Ella, wake up please. Just a few minutes, I'll let you go back to bed after. I promise."

"Just like you promised to come back early enough for us to talk?" I don't open my eyes. I hear him sigh before his weight is lifted off the bed. I can hear him walk around the room, probably getting himself ready for bed.

"It's not late Ella, it's barely eleven." Is it possible to roll your eyes even if they're closed? If it is, then that is what I am doing right now.

"It is late when you woke up at five am." His weight is back on the bed, closer than it was before. He places his hand in my hair to stroke it. He puts a strand behind my ear when I decide to open my eyes. I haven't seen him since this morning, but I haven't really looked at him for a while now. I wouldn't even be able to say when the last time I looked into his eyes for more than five seconds was. He is as handsome as ever, even in the dark room I can see the dimples forming in his cheeks when he smiles at me. He is wearing a t-shirt which is strange since, usually, he sleeps in boxers only. There is a faint smell of cigarettes around him. I know he didn't smoke, only the smell makes him cough, so it probably was some guy on the team.

"Are you worried about my sleep schedule?" It is funny for him, I can hear the humor in his voice. I sit up in our bed. My reaction seems to surprise him. The girl who didn't want to wake up suddenly has a burst of energy. His hand falls from my hair.

"No, Ben. I am worried about my sleep schedule. I couldn't fall back asleep after your stupid alarm went off." He scrunches his brows, he looks deep in thought.

"Don't tell me you were nervous about my rankings coming out today?" It is a true question. He isn't joking, I can hear it in his voice. It's probably the lack of sleep or the huge amount of stress I endured today, but I can feel tears forming in my eyes.

"No, I was nervous about my first day of school you idiot." As soon as the words escape my mouth, he covers his mouth with his hand. I try to keep the tears in, but one escapes.

"That was today. I am so sorry El, I totally forgot." We are now facing each other. I am sitting cross-legged on my side of the bed and he is leaning on the head-board with his legs spread in front of him. I look away from him so that he doesn't see the tears streaming down my cheeks. I did a really poor job at retaining them. I focus on the sheets, my fingers playing with a loose strand of fabric. He reaches down to grab my hand. He caresses my fingers with his thumb.

"Look at me, El, please. I fucked up, I am sorry, but please look at me." I look up to see his worried face trying to make eye contact with me. He holds out his hand when he sees the tears in my eyes, his thumb softly wiping them from my cheeks. His touch feels so familiar it makes me cry harder. The callosities on his palm from holding a hockey stick all day, the rough patches at the end of his fingers from the gym. His big, strong, but soft hands on me feel like home in a world of unknown. It's the same hands as before. They hold mine the same way. They feel the same, our fingers interlock perfectly as always. It's the one thing that hasn't changed. We are still made for each other. I still fit perfectly on his side when he pulls me up to him. My hand finds its usual spot on his hip while his arm circles me and his other hand is in my hair. His lips feel the same way on my forehead. I still feel the butterflies in my stomach when he tells me he loves me. I believe him when he says he's sorry. This is Ben, and this is me. This is us. We haven't changed. In that moment, I realize that the reason why this apartment didn't feel like home was because he wasn't in it. South Victoria isn't my home. Windsor isn't my home. Ben is. Ben is my home. He has been from the day we met, and he will be until the day I die.

I raise my head from his chest to look at him. I give him a small smile before inching closer to him. I press my lips to his and there it is, the feeling I have been longing for all day, the feeling of coming home. 

"You taste like alcohol. It's a little gross." We both laugh. He moves to get out from under me, but I tighten my hold on him.

"I never said you could leave." He settles back onto the bed only, this time, his head is lawing on his pillow. I think we both fell asleep immediately because the only thing I remember after that is my alarm going off at seven the next morning.