You didn’t remember your older brother’s friend Brendan being so cute when you saw him at your high school graduation party. There were a lot of people there, friends, relatives, people you hadn’t seen in a long time, including Brendan Gallagher. You knew him as the dork your brother used to hang around with, not the hockey superstar who played for the Canadiens. However, you were starting to see him as something else: cute.
You shuddered at the thought of it, but as the night wore on you found yourself glancing over your shoulder to see where he was, and half the time he was staring right back at you. He would look away as soon as you made eye contact, trying to look casual, but you’d seen him. Finally, as the party was coming to a close, you decided to say something to him. At first you were going to say ‘hi’ and thank him for coming, like you’d said to everyone else, but your plans were derailed before you even started walking toward him.
“(Y/N)!” You’re older brother called and you rolled your eyes as he beckoned you over.
“What do you want, (Y/brother’s/N)?” You asked exaggeration your annoyance with him.
“We’re going to head out, but I wanted to say goodbye first,” he said, gesturing to his friends (who looked really bored anyway).
“Okay, thanks for stopping by!” You said politely to his friends before they left in a hurry. Sad that you hadn’t worked up the courage to talk to Brendan sooner, you sat down on the couch, alone for the first time that night. You were absorbed in drawing swirls in the condensation on your glass when someone sat next to you.
“Hey,” he said, and you looked up to see Brendan sitting less than two feet away from you. You were surprised to see him, but still smiled politely.
“Hey, I thought my brother and his friend’s left, did you forget something?” You asked, trying to figure out why he was still here (not that you minded…)
“I just wanted to say hi to you; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” he smiled back at you and you felt yourself starting to blush.
“Yeah, I guess it’s been a few years maybe?” You tried to remember the last time you’d seen him, but apparently he knew, and it seemed like he’d been thinking about it.
“Just over a year and a half,” he responded quickly, almost too quickly. “Sorry, I guess I’ve been thinking about that, it probably sounds weird…” he trailed off, but you tried to keep the conversation going.
“That’s not weird, actually that makes sense, because now that my brother’s in college you wouldn’t have any reason to visit the house,” you said.
“Yeah, I miss that, hanging around the house… getting to see you,” he added quietly as he looked away, unable to make eye contact out of embarrassment.
“Really? I always thought I was ‘that annoying little sister’ to my brother’s friends,” you laughed, and he looked up again and smiled.
“No, you were always unique and special, and now that you’re grown up I can say that you’re really beautiful, without sounding like a creepy older guy,” he smirked and you hit his arm.
“You’re only a few years older than me, and you’re definitely not creepy.”
“Really? You don’t think I’m creepy? So you’d, maybe, go on a date with me?” He asked, sounding like he was expecting you to throw your drink on him and leave (or worse).
“Yeah, though that depends on what kind of date it is.” You smiled back at him as he tried to think of something.
“You want to go to the movies or something?” He asked after trying to think of something good.
“How about I watch you play hockey sometime?” You raised your eyebrows questioningly.
“The season’s over, and we just got kicked out of the playoffs,” he sounded sad, and a little embarrassed.
“Then maybe you can teach me to play hockey,” you smiled brightly and his face lit up.
“(Y/N), I knew there was a reason I liked you so much! I would love to teach you hockey.”
“It’s a date,” you smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
-Lila
