Empty Net
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Fallon then shook her head, confusion all over her face, “Actually,” she said, placing the paper down, “I didn’t know you hate working here.”
“Oh, well, I do,” Audrey admitted, looking up at the ceiling, “I want to quit so bad.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yes,” she said looked back at Fallon, “I feel trapped here.”
“What the hell? Where is this coming from?”
“Come on, Fallon, you know I’m not happy here.”
“I mean, I knew you were bored but I didn’t know you hated it. This is our family’s company; it should mean something to you.”
“It does, but I much rather do something else.”
“Like what?”
Audrey looked down, picking at her nails as she shrugged one shoulder. “I want to open a cupcakery,” she said shyly, “I want to make cupcakes for a living, make people happy.”
It was the first time she told someone other than Tate. Glancing up, she found Fallon smiling at her. She couldn’t help smiling back just as big while Fallon said, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then do it. Quit.”
Audrey laughed, “You make it sound so easy, you’re just like Tate.”
Fallon stopped laughing and eyed Audrey, “Tate?”
“Yeah, he wants me to quit and open a cupcakery,” she said, then she started giggling. “He can’t say the word at all, it’s so cute when he tries, but he wants me to open one and he said he’d be there every day to eat my cupcakes. It’s really cute,” Audrey gushed, her heart warming at the thought of her amazing boyfriend.
“Okay before when you said nothing was going on, I believed you, but now I think it may be more. Your eyes just went glossy on me, and you have a stupid grin on your face.”
“It is something more,” Audrey declared, her heart skipping a beat, “I think I might be falling in love with him.”
Fallon’s smile fell, her eyes going wide as she shook her head, “But, Audrey, he is seeing someone. He told me the other day that he is bringing her to dinner, that she is amazing, and that he knew I would love her. I’m sorry, honey, how did you not know?”
Audrey started to laugh again, she loved that she was confident to know that he was talking about her. It made her stomach flip flop to know that he said all that about her, “Yeah, he is seeing me. Dork.”
“Shut the front door!”
Shaking her head, “Yup, it’s been the best two and half weeks of my life.”
Fallon covered her mouth, her eyes bright before she popped up and came around the desk, wrapping Audrey in her arms. Audrey hugged her back, nuzzling her nose in her sister’s long hair, her eyes shut tight. She loved when Fallon would hug her tightly like that, she could just feel the love from her. Pulling back, Fallon’s eyes were glossy as she held Audrey’s face in her hands.
“I am so proud of you.”
“For what? Getting a boyfriend?” Audrey giggled.
Fallon shook her head, “No, for finally realizing that you deserve the best in the world. Tate is a good man, he will take good care of you,” she said, “You wanted your Prince Charming. You found him, darling.”
Fallon wrapped her arms back around her, and all Audrey could do was agree with Fallon.
One hundred percent.
***
The game was tied at zero, Tate was sweating everywhere, and for some reason he was nervous. He didn’t feel right and something was off. In just two periods, the Bruins had 41 shots on goal, and Tate didn’t understand it. Was his defense off? Because not only were the other two defensive lines letting pucks through, but so were Shea and Jakob and that was very uncommon for the best ‘Defense Duo’ of the league. It wasn’t as if the Bruins were dominating, the Assassins had a lot of shots on goal too, but not 41.
It had been a long hard game.
Glancing up at the jumbotron, seeing that there were only three minutes left in the third period, Tate took a deep breath while turning to the goal to get a drink. Looking out in front of him, he saw Audrey and noticed that she looked just as worried as he felt. Her eyes were wide and she held a large glass of beer in her hands as she leaned against her knees. If Tate wasn’t so nervous, he would admire the fact that his girlfriend was looking very hot that evening, but he couldn’t think of that right now. He had a game to play.
A game to win.
Tate turned, dropping his mask over his face before setting up for the faceoff. Within seconds the Bruins’ relentless offense was throwing pucks at speeds that were hard even for Tate to keep up with, but he did. Tate moved to the side as Tyler Seguin crashed the net, blocking his shot, Tate deflected the puck to the wall where Adler took possession and sent it up to Anderson. Anderson then took off, moving around the defensive men and before Tate knew it, the lights went off, signaling a goal.
Throwing his arms up for his team, Tate watched as his team mates wrapped Anderson up in a hug, congratulating him. Tate turned, reaching for his water bottle as his stomach settled a little. Ignoring his desire to check out his girlfriend, he looked down at the ice, the nervousness still lingering in his stomach. Taking a deep breath, Tate moved to the front of the net again and dropped into position when the puck dropped. Unlike before, the Bruins were now desperate. So desperate, they pulled their goalie so they could have the extra man advantage.
Two Bruins stood in front of him, but his eyes were on the four who were the points. His heart was pounding, the crowd’s cheering was ear spitting, and Tate could see the drive on his teammates’ faces. Coach Baxter was screaming. Adler was yelling something about the point. But Tate could only keep his eyes on the puck and what the person who had the puck was doing. In his head, he was going over what he had to do.
“Oh, well, I do,” Audrey admitted, looking up at the ceiling, “I want to quit so bad.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yes,” she said looked back at Fallon, “I feel trapped here.”
“What the hell? Where is this coming from?”
“Come on, Fallon, you know I’m not happy here.”
“I mean, I knew you were bored but I didn’t know you hated it. This is our family’s company; it should mean something to you.”
“It does, but I much rather do something else.”
“Like what?”
Audrey looked down, picking at her nails as she shrugged one shoulder. “I want to open a cupcakery,” she said shyly, “I want to make cupcakes for a living, make people happy.”
It was the first time she told someone other than Tate. Glancing up, she found Fallon smiling at her. She couldn’t help smiling back just as big while Fallon said, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then do it. Quit.”
Audrey laughed, “You make it sound so easy, you’re just like Tate.”
Fallon stopped laughing and eyed Audrey, “Tate?”
“Yeah, he wants me to quit and open a cupcakery,” she said, then she started giggling. “He can’t say the word at all, it’s so cute when he tries, but he wants me to open one and he said he’d be there every day to eat my cupcakes. It’s really cute,” Audrey gushed, her heart warming at the thought of her amazing boyfriend.
“Okay before when you said nothing was going on, I believed you, but now I think it may be more. Your eyes just went glossy on me, and you have a stupid grin on your face.”
“It is something more,” Audrey declared, her heart skipping a beat, “I think I might be falling in love with him.”
Fallon’s smile fell, her eyes going wide as she shook her head, “But, Audrey, he is seeing someone. He told me the other day that he is bringing her to dinner, that she is amazing, and that he knew I would love her. I’m sorry, honey, how did you not know?”
Audrey started to laugh again, she loved that she was confident to know that he was talking about her. It made her stomach flip flop to know that he said all that about her, “Yeah, he is seeing me. Dork.”
“Shut the front door!”
Shaking her head, “Yup, it’s been the best two and half weeks of my life.”
Fallon covered her mouth, her eyes bright before she popped up and came around the desk, wrapping Audrey in her arms. Audrey hugged her back, nuzzling her nose in her sister’s long hair, her eyes shut tight. She loved when Fallon would hug her tightly like that, she could just feel the love from her. Pulling back, Fallon’s eyes were glossy as she held Audrey’s face in her hands.
“I am so proud of you.”
“For what? Getting a boyfriend?” Audrey giggled.
Fallon shook her head, “No, for finally realizing that you deserve the best in the world. Tate is a good man, he will take good care of you,” she said, “You wanted your Prince Charming. You found him, darling.”
Fallon wrapped her arms back around her, and all Audrey could do was agree with Fallon.
One hundred percent.
***
The game was tied at zero, Tate was sweating everywhere, and for some reason he was nervous. He didn’t feel right and something was off. In just two periods, the Bruins had 41 shots on goal, and Tate didn’t understand it. Was his defense off? Because not only were the other two defensive lines letting pucks through, but so were Shea and Jakob and that was very uncommon for the best ‘Defense Duo’ of the league. It wasn’t as if the Bruins were dominating, the Assassins had a lot of shots on goal too, but not 41.
It had been a long hard game.
Glancing up at the jumbotron, seeing that there were only three minutes left in the third period, Tate took a deep breath while turning to the goal to get a drink. Looking out in front of him, he saw Audrey and noticed that she looked just as worried as he felt. Her eyes were wide and she held a large glass of beer in her hands as she leaned against her knees. If Tate wasn’t so nervous, he would admire the fact that his girlfriend was looking very hot that evening, but he couldn’t think of that right now. He had a game to play.
A game to win.
Tate turned, dropping his mask over his face before setting up for the faceoff. Within seconds the Bruins’ relentless offense was throwing pucks at speeds that were hard even for Tate to keep up with, but he did. Tate moved to the side as Tyler Seguin crashed the net, blocking his shot, Tate deflected the puck to the wall where Adler took possession and sent it up to Anderson. Anderson then took off, moving around the defensive men and before Tate knew it, the lights went off, signaling a goal.
Throwing his arms up for his team, Tate watched as his team mates wrapped Anderson up in a hug, congratulating him. Tate turned, reaching for his water bottle as his stomach settled a little. Ignoring his desire to check out his girlfriend, he looked down at the ice, the nervousness still lingering in his stomach. Taking a deep breath, Tate moved to the front of the net again and dropped into position when the puck dropped. Unlike before, the Bruins were now desperate. So desperate, they pulled their goalie so they could have the extra man advantage.
Two Bruins stood in front of him, but his eyes were on the four who were the points. His heart was pounding, the crowd’s cheering was ear spitting, and Tate could see the drive on his teammates’ faces. Coach Baxter was screaming. Adler was yelling something about the point. But Tate could only keep his eyes on the puck and what the person who had the puck was doing. In his head, he was going over what he had to do.
