I miss you, too.
I know things are rocky between us, but I’m willing to put the work in to show that you cantrust me again.
He’s silent for a long while. I think he may have fallen asleep, or maybe I scared him off with my last text, but then I see the bubbles pop up again.
Jake:
I hope so, because right now, that’s all I have to hold onto.
Tell me what you need, and I’ll give it to you
Jake:
Promise me you won’t run away from me again.
I promise, this time is different.
I’m here to stay for as long as you’ll have me.
My heart cracks at his words.
Knowing I misunderstood him back then, that I blew us up over nothing guts me. I should’ve had more trust in him, should’ve communicated better with him.
Even though we had a false start, our time apart forced me to grow and learn so much about myself. I’m not the same insecure girl who lets people get to her and walk all over her.
I know who I am, and I know what I want.
There might be days where I struggle a bit, bouts of insecurity popping up, because life doesn’t work in a linear motion, but I’ve come so far in my journey to find and love myself. I can only continue to show up and prove that I’m here to stay, and that starts by earning his trust again.
Chapter 10
Kailyn
The last few weeks have been insane.
Between all of the travel and games, I feel like I’ve barely had a moment to myself. That’s the life of a hockey player, or in my case, the team’s athletic trainer.
The Blaze are on fire, playing like they’re already in the playoffs. We’ve gone undefeated this season so far, and while I know these boys are superstitious and I shouldn’t be thinking about it, I can’t help but be proud of them. The smiles on their faces, seeing how happy they are after each game—it makes me proud to be here.
Right now, we’re on an away stretch of three games that ends after tonight. And as much as I love traveling and exploring new places, I also miss my own bed.
Dr. Sanders gave the staff the morning off, saying he would watch practice, so we all decided to explore Seattle.
“I cannot wait for tonight to be over, so I can go home and sleep in my own bed,” Emilia huffs as she sips her coffee.
We’re sitting at a table outside, relaxing and peoplewatching.
“I may miss my bed, but I definitely don’t miss the Florida heat. This breeze has been so nice for my hair.”
“Girl, you’re telling me. I haven’t had hair this tame in months. The heat makes it frizzy and dry.” She laughs.
“Oh, I know. If you want it to look good, you have to spend so much money on products. When I was unpacking all of my stuff in my new apartment, Brandon decided to help with my bathroom and he was baffled by the number of bathroom boxes I had and how much was in them.”
“No way. I swear, these boys spend hours getting ready in the bathroom. Growing up, Beckett had a ten step skin care routine that put mine to shame.”
“Why does that not shock me? Brayden was the exact same way growing up.” I let out a belly laugh.
“It’s Beckett and Brayden we’re talking about. The two pretty boys of the team.” She gives me a side eye, mischief dancing in her eyes.
