Tanner exits the locker room, looking around, gaze landing on her. His.. He didn’t really know what to call her. She wasn’t his girlfriend. Yet. They were in that weird stage of dating and being together. That was normal, apparently. Normal to date but not be together. Tanner had read up on it. Read up on relationships. Yeah, you read that right. Tanner fucking Talon was so whipped for this sweet girl that sat beside him in math class, who smelt like a sweet summers morning and had the face of an angel, that he looked up relationship advice. God, how lovesick was that? But he really didn’t understand like this. Tanner was far too much of a loner to understand love and shit like that.

Like, they kissed and they went on dates that he pretended to begrudgingly attend, when really they were the only things he looked forward to when he knew one was coming up. He really, really fucking liked this girl. He had liked her for two whole damned years before he gathered the courage to ask her out. And he had never once regretted it. She's standing in the hall, looking around. Her eyes were wild with wonder and excitement, and he knew she had enjoyed it.

She had gone to her first hockey game. Tanner’s. Yeah, it’s crazy. This girl who he was so head over heels for, had never seen a damn hockey game! How was that even possible? They lived in Toronto, for Pete’s sake. Hockey was the national sport! When he found out that she didn’t know anything about hockey, Tanner went ballistic. Yet, he found himself uncaring of it. This teen boy, who was so mental over hockey, didn’t even care that the girl he liked didn’t know hockey. He was shocked at it too. But he had encouraged her to come to his game. And she had. And it looked like she had no regrets. He smiles to himself, but quickly covers it. Nobody has ever seen Tanner Talon smile. Well, other than Essie. But she was his exception.

His gaze doesn’t steer from her, a cocky smirk on his lips as he walks over to her. He had played a good game. He had scored multiple goals. “Baby.”