One Shots
Beau Bennett
You watch him pack everything he owns that he needs for his new life. You know he was drafted, but the reality of it hasn’t quite hit you yet.
Beau glances up at you to see a stray tear run the course of your cheek, and sighs. “Babe, I’ve got to go. This is going to be my life now.” He pauses, gesturing to all the trophies and medals he’s collected over the years, from minor hockey when he was little to the minor leagues.
“You know how hard I’ve worked for this; I’ve been chasing this my whole life!” He tosses another shirt onto his suitcase.
A small sob escapes you. “Fine.” Another sob. “If… if you want to go so badly, I won’t stop you.” You turn to run out of the room, but Beau catches your arm. Crying out, you tug it away and flee down the hall.
”You don’t know how hard this is for me,” he calls out after you. “You don’t know how badly I want to stay. For you,” he adds, quietly.
This catches your attention, slowing you down and making you turn. “Wait, what?”
“I’m torn, and it’s tearing me apart. I wanna go, but I don’t wanna break your heart. If I go, I might lose you, but if I stay, that means giving up on everything I’ve worked so hard for.” He moves towards you, head hanging.
“Then stay.” You pull him into a hug, not willing to let go. “At least a couple more nights.” You stay like that for minutes.
Then he lets out a tattered sigh, breaking the hug. Picking up his suitcase, he heads out into the California sunshine, casting one last, long, regretful look towards you and disappears through the door. You can hear him swinging the last of his luggage into his truck, starting it, then slamming the door. But he doesn’t leave, not yet.
After a few minutes, you can hear the tires rolling as he backs out and drives away. Then it hits you. That’s it. He’s really, actually, leaving. Beau Bennett, hockey player extraordinaire, is heading to Pittsburgh to follow his dreams.
You start crying, finding your way to his bed through the tears, desperate to hold on to one last, little part of him. Climbing under the covers, you weep until the pillow is thoroughly, saltily soaked and you slowly fall asleep.
You wake up hours later into the darkness when you think you hear a vehicle door slam, but you pay it no mind and try to sleep again. But you do wake up, this time for sure, when the light flicks on and he’s there.Beau. The bright light makes you squint, but he’s definitely there.
“Why are you here?” you croak groggily, pulling the sheets up to shield your head from the light.
He ignores you, switching the light back off and crawling under the covers with you.
“I’ll stay- for a couple nights,” he breathes, snuggling up close to you and holding you in his arms. It’s all you can think of-it’s him, it’s really him, he’s back, he’s so warm…You sigh, in relief this time, and press yourself closer to him.
“What made you come back?” you ask sleepily.
Beau doesn’t answer right away, instead pressing his lips gently to your forehead and kissing you. He whispers in your ear as you fall back asleep,"I didn’t say goodbye."
