BENCHWARMERS.

26. "I REMEMBER"

"STOP STARING! WATCH THE SHOW!" Taryn scolded, covering her red cheeks with her hands as she flopped back on her side, retuning her attention to the TV that was currently playing Stranger Things.

It was Taryn's second day back in Toronto and after hanging out with Mitch, Auston, William, Naz and a few others the day before, it was finally Freddie's turn.

The two spent majority of the night playing Mario Kart on Taryn's WII, well constantly flirting. The two would slyly slip in comments, sneaky stares and the odd touch; legs or arms lingering against the others.

As the night went on, the two decided to turn on Netflix and watch Stranger Things after Taryn had confronted the ginger about not watching it. Instead of him being engrossed in the show and Taryn on her phone or looking else where because she had already seen it multiple times, it was the other way around.

Freddie's attention was elsewhere, his eyes drifting from the TV to Taryn every few minutes, his thoughts wandering back to the conversation Mitch, Auston and him had, and the tug in his chest at the thought of wrapping his strong arms around Taryn.

Taryn sat, shifting from position to position every few minutes. Her eyes never left the screen except for the one time she felt Freddie's eyes on her for a prolonged amount of time.

He had dodged the question when asked what he was doing, only replying with a shrug as he looked back to the TV with rosy cheeks. Taryn stared at the man, biting her lower lip to stop herself from grinning widely. The Leafs goaltender felt her eyes watching him so he shifted uncomfortably, turning to look at the British girl with a small boyish smirk glued to his lips.

"So," Freddie started, leaning forward to grab the remote and pause the show, Taryn sitting up with furrowed eyebrows as she awaited an explanation. "T-Tyler Seguin, eh?" He mumbled nervously.

A small knowing smile formed on Taryn's face, as she leaned back against the arm of the couch, facing the man. "Yeah, what about him?"

Freddie fiddled with his hands out of nervous habit. All night he had been trying to get on this topic, hoping that the relationship between him and her would somehow come from talking about Seguin. After trying for the past few days, Freddie couldn't hide the fact that his attraction towards Taryn was growing. He wanted to know where her head was at too. Has he missed his chance? Did he wait too long to confess his feelings?

He wasn't sure. And he wasn't completely sure how he felt about her. Until tonight, at least. Freddie always assumed the girl would be immature, taking everything too lightly. But she wasn't. Taryn was kind, lighthearted, funny and... perfect. She was motivated but knew how to let loose.

"I- he followed you on Instagram. A-are you guys talking or something...?" Freddie's eyes met his hands, not able to look at Taryn.

Taryn couldn't help but smile, crossing her legs together. "We talked once. Just agreed that if I was ever in Dallas, we'd meet up for a drink." She paused, her eyes gleaming as she gazed at the shy, clearly jealous goaltender. "Why?"

"Oh... no reason. Do you think -" His eyes found hers and the words got caught in his throat. "I- I remember." He confessed.

Taryn's eyes went from bright and full of amusement to confused and full of concern within seconds. Her smile fell into a frown. "Remember what?"

Freddie maintained eye contact for a second longer before he dropped his head down in defeat, a sigh escaping his lips as a frown fell a upon them. "You know when we were in Mexico? And everyone said we slept together?" Taryn nodded, her mouth agape with a blank expression on her face. All at once, it clicked and her mouth dropped even more, knowingly.

"Y-you remember," she mumbled out.

Freddie nodded, swallowing hard. Taryn's eyes darted around the room as she processed the information carefully. Without thinking, Freddie shifted closer to the girl with pleading eyes. "Just hear me out," he pleaded, scared that she'd be mad.

Taryn's brown eyes met his and she nodded slightly. "I only remember pieces of it. I remember kissing you and going behind a bush, and then everything's gone, its all a blur. I don't know if we did anything else, but I remember kissing you... and loving it." Freddie admitted sheepishly, unintentionally shuffling closer to Taryn in hopes of calming her down.

Taryn looked at Freddie, her eyes then moving down to see their knees touching, Freddie's hand placed gently on top of her knee. She looked down at her hands for a moment as she processed everything, the room dead silent, the only light being the TV and city.

After a moment, her eyes found his and she studied his face. "You did?" She mumbled out softly, her eyes softening under his gaze.

Freddie cracked a smile, chuckling slightly as he nodded. "I did. I loved every bloody second!" He explained teasingly, earning a slight shove from Taryn.

"You're an idiot," she grumbled out, trying to hide her smile as she shoved him, looking down at her lap. The sentence brought an even bigger smile to the gingers face. Taryn reluctantly looked up to see Freddie still staring at her expectedly. "Well..." She trailed off.

"Well..." Freddie repeated lowly.

"- now I feel bad! I don't bloody remember!" Her accent was thick as she cried out, a small frown fell upon her lips.

"No, don't feel bad..." He trailed off, "I felt bad for not telling you right away." That was true. Ever since that night, Freddie had debated whether or not he should tell Taryn or anyone for that matter. The weight of him knowing and not telling sat on shoulders, it was a relief to finally get it out.

He thought that maybe getting it off his chest would clear up the confusion in his brain. Maybe the reason he was confused about his feelings was because he remembered the kiss. Maybe it was just a mistake and finally admitting it had happened, would clear everything up. His friendship with Taryn would continue on its way as a... friendship.

However telling her, gauging her reaction, seeing her face as he admitted to loving the feeling of her lips on his, made him long to feel it again. Against his better judgment, he was falling for this girl. And he was finally going to admit it.

Taryn pouted, sighing as she slumped back against the arm of the couch. "I feel bad..." she trailed off.

Taking a deep breath, Freddie shifted closer to the girl. "Well... maybe this will jog your memory. We were drunk. Really drunk." He shuffled closer, Taryn's pupils dilating as she watched Freddie move closer to her. "And you were being your cute, flirty self," she could feel his breath against her skin as he moved closer, his eyes meeting hers in an intense stare as the tension built up. "And I told you how much I wanted to kiss you. You smiled, grabbed my hand," his lips were so close to hers, his eyes finally darting to her lips. "You grabbed my hand and dragged me to a bush," his voice was barely audible as he got closer and closer, his chest rising and falling as his lips brushed up against hers.

"- And you kissed me." He mumbled before he smashed his lips against hers