𝗔 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘

𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 | tragedy

As I lean into Michal, he runs his hand up and down my back, chatting with the guys next to us. I listen in, not really understanding the hockey talk. Instead, I nervously think about meeting the other partners. Will they like me? I came over from Australia three days ago chasing Michal after he DM'ed me back... I'm sure their boyfriends/husbands have told them about our situation.

More teammates trickle in, some putting their gear on already and others having some dinner that was supplied by the team. The girls will probably arrive before the doors open to the public, so they can get drinks at the bar and get to their seats without the crowd of people. I notice someone familiar walk in, Connor. We meet eyes and he flashes a smile, looking happier. I return the smile, watching him place his gear down and start setting up. I wonder if he's spoke to the guys about everything going on... I turn to Michal, waiting for him to finish talking. Shortly after, the guy he was talking to gets up to grab a bite to eat, giving him a quick 'bro' handshake and leaving. He faces me, who's already facing him, watching him talk to his teammate. He smirks at me, looking down at my lips and back up to my eyes. I lean forward, pressing my lips against his quickly and as I go to pull back, he stops me with his hand on the back of my head, pushing me against his lips again. I smile into the kiss, placing my hands on both sides of his face, forcing him to let me pull away. I'm not big on PDA because I know how it feels when others do it around me. But with Michal he makes me feel like we're the only people in the room, making the world stop and everything move in slow motion. He reminds me to not care about what others think and only focus on him.

"Hey... did Connor end up speaking with you guys about what he's going through?" I ask him, hands moving to my thighs while his stay wrapped around me. His face softens, thinking about this mornings pre-skate. "Yeah... he did actually, he pulled us all in for a chat with the coach while out on the ice and basically said that he apologises to each of us for his behaviour over the last few weeks. He brought up how there has been some deaths in the family but that doesn't excuse why he's been treating everyone poorly. He assured that he is going to become a better teammate, player and friend. We all gave him a group hug and told him that we understood and will always be here for him when he's ready to talk about it more. It was really brave of him actually, and I think we can thank you for that. He also mentioned that speaking to you the way he did was the last straw and made him realise he needs to get his head out of his ass, he then apologised to me directly for treating my girl like that and talking it out with you actually made him want to become better as you motivated him. My lil psychologist baby." He squeezes my sides, giving a soft smile reassuring that what Connor did was a result of me just letting him vent and giving him good advice in return. I smile shyly, not wanting to take the credit. "Good on him, I'm glad he did that, it was needed. I'm going to go chat with him about it though and see how he feels now." I reply, pointing toward him to see if it's okay.

Michal nods, releasing his grip around me to let me stand up. He taps me lightly on my ass as I walk away, then gets up himself to put his gear on. I walk up to Connor, nervous that I may be catching him at a bad time. I grab his bicep lightly, gently squeezing it to let him know I'm next to him. "Hey you, I was just wanting to check in and see how you're doing." I speak softly, his body turning to face me and meeting my eyes. "Hey, yeah I'm doing alright... could be better, but I'll get there." He gives a reassuring smile, finishing up with tying his hockey shorts. He's wearing a short sleeve black compression shirt like Michal wears, his blonde hair messy and wet after a shower. I give a small smile in return, "Want to take a walk with me?" I say, pointing toward the hallway. He nods with a smile, "Sure."

We walk along the corridor of the arena, my arms crossed from the cool air, trying to warm up. "So... Michal told me you addressed your situation to them all this morning? How did that go for you?" I start asking, looking up at him and reading his relaxed expression. "I did, I was a bit worried they wouldn't take it well but they were really supportive. I'm happy I did it, it got a lot of weight off my shoulders like I said. I should be able to play better tonight knowing that I've apologised for my behaviour and no one thinks I'm a total ass." He lightly chuckles, mentally preparing himself by being positive. "For sure, I'm happy you did also. Letting out your inner burdens to people you spend a lot of time with can help. And I don't mean to pry... but this is all relating to some deaths in your family right? May I ask what happened or is that too much to talk about right now?" I ask carefully, grabbing his bicep slightly and looking up at him with soft eyes as I ask the question, letting him know that if he wants to open up, now's the chance.