The Hockey Player (Matt Sturniolo)

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TW- This chapter contains content discussing sexual assault, which may be triggering and not suitable for all readers.

Aurora's POV

"Aurora?"

"Yeah?" I hummed and half opened my eyes. If his shoulder wasn't rock hard, it would've been a great pillow. His hand stayed covering mine like a secure blanket. He met my eyes, looking like he had bad news. "What?"

"Jack Davis"

I needed a second for those words to slip through my lulled state, and when they did, they cut hard and deep. Why would he do that? How could he bring that up now?

Even I could appreciate the romantic night. A salty smell tickled the inside of my nose, sand in my arm pits and seagulls encroached us like vultures. It was romantic. The way he looked at me like he was lucky to be here, and his touches that heated my skin, made me feel happy...and safe.

So, what the fuck possessed him to bring up Jack? "What about him?"

"Freshman year, I was the backup to my trainer, Mason" he started, slowly. "He played against Jack his senior year. They were on the same team in college. I saw Mason yesterday and he told me-"

"What Jack did!?" I covered my mouth and gasped. I knew Jack bragged about me in the locker room. He spread lies in there. He spread them through school, but I didn't know it spread further than that.

Oh God. Other hockey teams and schools knowing the rumours was too much for me to think about. But this was different, like he was asking for the truth.

"Only what he's capable of" Matt's face was as hard as stone. The simple act of him grabbing my hands froze my thoughts. "Everyone has stuff in their past. But at the blood drive-"

"I had a nightmare" I whispered. Saying it out loud swirled different emotions inside of me, mainly embarrassment. Of course he knew. I woke up leaning against him, but I didn't want to talk about it.

He smiled. "Not the first time, was it?"

"No" I looked down. Silence surrounded us and thickened the longer it lingered. He stroked the spaces in between my fingers and thumb. We recovered from his team's stupidity into comfort, and now this? Why?

"I told you what happened" I bit my lip. "And sorry not sorry, but I don't like to talk about it"

"I know, Aurora" he wrapped his hands around mine. "But after what Mason said, I'm worried about what you didn't tell me"

The weight of the ugly truth made me want to curl into a ball. I tucked my knees into my chest. "You want the details? Why?"

I rested my chin on my elbows. Each wave crash was a smack on repeat, like this trauma resurfacing. I was that shoreline, smacked and receding with every wave.

"No, but I need to know what you're okay with, and what you're not okay with"

I looked down at my hands. This conversation was worse than when I talked about it with Dan or Raine. This was our first date and the way it headed, our last. He wasn't my boyfriend, and I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to be.

He stroked circles on my thumb. He caressed my skin with tenderness, patience and understanding. He waited. Matt waited for my words, my lead, with no sense of urgency or an opinion. I was grateful for the lack of pressure to talk, but I still didn't know why we were having this conversation.

He's not going to let this go. He wants the truth? Let's see how he handles it.

"It's gross" I sighed, meeting his eyes. "I was stupid and didn't know better at the time. It was Dan's first year. We were freshman at the first team party. Jack was a senior and he wanted to...mess around"