Tyler's POV
I miss Amy a lot. I just want to hold her and kiss her again. The hoodie she gave me barely smells like her anymore because I wear it too much.
Spending all this time with the guys makes me wish even more that Amy was here. I can't wait to have my Skype date with her in a few minutes.
"Tyler, it's not a date," I hear Amy's voice say in my head.
I smile, pulling Amy's hoodie, well technically my hoodie, up to my nose. I take in her very faint smell that's still there.
I don't know how I'll survive when her scent is fully gone. We're only halfway through this road trip. I still have to make it through another week and a half without her.
*Amy, can I start the Skype now?* I text her.
*Ya, go ahead* she replies back in a minute.
I open up my laptop that's sitting on the bedside table of the hotel room, placing it on my lap. I click on Skype, and find Amy's name. It has the green online symbol next to it.
I start the call, and wait for it to connect. When her beautiful face appears on my screen, I smile like an idiot.
"Hey beautiful," I say.
"Hey," she says with a smile.
"Aww I don't get a compliment?," I pout.
Amy giggles. "Sorry, my bad. Hey gorgeous."
"Much better," I say with a chuckle. "So how are you?"
"I'm good. Just got home from school not too long ago," she tells me. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Kinda nervous for the game tonight."
"I forget, who are you playing?," she asks.
"The Jets, but I'm looking forward to the next game," I tell her.
"Why?"
"Well after we leave Winnipeg, we play the Leafs next. So my family is going to come to Toronto from Brampton. It'll be really nice to see them, and hangout with them."
"That'll be fun. Tell them I say hi," Amy says.
"I will. They're super excited to meet you," I say.
"Meet me?," she questions. "When are they meeting me?"
"At the end of January. They're gunna come to Dallas for my birthday," I tell her.
"Oh ok, so there's still some time till I meet them," she says.
"Ya. So don't freak out. They already like you from whatever I've told them. It'll be just like when you met the guys."
"I guess. But your family is different than your teammates. They'll probably judge me more."
"No, I don't think so. My family is pretty awesome. My mom is super chill. You'll be fine," I say.
"Ok, I'll worry about it when it's closer to your birthday," she says.
"So uhh what are your plans for the rest of your night?," I ask, changing the subject.
"Well Drea is gunna stop by for a bit. I haven't seen her in a while, and she wants to hangout. I think we're just gunna go for a walk with the dogs. Maybe she'll stay for dinner, and we'll watch the game together."
"That should be fun. Tell Drea I say hi," I tell her. "But hey, speaking of the dogs, where are my boys?"
"Marshall is lying at the end of the bed by my feet," she says. "And I think Cash is in the basement with Dylan."
"Are they still behaving?," I ask.
"Ya, they're angels. But I think Cash is starting to miss you," Amy tells me.
"Not Marshall?," I question.
"I think Marshall likes me better than you," she says with a smirk.
"I can't blame him for that," I say with a wink.
"Here, give me like a minute, and I'll go get Cash from the basement," Amy says.
"Ok."
I watch Amy shift around on the screen, and then she's gone. I can hear her footsteps, and then they go away too. After a few minutes, I can hear some noise in the room again.
Amy appears on the screen again. She pats her bed, and then Cash appears on the screen next to her. He barks when he sees me, and I smile.
"Hey buddy, I miss you," I say.
Cash whimpers and cuddles up into Amy's stomach. His big, brown eyes look happy to see me. But they also look sad at the same time.
"Aww," Amy says, scratching Cash's head. "I told you, he misses you."
"Amy, you're making me all emotional before I have to get ready for a game," I say, blinking away tears from missing my dogs and her.
"I'm sorry. Do you not want to see Marshall then?," she asks.
"No, I do. Show me that goofball."
"Marshall," Amy calls, patting the other side of the bed next to her.
Marshall lies down onto the bed next to Amy, nuzzling up into her chest. She scratches his head, and he licks her cheek.
"Look Marshall. Look who's on the screen," Amy says, pointing to her laptop.
Marshall lifts his head from her chest, and looks at the screen. He moves closer to the camera, and I can hear his loud panting since he's close to the microphone.
"Hey, you big goof," I say with a laugh.
Marshall barks, and then rests his head on Amy's stomach next to Cash. Amy rubs both of their heads as they continue to look at me through the laptop.
"Aww they really miss daddy," I say.
"Ew, I hate when you call yourself 'daddy'," Amy says.
"What? 'Daddy' doesn't do it for you?," I ask with a smirk.
She chuckles. "No, it doesn't."
I hear Jamie finishing up in the shower. He walks out of the washroom in a few minutes, wearing a pair of sweats. He starts searching through his bags for a hoodie.
"Hey, are you gunna come?," Jamie asks.
"Come where?," I question.
"With Demers, Jordie, and I to go get some food," he says.
"Umm I'll meet you guys there. I'm Skyping Amy right now," I tell him.
"Hey Amy," Jamie shouts.
"Hey Jamie," Amy says, and I see the dogs move off her stomach and off the bed.
Jamie walks over to my bed. He leans over to look at my laptop. He waves at Amy, and she waves back.
"How are you?," Amy asks.
"I'm fine. Just missing my fiancé," Jamie says.
"Ya, she's missing you too. I'm actually gunna hangout with her in a bit," she says.
"I know, she texted me a few minutes ago saying that she was," he tells her.
"Ya so Tyler, you can go with Jamie now to go eat. Drea should be here soon," Amy tells me.
"I think Ty just wants some privacy for when he's done Skyping with you," Jamie says with a chuckle, moving away from me, going to grab his beanie from the table in the room.
"Why?," Amy asks.
"Cause the guy is always jacking off," Jamie explains.
"Shut up, Jamie. That's not true," I scold.
"Oh c'mon, we all hear you. 'Oh Amy. Fuck Amy. Baby, that feels so good. Yes Amelia.'," Jamie mockingly moans.
"Oh my god," Amy says, laughing and covering her red face with her hands.
"Ya, he says 'oh my god' too," Jamie adds.
"Jamie, shut up," I say, throwing a pillow at him.
Jamie laughs. "No need to get all defensive. I'm just telling Amy what happens when she's gone."
"Whatever," I say, rolling my eyes. "At least I eat out."
"Bunch mox," Amy shouts.
"I hate you guys so much," Jamie says, glaring and putting on his beanie.
"Hey, you're the one telling Amy I jack off to her," I defend.
"So it's true then?," Amy says with a smirk.
"Well obviously. I'm a guy. What do you expect?," I say.
"True," Amy says.
Amy looks at something on her phone. She types something onto her phone, and then puts it down on her lap.
"Hey, I gotta go now. Drea will be here soon," she tells me.
"Ok umm," I say, looking up at Jamie, gesturing for him to leave.
"I'll wait for you out in the hall," Jamie says. "Amy, tell my lovely wife to be, that I miss her like crazy, and I say hi."
"Ya of course Jamie," Amy says. "Have fun with the guys, and good luck with your game tonight."
"Thanks," Jamie calls out, leaving the room.
"So uhh I'll talk to you after the game," I say.
"Ya I know. I always wait for your post game calls," she says with a smile. "Good luck tonight, and score a goal."
"I always do babe," I say with a wink.
"Ok well I really got to go. I still need to change too," she tells me.
"I don't mind watching you change."
"No pervert. I will not strip for you over Skype," Amy says.
"Will you strip for me when I get home?," I ask, giving her a cheeky smile.
"Only if you strip for me."
I chuckle. "Ok deal."
"Alright, now go have fun with the guys. Jamie is waiting for you," she says.
"I'd rather have fun with you," I say with a sigh. "I miss you so much."
"I know, Tyler. And I miss you a lot too. But your road trip is halfway done. You'll be back in Dallas really soon."
"I wish soon was right now."
"Well right now, you have a meal to eat with some teammates," Amy says. "And I have dogs to walk with your captain's crazy fiancé."
"Ok, I'll get going then, and let you get ready," I say.
"Bye Tyler," she says, blowing me a kiss.
"Bye Amelia," I say, earning a giggle from her.
Amy ends the Skype call, and I see the red offline symbol next to her name. I sigh, closing my laptop and putting it back on the bedside table.
I get off the bed, and look at myself in the mirror to check if I look ok to go out. My sweats and hoodie seem fine to me. My hair is a little messy, so I grab a snapback and put it on.
I put on my shoes, and then head towards the door. I open the door, and feel my pocket to make sure that I have the room key before I close the door.
I walk over to Jamie, who's standing near the elevator at the end of the hall. He's looking at something on his phone, but he puts his phone away when I get to him.
"Hey, you ok?," he asks.
"Ya, I just don't know how you do it," I say.
"Do what?," Jamie questions, hitting the elevator button.
"Spend all this time away from the girl you love."
He shrugs. "It's hard, but it's a part of the job."
"Well it's a shitty part of the job," I say, getting into the elevator that has now opened.
"You get used to it with time," Jamie says, pushing the button for the main floor. "Just don't think about being away from Amy. Just look forward to getting home to her, and seeing her again."
"Is that what you do with Drea?," I ask.
"Ya, I just focus on getting home to her. Plus I also know that it doesn't matter how many miles separate us, she's always with me."
"You're such a sap," I say, rolling my eyes, but smiling.
"Love makes a guy sappy."
"Ya I guess that's true. I've become a lot more sappy since knowing Amy," I tell him, stepping out of the elevator once it stops.
"When you meet the right girl, she brings out your inner romantic," Jamie says.
We walk out of the hotel into a city that's miles away from the right girl. Miles away from the girl that makes me sappy. Miles away from the love of my life.
Amy's POV
*Yo Ames, I'm outside* Drea texts me.
*Ok, I'll be down in a few* I reply back with.
"C'mon cuties, let's go down," I say to Marshall and Cash.
The two of them lift up their heads from the ground, and look at me. I snap my fingers, and gesture for them to follow me.
They get up onto their legs, and follow me out of the room and down the stairs. I grab their leashes, that I keep near the door, and attach them to the dogs' collars.
I slip on a pair of runners and zip up my sweater, and then open the door. I walk behind the dogs down the driveway towards Drea who's leaning on her car, looking at something on her phone.
"Hey Drea," I say as I get closer to her.
"Hey," she says, putting away her phone.
"Ready to go?," I ask, and she nods.
I hand her the handle to Cash's leash, keeping Marshall's leash for myself. We walk off the driveway, and start to walk down the street.
Drea walks beside me, but she's a little bit behind me. I hear a camera go off, and turn around to see Drea with her phone out.
"What are you doing?," I ask.
"I took a photo of you in your yoga pants to send to Tyler," she says.
"Why?"
"Because I know he misses that ass," she tells me with a laugh.
I roll my eyes and laugh. "Oh speaking of missing people, Jamie says hi and that he misses you."
"Of course he misses me," Drea says with a smirk.
"What? Do you not miss him?," I ask.
"Obviously I do. It's so quiet in the apartment when I get home from school. That's why I always want to hangout with you. But you're always busy doing something too."
"Ya uhh sorry about that," I say, looking at my feet as I walk.
I keep walking, staying silent. I feel Drea's eyes scanning me, trying to figure out what's wrong.
"Look, I get that you're getting your psychology degree and all, but stop staring at me and trying to analyze me," I say.
"Well you seem like you're hiding something, so I'm just trying to figure it out."
"You can just ask me what's wrong like a normal person, rather than stare me down," I tell her.
"Ok then. What's wrong?," she asks.
I sigh. "Promise you won't tell Tyler."
"Oh god, who'd you fuck now?"
"I didn't fuck anyone," I say.
"Then what happened?," Drea questions.
"Well the reason I haven't been hanging out with you that much is because I've been hanging out with Terrance. And I hung out with Terrance on Friday. We went to a drive in movie, and then ate some McDonald's by a lake. Then we went for a swim, and we uhh we kissed."
"You kissed?! You kissed Terrance?!"
"Yes."
"Nerdy Terrance?!," she exclaims.
"Yes."
"The same Terrance that you told Tyler he had nothing to worry about?," she says.
"Yes, that's the only Terrance I know," I say.
"Why'd you kiss him?," Drea asks.
"It was kinda just in the moment. I mean, he was really dorky and asked to kiss me, so maybe it wasn't fully in the moment. But I don't know, it felt right."
"What do you mean 'it felt right'?," she says.
"Like the kiss made me all tingly, and made my stomach do flips," I explain.
"Amy, what the fuck? What about Tyler?"
"That's what's confusing me. I don't understand."
"Understand what?," she questions.
"How I can feel something when I kiss Terrance. Like I feel fireworks and my body electrifies when I kiss Tyler. And he was the first guy I ever really felt anything with when I've kissed a guy. So it just confuses me that I feel something with Terrance. Like I thought you're only supposed to feel something with one guy?"
Drea doesn't say anything. She processes everything that I said as we start walking through a park. We pass by a play structure. I take a seat on a bench, and Drea sits down next to me.
I take Marshall off of his leash. Drea does the same with Cash. The two of them start running around on the grass in front of us. I look to make sure they won't run off, and then turn my attention back to Drea.
"You feel something when you kiss Jamie, right?," I ask.
"Ya of course," Drea says with a smile.
"And he's the only guy you've ever felt something with, right?"
"Nope. There was like two or three other guys that I felt something with when I kissed them."
"So then it's not that big of a deal that I feel something with Terrance?," I say.
"Depends," Drea says.
"Depends on what?," I question.
"Do you feel something more when you kiss Tyler or Terrance?," she asks.
"Tyler."
"So then it's not that big of a deal. Unless you kiss a guy that makes you feel something more than when you kiss Tyler, it's not a problem."
"Is that how you knew Jamie was the one for you?," I ask. "He made you feel something the most?"
"Ya I guess. But I mean, you can't decide to be with someone solely based on a kiss," Drea says. "You also have to consider the way the person makes you feel, and how you guys get along, and things like that."
"Well they kinda make me feel the same. Tyler just goes the extra mile to make me happy, and to show how much he cares about me and adores me. And he tries really hard to make me feel beautiful," I tell her. "But like Terrance is really sweet and like innocent, and a good friend. And he makes me happy too, and makes me feel good about myself without trying that hard."
"Fuck Amy. You like Terrance, don't you?"
"I-I'm not sure. I think so. Yes."
"Fuck, poor Tyler," Drea mumbles.
"But the way I feel about Terrance is different than how I feel about Tyler," I say.
"Different how?," she asks.
"It's not nearly as strong. I like Tyler a lot more. I think about Tyler a lot more. Like there's just something more to how I feel about Tyler."
"Well I hope for Tyler's sake that that doesn't change," she says.
"It's just so weird how all my life, I've never felt anything for anyone. But now after being with Tyler, I like two different guys. It's just so unlike me," I say.
"I kinda think it's a good thing. Like you're allowing yourself to get to know guys, and you're accepting and admitting how you feel about them."
"But it kinda feels wrong to like two guys," I tell her.
"It's not wrong. A lot of people can like more than one person at once," Drea says.
"I just don't want to hurt either of them."
"Look Amy, as much as I love Tyler, and want you guys to be together, you owe it to yourself to explore things out with both him and Terrance," she tells me. "I know you don't want to hurt them, but you need to put yourself first."
"What do you mean, I 'owe it to myself'?," I ask.
"Well like you said, you've never really liked anyone. So now that you do like two guys, you should see how it goes with each of them. Find out which one makes you happier, and then eventually, you'll have to choose one."
"Why do I have to choose? I can just be with them both. It's not like I'm gunna date either of them."
"You can say that you don't want to date or be in love all you want, but that's bullshit," she remarks.
"It's not bullshit," I say.
"Yes it is. You're human, and humans just want to be in love. One day, you're gunna want to get married and have kids. You're gunna want someone to spend your life with. You're only twenty three, so you have a lot of time to figure out who you want to be with. But whether it's Tyler, or Terrance, or a guy you haven't even met yet, you're gunna want to be with someone. You might be set on being single right now, but that won't last forever."
"Maybe that's true for most people, but not me. I don't want to be in love. You just get hurt when you're in love."
"That's how love is. Love isn't perfect," Drea says. "Love is painful, but it's the kind of pain that you don't mind feeling. If you don't feel pain, then you're not in love. There's no such thing as a perfect love story. Pain is just a part of being in love."
"I don't like that the pain associated with love is justified as ok because you're in love," I tell her.
"I agree, but that's just how it is," she says. "But anyways, regardless to whether you want to be in love or not, you'll have to choose between them eventually."
"But I want them both in my life," I say.
Drea sighs. "Well you do have them both for now. So just see how things go with them, and let yourself explore your feelings for them."
"That's going to be hard to do once Tyler is back. When he's here, I spend less time with Terrance. Well I see him all the time at school, but then after school I spend my time with Tyler."
"Well spend as much time with Terrance as you can now then," she tells me.
"I have been. We hangout almost everyday. But it's kinda weird that he hasn't kissed me again since Friday," I say.
"He might just be confused about how you feel about him, and where you guys stand," Drea says. "Plus you said that he's like innocent or whatever, so maybe he's just nervous to kiss you again."
"Maybe. He invited me over to his place this weekend though."
"Ok and? What's special about that?," she asks. "You said you guys hangout all the time."
"His parents are out of town," I tell her.
"Oh shit. Well maybe Terrance isn't as innocent as you think he is."
"I don't know. I'll find out on Saturday," I say.
Marshall comes running to me on the bench. He rests his head on my lap. He looks kinda tired, and so does Cash.
Drea and I decide to head back to my place. I tell her to stay for dinner, and we'll have tacos and watch the game.
When we get home, we head to the kitchen. The dogs go straight to their bowls, and Drea and I start cooking.
Dad comes home while we're making the food. He says hello to Drea. He seems pleased about the fact that I have a female friend over.
"Your dad's kinda cute," Drea says when he leaves the kitchen.
"That's gross," I say.
"Well you said he has a young, new girlfriend, so clearly I'm not the only one who thinks so. I mean, he's what? Forty three? He's not that old, and he's good looking for his age."
"I don't want to talk about how my dad looks or about his girlfriend," I mumble. "Just shut up, and chop the lettuce."
Drea laughs. "Ok, your highness."
We finish making the food. I call for Dylan and dad to come eat. The four of us sit at the table together, and eat our dinner.
When we finish, I clear off the table, and start washing the dishes. Drea heads into the other room with Dylan to get ready for the game. The two of them seem to be getting along pretty well.
"Amy, do you need any help with the dishes?," dad asks.
"Uhh you can dry them if you want," I tell him.
Dad grabs a small towel to dry the dishes with. He stands next to me, drying the wet dishes in the rack, and putting them away.
"So uhh as you already know, my birthday is next week," dad says.
"Ya, it's on December first. I never forget," I say. "Is there something specific you want for your birthday?"
"Yes actually, there is."
"Well what is it?," I ask, scrubbing a plate.
"I would like to invite Karen over for dinner, and have both you and Dylan meet her. Your gift to me can be giving her a chance."
"Have you talked to Dylan about this?"
"Yes I have, and he's fine with meeting her," he tells me.
I sigh. "Well if he's ok, then I'm ok."
"Thank you, Amy. This means a lot to me," he says with a smile.
"Ya whatever."
I wash the rest of the dishes in silence. When I'm done, I dry my hands, and help dad put away the dishes.
Then I join Drea and Dylan on the couch to watch the game. When I sit down the anthems are being sung.
The camera zooms in on Tyler, and I smile. Drea nudges me, and gives me a smirk. I roll my eyes, knowing exactly what she's thinking.
Even being miles away from Tyler, looking at him through a tv screen, makes me smile. But a smile is just a smile. It has to be.