NHL Imagines

#69. Colton Parayko: St. Louis Blues

5th Birthday

You remember it clearly, the party you had when you were in kindergarten. You didn't know a lot of people, just some of the girls in your class. So you decided to invite your entire class to a party in your backyard. There was a bouncy castle, and a pretty pink cake and lots of laughter. You were watching all of the kids run around and saw some of the parents talking but one of the boys caught your eye. He was standing alone next to a tree, a shy look on his face. You immediately went over to talk to him.

"Hi" You say cheerfully and he parrots what you said back with a terrified tone. "I'm (Y/N), what's you name?"

"Colton," He murmurs.

"Well Colton it's nice to meet you, do you want to come jump in the bouncy castle with me?" He nods hesitantly and you grab his hand dragging him along. That was when your friendship began.

9th Birthday

That year was bowling, but there wasn't your entire class. It was just you, Colton, your other friend Ivy and your younger sister. Your parents came too, but just the four kids were bowling. You can almost hear the laughter of four children, the smiles that was one everyones face that day.

There's a picture of you dancing around like an idiot after winning one of the rounds and in the back you can see Colton laughing at you. Best friends for nearly four years you both new each others thoughts before they were voiced out loud. With one glance you could tell how the other was feeling.

After the party as you were dropping him off at his house he leaned over and kissed you quickly on the cheek with a shy smile, blushing cheeks and a hurried "Happy Birthday!". Then he was darting from the car running toward his house. You watched him go, and you didn't know it then but that was when you fell for him.

14th Birthday

That was the year you realized just how far you had fallen for that blonde haired, light eyed boy. You had a party that year, and the small party of 8 gathered in the basement for a game of spin the bottle. Colton sat across from you looking nervous and angry at the same time.

After nearly 30 minutes playing neither had had the bottle land on you. Then Zoe spun and landed on Colton. He blushed and leaned over to peck her quickly. For some reason you felt a tightening in your gut but pushed it away. Colton spun the bottle and it whirled for a moment before it landed on you. Butterflies fill your stomach as he leans across the circle to reach you. He cups your chin in his and softly presses his lips to yours. You kiss him back, not remembering that other people are in the room until someone coughs expectantly.

You both pull away quickly too embarrassed to say anything. The game resumes and as someone else spins the only thought rolling through your head is; Holy Crap

16th Birthday

You were standing in the rain as it poured around you. He forgot your best friend in the entire world, had forgotten your 16th birthday. You had felt the two of you drifting apart over the course of the last year but after being so close for over 10, you expected even a short "Happy Birthday". But that year he was so preoccupied with a new girl. It was if your relationship meant nothing to him, which you guessed it didn't.

You looked up at the sky, closing your eyes and let the rain drop slowly onto your face. You vaguely heard someone calling your name but you didn't pay attention. Instead you stay looking up at the sky. Suddenly someones hands were on your cheeks and had pulled your face down to look at them. Your blue eyed best friend was staring back at you with a concerned look on his face.

"(Y/N)? What's wrong?" You jerked your head out of his hands with a growl. His eyes filled with sadness and then anger.

"You really think you can just waltz back in here and act like ignoring me all day on my birthday is going to save you? Hell to the no. Go away and leave me to stand here in the rain so I can get a cold and be more miserable then I was before you decided your time was worthless enough to to spend with me." With that you tilted your head back up and stared at the sky again.

"What are you talking about?"

"You spent all day without saying hi to me when I passed you on the sidewalk this morning, or when I saw you in the library this afternoon. Nothing! And it hurts because today is the day that we have been friends for 11 years but it's disappearing in 9 minutes. So go away Parayko, you obviously don't need me anymore" You spun on your heel, a small attempt to send the message more that if he didn't need you, then you didn't need him.

The next moment was one that would forever stay in your mind. He grabbed your wrist and whipped you back around to face him. Arms went around your waist and he dragged you close. Placing his lips lightly on yours he waited for you to respond in anyway.

Your arms wrapped around his neck. You tugged him slowly closer, rain emptying from the sky neither of you cared that you most likely were getting pneumonia. It hadn't started as the best birthday, but when it ended, one of the better ones.

23rd Birthday (Present Day)

You wake up to the smell of waffles cooking in the kitchen, the dream of your past birthday's causing you to smile as your eyes open. You gingerly throw the covers off and force yourself out of bed. You follow the smell of the baking breakfast food. Down the hall of your Saint Louis apartment that you share with Colton. Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes you step into the kitchen. Your boyfriend is standing near the stove fiddling with a waffle iron. As you watch, he puts a waffle on a plate and turns toward the small table in the center of the kitchen.

"Damnit (Y/L/N), I was going to surprise you!" He sets the plate down on the table and wraps his arms around your waist kissing you quickly before nuzzling your neck. "Happy Birthday babe" He whispers.

"Thank you" You say smiling widely. After a few minutes you sit down at the breakfast table. The two of you share the waffle laughing. He gets up to head to the fridge and when he comes back he has a bottle of whipped cream and a mischievous look on his face.

"You better not Parayko" You growl as he steps dangerously close. He uncaps the bottle, shakes it, and then squirts a little of it on the plate. He places the bottle down ever so slowly. Then as quick as a cat going for the mouse, he swoops a little of the white cream up with his finger and smears it on your face. You let out an indignant shriek before putting some on your finger and going to place it on him.

20 minutes later, and the entire kitchen has little spots of white on it. The bottle of whipped cream is on the floor between you, lying empty. You stare him down, each of you with a little left on your fingers. Both of you move toward each other at the same time but his reflexes are faster and his has you, back pinned against his chest so fast the room spins. He draws his fingers across your mouth in a quick motion so the sugary substance is left behind. Then he leans down, head around your shoulder to kiss you licking it off.

"I love whipped cream" He says pulling away for a moment before leaning in again. He cups your chin and kisses you again. You smile into it and let the feel of his mouth on yours the only thing you register.

Well you know what they say, Birthday's have some type of magic, and you couldn't agree more.

AUTHORS NOTE

Yay I updated! Finally lol. Thank you my dedicated friends for almost 90k reads. I can't believe my book has gotten this far and I couldn't have done it without you. And yes yes I know that I say that a lot but I really couldn't.

Second I want to say that I'm going to try to get a more followed upon schedule.

Third, I have come to a decision about entering this book in the Watty's. I would like to thank all of you that commented urging me to enter but I think that I am going to wait until next year so this book is completed. :)

Fourth and finally this one was requested by @Hockeyboysaf who just recently re-started her own Imagines book. Which if I do say so is very very good.

That's pretty much it sorry if it was long, Hopefully I'll start working on another imagine tonight. :)

~Emma