no going back | nathan mackinnon

0.2

The drive to the airport had been one of the hardest things Y/N ever faced. It was her turn to be the one shaking anxiously- sitting side by side with Nathan as they headed to the airport. It was roughly three in the morning and the cold fall weather of Halifax was taking it's toll.

Nathan's parents were driving, barely paying attention to the two in the backseat. A worry pit grew in Y/N's stomach as she tried thinking everything that had happened within the last two weeks over. Ever since Nathan had told her that he had feelings for her, things had been different. Nathan was convinced that he wanted things to change, but now that they had changed- and not for the better- he was wishing he could take it all back.

It might have been childish, but at 18 years old, he wanted nothing more than to have Y/N by his side. She was his rock and even if they had grown apart within the blink of an eye, he needed her to say good bye with him.

"It'll be Christmas before you know it." Nathan did his best to reassure her. "And once you're on winter break, you can come down and visit me- we'll skate just like old times." He gave her hand a squeeze as they pulled up to the drop-off lane.

Y/N knew that it was a lie, she knew that things weren't going to be able to go back to the way they were. There was no way Nathan would ever look at her the same now that she had broken his heart. But nonetheless, she nodded. "Okay..." she told him.

Climbing out of the car, she helped Nathan with his two suitcases, tears welling up in her eyes as she knew what was about to come. Standing back while the boy said his goodbyes to his mother and father, she tried to hide the pain that was consuming her.

Graham and Kathy gave the two teenagers a moment to themselves, climbing into the car and closing the doors. Immediately Nathan walked towards Y/N, noticing the tears in her eyes. "Hey hey hey... none of that alright?" he spoke, embracing her as if his life depended on it. Tumbling into his firm chest, she bit down on her bottom lip hard. "I don't want you to go..." she whispered shakily.

Sighing softly, Nathan nodded and pressed his lips to the top of her head. "You do... you just don't want me to go without you." he reminded her. This caused the girl to chuckle sadly- bringing a tiny smile to her lips. "I want that smile to stay there until im back okay?" he hummed, brushing a stray tear away from her cheek. "I love you."

The girl looked up at him and grimaced, even if it was in a friendly way, it was hard to hear. standing on her tip-toes and kissing his cheek quickly, she mumbled. "I love you Nate..." she reminded him, Nathan chuckled and gave her hip a soft squeeze. "More than you know." She whispered.

The next few years seemed to fly by within the blink of an eye. Nathan was well on his way to being one of the league's top players and he had definitely created a fan base for himself. He was practically the face of the colorado avs and he was loving it.

Home was but a distant memory haunting him in the back of his mind. Wherever he went- he saw Y/N's face, even after all these years he still remembered her- it was kind of hard not too, they were best friends ever since they were kids and that wasn't something that couple be so easily thrown away.

At first he called every week, if not every day- but as things became busier and his schedule was booked more and more- he found it hard to stay connected with home. The phone calls had turned into quick conversations once a week until there was radio silence for months on end.

Y/N was feeling the brunt of Nathan's absence the most. She was so sure that they were going to be able to handle a long-distance friendship, but it was obvious to her that Nathan wasn't interested anymore. He left her, and she had been stupid enough to not see it sooner. What was she to expect though? He confessed his love and she pushed him away.