Hayes (A Carolina Cyclones Story)

13.

Hayes

"And then what happened?" Wes asks me. He's seated across next to me in his locker cubby as we lace up our skates for morning practice. Our last regular season game of the year is tomorrow night at home and though we've already clenched the division and a spot in the playoffs the team is still working hard to stay focused so that we're ready when they start. We don't want to get bounced early like last year.

"What do you mean? I paid the tab, drove her home, walked her to the door and said goodnight."

He stares back at me in silence before turning his head to meet Jax's eyes. The two of them grimace and then look at me and now I feel self-conscious.

"Is she ugly or something?" Jax asks, silenced with a grunt when Wes immediately hits him in the stomach. "What?"

"You're an asshole, Faulkner." Wes turns his attention back to me. "Was the date bad?"

"No." I defend.

"Then I guess we're just a little confused, bro. If you had a nice time why didn't you...you know–" He raises his eyes in innuendo and I roll my eyes. Finally putting it together.

"Not every guy is a fucking neanderthal like you two." I shake my head, standing and turning towards my locker to grab my practice sweater and throw it over my pads. "I don't have to bang a girl every three days–" "Have you banged anyone in the past three years?" Jax interrupts and I respond by simply throwing a towel at his face. Asshole. "I like her. I want to see her again. I don't feel the need to rush it."

"Yeah, but, if you didn't even kiss her she probably thinks it went badly."

"No, she won't–" I start confidently but my words kind of die off. In the moment it had felt right, gentlemanly to simply tell Maggie I had enjoyed the evening and walk away. There's enough tabloid articles about professional athletes out there to set a kind of precedent I'm sure she expects and I wanted to show her I wasn't like that. I wanted her to know I would respect her and while at the time it seemed like a great move now the reactions of dumb and dumber have me questioning if I'd fucked up.

"Whatever, I'll see you guys on the ice." They've still got several minutes of prep left so I leave them behind and head for the empty rink, stepping confidently onto the glassy, smooth surface and wishing the confidence I feel here when I'm alone would translate to my actions off the ice.

Maggie

You coming to the game tonight?

I read and reread the text. It's the first one I've gotten since our date the night before last and honestly, I'm a little confused.

It's not that I expected him to beat down my apartment door and do me against the dining room table, it's just... I wouldn't have minded if he had.

The connection was there, or at least I thought it had been. Conversation had come easily and we'd talked about our careers and spent much of the later part of the evening laughing as we guessed what the diners around us were conversing about. It was charming and comfortable and at the very least I had expected him to kiss me before he wished me goodnight but he'd only stood there, his hand in his pockets with his gorgeous blue eyes reflecting the full moon shining down on us. I'd waited for him to stop me as I opened the door. The process of shutting it behind me was simple but I'd made it take several moments longer than necessary in hope of eliciting some kind of reaction from him. Hoping he'd stop me, tell me to wait before flinging it open and kissing me senseless but I watched from the window as he'd only waited for me to lock the door behind me before turning and making his way back to his car. Then he hadn't even bothered to contact me for over twenty-four hours. I know the whole wait three days thing used to be the norm but in the twenty-first century where instant gratification is commonplace I had kind of expected to hear from him that night after he left. Maybe that makes me desperate.

So now here I stand, my phone in hand and my eyes focused on the simple message trying to decipher its hidden message though I'm not sure there is one.

I sigh and finally type back.

No. Front office didn't send tickets.

The typing bubbles appear, disappear, reappear and then my screen changes as a call comes through. Hayes.

Swallowing the large lump in my throat I lift my cell to my ear and answer. "Hello?"

"Hey, Maggs!" He sounds cheery and I pull my lower lip back with my teeth, biting softly and hoping that his happy tone is a sign of good things to come.

"Um, hey." I can't get the nervous edge out of my voice and I hate that but I'm still a little confused and just trying to roll with whatever this flirting thing we've had going on is.

"So I have those tickets I told you about. They're yours if you want them." His breathing is heavy, like he'd just got done with a heavy-hitting workout and he probably had. I suspect professional hockey requires a lot of physical exertion though I don't really know.

I must have gone into my head for longer than I thought because the sound of Hayes clearing his throat brings my attention back to him.

"Oh, um sorry, got in my head. Are you sure it's okay for me to use the tickets, I mean–" "Yes. I want you to use them." He interrupts and my lips meet in a thin line. "I was just gonna say that you don't have to feel obligated–" "I don't."

"Look, Maggie. I had a really good time the other night. I'd love to see you again. I apologize if I haven't been clear with my intentions." He paused for a moment. "This isn't... I dont do this. I think I've told you that before. So I'm probably fucking this all up but I really enjoyed the other night, I'd like to do it again. Right now my schedule is a bit chaotic because we're switching gears for the playoffs and hopefully they'll have me busy until the Cup final in June. So maybe I won't have the most free time, but what I don't have I'd really like to spend with you. I'll leave the tickets at the box office in your name. There's two so bring Rachel, or whoever, if you want. It would mean a lot to me to know there's a friendly face up there in the stands tonight."

He sounds so sincere I have no choice but to believe him. It's in my nature to jump to worst case scenarios. I've been known to self-sabotage a time or two and maybe that's what I was on my way to do but something about him makes me want to believe he really is good. Deep down I'm doubtful that that kind of goodness can even still exist. It doesn't stop me from hoping though and so I promise him that I'll be there. He lets out what sounds like a relieved breath and we say goodbye.

But I hope that in actuality this is really just the beginning.

AN:

What do we think about the results of their first date?

Hayes friends giving him shit? How do you think that affects the feelings he's already been having about his captaincy?

They're both a little awkward on the dating front. Can they work through that together?

Time for the playoffs (and the real ones start today! GO CANES!)

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear any other thoughts you have so far or just say hi to let me know you're here!

ILY,

Sav