xviii. easy
For some reason, Wyn is filled with nerves as she enters the stadium where the Anaheim Ducks are playing their first home game after a stretch of away games. She knows its probably because she knows she has a date with one of the players once the game is over (that's totally why), but she can't help but take a few moments to steady her breath before going to grab a pre-game beer. She doesn't even care if the guy at concessions is judging her for the drink before the game has even started, she just needs a little bit of liquid courage before heading down to her seat at the glass.
Thankfully, the team isn't on the ice yet, so she has time to drink some and tuck it away before they can spot the beverage in her hands because she doesn't want their judgement. She fiddles with her phone, a little nervous that she's alone at the game and at least two of the players will be looking for her, Jamie having texted to tell her he was at least saying hi before Zegras could sweep her away on a date.
It's not long until the seats around her start filling out, then the teams start skating onto the ice. Her eyes quickly find number 11, grinning as she watches him attempt to find her along the glass. It's not long until they make eye contact and a wide grin spreads across his face. She watches as he smacks a hand out at the player next to him, the one in number 6, and gestures to her. Jamie also grins when he noticed her, then they both start skating towards her. She shakes her head quickly, eyes wide, not wanting to cause a spectacle. Trevor rolls his eyes at her, but he understands where she's coming from. She can already hear the whispering around her anyways, the questions about who they could've been noticing.
He tilts his head at her in question, as if asking whose jersey she's wearing over the hoodie adorning her body, since her arms are crossed in front of her. She smirks at him as she moves her arms to the side, revealing the only Ducks jersey she owns, proudly displaying his number on her arms. She watches as both he and Jamie laugh, then go back to their free skate stretches before the game. The beer occupies her hand again and she has to fight the urge to get game snacks, knowing they had decided on pasta for their date night food, giving him a cheat night from his strict diet and her an excuse to inhale some fettuccine Alfredo.
It's not long until the game starts and she gets completely sucked in, watching all the men glide around on the ice. She's always found the beauty in the sport, having watched her brother play through high school. When he played in college, she stopped going. Mostly because they went to different colleges and she didn't have time. Then he was getting drafted and she was dropping out to pursue her social media stuff. But the game of hockey stuck with her and she had quickly grown to love the team closest to her California home.
"They're good," the guy next to her muses, leaning in closer to her. "You come to many games?"
"Yeah," she admits, glancing over at the guy who seems to be a couple years older than her at most. "You?"
"Normally not this good of seats," he tells her. "My buddy bought us these tickets, there's a whole group of us."
"I have this exact seat at every home game this season," she informs him, sending him a small smile. "I'm a big fan."
"Damn," he mumbles, not expecting that answer. "And you come alone? No boyfriend to accompany you?"
"Nope," she shrugs. "I prefer watching alone, honestly."
"Well, if you ever want company, I'd be happy to join. Or you can always come slum it with me higher up."
"Oh, thanks, but-"
Her sentence is cut off by someone slamming into the glass in front of her. Her eyes whip to see what has happened, shocked to find an opposing player pressed up against the glass by her favorite player. But his eyes? They are focused on her, conveying a message she's sure the guy sitting next to her can read as well. She rolls her eyes at him and he nods, seeming to get her message loud and clear. She chuckles a bit as he skates backwards, freeing the other player. He watches as she pulls her lip between her teeth, then mouth 'that was hot' to him. They mutually shake their heads, then he fully skates away. A clearing of a throat next to her reminds her that she's not alone.
"Sorry," she says, looking back over.
"So you don't have a boyfriend to come with you because he's actually playing, huh?" he says, his voice a little flat. "You could've just told me that."
"He's not my boyfriend," she says, whispering 'yet' to herself. "And I was in the process of turning you down. Sorry about that."
He doesn't reply, turning away from her and back to his group. She isn't too hurt for long, more thankful that he's not badgering her for special privileges because of her connection to the player or something like that. The game seems to be passing by quicker than normal and he's already scored two goals, glancing at her as they hit the back of the net. She had decided before the game started that he would be getting a kiss for every goal he scored, whether they were on his cheeks or lips (or even somewhere else). He just didn't know that yet.
By the time the third period starts, she's so excited for the game to end so that she can meet him for real and they can finally go on their date. Especially because she's incredibly hungry and ready to dig into a giant serving of pasta and some breadsticks. He's playing one of the best games she's ever seen him play. The excitement is a shared sentiment, he's just as excited for this win to come to them so that he can take the hot blonde out - well, in- on their date. His eyes keep finding themselves looking at her, still somewhat jealous of the guy next to her that was obviously flirting with her. And all he can think of was the breathy gasp she let out when they had collided with the glass in front of her, wondering what other sounds he could elicit from her.
The game ends as a win for the Ducks, much to both of their enjoyment. She watches them celebrate on ice, both of the boys that know which one she is smacking the glass in front of her as they pass, lighting up her eyes and warming her heart. The fans start emptying out and she heads to the place Trevor told her to meet him at, a secluded area for just the friends and family of players, no press allowed. No one questions her or sends her a second glance as players start filing out of the locker rooms and to their loved ones. She knows she has to wait a few extra minutes, him having warned her they told him he was part of the press after the game. So she just scrolls through her phone, looking at her TikTok feed and trying to decide which of her favorite pasta places they're ordering from. Quickly, she becomes the only person waiting in the small hallway. And not too much longer after that, she sees someone heading out of the locker room and towards her. Her phone gets shoved in her pocket as she steps towards him.
"Hey, sweet cheeks," he says, grinning widely at her.
Any moment of insecurity she had is gone now and she's rushing towards him, throwing her arms around him in excitement. He returns the excitement, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her from the ground just a little bit to help the height difference. She grins into his hoodie, glad he isn't wearing a suit to leave the stadium while she's in her hockey gear. He resists the urge to press a kiss to the top of her head, mostly because he's already knocked the baseball cap on her head of center and he doesn't want it to fully fall off her head, but one arm is wrapped around her back and the other is holding the back of her neck. With the hand holding her, he gently squeezes and she chuckles into him.
"Hi, hotshot," she mumbles, leaning her head back to look up at him. "Good game. You earned yourself two kisses."
He tilts his head and raises his eyebrows in amusement, "Oh yeah? How?"
"You scored two goals, babe," she informs him, wiggling out of his hold and instantly regretting it. "And I decided you get a kiss for each goal."
"If assists count, then I get three more," he taunts, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth for just a moment. "You ready to get out of here, Wyn?"
"God yes," she moans, reaching up to fix her hat. "I'm starving. I didn't want to ruin my appetite by snacking during the game and I could destroy some pasta. Be prepared to be turned off by me."
He leans down to her ear, whispering, "Never."
She shivers, but grabs his arm and wraps it around her shoulders, smiling up at him, "Lead the way to your car. Let's get this date started."
And so they make their way out of the stadium like that, her tucked under his arm and one of her hands resting on his that's dangling over her shoulder. Fortunately no one recognizes them as Trevor and Wyn, instead just seeing them as just another couple leaving the hockey game, and they couldn't be more thankful.
———
"Your house is nice," Trevor says as they make their way through the front door, kicking their shoes off as they enter the home. "I'm jealous."
Before she can answer, her two dogs rush at them. She laughs as she watches him try to juggle carrying their food and greeting the dogs. She takes the food from him, that he had insisted on carrying, and leads him to the living room while he pets each dog with his free hands. She grins, watching him settle on the couch and Juice warm right up to him, which she doesn't always do with new people. Blue chooses her still, curling up on the other side of her as she plops down on the couch, close to him but not too close.
"Thank you," she says, finally responding. "I love that it's all mine, too. I used my inheritance from my grandparents, which set me up nicely for life."
"I'm sorry for your loss," he says gently, reaching out to tap a finger on her thigh.
She shrugs, "I was young. They had good money, but weren't too close with me. It was a car accident, left half to me and half to my brother."
"You have a brother?" he asks, confused, trying to remember any time she's mentioned him.
"A half brother," she tells him, handing him his ravioli while keeping the Alfredo for herself. "You'll meet him once we're serious. Or more serious? I don't talk about him much."
He nods, "Okay."
She uses her phone to turn on the TV, picking a random movie on Netflix to play while they talk. He grins, digging into his dish. She watches in amusement, opening up the shared box of breadsticks and devouring one in about ten seconds flat. Shock is written all over his face, which quickly turns to a look of 'holy shit, I'm impressed'.
"I told you I was starving," she tells him, shrugging before taking a bite of her pasta.
He laughs, "As if you're the one who just played a game of hockey."
"True," she admits, conceding defeat.
As they eat, they make small talk and somewhat watch the movie as they eat the pasta. He reached over to steal bites of her food while she steals a couple bite of his. Once her food is gone, she sets the empty container on the coffee table and shifts, kicking a leg into his lap. He grins, grabbing the other leg and fully pulling them into his lap. After finishing his last couple of bites, he puts his container with hers and grabs one of her feet, beginning to massage her foot through the thick sock. Her head ends up getting tossed back, a low moan falling from her lips.
"That feels so good," she whispers, nudging Blue so that he hops off the couch and she can recline better. She can still see Trevor's face but she's more relaxed. "Can I hire you to do this forever?"
"You don't even have to pay me. Just give me a kiss once in awhile."
"That can be arranged. Happily."
"This feels... easy, you know?"
She snorts, "Are you calling me easy, Zegras?"
"Jesus, no. That's not how I meant for it to come out," he says, scrunching his nose. "I meant this date. It's not weird or awkward like most first dates."
"Go on a lot of dates?"
He shrugs, "I more hooked up than anything. There was one girl in college who I was mildly interested in, but she turned out to be sleeping with multiple of us on the team. That put me off dating for a bit."
"I had a boyfriend in college," she tells him, wanting to get the story out of the way. "His name is Owen. He started out as a wonderful guy. And then suddenly... he just wasn't. I got roughed around a bit but I gave as good as I got, I'd push him right back or smack him or whatever. It was toxic and gross. I only left after... after a night where he sexually assaulted me. And not only that, but he had been filming us and showing people the entire time. As soon as I left, videos were posted and I was humiliated on campus. That's why dropped out of school."
"Jesus Christ," he mutters, tense and gripping her feet in his hands. "Tell me their names and I'll go take care of them."
"It's okay," she shrugs. "I survived it."
"You deserve so much better than that!" he bursts out, one hand loosening so that he can rub her calf in an attempt to calm himself down. "Jesus Christ, he's a damn idiot who fumbles it with you?"
She pushes herself up, shifting so that she's straddled over him but not putting any weight on him, the only physical contact being where her hands are braced on his shoulders. He grins, hands having been pushed away from her feet in the move and now resting on his thighs. Those are quickly moved to her hips, gripping her tightly and pulling her down so that she's balanced on him.
"I'm okay and I'm here. If he hadn't fumbled it with me, we might not be here right now. And what happened to me is in the past now, it did it's part in making me who I am now."
"It kills me to know that someone has laid hands on you," he admits, squeezing her hips. "I want to do whatever to protect you from it, even though it's already happened."
She grins, "And for that, I adore you. Which means you get the first of your prizes."
Without letting herself stress too much about it first, she leans down and presses a quick kiss to his lips. Though he's stunned at first and she starts to pull away, worried he doesn't want her to kiss him, one of his hands moves to the back of her head and draws her right back for another kiss. This kiss is more, deeper and longer. His fingers grip her hip and dig into her hair, her fingers trail over his body, one settling on his chest just over his heart and the other wrapping around the back of his neck. And once they part, smiles are on both of their faces.
"You get four more of those tonight," she says, using a finger to wipe at the lip gloss that had smeared onto his lips. "And they don't all have to be like that?"
"Oh?"
She smirks, hands moving her her clothes to start tugging at her top layers, "I'm starting to get a little too warm."
He grabs her wrist before she can expose too much skin, "We don't have to do anything tonight. I'm not here for sex. I don't... I want more than just sex for you and I'm fine with waiting if that helps you understand that."
"I want more than that, too, hotshot," she laughs, shaking her wrist free so she can pull off the jersey over the hoodie and lay it on the coffee table to protect it. "And I'm fine with waiting on sex, but that doesn't mean we can't do other stuff. It's been awhile for me and I know you've been holding out for a bit too, so I at least want to reward you for that and for the goals tonight."
"I think you might be perfect," he mumbles, grabbing the hoodie and helping her tug it off. Faced with her bare skin and the red lace bra holding her tits, his eyes widen and he brushes his fingers across the top of the lingerie. "Nevermind, now I know you are. Please tell me the panties match."
She grins, moving off his lap and starting to back away from him, causing him to get up and start following her, "I guess you'll just have to find out yourself, won't you, hotshot?"