Avery
I'm currently waiting in my living room for Finn, scrolling through my phone. This past week has been hard, but I'm really really grateful that I have Cam and Finn. They have been more than amazing friends. We even have a group chat now with us three and Lindsey, which makes me cry with laughter at least once a day. I wish we all became friends sooner than senior year. And of course, as expected, I have already fallen more for Finn.
It's been really quiet around my house. My aunt flew in from New York in so my mom has been with her a lot this week. I haven't heard from my dad since that night, which isn't a surprise. Although I am furious with him, I guess it would just be nice to at least get a text from him. But he's a pretty shitty guy so I can't expect much.
Finn texts me saying that he's here, so I get up and head outside. I feel giggly as I approach the familiar car and open the door before sliding in. I was expecting some really bad post hockey smells, but he doesn't smell at all.
"Hey," he greets, pulling away from my house. "Hi," I smile, buckling my seatbelt before getting a better look at him. "How are you still sweating?"
"I honestly don't know," he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand with a chuckle. He glances at his now wet hand and shakes his head before gripping the top of the steering wheel with his right hand.
Okay, LISTEN. I'm not going to lie to you right now. He looks so good. His hair is really wet from what I am assuming is sweat, which is weirdly attractive. He's wearing a black under armor that hugs his torso so nicely that it's borderline offensive. Something about post hockey Finn really just- It's hot, okay?
We get to his house and start to head inside. He puts his arm around me as we walk up to his front door. "Do I need to sneak in again?" I joke.
"No." He laughs, lightly. A wicked look in his eye as he looks down at me. "You will have to meet my mother, though."
"Oh, God." I immediately get nervous, my hand going to my forehead. "She's going to hate me."
"What?" He laughs loudly as we get to the door. "Why would you say that?"
"Don't all moms hate the girls their sons bring home? What if she thinks I'm a bad influence? You're her only son, I'm sure she's going to be very critical, as she should be-"
"I can't picture my mom not liking you," He interrupts me as he unlocks the door. He looks back at me, smiling and taking my hand. "Don't worry, Aves. You're perfect. She'll love you."
He opens the door and we walk in without another word, although my heart doesn't know what to do with itself. On one hand it's fluttering like crazy at his words but pounding in my chest at as I see him mom sitting in the same spot she was last time. She sees the two of us and sits up, obviously surprised. "Oh, hello."
"Mom, this is Avery," He introduces me. I give her a timid wave. "Hi Ms. Wilder. It's very nice to meet you. You have a lovely home." And a very hot son.
"The pleasures mine, Avery. And thank you, I really appreciate it." She smiles. She seems young, maybe early 40s. I love her style and I just want to ask her about her tattoos. She's so much cooler than me.
Finn lets go of my hand to kiss her on the cheek, which is just as cute as it was the first time I saw him do that. "We're going to go hang out for a bit," He says, standing back at my side. His hand finds mine instinctively and I notice his mothers gaze towards the gesture. I feel my cheeks heat up when she smiles. "Do you need anything?"
"Oh, no. Thank you, my love." She shakes her head, looking back up at her son. "How was the game?"
"Good, we won. 3-0."
"Any points?" She asks, referring to how he personally played. He nods, "Yeah, two. A goal and an assist."
I love that she is knowledgable about that game and cares about his points. You get a point to your name if you score or if you get an assist. I can imagine her life has also been surrounded by hockey, because, ya know. Canada. I'm sure she played herself, never mind the fact that Finn hasn't gone a day without being on the ice.
"That's fantastic," she grins before she gestures to her nose. "What's up with that?"
I hadn't acknowledged his bruised nose, but he has a bandage covering the bridge. It's swollen and a little purple, but I don't see it healing too crooked. "Oh, just got checked. I'll be fine."
"Is it broken?"
"Well," he drags out the word. "Technically?"
She groans, putting her head in her hands. "Go."
We quickly make our way up to his room, snickering quietly together. When we get there I fall on his bed, staring up at his ceiling.
"I'm going to jump in the shower," He says. I look over to him as he goes through his drawers for clothes. He pulls out sweats and goes into the bathroom. I scroll through my phone as I hear the shower turn on. Cam and I send memes to each other for the entire duration of his shower. I hear the bathroom door open as I continue to talk to Cam, glancing up at him quickly before looking back at my phone.
Holy shit, wait. He's shirtless.
I slyly look back at him, seeing him zoned out as he dries his hair with a towel. He has a fucking six pack. I mean, obviously he has a six pack. He's a fucking hockey player. Why am I surprised he has a six pack? Oh my God, I can't stop staring at his six pack. This isn't fair.
How can someone like him be into someone like me. It's been years since I even went to a gym. Shouldn't he be into girls who also have six packs? I for sure do not have one. I have rolls.
I look back at my phone when he goes to put the towel away, not being able to stop myself from looking at him out of the corner of my eye as he gets a shirt and puts it on. He crawls next to me and cuddles into my side, burying his face in my neck and wrapping his arms around my stomach. I laugh lightly, feeling butterflies fill my stomach. He smells heavenly.
I put my phone down before resting my head on his as I play with his wet hair. He hums and cuddles harder, which is adorable. He speaks lowly into my neck, causing goosebumps to arise all over my body. "I can't believe you're with me right now."
"Why?"
"Because I spent weeks wanting to go up to you but was too nervous. I thought you were dating your friend at work or Cam and chickened out. I really regret it."
"Well, we're here now," I assure him. "And I've never had anything with James or Cam, so."
"James makes me nervous," He mutters. I can't help but smile slightly at his jealousy.
I continue to run my hands through his hair. "I don't get why."
"It's so obvious he likes you." He groans, digging his face a little more into my neck. I never want to move from this position. "And I like you, so I'm nervous."
"Well, you don't have to be," I smile to myself. I glance down at him, only being able to see his jawline because he's hiding his face. "Because I like you too."
"Stop, I'm blushing," He laughs in my skin, which makes me giggle. I can't believe how much I giggle around him. It's a little embarrassing. "That tickles."
He blows on my neck, which makes me squirm because - ticklish. "Finn, stop."
His arm that is wrapped around my waist squeezes my side, making me gasp. Oh, no. "Oh my God, stop. Please don't-"
He sits up and puts his knees on both sides of my hips, squeezing my sides as he hovers over me. I thrash under him, trying not to make too much noise but also in pain. I can't help the loud laugh that comes from my body, causing him to grin down at me. "Finn, holy shit."
I try and shove him off me, but he's a lot stronger than me and doesn't budge. He does stop though, but stays over me. I reach up and push his hair out of his face, his dimple popping out as he beams down at me, happy he got the laugh he was torturing me for. The sight brings a big smile to my own face. I wish he would just kiss me already.
Much to my dismay, he doesn't. Instead he falls on the bed, letting out a slight laugh. I look over to him, seeing him staring up at the ceiling still smiling.
"What was your childhood like?" I ask him randomly. We've talked basics but we have never really gotten into the details. I want to know what he was like as a kid and the place he grew up in. I want to know who his favorite cousin was and what his school was like. I just want to know more about him.
"Until my dad left, it was great," he shrugs, putting his arms behind his head as he looks at the ceiling. He does this a lot and it just makes me want to cuddle him harder. I resist the urge, though. "I didn't have a lot of friends but I had good friends. I played hockey everyday, but so did all my buddies so I was always with them."
I roll on my side, holding my head up with my hand as I listen to him. "I have a lot of memories of playing street hockey with my cousins, sleepovers, watching Toy Story and other Disney movies with them."
"Do you have a lot of cousins?" I ask. He shakes his head. "No, there is only six of us. We were all really close. I remember, this one time when I was 14 or so, we were all playing ice hockey at our community rink, and we would get really into it, eh? My cousin Gia checked my other cousin Jake and broke his arm. She felt awful but honestly, he deserved it. He kept acting tough and was teasing her and she had enough of it. I know it's bad, but it was really funny." He laughs to himself at the memory, which makes me smile. I could listen to him talk all day.
He looks over at me. "How about you?"
"I don't have many cousins either, since my dad is an only child." I go from my side to my stomach, holding myself up with my elbows. "Theres four of us and I'm the only girl, so I was always getting roughed up by them. It was like having three older brothers, which is nice since I obviously don't have siblings but also very painful. We're all incredibly close, though."
"When was the last time you saw them?"
"Probably like, two years?" I shrug, looking at my nails. "My aunt is in town now, but I haven't seen the boys in a while. We still text and stuff, though."
"Well, I hope I get to meet them one day." He says, and my insides feel like they're melting. He wants to meet my family. I look at him and see him smiling at me.
"I don't know, they're very protective," I tease, to which he laughs. "I think I can take it."
I smile, before catching a glimpse of his crooked and bruised nose. I move closer to him slightly, reaching out and gently caressing his face and touching his nose. "What did the guy do?"
He scans my face as I'm examining his broken nose and bruised skin, speaking quietly. "He was just an asshole. Picking on me because of my age and all that. It's alright, though. I'm used to it."
"You know it's because you're good, right?" I tell him, retracting my hand and putting my weight again on my elbows, holding my chin as I talk to him. "They see you as a threat so they try to break you."
"That's what my coach said, but I don't know." He denies modestly. "I think it's just cause I'm young."
"Jack's young and he doesn't get what you get." I argue.
"Yeah, but he's in his 20s. I'm still in high school. Besides, Jack is 6'4. No one wants to mess with him."
I shake my head, knowing I'm not going to be able to change his mind on this. He is set on believing that the only thing people know about him is that he is young, when in reality I have looked at a lot AHL blogs and articles and his name has come up more than once as someone to look out for.
"Whatever you say, Finn." I sigh, putting my head down on his pillow and looking at him. "When's your next game?"
"Tomorrow. Luckily it's another home game, then I head to San Jose and San Diego." He rubs his face before stretching his arms out above him with a yawn.
"How long will you be gone?" I ask, secretly not wanting him to leave. I would never say that though.
"A week," he says, turning his head and looking at me with a playful smile. "My teachers were generous enough to give me homework already."
I laugh lightly. "When do you leave?"
"Tuesday," he answers yet another one of my questions and lays on his side. "Do you want to come to the game tomorrow? Are you working?"
"No, I'm off tomorrow." I smile, "I'll go, definitely."
He grins. "I'll leave the tickets in the box office for you."
"Cam's working, so he won't be able to go," I pout. I don't mind going alone, however I know my crowd anxiety will definitely get to me.
"I don't think Lindsey is doing anything, if you want me to ask her?" He suggests.
"Sure," I cuddle the pillow I'm holding onto harder. "She makes me laugh until my sides hurt."
"Me too." He agrees, reaching over and grabbing his phone. "I'll text her."
"When did you meet her?" I ask as he messages her. When he's done, he throws his device at the end of his bed.
"A month into school?" He questions himself. "Around late October. She works as a freelance photographer and was photographing an event my team was at. I knew she looked familiar so I went up to her and we just were friends ever since."
"That's so cool," I say. "Does she often photograph your team?"
"No, the venue we were at hired her."
"How often do you have events and stuff?"
"Pretty often," he admits. "We had that press one this week and we do a lot with different charities and go to a lot of children's hospitals. It's pretty cool, honestly."
"It sounds like it," I smile. "All of this is really cool. I was on Twitter and kept seeing people tweeting about you and it really made me think about how many people admire you. Like, I saw tweets about how sweet you are for giving that girl a puck, and that video of you and Jack. It's pretty sick."
He gives a small smile and looks away. "Yeah, it is."
A comfortable silence comes over us. I rest my cheek on my arm that is on his pillow, my free hand sitting on the bed in-between us. He traces his fingers along my hand, neither of us saying anything but enjoying the other's company.
It's scary how quickly I've realized that I don't want to be without him. I've never really been one to jump into any type of relationship, friendship or more. I have a hard time letting people in because I know how it feels to have to leave them. Yet I feel closer to Finn than I did with pretty much all of my friends back in New York, and I know that I'm going to end up leaving him. And although I know that that's going to be our reality some day, I don't care. I don't want to think about that. I just want to lay here, with Finn, and not think about anything that is going to happen to us.
*
"I'm glad we're here together," Lindsey says. The two of us are sitting in the seats at the rink, waiting for the game to start. They came out already for their warmups and Finn came to the glass to say hi. We're even closer than I was last time. This time, instead of being behind the bench we are off to the side in the very first row. I'm not sure what the protocol is for the seats the players get, but I'm assuming it's just whatever ones they have.
"I really should get to know the girl that's stealing Finn from me," she jokes. My cheeks turn red as I look at the Jumbotron that's playing a video loop of the players. "I would never steal him from his friends."
"That's reassuring to hear," she laughs. "You have no idea how many girls come up to me and ask about him, especially the kick-line girls. It's gross and they're just degrading themselves."
My heart immediately falters, "Has he ever been with one before?"
She smirks at me, her eyebrows raised and a teasing look in her eyes. I put my hands up. "What?! Are we not supposed to gossip about him? Is that not what this is?"
She laughs, shaking her head at me. "No, that's exactly what this is."
"And no, he hasn't been with anyone since moving here," she answers my question. "He's not really into people like that."
"Like what?"
"As ironic as it is," she shrugs, "Athletes. Like, school athletes. I mean, I don't know them personally but he is always talking about how fake they are to him. Like, they know of him because he's on the school hockey team and he's considered a jock but when they find out he's on this team, everyone acts like he's a celebrity. He hates it because he's neither. All the girls want his number and all the guys want to be his best friend. He doesn't really admit it, but I know it upsets him."
I let this new information sink in. I never really thought about how people at school may try to use him. But it does makes sense. "I hope he doesn't think I'm using him."
"Oh, he definitely does not." She shoots down my worries straight away. "You didn't even know who he was."
"I feel awful about that, by the way," I laugh lightly. "I really don't know how I could of been so oblivious. I wish he came up to me sooner."
"If I'm being honest with you, Avery," She says, "I know he wanted too and keeps saying it's because he was nervous, which I'm sure he was. But I also think he subconsciously didn't want to go up to you because he knew you didn't know who he was and he liked it."
I furrow my eyebrows, "I'm confused."
"Listen," she adjusts herself so she is fully facing me in her seat. "The amount of times we will be walking in the hallway and some random person will come up to him and act like they're friends is more than you would think. I think that he just liked that you didn't know who he was. He had this idea of how sweet and nice you were and he didn't want to ruin that image."
I nod, not really knowing what to say to that. "Now that you say it, people do come up to him a lot when we're walking together in the hall. I always thought they were his friends, though."
"They think they're his friends, too," she laughs, which causes me to laugh.
Before the conversation continues, the lights dim and the announcer comes on. "Please welcome your Seattle Thunderbirds!"
Everyone cheers as they skate around the rink, strobe lights reflecting off the ice. I spot Finn as he goes and skates to the blue line, getting ready for the national anthem. "He's starting today." I point out to Lindsey.
"I'm guessing thats a good thing?" She says back, causing me to laugh. I forgot she mentioned that she really doesn't know much about hockey.
"Yeah," I confirm. "Just means their coach thinks their line has a stronger chance to set the tone of the game."
She nods, laughing a little. I look over to her. "What?"
"I just can't believe Finn found himself a hockey loving girl without even trying."
I shake my head, looking back towards the ice and unfortunately not being able to hide my smile.
We stand for the anthem, before the teams get into position for the puck drop. Once it does, the game starts and everyone jumps into action.
I'll be honest, the game is boring as fuck. Both teams are just not performing well and missing multiple opportunities. It's not till the third period that things pick up, but not in a good way.
The other team scores right in front of us, causing everyone to let out a groan. Finn was on the ice when it happened and he skates behind the net towards us, shaking his head with an annoyed look on his face. He looks at us and I gesture for him to take a deep breath. I don't know why, it was just on instinct. He does though, skating past us and back to their bench.
The T-Birds now have a fire under their butts, wanting desperately to get on the board. The teams race down towards us, Finn now on the ice and chasing the guy who has the puck. Finn stops right in front of us, his back almost completely turned to Lindsey and I as he waits to get a pass. Suddenly a player from the other team comes full and smashes Finn into the glass a few feet in front of us.
"Oh, God," I let out in a quiet cry, my hands covering my mouth as I stand up with everyone around us to look at Finn.
My heart falls when I see him get on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. He stands up, stretching his back as he skates towards his bench. We all sit back down and my hand on my chest. "Fuck."
"Can you see him? Is he okay?" I try to look but I can't see him from the spot were in. "I can't see him."
He must be fine though because once it's his shift, he's back on the ice, Jack right next to him. The puck drop is on the opposite end of the ice from where we are sitting, but the T-Birds win it and score quickly after, causing all of us to jump up in excitement. Lindsey has been getting really into the game, so she's standing and cheering right next to me.
"What does this mean?! Is it going to just end in a tie?" She asks as everyone is celebrating.
We all sit down and I answer her question, "No, they'll go into overtime. And if no one scores there will be a shoot out, which is just a one on one between player and goalie until someone wins."
She nods and the puck drops again to start playing, 3 minutes on the clock.
Finn is in again, this time the puck drop in the middle of the ice. The other team wins the face off, skating down towards the side we're on. "You wanna go?!" I hear someone shout from the ice. I turn my head and see the guy that checked Finn shove him. "Oh, shit."
Finn ignores him, skating closer to us to try and stay in the game. The guy doesn't let up though, shouting, "Come on, pretty boy. Let's fucking go!"
He cross checks Finn in the back, which causes a whistle to blow, a penalty being called on him.
Finn turns quickly to face him, dropping his gloves. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck fuck fuck.
"Wait, are they fighting?" Lindsey asks and I stand up automatically, as does everyone around us. Oh, I don't like this. I don't want to see Finn fight. I don't want to see this at all.
My hands go to my mouth as the other guy, who's jersey says Vargi, drops his gloves as well. I've never seen Finn express any type of aggression so I honestly don't know how he would be in a fight.
They skate around each other a bit before Finn shouts, "You wanted to fight, so fucking fight!"
That's all he needs to say before Vargi swings at Finn, who dodged it and swung back, hitting the side of his head. Vargi punches him the jaw which makes me gasp and put my head in my hands. I can't watch.
I feel someone put their hands on my shoulders and turn around too see a random guy, watching the fight. I take the gesture as comfort and turn back to the fight as well, seeing Finn holding the guy so he's bent down, punching him repeatedly. I shout, "Come on, Finn!"
My hands go to my hair as I watch in complete stress. If he gets hit in the nose, it's going to be over. It's already broken.
The guy struggles to grab a hold of Finn and falls to the ice, causing the refs to blow his whistle and come in between them. I let out a sigh of relief. He won. He won the fight.
I watch as Finn breaks away from him, shaking his head and picking his helmet, stick, and gloves off the ice.
They both go to their designated penalty box and out of my sight, but I can still hear the two shouting at each other.
I sit back down and put my head in my hands, Lindsey putting her hand on my shoulder. "Holy shit. I didn't know he could fight like that."
The guy who's behind me speaks up. "Your boyfriend did a good job."
I turn around, not knowing what to say so I just give him a relieved smile. "Yeah, a good job at giving me a heart attack."
The people around us laugh, causing me to smile and shake my head. I look back at the game that has started again but I can't focus on it.
You know, fights are an essential part of hockey and are super fun to watch. But not when you know and care about the one who's fighting.
I really never even thought about Finn fighting, I don't know why. Hockey is such a physical sport and requires you to be very tough. Sure, he gets hit a lot and draws penalties like no one else because he's good and people try to tear him down. But actually getting in a fight? I don't think that's ever crossed my mind.
The game goes into overtime and Finn is back on the ice. It's about 5 minutes in and the score is still the same, making me think this is going to go into a shoot out.
Finn has the puck behind the other teams blue line, not moving much and trying to think of a play.
People are starting to get agitated so they start shouting things and boo, not liking that he isn't doing anything. But I can tell by the look on his face that he doesn't hear them and is concentrated on the play that is running though his head.
Before I can even blink, another player from his team hops off the bench while everyone else is distracted by Finn, stopping just outside the blue line.
Finn sees him immediately and passes him the puck, causing everyone to roar as the breakaway commences. Finn shouts as the puck hits his teammates stick, "Wheels! Wheels!" Which, from using context clues and hearing it in other games I have been too, means skate fucking faster.
The player shoots it beautifully over the goalies shoulder, causing everyone to jump up and yell. "That was amazing!" Lindsey shouts, looking around at the entire arena shouting and cheering, "Fuck, this is crazy!"
"I know!" I clasp my hands to my chest, feeling really proud of him as I watch him celebrate with his teammates. I can't believe that this is my life.
*
Lindsey and I are currently waiting for Finn, who just texted me and told me he will be out in a minute.
Lindsey and I can't stop laughing at literally anything and everything. We really just have he same sense of humor and find the same things funny, which is one of the best feelings. It's really nice to have a girl friend, too. I love Cam with everything in me, but it's just honestly nice being around another girl.
"What's so funny?"
I turn away from Lindsey and see Finn standing there, a bag hanging from his shoulder and his hands shoved in his sweatpants pockets. His face is really bruised. He has a black eye, his nose still bruised from last night. He also has a cut on his lip and a bruise on his jaw.
I can't help but grin when I see him though, Lindsey walking up to him and punching his arm. "That was great, dude. I should come to these more often."
"Was that your first game?" I ask, and she nods.
"Yep. And I spent the majority of it in tears from your comments."
"Oh, man. I wish I was there for those," Finn pouts.
"Too bad you'll always be the one on the ice," I shrug.
"Nah. I'll take you to an NHL game one day. Don't worry."
I can't help but get butterflies thinking about taking a trip somewhere with him to see a hockey game. There are no pro teams in Washington so we would have to go somewhere else, which would be a lot fun. I want to travel with him. I want to do everything with him.
"As great as being a third wheel is, I have to run," Lindsey says, "Nya is on her period and needs attention."
"I'm really glad I know your girlfriends menstrual cycle, Lin." Finn groans. I smile up at him, feeling stupidly giddy from just being in his presence.
We hug Lindsey and she goes on her way, leaving the two of us alone. I scan his bruised face. "I hated that fight."
He laughs lightly, shaking his head. "I did too."
My hand goes to the bruises on his face, groaning as I gently run my fingers over the dark pigments. I really don't like seeing him like this.
He takes my arm and pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around my neck. I wrap mine around his torso and bury my face in his chest. He smells like a mixture of his woodsy body wash and mint, a scent that is inherently Finn. "I'm fine, Aves. It barely even hurts."
I hold onto him tightly. "He was an asshole."
"You're telling me," he laughs, not letting go of me. "I knew the fight was inevitable. He wouldn't let up from the first period."
"Still think it's your age?" I ask, causing him to laugh.
I pull away slightly, still having my hands clasped behind his back but looking up at him. "Yes, still my age."
I roll my eyes as I notice the guy who sat behind me at the game walking up to us with his son. I smile at him, saying hello as he gets to us and seperating from Finn.
"Dude, you gave her an ulcer while you were out there," the man says, "Great performance though, you're going to go places."
Finn laughs, rubbing my arm as he keeps me in his side. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."
"Do you mind taking a picture with my son?" I look down at the little boy, who can't stop looking at Finn. It's the purest thing I have ever seen.
"Not at all," He says. Finn looks down at the boy. "Hey buddy, what's your name?"
"Jake," The kid says quietly.
Finn gets on his knees so he's at his height. "Do you play hockey, Jake?"
The little boy nods shyly as a response. "I got my first goal the other day."
"Whoa, no way! I better look out, you may replace me pretty soon, eh?" Finn says enthusiastically, making my heart melt. "Here, I got something for you."
Finn pulls his bag over, digging through it. He pulls out a puck, facing Jake again.
"Now, this is one of my most prized pucks that I use to practice every day. I want you to practice really hard with it, eh?"
The kid nods vigorously. Finn hands it to him and he holds it to his chest, a huge toothless smile on his face. This kid can't be older than 6, making this whole encounter a hundred times better.
Finn and Jake take a picture, followed by Jake giving him a big bear hug. When Finn stands up, Jake's father shakes his hand. "Thank you so much."
"No problem," Finn smiles at the man. He is so charming and a great people person.
"It was lovely to meet you," I say to the man.
"Likewise." He smiles at me before he turns to Finn, "Again, great performance, man. Good luck with the rest of the season." With that, the two walk away, leaving us smiling and laughing.
"You're amazing with kids," I tell him as I look back at him, but he's already looking at me.
He shrugs as he bites his lip. "For the most part, everything is just so cool and new to them. It's refreshing."
He holds out his hand. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving."
I look at his hand with a small smile on my face, before taking it in my own. I feel this rush of happiness take over me as we walk out of the rink, hand in hand. I've never felt like this before and I never want the feeling to go away.