Love Rivalry (A Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Fanfiction)

Chapter 35 - Undaunted

Ashley's POV

Time seemed to have stopped. 

I could hear nothing. 

I could only see what was mere feet in front of me. 

Him.

Ryan. 

His upper lip stitched shut from the fight.

His left eye blackened. 

His face slightly swollen in different spots. 

Our eyes locked on each other at exactly the same time. 

Every single fiber in my body told me to turn and run. 

But I remained unmoved. 

It felt like forever since I last saw him up close. 

It felt like millenniums before someone made any sort of move. 

A bitter smile crept onto his face, matched with a dismissive scoff before he turned the other way, continuing towards the exit. 

"Ryan, wait!" I called to him, chasing after him.  I jogged down the hall and stopped in front of him. He looked away from me, not even giving me the time of day. He took a step away from me. 

"Are you here to yell at me for what happened to Gabe or mock me for getting beat up?" 

"Neither. I wanted to make sure you were okay." I admitted. He remained unmoved. 

"What's it to you? It's not like you care." He said. 

"I do." 

"You have a real funny way of showing that. Why are you here anyway? New boyfriend invite you?" He mocked. 

"He's not, nor was, nor ever will be my boyfriend." I told him.

"Keep telling yourself that, it's worked out great for you so far." 

"I'm serious, Ryan. Nothing has ever happened between him and I." 

"Whatever, Ash. I really don't care." 

"Why don't you believe me?" I asked him. He ignored it. 

"On the topic of Gabe, you should go check on him. I don't think he's doing so hot." He said, dodging my question and stepping around me towards the exit of the arena. 

I had one final idea. 

"I know about you and Natalie." I said, loud enough for him to hear. 

He stopped a few steps shy of the door. I could hear him chuckle softly. 

"You don't know a damn thing." He pushed the door open and disappeared into the winter night. 

Ryan's POV

I waited on the bus for the boys to get done. 

Ashley never left my thoughts. 

Most of those thoughts weren't good ones. 

I knew she'd bring up the whole Natalie thing. 

I'm just hoping she bought my bluff. 

She can't know that actually happened. 

My thoughts were a mess when the boys got back onto the bus and Jordan sat down next to me. 

"Win?" I asked him.

"Nope." He sighed, taking out his phone. 

"Damn." 

He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to me.

"You saw her tonight, didn't you?" 

"What?"

"You saw Ashley tonight, didn't you?" He repeated. 

"Oh, um... yeah." I said, turning away. "How'd you-?"

"I saw her downstairs before the game walking around. She saw me and waved. That's all." 

"And you didn't tell me?" I said.

"You didn't need the distraction. And I thought you didn't care?" 

"I don't." I affirmed. 

"Alright, Nuge." He shook his head and chuckled. 

"I'm serious." I said. 

"Okay, pal."

I diverted my attention to the window on the way back to the hotel. 

We pulled up and headed back to the room. 

Jordan and I have been rooming together since the incident with Taylor. 

I changed out of my suit and into pajamas before relaxing on one of the beds. 

Jordan killed the lights and the room went dark. 

"I know you miss her." He said, bluntly. 

"What?" 

"I know that somewhere, deep down, part of you knows that she didn't cheat on you." 

"I don't miss her." I retorted. 

"A big, empty house isn't much company for you, is it?" He said. 

"Neither is she." I fired back. 

"Taylor knows the real truth." He said.

"Does he now?" 

"Hand on my heart, Ryan." 

"I don't believe you." I said. 

"Then maybe that's your problem. Maybe you should trust people." 

"I don't have trust issues." I said. 

"Maybe you should trust what Ashley tried telling you that night." 

"Not a chance." I growled. 

"Okay, fine. Then you may want to talk to Nat, she knows everything to." 

"So everyone knows everything about my life but me?" 

"No, you just don't believe in what we believe in." 

"What are you getting at?" I asked him. 

"Natalie can explain it better than I can. All I'm going to say is whatever you told Ashley tonight, you'll regret it when you hear what Natalie has to say. Or should I say Gabe." 

"What are you even-?" 

"Goodnight, Nuge." He didn't say anything after that. 

What did Natalie and Taylor have to do with any of this?

I tried not to focus on that. 

I just kept telling myself I don't miss her. 

I don't need her. 

I don't want her. 

I'm better off without her. 

But at this point, I wasn't convincing myself any of that was true.