Hold On Tight

Tyler followed his friend and teammate out of another store, gripping his stomach dramatically. “Come on, bro! Just pick something already, I’m starving.”

Jamie sent him a glare before looking down at his phone for the next store on his list. “After I find the perfect gift for Avery. Her birthday is next week, dude, and I don’t have shit.”

“Just get her a necklace, take her to a fancy dinner, then prepare to get laid.” Tyler grinned at him. “See? Easy. Now, burgers.”

Jamie scoffed. “Yeah, not taking relationship advice from a guy who hasn’t had a girlfriend for as long as I’ve known him.”

Tyler looked at the ground, not saying anything in response. He knew Jaime wasn’t trying to push any buttons. His friend didn’t know that Tyler once rocked being a boyfriend – at least not fully. The fact that Tyler fucked up a relationship before he came to Dallas was pretty much common knowledge to the team, though they all thought he had cheated on her. Jamie knew more than most, that Tyler had actually loved the girl, that she had disappeared from his life and he hasn’t seen her since. Not that it was his choice. After she graduate college, a graduation he had snuck into the back to see, she changed her mind about staying in Boston to get her Master’s and left town.

None one knew, of course, that every once in a while, he would try to find her. He had visited the University of Boston when he got back from the offseason, hoping that she would maybe give him another chance, or at least hear him out about how sorry he was, and how much he regretted running away from her because he was scared and young and stupid and took some ribbing from his teammates to heart. When she wasn’t there, he braved a call to her brother, who told him nothing other than she went away and that if there was anything good in the world, he would never see her again.

A familiar laugh made him snap his head up, his heart racing as he frantically searched the busy street for the owner of the sound. He would know that laugh anywhere, had wanted to spend the rest of his life being the cause of it. She couldn’t be here, though. There was no freaking way that she ended up in the same – there. Across the street, looking more beautiful in a black maxi dress than she did the last time he saw her, makeup smudged across her face and her running away from him forever.

Tyler stared at her, feeling like someone had punched him in the gut. All the years since he had last seen her flashing through his mind, fast enough to make him dizzy. She was in Dallas. He thought back to her list of graduate schools – the ones she would consider if Boston wouldn’t accept her – but couldn’t remember Dallas ever being on her list. She hated hot weather, so he never in a million years thought he would see her again passing out flyers on the side of the street in Dallas.

He was thrown out of his thoughts when a blonde guy around his age appearedd in front of him with a smile. “Hey! You’re Tyler Seguin! And Jaime Benn!”

Tyler fought the urge to roll his eyes, not in the mood to deal with a fan, not after he finally found what he had lost all those years ago. “Yeah, man-“

“Listen,” the blonde interrupted. “You see that girl over there?” He didn’t wait for a response as he pointed towards Haley, not that Tyler was able to form one around the lump in his throat. “She’s super talented and she’s playing a show at Adair’s Saloon tonight. You guys should come.”

Tyler could feel Jaime staring at him as he took the flyer the guy was hold out. “Sure man, we’ll be there.”

The man grinned. “Great. Hals doesn’t watch hockey, hates it, but Noah and I are huge fans, and I know it would meaning something to her to have hometown celebrities come to a show.”

Tyler watched as he walked away from them and towards Haley. When he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her body into his while kissing her check, he felt the air leave his lungs. He knew he had no right to have any claim on her anymore – he threw that privilege away a long time ago – but he didn’t think he would ever be okay with her being with someone else.

Jamie must have saw the pained look on his face, because he bumped his shoulder. “Ty, what’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, and you volunteered us to go see an amateur country show.”

Tyler continued to watch Haley, whispering, “That’s her.”

“Her? Who’s-“ Jamie’s face changed into one of shock. “Oh. Oh! The girl from Boston.”

Flashback – September 2011

Tyler wasn’t looking where he was going, his attention solely on his phone as he double checked his game schedule for the start of his season, so when his body hit a hard surface, the unexpectedness of it threw him off his feet. He looked up at the blue sky above him in confusion, not able to comprehend what had just happened and why his forehead suddenly hurt.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry!” A feminine voice squeaked before he felt small hands grabbing his arms to pull him up. “I wasn’t looking where I was going and didn’t even think to look before I threw open the door.”

He shook his head, trying to bring himself back. He slowly blinked, rubbing his head. He was doing something… he was walking. What was he doing while he was walking? He was… on his phone! He was on his phone, but where was it now?

Slowly coming to his sense, Tyler started to look for his phone, tuning out the girl who was still rambling on about something.

He startled when she grabbed his arm again. “Hey, are you okay? I hit you with the door pretty hard.”

Tyler sighed, just wanting to find his phone and get going. He only had a limited amount of free days left, and he didn’t want to deal with anyone he didn’t absolutely have too. He looked up to politely tell her to shove off, when he got stuck in her eyes. They were unlike any that he had ever seen before, somehow a mix of blue, green, and grey.

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, running a hand through her blonde hair when he didn’t say anything, just stared at her with his mouth slightly agape.

He cleared his throat. “Sorry, no, I’m fine. I’m Tyler.”

The girl smiled at him. “Haley. I don’t usually hit random strangers with doors, by the way. I was just-“

He chuckled when she shrugged instead of finishing her sentence. “Just one of those days?” He offered.

Haley nodded and let out a breath through puffed cheeks. “Yeah. Listen, I hate to hit and run, literally, but I’m really late for my class. I’m so sorry about the door.”

“Yeah!” Tyler exclaimed, louder that he meant to. He silently cursed himself. Of course he finds a girl that makes his palms sweat for the first time and he’s an idiot.

She laughed, causing a weird feeling in his stomach, and gave him a small wave before hurrying down the street, not giving him a chance to ask for her number. Sighing, he looked around for his phone, reaching to pick it up, before looking at the sign of the business Haley was rushing out of. Without letting himself think too much about it, he opened the door and entered the building, the smell of coffee overwhelming his senses.

“Welcome to Grin!” A perky red-headed barista called out from behind the counter, her shirt matching the one Haley hurried off in.

Tyler smiled to himself. It was good to be back in Boston.

End Flashback

“Yeah,” Tyler muttered. “The girl from Boston.”

Notes