I've loved the Stars too fondly to be fearful of the night - Galileo

Jamie's POV

I sighed quietly and locked my phone, placing it on the table next to my half-filled glass of beer. Ashley was texting me to hang out but I kept telling her I was having a guy’s night. When I took her with us a couple weeks back she was beyond unimpressed and hardly talked to any of them. Easily one of the most awkward moments of my life.

"What's up, Cap?" Spezza asked me before taking a drink from his glass.

I looked up at him wearily, "Ashley," was all I said.

The group of guys groaned, "Boo!" Tyler called.

I smiled and little and shook my head at some of my teammates.

We had the next day off so we decided to blow of some steam and head to a karaoke bar, one of our pastimes. None of us really ever went up to sing, but we always got a good laugh out of going there to watch.

"Listen, Chubbs," Tyler started, using my nickname causing me to roll my eyes, "Ash is not the girl for you! I don't even know what you're doing with her!"

"Hey, she's a nice girl," I defended, "she's just a little shy is all."

"It's not that she's shy," Cody chimed in, "it's that she's rude. She didn't even attempt to talk to any of us; she had her fucking phone in front of her face the entire night."

"She likes the attention too much!" Demers chimed in, "She likes your name in Dallas not you, Cap!"

This was the same thing they told me all the time ever since I met Ashley. I'm not gonna lie...she did kinda start off as a punk bunny thing, but...I dunno, I liked her. I liked the way she made me feel, like I was the most important guy she had ever been around. Although that's probably true. But...the guys didn't get along with her and vice versa. She wasn't my girlfriend by any means though, not that she hadn't tried. I was waiting to see where things went with her.

"Well what should I do then?" I asked, irritated, getting tired of this reaction all the time from them.

"You find a girl that loves you, Chubbs, for you not for your bank account," Tyler told me.

I looked over at Tyler who was sitting right next to me and shrugged lightly at him.

"Cake by the ocean!!" someone shouted from not too far away.

I looked to my right and saw a group of people sitting at a table about five feet from me. Three girls and two guys. The girl sitting closest to me on the end of her table had dark blonde hair and a bright smile and she was wearing a pair of glasses. She was dancing and singing along to the guy up on stage. I couldn't help but smile at her even though she was looking away from me.

"Something catch your eye, Cap?" Sharpie called over to me.

I looked over and smiled with a small laugh, "She's pretty," was all I said.

Tyler clapped me on the back with a chuckle, "I already like her more than Ash."

I shook my head and looked back at her quickly as she danced around in her chair with a huge smile, "There's no way a girl like her is single, man." I told him, before taking another drink from my glass.

Josie's POV

I couldn’t help how much I was laughing as me and my friends sat together at the table in some random karaoke bar. It was a night out that I was needed for the past month. The guy on stage finished his rendition of Cake by the Ocean and we cheered and clapped for him as he walked off stage.

"That was awesome, eh?" I said, looking over at the other four people at the table.

Toby laughed and shook his head, "Her Canadian is showing!"

I laughed, "Fuck you!" I told him.

Someone else took the stage and began talking, "I'm on vacation right now, so I doubt they'll be anyone else here from my hometown...but is there anyone out there from the 6?" he asked into the microphone.

I could feel my face light up as I began cheering from my seat, I heard someone else cheering and I looked to my left at the table of hockey players that were sitting there. I saw Tyler Seguin cheering along, we made eye contact and pointed at each other and kept cheering. The other guys from his table were laughing at us, but I didn't care. Would Brampton count as part of the 6? Whatever, I thought with a small smile.

I turned to face the stage again while I was still laughing and rapped along with the guy as he started Drake's Started from the Bottom.

I knew who the guys at the table were. Members of the Dallas Stars NHL Team. I was a Canadian living in America, I needed my fill of hockey, what could I say. But I wasn't about to go over and bother the poor guys. They deserved their privacy just as much as any of us non-hockey folk.

After the song was finished my friend, Zoe was called up for her turn to sing. Our table went nuts, her boyfriend; Kyle was the loudest of us all.

"Hey everyone," Zoe said into the mic, "So, this song is dedicated to one of my best friends."

"Oh, Christ," I said covering my face with my hand.

"Josie and her boyfriend broke up a few weeks ago and we've finally gotten her to come out and have a good night with us! Josie, wave to the people!" she laughed.

I looked up and smiled at her while shaking my head, "Yeah, yeah," I said waving a little to the people around us.

"Now, basically, I just wanted everyone to know that Josie...well, she don't want no scrubs," Zoe said before the music for TLC's iconic No Scrubs started to play.

I couldn’t help but to laugh and sing along. I was dancing in my seats and singing with the others at the table who were filming it probably for SnapChat or something. The song finished and we all stood up and cheered, Zoe came back to the table and I hugged her tightly.

"Thank-you for that," I whispered.

She squeezed me back, "I love you."

I pulled away and smiled, "Love you too."

"I'm gonna get a refill, anyone else want?" I asked.

They all shouted yes to me so I went to walk to the bar and I waited to order.

"Hey," I heard from next to me.

I looked over and saw Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars looking at me, "Hey," I smiled, before turning to look at the bar again, waiting for my turn.

"I'm Jamie," he continued.

I looked back to him with a small smile, "I know, I'm Josie," I told him.

His smiled faltered for only half a second, "Oh you know?"

I smiled, "I'm Canadian," was all I said.

He laughed and nodded, "Makes sense. What are you doing in Dallas then? Pro hockey payer too?"

I smiled and shook my head, "I wish. But I'm a teacher, actually,"

He titled his head a little to look at me, "You left Canada to come here to teach?" he asked curiously.

I adjusted my glasses and smiled up at him, "I got a full ride academic scholarship to study down here and then I was offered a full time position at a school. Couldn’t turn it down."

Before he could answer the bartender called me up, "Hey, can I get 5 more bottles of Coors?" I asked.

He nodded once and looked to Jamie, "You?" he asked.

"Huh, three more pitchers of Bud," he told him, "Hey, do me a favour. Put her stuff on my tab," Jamie said pointing to me.

"No, no," I said, motioning to the bartender, "I'll pay for my own stuff, thanks."

I looked over at Jamie and he was smiling, "My tab," he said, before the bartender went to get our stuff.

I sighed, "I guess I wasn't winning that fight," I told him.

He smiled, "You definitely weren't."

"Thanks," I said to the bartender as he handed me my bottles and Jamie his pitchers, "Thank-you," I said to Jamie.

He nodded, "No problem! Anything for a fellow Canadian."

"Listen," I told him, not knowing where this was going, "I'm...I'm a hockey fan, okay? Like, legit a hockey fan. I'm not just into the sport because of the guys playing it. Basically...I'm not a puck bunny. So, I really hope that because you bought me and my friends drinks doesn't make you think that I'm gonna repay you in that way, ya know?"

The loud laugh that erupted from him was enough to make my face burn in embarrassment, "On that note, Imma take off, I think," I told him with a small smile.

"No, no come back!" Jamie called through a laugh, I chuckled and turned to face him, "This is my favourite thing that has ever happened."

I smiled and shook my head, "Shuddup, I'm mildly embarrassed," I told him.

"Don't be!" he told me, "It was hilarious!" he said as we started walking back to our tables.

I laughed, "Well I'm glad you thought my embarrassment was hilarious, I appreciate that, Benn."

He nudged my shoulder gently, "You're more than welcome, Josie. It was hilarious, I'm not gonna lie."

I sighed deeply and shrugged my shoulder when we got to our tables, "I mean, that is what I'm here for, embarrassing myself in front of a pro hockey player. That's the dream," I said before placing the drinks on my table.

"Well I'm glad I got to experience that," Jamie said from behind me.

I turned to look at him and smiled brightly, "Well, thank-you again for paying, even though you didn't have to."

"I wanted to," he smiled.

"Alright," I said, pushing my glasses further up my nose, wishing I had worn my contacts instead, "well enjoy the rest of your night, Jamie; it was nice to meet you."

"Well, I mean, we're next door neighbours for a little while, no use saying goodbye just yet," he told me.

I raised my eyebrows, "That's true I suppose," I said, "in that case Imma sit down then," I said pulling my chair out and taking a seat.

A chorus of thank-you's welcomed me and I shook my head, "Thank him," I said pointing my thumb behind me to Jamie.

"Thanks!" the table called lifting the bottles in cheers to him, I laughed and looked over at him, he was smiling and waving it off with a smile.

"No problem!" he called to them.

I turned away and faced my friends who were looking at me expectantly, "Shut it," I said before they could say anything.

Toby grinned at me, "We didn't say anything," he said before taking a drink from his bottle.

I rolled my eyes, "I know what you're thinking though," I replied back to him.

Sherrie, Toby's girlfriend, laughed, "All we're thinking is, damn, Josie got us some free drinks tonight," she said making us laugh.

I shook my head, "I didn't intend to get some free drinks."

"But you did," Zoe said with a wink.

"I tried to pay for them," I defended, "it was a nice gesture. It was nothing."

Kyle laughed, "Well, since it was nothing, you won't care about the fact that he's been looking at you pretty much the whole time since you've got back then, right?"

I felt the heat rising; once again, to my cheeks as I leaned back in my chair and as casually as I could look to my left at Jamie's table. And sure enough he was looking at me; he smiled and waved a little.

I couldn’t bit back the small smile on my face, "You stalking me or something now, Jamie?"

He laughed, "Casually stalking from the next table is my specialty."

"Really?" I asked, "I thought your speciality was winning the Art Ross Trophy?" I asked him with a sly grin.

His eyes went wide and his table began laughing and Jamie looked lost for words but he was smiling at me.

"You...you really are a hockey fan, eh?" he laughed.

I shrugged, "Told you," I said smugly, before turning to face my table again.

Zoe and Sherrie were grinning like fools at me, while Toby and Kyle were wiggling their eyebrows at me.

"Fuck off," I said quietly, still smiling a little.

Sherrie was giggling, "Even on your glasses on no makeup days you can pull in a hockey player."

I rolled my eyes and took a swig from my bottle, "Her personality is dope though, he's probably in love with her already," Toby said.

I put my bottle down and snorted, "Let’s all relax, okay? He bought us drinks not me a ring, okay?"

"Josie!" Jamie called from behind me.

I turned in my chair and looked at him, smiling as I did so, "Jamie!" I called back at him.

"When are you getting up there?" he asked pointing to the stage.

I laughed, "Man, I was already up there twice! You must not have been here yet!"

"Get up there so I can see it!" he said.

I laughed and snapped my fingers, "Damn, sorry, not my problem you missed it!"

He laughed loudly making me laugh even more, "Well when are you getting up there?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "No no, I'll stick to the ice, thanks."

"None of you have been up there!" I said, looking at the rest of the table.

The guys laughed, "Not our huh, area of expertise," Cody Eakin told me.

I nodded, "True, but if it was frozen y'all woulda been up there!"

Patrick Sharp lifted his glass in my direction, "With a stick and a puck!"

I lifted my bottle in his direction and nodded my head, "You know it!"

Jamie smiled over at me, "Josie, I'm sure you already known there guys, but this is Tyler, my brother Jordie, Jason, but we call him Spezza, Jason, but we call him Demers since they're confused easily. Then Patrick and Cody. Guys this is Josie," Jamie said motioning to each of the guys then to me.

I smiled and waved at them, "Hey guys."

They all smiled and waved back but they all spoke at once so I couldn’t understand them all.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder; I turned and looked at Zoe, "Ready to head out? Kyle has to go in for work in the morning."

I smiled and finished off the last quarter of my beer before placing the empty bottle on the table, "Let's roll!" I said, grabbing my purse from the ground and then standing up.

"It was nice meeting you guys! Good luck this season!" I said, turning to look at Jamie's table.

Jamie was frowning at me, "You're leaving already?"

I nodded, "Yeah, we all drove together and Kyle works in the morning. Shit sorry," I said looking back at the group, "guys, this is Jamie and some of the Stars. Guys," I said looking back at Jamie’s table, "This is Zoe, Kyle, Sherrie and Toby."

They all shared polite hellos before Jamie stood up.

"It was nice meeting you," he told me, while my friends lingered behind me and his table watched the interaction intently.

I smiled, "Yeah, you too, Jamie."

"Listen, um," he started quietly, so quiet that I needed to take a step closer to him, "would it be weird if I asked for your number? You know...for hockey talk?"

I laughed, "Hockey talk, eh?" I asked him, pushing up my glasses.

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Hockey talk, just regular talk."

I bit my lip, "Honestly...I don't know, man. Like, I usually don't give my number out to random hockey guys in bars."

He looked a bit dejected, "Yeah, I mean...yeah no, I understand."

I felt my heartstrings ping then and something that felt like butterflies in my stomach. My palms felt sweaty and I hadn't felt anything quite like it since I first had met my ex-boyfriend. Throw caution to the wind, Josie.

"But," I said, stretching out the word, "since you're technically not random I guess that'd be okay."

He looked at me and grinned, "Yeah?"

I chuckled and nodded, "Sure."

He pulled his phone out and set up a contact name before passing me the iPhone, which he didn't have in a case so I was absolutely terrified.

I punched in my phone number before adding a few beer emojis to my contact name and saving it, then handing it back to him.

"I'll talk to you later?" I asked, taking a step backwards.

He smiled, "Absolutely."

"Bye, Jamie," I said quietly, "Bye guys!" I called to the group at the table, that was most definitely eavesdropping on us.

"Bye!" they all yelled while waving.

I looked back at Jamie and smiled once more before turning to leave with my group.

Zoe linked her arm with mine, "When we get close to the door look back and smile."

I laughed, "He's probably already sat down again."

"I bet he's still watching you," she said.

"I bet he's not," I challenged.

"Two weeks of lesson plans?" she challenged.

"Deal," I said instantly. I stopped just short of the door and casually, or as casually as I could with Zoe attached to my arm, looked back at where Jamie's table was.

"Fuck yeah," Zoe whispered.

Jamie was still standing at looking at me, I waved and smiled shyly at him, he waved and smiled back to me before I turned and left the bar.

"I'd like to thank-you on behalf of my students," Zoe said while we followed the others to Kyle's car.

I smiled and hip checked her gently, "Fuck off."

Notes

This is my first Jamie Benn story on here! I have another one going on Wattpad so let me know if you want and I'll let you know what it's called if you wanted to check that one out too!!

I'm stoked for this story! Let me know what you think!!!!!!!!