“So remind me again why you are raiding my closet?” Tyler voiced drifted to me from his bedroom.
“Because the Avalanche won yesterday,” I told him as I riffled through the ties in the draw in his closet, “so I have to find the worst tie I can for Roussel.”
“And you think you’re going to find one in there.”
“Yes,” a smile formed on my lips as I pulled a navy and white tie from the drawer and walked to the closet entrance. Tyler lounged on his bed. “How about this one,” I asked as I held up the tie.
“Seriously,” Tyler groaned, “That’s one of my favorite ties.”
“Really,” I bit back my laugh. “I do not remember ever seeing you wear this tie before.”
“I’ve worn it plenty of times.”
“I guess that was before me met.” With a sigh I retreated back into the closet.
“Oh my god Brittany,” Tyler suppressed his groan with his pillow. “I have worn that tie before, I’ll wear it for you tomorrow and I will find you a tie for Roussel.”
I returned the tie to the draw and closed it. “You will,” I asked as I leaned on the doorframe of the closet entrance.
“I will,” Tyler confirmed.
“Okay,” I gave Tyler a nod as I pushed off the doorframe. “So speaking of tomorrow, any big plans?”
“Besides beating the Jets,” Tyler rolled onto his side and looked up at me as I kneeled on the bed next to him. “No.”
“You know what I mean Tyler.” I whispered as I tucked my legs under me and studied my hands in my lap.
I could feel the bed shift under me before Tyler’s hand covered mine. “I don’t have any big plans for tomorrow.”
I exhaled as I lifted my eyes to look at Tyler. “No party, no club, no bar…”
He only shook his head.
“Wow Tyler Seguin, you’re are getting old.”
“Shut up Brittany,” Tyler rolled his eyes. “I just don’t feel the need to go to a club or bar tomorrow.”
“Now that is something I never thought I’d hear you say.”
“Well maybe you don’t know me as well as you thought you did.” Tyler beamed proud that he proved me wrong.
“Damn google.” I chuckled and I could feel the warmth of Tyler’s hand in mine as I studied them. “So if you don’t want to go out, what do you want to do?”
“I just want to spend the night with you.” The words left Tyler’s lips and my heart skipped a beat, he couldn’t be serious.
“Ah,” I cracked a smile, not sure exactly what to say to that, so I did the only thing I know how to do; I turned it back on him. “You’re such a sap.”
“Come one Brittany,” Tyler held his hand by his side, palms up, “I thought girls love it when guys say stuff like that.”
“Well there’s your problem.” I grinned as I pointed a finger at him. “I’m not a girl, I’m a woman and I don’t want you to say something because you think that’s what I want to hear. I want you to say it because you mean it.”
Tyler looked at me, and gave a quick nod of his head before he spoke. “Well I want to spend tomorrow night the same way I spend every other night. Curled up on the couch with the woman I love.”
“Tyler,” I bit my lip as we looked at each other. His brown eyes twinkling. “You do realize what you just said, right?”
“I do.” He assured me. “Is it really that hard to believe?”
“No,” I shook my head, but who was I kidding. “Yes.” I admitted, as I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was staring at my hands once again.
“Well I do Brittany,” Tyler’s hand came up and cupped my cheek as he sat up so we were face to face. “I love you.”
“You probably say that to all the girl’s you’ve dated.”
“Yea, but I’ve never really meant it.”
My lips pulled up into a tight smile because I wanted to believe him, and in my heart I did, but I still couldn’t fully accept it.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” The twinkle in Tyler’s eyes faded, but he never pulled away.
“No, actually,” I sighed, “I do.”
A smile creep onto Tyler’s lips as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and relaxed as I wrapped my arms around Tyler’s neck.

---

“What the…,” a hushed voice pulled me out of my sleep.
I groaned from where I laid on my stomach, my arms underneath the pillow that my head rested on. My voice coarse as I spoke. “Tyler?”
“You ballooned my room?” I could hear the question behind Tyler’s smile.
“Yea,” I grinned sleepily before I rolled onto my side to face Tyler and thought about the rainbow balloons that littered Tyler’s floor.
Tyler sat on the edge of the bed and with a shake of his head he stood up. “When did you do all this?”
“Last night after you fell asleep.”
He chuckled, “You blew up nearly a 3 dozen balloons last night after I fell asleep.”
“No, Antione, Jamie and I blew up 14 balloons each when I went home yesterday. I hid them in the guest room upstairs and then last night after you fell asleep I snuck back up there and dumped them in here.”
“Wow,” Tyler chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair.
“What,” I questioned with a sigh. “I wanted you to wake up and have you feel like it’s your birthday.”
“Well you know what would really make it feel like my birthday?” Tyler leaned towards me, his hands on the edge of the bed.
“What?”
“If you made me breakfast,” he grinned.
“Tyler,” I shook my head as I rolled back onto my stomach and buried my face into the pillow.
“But Brittany, you love cooking.”
“Not before 7 in the morning.”
“But it’s my birthday.” I could hear the pout in Tyler’s voice as I groaned into the pillow.
“I don’t care if our last day on earth,” I turned my head to looked at Tyler, “I’m not getting up to cook you breakfast when Dale’s probably getting your breakfast ready for you at the rink right now.”
“Fine.” Tyler sulked as he pushed himself off the bed.
I exhaled as I pushed myself up onto my forearms. I hated when he moped and he knew that.“How about I make you lunch this afternoon.”
“You promise.”
“I promise.” I assured Tyler before he disappeared into the bathroom.

---

“When I said I was going to make you lunch I didn’t mean I was going to make you a 12 course meal.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my hip against the counter as I studied the bags that littered the counter.
“These aren’t all for lunch.” Tyler assured me as he unloaded some of the bags into the fridge.
“Okay,” I sighed, “so what I’m I making.”
Tyler smirked as he closed the fridge and turned to me. “This,” he handed me a bag.
I opened the bag slowly, not surprised to see two salmon fillet.“This is your big birthday lunch?”
“I know how much you love to cook fish.”
“Well at least you bought the one fish I will eat.”
“I figured that way you could eat too.”
“Well thanks Tyler,” I gave him a half assed smirk as I turned back to the counter.
It got quite in the kitchen after that, as I focused on the food in front of me and Tyler put the other food away before he disappeared into his room. He returned in a pair of sweats and a tight t – shirt just as I took the salmon off the stove.
“Well it smells good,” Tyler complimented as he walked back into the kitchen. He kissed my temple from behind me as I handed him a plate.
“Yea, well let’s just hope it taste good.”
“I’m sure it does.” Tyler smiled as I took a seat next to him at the counter.
It couldn’t have been too bad because Tyler didn’t talk much after that. It wasn’t until he finished the last of the green beans and he leaned back in his chair that he looked at me. “Thank you Brittany, that was amazing.”
I rolled my eyes. “You say that every time I cook.”
“Because it’s true.”
I shook my head as I picked at the last of the salmon that was on my plate. “Don’t you have a pre-game nap or something?”
“Yea,” Tyler said as he slid off the stool grabbed his plate and rinsed it off in the sink.
And for the first time I imaged what this would be like to live with Tyler. Waking up each morning with him, coming home and having lunch here, before going to the game with him that night.
“So you going to join me?” Tyler’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I shook my head, clearing it as I looked up at him. “Huh.”
“You going to join me for my pre – game nap?”
“Tyler,” I bite my lip as I looked back down at the plate in front of me.
“Brittany,” Tyler mocked.
“Just because it’s your Birthday, okay.” I smiled as I pushed my chair back and returned my plate to the sink. “And no funny business.” I gave Tyler a stern finger as I passed him.
“Trust me Brit, if that’s what I wanted I would have tried already.” Tyler said and I just rolled my eyes as he followed me.

---

It was nearly mid – night by the time Tyler and I made it home after the game, but Tyler still insisted that we cuddled on the couch and watch a movie before we went to bed. I wasn’t sure if that was because he was still high from today being his birthday, or from the win.
“So that was really cute you know.” Tyler said as he had me wrapped in his arms.
“What,” I questioned as I turned my head up to look at him.
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Tyler smiled with a shake of his head as we stared at each other.
“You mean the 27 bottles of those nasty sport drinks you like that I left on the counter for you? I thought you’d like that.”
He shook his head with a laugh. “That’s not what I’m talking about and those drinks aren’t nasty. I’m talking about the green streamers that my locker was covered in when I got to the stadium this afternoon.”
“And you think that was me?” I shook my head with a smirk as I leaned back in my chair the springs creaking under me.
“No, I know it was you, Miss ‘I wanted you to wake up and have you feel like it’s your birthday’.”
“Okay, it may have been my idea, but I didn’t personally do it,” I laughed. “I asked Mathew to do it when he put your things in your locker for the game.”
Tyler shook his head, “you are ridiculous, you know that.”
“May have heard it once or twice before.” I smiled as I removed myself from his arms.
“Where are you going?” Tyler’s eyebrows pulled together as I pushed myself off the couch.
“I have one more surprise for you.” I told him as I skipped into his room and I could hear Tyler groan from his spot on the couch.
I smiled to myself as I retrieved the huge bag that sat in the back of Tyler’s closet, surprised that he didn’t see it early. Or maybe he did and just ignored it. I guess it really didn’t matter either way. I thought to myself as I made my way back to the living room and dropped onto the couch next to Tyler.
“Happy Birthday,” I greeted as I handed him the huge green bag.
“Brittany,” His eyes widened as he stared at the bag I held in front of him.
“Tyler,” I mimicked him as I sat the bag down in front of him. “Just look in the bag.”
Tyler exhaled as he leaned forward and removed the white tissue paper before he pulled out the green and black blanket. “What’s this for?” Tyler turned to me with a devilish smile and a raised of his dark eyebrow.
I ignored the meaning behind Tyler’s words. “I figured you could take it with you on the road to keep you warm when I’m not there.” I bite my lip as I realized just how those words sounded when I spoke them outload.
“But you’re going to keep me warm tonight though, right?”
I smiled as I leaned in and placed a kiss to his lips, “of course.”

Notes