Hailey answered the door to her apartment slowly after Mike had spent five minutes pounding on it. She had left the game right after it ended and come home. He only realized that after going to his place and not finding her there.

“You left,” Mike breathed, “I thought you were going back to my place.”

That had been the plan but something made Hailey reconsider it after he scored the game winning goal. She wanted to congratulate him and then spend some time together, but she knew that it was just going to be short lived and that it would hurt her in the long run.

After the game was over, she rushed out of the arena and went back to her own apartment, choosing to pack her life away instead of spending it with the man she wished she could be with.

“I figured I should start packing,” she said as he walked through the doorway.

She had boxes and tubs all around the small apartment but nothing was inside them. She went to walk away but Mike grabbed her arm, “Not going to congratulate me on my goal tonight?” he gave her a smile.

He was wondering what made her leave that way or if she even watned to see him again. Maybe she wanted to just make a clean break or maybe she was too upset about having to move; either way, Mike was upset that she ddint seem to want to see him.

She let out a breathy laugh, “Sorry, I’m a little out of it right now,” she got on her toes and gave him a light kiss, “Good job Mikey.”

“You know, I have a road trip coming up, I have to leave in two days. I’m only gone for one game though,” he told her, “Then why don’t I plan a dinner with your family and friends and some of the guys you like?”

“That would be nice,” she gave him a completely fake smile.

Her dog, Lily ran to Mike and licked his hand that was hanging at his side, “Hey Lil,” he rubbed
her head.

“I hope her and Arnold will be okay,” Hailey looked at her dog too.

“God, I didn’t even think about the kids,” he smiled at her, “He’s going to miss her,” Mike was
going to miss her.

“I’m sure she’ll miss him too,” she patted her dog’s head.

“But then again,” he was going to try to give her a couple hints “I’m sure she’ll find some new dog out there who’s going to sweep her off her paws.”

“Maybe, or she might be heartbroken,” Hailey walked back into her apartment and away from Mike.

The hockey player knelt down to pet the dog, “You’ll both find new guys out there, this is good for you two.”

Lily licked his face and he rubbed behind her ears before she went over to her water bowl for a drink. Mike then stood up and followed Hailey to the living room where he saw her taking photos off the walls and tables. He took them from her and wrapped them in bubble wrap for her, waiting for her to speak again.

“So, why’d you come over?” she asked after the last frame was off the wall.

“Why not?”

Hailey shrugged with her back to him, “Guess I just didn’t expect it.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Mike wondered if she wanted to be alone nad then felt bad for
intruding.

“No,” she turned to him with one of the saddest smiles he had ever seen, “I could use the help.”

Hailey was good at masking her true feelings to most people, but Mike could usually see right
through her. He may not have known the exact emotion she was feeling, but he could at least
register that she was upset or happy.

When the two were done with the pictures she poured them some wine. She stood in the kitchen,
leaning against the bland, white counter with the wine glass in hand. Mike set his down before approaching her. he needed to touch her, even if it was the last time he would, he wanted to feel her against him and hope that the body language could express what his mouth wouldn’t let him.

She was looking away, as if she were making a plan for packing, so it scared her a little when
she felt his arms slip around her. she turned her head to him and he lifted her up and set her on
top of the counter, “Talk to me.”

She smiled and touched his face, “About what?”

“What you’re thinking,” he kissed her hand.

“I’m thinking I have too much shit,” she made a sad face.

“Probably,” Mike had to laugh, “But what’s on your mind baby?”

She cocked her head to the side with a smile on her face, “You never call me baby.”

“Do too,” he argued.

“Not outside the bedroom,” she made her point.

“Well, it’s never too late to start something new,” he leaned in and kissed her.

Hailey literally melted into him. It was as if, at that moment, he was able to take all of the fear
or uncertainty away from her. By doing so, Mike felt like she was letting him into a place she had never taken him before, like she was giving him more now than she had throughout the time he had
known her.

The young girl was a guarded, and rightfully so, everything she had told Mike and Jeff made
her past seem awful. She had dated a lot of jerks and put up with a lot of shit from guys; that was probably why she felt so comfortable with the two goons, they were exactly like the assholes she had dated. That was also the reason she wasn’t into a relationship.

Hailey smiled up at Mike, a full and genuine smile so he cupped her face with his giant hand, “It’s going to be weird without you.”

“You’ll find a new girl, maybe even THE girl,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

“You know that’s impossible for me,” he looked down, “I’m a hot mess.”

“You’re not a mess, Richards,” she ran her hand through his short hair, “Hot, but not a mess.”

He blushed a little under her gaze, something that not many woman were able to make him
do. “You’ve started something good here,” she told him truthfully, “You finally found that balance
between hockey, partying, and being an adult, don’t end that now, okay?”

Mike nodded, “I like who I am now.”

“So do I,” Hailey hugged him.

“I’ll never find anyone like you though,” he smiled into her neck.

“God, I hope not! That would be a little scary if you found someone just as fucked up as me,” she giggled self-consciously.

Mike became angry that she wasn’t getting his hints that he really didn’t want her to go, she wasn’t picking up on the way he was acting so needy or the way he was looking at her. In his mind, he was making things obvious.

He walked away from her and turned his back. She jumped down and put her arms around his middle from behind, “Mike, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he pushed her back and away from him.

Hailey sighed in defeat. She knew she wasn’t going to get a whole lot out of Mike, at least nothing that she wanted to get out of him, “Maybe we should just cut our losses now,” she said
quietly.

The anger overtook him as he swung around, “After tonight, yeah it’s probably for the better.”

She just stared at him in shock. She hadn’t expected that reaction from him, a similar one maybe, but not one that was so harsh. Honestly, Mike hadn’t expected that from himself either. He knew right away that he had already made a bad decision by acting so mad. He should have reacted the complete opposite way.

Hailey took a step away from him but he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into him, kissing her for all that she was worth. He moved his other hand to her side, down to her hip, and then to her leg to bring it over his own hip. He let go of her neck and did the same with her other leg, lifting her up. She didn’t protest, so he carried her back to the counter and set her back down.

She pulled away from him to take a breath so he took her shirt off and undid her bra quickly. Mike wasn’t in the mood for slow or foreplay, so he took the extra second to unbuckle his belt and slide his pants and boxers down his legs in one motion.

She worked at her own pants and they were pooled on the floor beneath them quickly. Her underwear wasn’t a problem, he just moved them to the side and slid right into her heat.
“Fuck,” Mike swore as she sighed.

He thrust in and out of her relentlessly, not seeming to care if he hurt her. he felt her fingers
through his dress shirt, her nails digging into his skin. It was a welcoming feeling to know that even at his weakest moment he could make her feel so good.

Hailey knew, just by the pounding that her body was taking, that Mike was taking out his frustrations on her. she had let him do this many times, but this time it was his frustration with her. in those fleeting moments, Hailey got the sense that from now on they would be different, though she didn’t know how at that moment.

Mike grunted and Hailey squeaked until he felt her walls clench around his cock and the wave of her orgasm. Two thrusts later, he was done too.

She rested her head on his shoulder and turned to kiss his neck, “Goodbye Mike,” she hoped
he would return her words with something sweet or not so final.

He closed his eyes, immediately regretting everything that had just taken place and holding her into his body. He ran his hands over her back, down her sides, over her thighs, and then back up to her head, pulling it away from his shoulder. He looked into her chocolate eyes and tried to will himself to say the words he wanted to. Sadly, they didn’t come to him, all he could muster up was a small, “Goodbye Hails.”

Mike kissed her one last time, making this one count and exploring her mouth with his tongue, memorizing the feeling of holding her and kissing her. He wanted to leave her with more, more feelings, more words, more something, but she gave no indication that he had left her with anything.

“I’ll miss you,” she said as he pulled away.

It was the first time Hailey said those words and Mike wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to miss him, that they could still be together even if she had to go to LA, but he didn’t. He only nodded and kissed her forehead, “I’ll miss you too,” he wasn’t sure she even heard him.

As Mike walked out of her apartment he set the puck from the goal he had made that night on a table, hoping it might tell her something more than he could.