Summary: After being shattered by a horrible breakup, Nathan takes comfort in his friends and family- a particular friend named Y/N helping him put the pieces back together
From Prompt list: 10 w/ Nate mack "I think I'm in love."
Requested: Yes
Breakups had always been such a hard thing for Nathan to go through. When he was in a relationship, he gave his all and devoted his heart to whoever he was interested in. Sometimes he got the same in return, but for the most part- the women he dated were only after his money or the status that came with dating a famous hockey player.
After breaking up with his ex Vanessa, Nathan had sworn off relationships- he was frustrated and fed up of trying to please someone when all they gave him was shit in return. It wasn't like he wanted to be alone, but he figured he had put his heart through enough and just needed time to heal.
Through it all, he had his hometown friends at his back- pushing him forward and supporting him to the best of their abilities. If it wasn't for them, Nathan probably would be locked himself in his house with tubs of ice cream and then overworked himself at the gym or hockey practice due to guilt.
Nathan's last ex had really done a number on him, they were together for years and he was convinced that this was the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with. It was so bad that the Colorado avalanche player had gone ring shopping- planning to propose the valentines day coming just after their split.
It had been so sudden that when Vanessa had left him, he sat in his house for hours just in shock- staring at the front door as if she was going to walk back in and say that it was a prank or that she changed her mind- but she never came back... the door stayed closed for days until Nathan had to go back to hockey training.
His heartbreak had lead to long nights at the bars- a few holes punched into the walls of his bedroom and mornings spent throwing up over the toilet bowl. It had broke him, convinced him that nothing would ever be the same.
And in reality it hadn't.
Slowly, Nathan had built himself back up- with the help of his friends Y/N, Sidney and his parents, everyone took their time into helping him get better- helping him move on and see that he didn't need Vanessa or a girl to feel happy.
Y/N had been a big part of Nathan's life when it came to hockey, he was the daughter of his childhood coach and they had met at one of his hockey practices when he was still in midget- she was the only girl on his team and she could definitely keep up with the boys. He really wanted to see her go forward into the women's league, but with such limited opportunity for growth, he knew it wasn't realistic.
When Nathan split from Vanessa, Y/N had been the first one to notice- she could read the man like a book and when he suddenly started backing out of plans and limited his talking of Sid and his parents, she knew that something was wrong- Nate was the type of guy that loved to show off the important things in his life, when he was back home- he would constantly talk about how good the guys on his team were and how well Vanessa's job had been treating her.
It took some time to convince him to let her in and help, but once he did- Y/N had been on the first flight out to Colorado- going as far as to move in with Nate while he got over his lost relationship. She knew it was risky considering people would start rumours or think that she was taking advtgnge of him, but she knew none of that mattered in the long run. Nathan was her friend and he needed help.
Just over a year had passed since Nate's split with Vanessa- it was summer and the beefy blonde was taking advtgnge of the offseason. Part of his routine was to head home to Cole harbour every summer- spending time with childhood friends, his family and sid. They would train every morning and do lunch, but today it was Canada Day- the family had planned a big summer bonfire out at the cabin and everyone was in attendance.
As Nathan stretched back on a lawn chair- his body was covered in a muscle tank and some swim trunks- black sunglasses perched on his nose and a beer in his hand. He looked quite relaxed with his flip-flops and legs stretched out- the sun shining against him and giving him some colour on his otherwise pasty arms.
Sidney was next to him, dawning a Pittsburg penguins caps and some shorts- no shirt for him as he was trying to get his daily dose of Vitamin D. He glanced over at Nathan and raised his beer in the Direction of Y/N who was playing with some of the younger kids- She had a bathing suit on and had been running in and out of the water with the younger cousins for quite a while.
"So how is Y/N? You still living with her?" Sid asked quietly. He had seen the way that Nathan leaned against the girl for support the most out of everyone in their little inner circle- and while he was relieved that Y/N was more than happy to help him, Sidney couldn't deny that he was slightly worried that Nathan was going to fall back into his depressive routine once the girl moved out.
Smiling at the mention of his female friend, Nate nodded. "Yeah she's great- she's been such a help and I really love having her around... The house just feels too big when I'm there alone." He explained. "Were heading back to Colorado a month before the season starts."
The two men watched as Y/N came out of the water- telling the kids that she needed a break. Sidney couldn't deny the fact that the woman was attractive, she had a great smile- great body and amazing sense of character and personality. If he hadn't been other wise taken, he might've gone for her.
Nathan let his eyes trail over his roommate's body with a bite against his bottom li- she was really something else. As she walked over and grabbed a beer from the Cooler, he let his eyes roam over her backside- breath hitching as he realized that he had been thinking about her in less than friendly ways.
"Hey Sid- Hey Nate... What you guys talking about?" She asked softly, walking over and sitting on the arm of Nathan's chair.
Exchanging a set of glances, Sidney cleared his throat. "Hockey." He answered her. The girl laughed and rolled her eyes- shoving Nathan's arm. 'Why am I not surprised?" She hummed.
They talked for a while before Sidney's dad called them for barbecue, an array of burgers, hotdogs and chicken wings awaiting them back at the picnic tables- the cabin was done up in Canada day festive decor, streamers and flags at every corner. The plan was to play some games after the sunset and then have Fireworks at midnight.
Nathan sat with Sidney and his parents while they all ate dinner- Y/N coming in and out of the conversation as she spent some time making pleasantries with Nate's parents. Her own parents had retired early, having to drive back to the city before the weekend was over- she would be catching a ride back with Nathan anyways so she wasn't worried.
Once the mess was all cleaned up, Y/N had gone into the cabin- changing into a cropped hoodie and some denim shorts- changing her flip-flops for sneakers. The family played a few rounds of street hockey and some corn-hole. Hide and seek and Tag with the kids following soon after.
As they had the bonfire started, Nathan had a blanket around his shoulders- holding his arms open for Y/N to sit next to him- the smell of bug spray and smoke was evident, the families doing their best to eliminate the threat of mosquitos and horseflies. "Are you having a good time?" Nate asked as the girl leaned against him.
Looking up with a smile, Y/N nodded. "Yeah- I like being out here with the family... And You're not too bad either." She winked. It was a very subtle flirt but it didn't go unnoticed by Nathan- he chuckled and pulled her close pressing a friendly kiss to the top of her head.
After some smores and burnt marshmallows had been consumed, Nathan swore he could feel the carbon inside of him. They moved to sit at the docks- awaiting the fireworks in the sky. Y/N had moved to lay her head in Nathan's lap- sleep and exhaustion over taking her. Sidney smiled at the two of them, whispering quietly. "You look content..." he observed.
Nathan smiled, the first round of fireworks flying into the air- he chuckled, he had learned after living with he girl for a year that Y/N could sleep through anything. As rangers of purple and blue light lit up the sky and reflected against his face, he nodded.
Running his fingers through her hair, his face was illuminated by the fireworks- a rainbow spreading across his cheek. It had taken so much effort and time for him to put himself back together and even considering trying to date again, but as he looked down at Y/N and thought of how much time they had spent together of the year- he couldn't help but wonder if they could turn that friendship into something more.
Y/N was selfless and always put others first, she was great with kids and had an amazing personality- She was everything Nathan could want. And he didn't remind her of Vanessa a single bit.
Looking back at Sidney, Nathan closed his eyes- humming as he felt himself truly embrace the happiness he had created. "I think I'm in love..."