Tightrope

21

NOW

BECCA

"So this is where you live, huh, Beck?" Nate said as soon as I opened the door. He wrapped me in a tight hug for a moment before going inside to explore my apartment. 

Will was right behind him, hugging me too for a brief moment. "Hey," 

"Hey, thanks for coming," I smiled, leading him toward the living room. 

We were just waiting for Julie to arrive now.

The doorbell rang as soon as Will took a seat, and I ran over to the door to greet Julie. 

My friend was wearing the most gorgeous black dress I had ever seen. They matched her cane. 

"Julie! Thanks for coming," I said, giving her a hug, too. I had invited Julie under the excuse that it wasn't acceptable for my best friends not to know where I lived, but I'd also had my own selfish reason: I wanted her here when Will came over. 

I wanted them to get to know each other better, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be alone around Will in my apartment. I mean, I knew Nate was coming too, but he was the biggest enabler of this weird relationship Will and I had. 

"Of course, Becca. I want to see where you live, I was starting to get worried you lived in a shoebox or something," Julie joked, and I laughed as I led her over to the dining table. 

"Dinner's ready, everyone!" I said, going over to the living room and turning on the television for background noise. 

The first channel that popped up was the recording of the Chicago Whispers' last hockey game. 

"Oh, look, it's you!" I said amused, looking over at Will. 

He winced as if he really didn't like seeing himself play. "Oh, turn that off..." 

"Hey, it was a great game," I winked. 

It had been a great game. 

It had changed everything, actually. 

It had been the game that had saved them from losing the chance to win the final. 

As of now, the Chicago Whispers and New York Runners were tied in the final series, 3 to 3. 

The tie-breaker would be in a couple of days. This game would change everything, and I was so hoping the Whispers would take the victory home. 

It was partially why I had been so surprised that Will had agreed to come to this dinner. We had been meeting at his place since the final series started, and it meant a lot that he would leave the peace and comfort of his home mere days away from what's probably the most important game of his career so far. 

"Leave the game, I haven't seen in," Julie called out from the table, and Will just groaned, giving in. Still, he chose to sit facing away from the TV. 

The dinner was amazing. It was always a pleasure to spend time with your favorite people, and it made me incredibly happy to see Will and Julie getting along. 

They were so similar in some ways, which is most likely why I had become fast friends with Julie in the first place. She reminded me of Will.

 Will and Julie bickered like siblings. Julie kept on giving him pointers to improve his game as she watched the recording of the game from the dinner table, and Will just kept telling her "Okay sure," and "Why not," which Julie didn't like. She started going off about how he wasn't paying attention, and how that would cost him the Stanley Cup. 

Hours later, Julie left, looking at me mischievously as the left me alone with Will. And Nate, of course, but he was busy watching T.V. by now, while Will and I cleaned up the kitchen.