Dessert - Jack Hughes

50

The night before the wedding, the family had a large dinner together. Jacks cousins, aunts and uncles were all over the place. The dinner was in the backyard of the house Ellen's brother was renting.
"Jack I'm nervous" Elyssa admits as the walk to the house next door.
"Baby relax, they're cool. They're like different versions of my mom." He rubs his thumb across the back of her hand that he was holding. She giggles softly at the comparison. Once they're there, they make their way to the backyard. They are met with music and a bunch of people socializing.
"Want a drink?" Jack asks her.
"Sure" she nods. Jack leaves her to get them both a drink.
"Oh my goodness!" Elyssa hears someone geek behind her. She turns around to see a beautiful women in white.
"You must be Elyssa? Jacks girlfriend?" The women asks Elyssa.
"Yeah" Elyssa confirms.
"Oh my god, you are so much prettier in person!" The women cheers.
"Sarah leave her alone" Jack jokes, walking up to them, handing Elyssa a water bottle. She mutters a thank you to him as he places a hand on the small of her back.
"Jacky!" The women, Sarah, wraps him in a hug. "Big man now huh? How's the pro's?"
"Good. Lukeys with me now. Last season we went to the first round of playoffs. Hopefully we'll get 'em next year" Jack tells her.
"Oh yeah! How's Luke doing? Where is he?" She looks around, searching for Luke. "Luke!" She calls him over once she sees him. He walks over to the group.
"Blink twice if you want to escape before tomorrow" Luke jokes as he comes over to hug his cousin.
"So who's gonna be the star of Jersey next season?" She jokes with both brothers.
"Definitely me" Jack scoffs sarcastically.
"Nah, I think they want Hughes 3.0" Luke jokes.
"Alright, enough about you two. Tell me about this beautiful girlfriend of yours Jacky." Sarah looks at Elyssa. Elyssa smiles at her, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. "What do you do?" Sarah asks.
"Uh, I'm a model" Elyssa says, a little embarrassed.
"No way! That's so cool!" Sarah giggles, making Elyssa feel better. "How the hell did you pull that Jack?" Sarah jokes.
"When I figure it out, I'll let you know." He laughs lightheartedly.
"Elyssa, come sit. I can tell you embarrassing stories and we can gossip. We have food too." Sarah shoos Jack and Luke away.
"You good?" Jack asks quietly, a hand resting on her waist.
"Yeah" Elyssa quickly reassures him. He pecks her lips quickly before they go their separate ways.
"So," Sarah huffs as she sits down at a table, gesturing for Elyssa to do the same. "Tell me about it" Sarah requests.
"About what?" Elyssa laughs awkwardly.
"Your life, Jack, whatever you want." Sarah tells her. Elyssa laughs at the broadness of the question.
"Ok, um, Im from Pittsburgh. My parents are divorced and I have a younger brother. I live in New York with my best friend who is also a model. Uh, oh, I used to play volleyball. I wanted to play in college, but then I didn't go to college" Elyssa tells her.
"No way! I played volleyball!" Sarah cheers. "Alright, tell me, how serious are you and Jack?" Sarah says in a low tone. Elyssa laughs, a tiny bit uncomfortable.
"Well we've been together for like a year and a half, give or take" Elyssa tells her.
"Yeah but like how serious are you?" Sarah repeats her question.
"I mean I love him. Like, a lot. He's perfect. He stayed with me when I was in a coma and when I couldn't remember him. He's just, I don't know" Elyssa opens up.
"Have you guys talked about like your future?" Sarah asks, Elyssa getting more comfortable.
"Not really. Is that a bad thing?" Elyssa starts to worry.
"No, no. Jack just doesn't think ahead. You gotta plant the idea for it to stick." Sarah jokes. "Before, if it wasn't about hockey, it didn't matter. But just by looking at him, I think that's changed." Sarah tells Elyssa. Elyssa looks over at Jack, talking with his brothers and some of his extended family. A smile grows on her face, thinking about him. The girls talk for a while longer, Elyssa growing comfortable with Sarah. She opened up to her. They talked about funny stories about Jack. They told each other about themselves. And Elyssa told Sarah how it is to be a big name model. Eventually, Sarah was whisked away to take care of something, leaving Elyssa alone at the table. She feels a hand rest on her shoulder, making her look back at who it could be.
"How ya doing honey?" Ellen sits next to her.
"I just talked to Sarah about me and jacks future" Elyssa sighs.
"She just wants the best for all three of them. They grew up more like siblings. She can be, a bit much at times." Ellen chuckles.
"Yeah" Elyssa drops her head, tired.
"To be completely honest with you, no one predicted Jack to be in a serious relationship. Especially not while he's young. They're interested in you, and getting to know you." Ellen explains. Elyssa let's out a heavy sigh. "I know, they don't mean any harm" Ellen comforts her.
"Alright" Elyssa sighs, more at ease than before. Ellen rubs her back, understanding how Elyssa feels. "It's just like, a lot" Elyssa explains.
"You don't have to explain." Ellen reassures her.
"I'm gonna go find Jack" Elyssa gets up, thanking Ellen. She begins walking around, searching for her boyfriend.
"What's up hot stuff?" Elyssa hears a young boy.
"Hi?" She says.
"Aiden" he introduces himself.
"Elyssa" she shakes his hand. He leaves a kiss on the back of it.
"Hop off dude" she hears Jack.
"Jack!" The boy cheers.
"Quit making my girl uncomfortable" Jack says casually as he daps up the boy. "How's hockey goin?" He asks, snaking his arm around Elyssas waist. Flutters fill Elyssas stomach at jacks use of 'my girl'. He's never called her that, at least not in front of her. The feeling surprised Elyssa. It's not like they just started dating, but his words made her feel like it. Jack talks to his young, teenage cousin for a few minutes before the couple walks away.
"How're you doing?" He asks as they sit on a bench facing the water.
"Good. A little overwhelmed, but good" she tells him. His arm around her shoulders, he pulls her into his side, kissing the top of her head. She cuddles into his side, finally relaxing after the long day. She lets out a soft hum, happy to be with Jack.
"Wanna get going?" He asks her. She nods, standing up. As they walk out, Jack tells a few people in passing that they're leaving. They make their way back to their room, Elyssa immediately laying on the bed. Jack silently takes it upon himself to get her ready for bed. He kneels on the ground, undoing her high heels and taking them off her feet. He then helps her off the bed and into the bathroom. He guides her to sit on the toilet seat cover. She does, sitting up right with her eyes closed. He dampens a cotton pad with her makeup remover, rubbing it all over her face. He gently holds her chin in one hand as he wipes off her makeup. When he's done he sets out one of t shirts for her to sleep in. She stands up, Jack unzipping her dress, handing her his shirt. She slips it on, falling onto the bed.
"I'm tired" she hums into the pillow.
"I know baby" he joins her in bed, pulling her close to him.