Derek stepped closer to her knowing he was in the complete shit. “I was going to delete it. I just kept forgetting. I totally forgot it was even on my phone.” It was kind of the truth. “Oh really? So the screenshot of your tinder account, being active one day ago, is a lie?” He closed his eyes and made a fist. “It’s just an app Kends. It’s also not like we were official until last night. And don’t tell me when we were apart you didn’t have relations with anyone else, because we both know that’s a lie. It’s not like I don’t have friends in Boston.” He let that statement linger in the air a little longer. They stared at each other, her knees to her chest in bed, him standing there a wet towel wrapped around his waist. Her silence was what he feared, the rumors he heard must have been true.

“It was nothing Derek, it was a couple dates.” She filled the silence. Looking at him, her bluish grey eyes staring at him. “Yeah well those couple dates I had to hear about, the photo evidence I got sent, you can blame that on me joining to try to get you out of my head.” He closed his eyes and breathed in. “The past is in the past. We weren’t together when you went on those dates with Adam McQuaid, and we weren’t together when I downloaded that stupid app and talked to irrelevant girls. It’s over. We can’t keep diving into the past, we need to move forward.” He found his crumpled up button down, and khaki’s under his side of the bed, and slipped the pants on, buttoning the shirt after. “I have to head back to the house before training anyways, I need to change and I need to check up on Shattuck. So I’ll see you at the rink?” Kendall nodded. “I’ll see you at the rink.” She mumbled getting out of bed and walking into the bathroom slamming the door.

---

He felt like he was transported back a year and they were engaged and it was another morning of fighting in this damn loft. He slipped on his Sperry’s and grabbed his wallet and phone off the nightstand. He closed the bedroom door behind him quietly, running down the staircase, out the door and into the elevator. He didn’t feel like he had to justify having a stupid app to her, when they both knew she wasn’t a saint in Boston, he never even met up with any of the girls he matched with it was just something he and the other single Rangers did to past time.
He walked out of the elevator, exchanged pleasantries with the Doorman and walked out and into his car. He slid his phone out of his pocket and called Ryan. “Ryan McDonagh at your service, how can he help you this morning?” Derek let out a chuckle, Mac always made him laugh. “One of Kendall’s friends found my tinder profile.” He could hear Ryan spitting out a drink. “Holy fuck you are a dead man.” He shook his head. “Thanks asshole. We just had an argument.” He could hear shuffling in the background, probably Kaylee trying to eavesdrop. “Delete it man, delete the fucking app and send her a screenshot of your home interface with the app gone. And then after our training session bring her to a nice meal, buy her a tiffany necklace and grovel. Grovel a lot.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t like Groveling. I don’t get why this is so horrible, she’s the one who had a fling with McQuaid, why isn’t she groveling?” He asked. “Because that ended by the all star break and she hadn’t been seen with anyone since and plus it was like a month. Just make it right dude, because I can’t deal with Third Wheel Stepan anymore, your ruining my marriage.” He put him on Bluetooth and started driving back to the house. “Alright. I’ll stop by Tiffany’s before I hit the rink. See you soon.”

They said goodbye and he pulled up Tiffany and Co’s number at a red light. “Hi yes can I speak to Dagmar, yes is she in?” Dagmar was an old German lady who Derek’s family went to for everything and anything Tiffany’s, it was their jewelry store of choice. “I know who this is. What does my favorite hockey player do this time?” He smiled. “Social media issues. I need something great, mind blowing.” He pulled into the house; he could see Shattuck going crazy in the mirror. “I’ve got just the thing. You coming in later?” She said in her thick German accent. “In an half hour.” He replied. “Gives me just enough time, bring the American Express with you Der-ek. It will cost you. Goodbye Sweetheart.” He let out a laugh. His mistakes always cost him.

---

An hour later he was on the ice with the boys, Kendall and a couple others. He could tell she was softening up to him after about two skateby’s. “Lunch. By the Marina? Come on Kendall a little clams? A little lobster? A little Derek?” He smiled at her. “Come on Kendall, we promised each other a fresh start. I am trying here.” He whispered. She shook her head at him. “Fine meet me at my car. We drive separately though. I want an easy out if needed.” He grinned at her. “See you then Sweet cheeks.” He let out a laugh as he went to go line up against Ryan Suter.

---

“Dying. Slowly Dying.” Mikey Reilly a recently graduated college hockey player let out in a groan as they reached the locker room. “It only gets worse from here kid.” Zach Parise teased. Derek leaned his head against Ryan’s shoulder letting out his own moans and groans. “Ryan make the soreness stop.” He huffed. “First, get your head off my shoulder I am not Josie or Kendall, second give it another week or two and we’ll be fine. We’re just quasi out of shape because we won the mother fucking cup. Shower up, Kendall is awaiting.” He groaned some more as he took off one piece of equipment at a time, and then hit the showers. None of this, training, the cup, hockey, his career would mean anything without Kendall by his side, he needed her more then he thought he did, he couldn’t be without her. So he needed this makeup session to come out on the right side.

---

Thirty minutes later he was walking out of the locker room his Rangers hockey bag on one shoulder, his sticks in hand as he walked to his car. “Have fun.” Mikey muttered to him as he saw Kendall leaning up against his car. She was beautiful. Her light brunette hair was tossed up in a bun, a lululemon headband pushed back her hair, The pearl earrings he had given her for her twentieth birthday were in, she was standing there in a pair of J.Crew shorts, one of those shoulder cut-out flowy boho shirts and a pair of Bauer slides. “You do know Bauer’s aren’t considered right apparel for the outside world right?” He told her as he unlocked his truck and threw his bag and sticks into the back seat. “Your like so funny making fun of my shoe choices, I have Jack Rogers in my car. I just walked out of the rink in these. Are you going to be nice to me at lunch?” She asked. “Yeah babe.” He leaned up against the car alongside her.

“You ready to go?” She nodded at him. “See you there.” She walked over to her beamer. “Try to keep up D.” He rolled his eyes at her. “You keep up K.” He hopped into the truck, and waited for her to pull out. She was zooming through the streets of Hastings, to the next town over. Through traffic, and stop signs it was hard to keep up with her, maybe the Beamer went a little faster then his truck. He pulled up next to her at their favorite little spot down by the Marina, The Reel Club. She got out and came to the driver side of the truck, he pulled down the window and she leaned in. “Told you, you should of bought a Range instead of this truck with that last bonus.” He smirked at her. “You said you digged guys with trucks.” He brushed away a loose strand of her hair in her eyes. “Digged. Not dig anymore.” He shut off the car and followed her into the restaurant.

“Mr and Mrs. Stepan! We didn’t think we would be seeing you this summer!” The owner Wiley Lucas shouted as they walked in. “It’s actually just Stepan and Brooks again. For now.” Kendall replied as they took their favorite booth. For now. What he liked to hear, he had the tiffany box in his pocket. “Well for now is fine with us! We’ll get your favorites, fish and chips, clams and new England clam chowder!” They both smiled back at Wiley as he put in their order.
“Remember that first summer coming back from Shattuck as an official couple. After we graduated.” Kendall smiled at him. “We came here every Friday night for date night. Like clockwork you would appear at my house with flowers, and we would come here then end up at Ryan’s for a party.” They were so in love with each other then. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. “I remember. Best summer of my life. I was going to Wisconsin to play college hockey, I had the most beautiful girlfriend and I was just drafted by the Rangers. Nothing went wrong.” He sipped his beer as Wiley brought out their soups and clams. “I deleted the app.” He whispered. She pursed her lips. “I hoped you would. And I am sorry for the whole Adam thing, it was disrespectful for me to date someone who had connections to you and flaunt it on social media. I am sorry. I just so badly wanted to get over you, but I broke it off once I realized I didn’t like him that much, I just liked the idea of him, my heart was still aching for you.” He smirked. “Same. Every girl I talked to wasn’t you.” She leaned across the table and kissed him.

A simple kiss was never a simple kiss with them, it was always fireworks whenever their lips touched. “We good?” She asked him. “We will be after you open this.” He pulled the box out of his pocket, the bow still perfectly tied. “Just a little I fucked up present.” He slid it across the table. Her eyes lit up. “My favorite kind.” She untied the bow and opened the box, her fingers quick to open the pouch inside to find out what she had gotten. When an infinity ring popped into her hand she wanted to tear up. “You and me kid, infinity and beyond. If we like it or not.” She put it on her left ring finger where her Tiffany sparkler used to sit, this was the ring to promise that ring would be on her finger sooner rather then later again.

She got up and sat down next to him on his side of the booth. “This means the world to be D, I love it.” She kissed him again, his lips were always so soft and tender. She loved their kisses. She wrapped her arms around him while their fish and chips were placed on the table. “I think we need to get away this weekend. I know it’s only Monday but trust me we need this.” Kendall put out there. “And where do you think we should go?” He asked. “Shattuck.” Once she muttered that word he looked at her. “We haven’t been back in a long time and I think we need it. We need to go back to the campus where we, this, our future started. Come on Derek a road trip to Faribault, seeing the old dorms, the old rink. It would be so good for us. I am telling you.” He smirked at her. “You never cease to amaze me. We’re road tripping to Faribault this weekend.” They hadn’t been together alone for an entire weekend without family, friends, or distractions around in a while. This was just the thing they needed. Time to go back to High School.

Notes

Back to the old stomping grounds in the next chapter! Going back to Shattuck <3