Having a boyfriend in the army wasn’t easy. The distance, the cruel teasing about his infidelity, the lack of physical touch, the impossibility to call when you needed comfort, having to adapt to his very impractical schedule. Of course, you were very much willing to endure it all, for love, and because when Simon was back, he went to the greatest lengths to make up for lost time.

Winter break was approaching, and since you were both a student and an athlete, it meant double the work for you. Not only did you have to study for finals, but you also had to train and play the last games of the seasonal championship. This took away so much of your time, you barely even talked to Simon anymore. Also, he wasn’t even sure he was coming back for Christmas, and that made it all the more awful.

You were mindlessly toying with your hockey stick, leg bouncing up and down as you sat on the bench in the locker room. This was the last game before the holidays, meaning the one that would decide the fate of your college’s team, if you were going to win the championship or not. You had trained hard, the bruises on your body the proof of your hardship, your perseverance.

It was a hard game, with many hits taken, but eventually, your team came out victorious. Simon could only watch from the shadows, smiling when he saw you toss your helmet to the ground and scream, ferocity and passion gleaming in those same eyes he’d fallen in love with.

And as the crowd cheered, your eyes were trained on the bleachers, and Simon could see how eager you were, hoping he was going to be somewhere up there, and not right at the entrance of the locker room, patiently waiting to surprise you.