the death of a bachelor// Tyler Seguin//

chapter three

Harley:

I swung my legs back and forth while waiting patiently for him to get here. my phone read 6:50 p.m. meaning he's twenty minutes late.

Just as I began to get up, Tyler came rushing into the front doors of the rink.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" he exclaimed while he pulled me into a hug, "practice ran long."

"it's okay," I promised as I inhaled his scent. I'd known him for a little over a month now and was finding myself getting comfortable with him. He'd apologized for his actions when we first met and was trying to prove to me that I could count on him. 

"are you ready?" he asked as he led me to the ice. I sat down in the chair and watched as he began to lace up my skates for me.

"I guess I have to be," I chucked before stealing his hat and placing it lopsided on my head.

our first date together and he decided it had to be teaching me out to skate. He'd been asking to take me on a date for two weeks and I kept brushing him off. We'd hung out a lot but I had put boundaries down and he respected them. 

"I promise you I won't let you fall," he pushed himself up and sat next to me to put his skates on, "and if you do I'll help you up... after I laugh!"

I shook my head and ran my fingers down his thigh before pushing myself from the seat. he smiled up at me then proceeded to follow me to the entrance to the ice. public skate had been happening for a few hours now so people were already skating around. I stepped onto the ice then waited for Tyler.

he glided on effortlessly then grabbed my hand and slowly led me around teaching me exactly what to do. after an hour of attempts I finally got the hang of it and Tyler and I just skated in circles.

we knew they were watching, just like they should, just like we wanted them to. I grabbed his hand and swung our arms back and forth while he skated and laughed. What they saw was genuine, its just the intentions that were bad. 

nine o'clock rolled around and we both decided to head out for dinner. with it being my turn to chose we ended up at a corner booth of Snuffer's with a huge plate of cheese fries in front of us. Tyler took a long sip of his beer before smirking at me

"what?" I asked.

"nothing," he smiled, "you just look breath taking right now. not that you don't always do but at this moment I can't keep my eyes off of you!"
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Tyler:

her hand hung outside of the window of my jeep as if she was trying to catch the wind. I glanced over often to watch her sing along to the music. her lips mouthed along to The Beatles playing at top volume. Her jacket laid in the back seat and my hat was backwards on her head.

I pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex and put the jeep in park. she turned down the music and placed my hat back on my head. we both got out and stood in the brightness of the headlights.

"I had fun tonight," she smiled.

"me too. it was cool getting to know you even more." I replied as my hand found its way to the small of her back.

she stepped closer to me and placed her hand right against my chest, making me painfully aware of what little fabric kept her skin from mine. 

"can we do it again?" I asked.

"patience grasshopper," she joked before burying her face in my chest from laughing.

I slid my finger under her chin and brought her eyes up to meet mine. I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. we stood still for a moment before she finally parted her lips to let me kiss her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Harley," I whispered before leaving her standing on the sidewalk. she waved goodbye to me then made her trip to her apartment.

The late night made the next morning hell. I got to the rink early and saw no sign of her car. Incredibly strange. I suited up for practice and started skate. Ten minutes in she walked into the practice arena. Her eyes were puffy and it was evident something was wrong. Practice ended early and I rushed into the locker room. She was standing at my stall hanging up a jersey for tonight. 

"Harls?" I asked. She looked at me long enough for me to notice the tears in her eyes before rushing past me and out the door. 

I changed quickly and walked back out to look for her. She sat in the bleachers, typing away at her laptop. Her headphones were in and she always played her music too loud to hear me through them. 

"Harley," I called to her as I placed my hand on her shoulder. she tore out her earphones and looked up at me as if she was a child needing to be held. "what's wrong, are you okay?"

she shook her head no and the tears began to fall again. I pulled her up from the chair and pressed her face into my chest, stroking her hair.

"you wanna tell me what happened?" I asked.

"he's gone," she sobbed against my chest.

I sighed and kissed the top of her head knowing that it was her grandfather. they knew this day was coming but it still hit her like semi. I made small circles on her back and held her until she began to calm down some.

"will you go to the funeral with me?" she asked.

"of course," I assured her, "im right here, sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere."