voidvannie

Latest Posts by voidvannie

I’ll pray for you Ferrari fans because wtf is this

i’m coming out as a matthews fan

he’s fine ok i won’t deny it anymore this is who i am

the night we met - q.hughes

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q.hughes x fem! oc | 25k

warnings : talks of su!cide, depression, anxiety, abu$e

summary: In a city of noise and pressure, two quiet souls—Quinn Hughes, the Canucks captain burdened by expectation, and Ava Monroe, the lonely daughter of a billionaire—find each other at their lowest. What begins as a silent connection in the dark becomes a lifeline, as they quietly piece each other back together. Through whispered confessions, found family, and healing love, they learn that sometimes, the gentlest stories are the most powerful—and that the right person can bring you home without ever saying a word.

a/n: I’ve working on this for a little bit now and I wanted to make sure I was happy with how it came out. I say it every time but I think this is my favourite thing I’ve written so far. I really hope you guys enjoy this.

masterlist

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From the outside, Ava Monroe had everything. The kind of everything that was splashed across glossy magazine covers and whispered about at exclusive dinner parties hosted in candlelit dining rooms with ten-thousand-dollar floral centerpieces. She lived in a sprawling mansion perched high in West Vancouver, with sweeping, cinematic views of the Pacific that made the sunsets look like they were painted just for her. The marble-floored foyer echoed with each step beneath her designer heels, and there was always someone paid to anticipate her needs—a private chef who prepared meals she rarely had an appetite for, stylists who dressed her like a mannequin, tutors who guided her through a curriculum designed to craft the perfect future. Her world was curated like an art gallery: everything polished, everything perfect.

But no one ever asked her if she felt at home in it. In truth, Ava had felt like a guest in her own life for as long as she could remember—present but not wanted, displayed but not held. A beautiful ghost wandering through a museum of someone else's making. Her every breath felt choreographed, like she was part of a play she never auditioned for.

Her name carried weight. Ava Monroe. Daughter of David Monroe, real estate tycoon turned international mogul, whose face was on the cover of Forbes more than it was in her life. And her mother, Sally—a socialite whose reputation for elegance was only matched by her absence. Together, they were Vancouver's power couple, untouchable in their glass tower of privilege. But Ava? She was the glass. Transparent. Fragile. On display, but invisible. A footnote in their empire.

From the outside, it looked like the dream. But inside, it was a mausoleum of unspoken words and unmet needs. A house that echoed with the absence of love. A girl who grew up surrounded by beauty and yet felt none of it belonged to her. Money was the answer to every problem, but it never asked her how she felt. It bought silence instead of comfort. And Ava—young, soft, desperate Ava—learned how to exist quietly within it. Learned how to smile for the cameras while dying in the dark. Learned how to shrink her soul until it could fit into the cracks of other people's expectations.

Money masked the emptiness. But it never filled it. It never could. It could buy her everything—except the feeling of being wanted.

She remembered the gold trim of her bedroom walls better than her father's laugh—if he even had one. The sound of his voice was a memory blurred by distance and business calls, always clipped and impatient, never warm. She couldn't recall a single bedtime story or a moment where he looked at her like she was something more than a fleeting responsibility. And her mother—God, her mother's perfume—that suffocating cloud of white jasmine and vodka, always seemed to arrive before she did. It clung to the drapes, to Ava's pillows, to her hair, long after her mother was gone. Longer than her embrace. Longer than her love, if it had ever existed at all. Her mother's touch was cold, her gaze colder. Ava used to press her small hands to the windows and watch her leave, praying she'd come back softer. She never did.

Ava's childhood was a mosaic of jet lag and hotel suites. She'd stood at the base of the Eiffel Tower, floated in gondolas down Venetian canals, and tasted sushi in Tokyo that melted on her tongue like snow. Her passport was thick with stamps by the age of ten. But none of those places felt like home. Home was a concept Ava didn't understand. Not really. Her childhood home in Vancouver was more like a museum—perfectly curated, but hollow. A stage built to impress, but never to comfort.

Her father was always gone. He existed in phone calls, scheduled meetings, and brief appearances in tuxedos at charity galas. When he was home, he was on his phone, always pacing, always tense, and Ava quickly learned that the way to his attention was through perfect grades or crisis-level tantrums. He preferred the grades. It cost less to reward her than to soothe her. When she got her first A+ in primary school, he handed her a bracelet worth more than some people made in a year, kissed her on the forehead, and left the room. She kept the bracelet in its box. She wanted his words, not his money. But words were too expensive for him.

Sally Monroe, meanwhile, was more ghost than mother—a haunting, a flicker in the corner of the room, a presence that came and went like perfume dissipating into stale air. She floated in and out of the house, high on champagne and attention, always late, always dismissive, like motherhood was a performance she never auditioned for. Her stilettos clicked across marble floors like a metronome of neglect, and her laughter echoed through hallways Ava was never invited into. Ava can still hear her words like a wound that never scabbed over, each syllable slicing deeper than the last.

"You ruined my body, Ava," she once spat, wine glass in hand, eyes glassy and unfocused.

"If I didn't have you, I could've been someone," she slurred another time, brushing past her daughter like she was a smudge on her perfect reflection.

"Why can't you just be normal for once?"

Ava would replay those moments in her head, over and over, like a broken record. The cruelness wasn't random—it was ritual. Her mother's disdain was the wallpaper of her childhood, unavoidable and slowly peeling away at her self-worth. Every glance in the mirror became a question: What was so wrong with her that even her mother couldn't love her? And still, some pathetic part of her held onto hope—that one day Sally would walk through the door, take Ava's face in her hands, and say she was sorry. That she was proud. That she wanted her.

But apologies were for people who felt remorse. And Sally Monroe never looked back.

Words sharpened like razors over time, and Ava bled internally for years. She bled in silence. She bled with a smile. Every glance in the mirror felt like she was trying to live up to a version of herself that never existed. She would stare at her reflection and wonder what exactly about her had made her mother unravel.

The only solace she ever knew was Brenda.

Brenda was the nanny who stayed far past her job description. She was the one who tucked Ava in, made her soup when she was sick, brushed the knots out of her hair while humming lullabies. Brenda was the one who held her after nightmares, whispered that she was special, that she was loved—words no one else ever said and meant. Brenda was home. When the world felt too loud, Ava would crawl into Brenda's arms and let herself feel small, feel held. Brenda was the only person who ever looked at Ava like she mattered. Not as a responsibility. Not as a paycheck. But as a person.

And then one day, Brenda left too.

Ava was fifteen. Her parents claimed she had to go—"boundaries," her mother had said with a smug twist of her lips. Ava didn't eat for three days. Her silence screamed at them, but no one listened. Brenda cried when she packed her last bag. Ava sat on the stairs, arms wrapped around her knees, watching her only source of love walk out the door. It was the first time she thought about disappearing. The first time she wondered what death felt like.

That's when the darkness started to curl around her, quiet and relentless. It wasn't a sudden collapse. It was a slow, steady erosion. Each day chipped away at her until there was nothing left but skin stretched over silence.

By sixteen, the depression was a thick fog that clung to her skin, seeped into her lungs, made every breath feel like drowning. The anxiety followed like a shadow. Panic attacks in the middle of the night, the overwhelming sense that she was suffocating inside her own skin. Her heart would race for no reason, hands trembling, chest tightening until she gasped for air like she was underwater. She wore silk and diamonds, but her ribs felt like they were collapsing.

She sat in therapy offices decorated in muted pastels, nodding while older women scribbled notes and offered her lavender tea and affirmations. Ava learned how to lie in those offices. Learned the right things to say so they'd stop probing, stop calling her parents, stop suggesting medication that her mother would scoff at anyway. The therapists saw her as a sad rich girl. Nothing more.

No one noticed she was slipping. Maybe they did, but they didn't care. Or they thought she'd be fine. She was Ava Monroe, after all.

At school, she was the quiet girl with perfect hair and vacant eyes. People wanted to sit next to her, invited her to parties she never showed up to, tagged her in photos she wasn't in. No one really saw her. The friends she made wanted status, not connection. They clung to her for the proximity to power, the name, the lifestyle they thought they could sip like champagne through her. They smiled in selfies and whispered about her when she turned her back. Her name got her into rooms, but her presence was irrelevant.

She deleted her social media when she turned seventeen. The silence was better than the noise. She didn't want to see the curated versions of people pretending to live happy lives, or the forced smiles of people who didn't know what it meant to ache.

Most nights, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the paint until her vision blurred. The silence was oppressive, curling around her like a second skin, smothering her slowly. She would lie motionless, the hum of the city outside her window reminding her that the world was still spinning, even if she wasn't. Each night bled into the next like watercolors running down the page, indistinguishable in their loneliness.

She often imagined what it would be like to simply vanish. To evaporate into the night air like breath on cold glass. Would anyone notice the absence of her quiet footsteps? The unoccupied chair in the lecture hall? The unread text messages on her phone? She doubted it. The idea that she could disappear without disrupting anything was both terrifying and oddly comforting. Some nights, the thoughts spiraled into places too dark to speak of—into fantasies of escape that stretched into eternity. A long, uninterrupted silence.

But something always tethered her to the edge. Sometimes it was the faint sound of Brenda's lullabies echoing in her head, like the memory of warmth. Sometimes it was a stranger's smile on the street or the way a poem broke open her chest just wide enough to let a sliver of hope in. A foolish, desperate hope that someone—anyone—might look at her one day and actually see her. Not the name. Not the money. Just her.

She never told anyone about those thoughts. Who would she tell? Her mother would laugh. Her father wouldn't even pause his call. And everyone else? They only knew how to love her shadow, never her soul.

There was no one to tell. So she carried it all alone, night after night, in a bed that felt too big, in a world that felt too empty.

Not Ava Monroe, the heiress. Not Ava Monroe, the girl with a platinum card and a perfect smile. Just Ava.

She turned eighteen and moved into her own condo in downtown Vancouver, a sleek place her father paid for and never visited. It was cold. Quiet. She painted one of the walls just to feel like she owned something in her life. She chose a soft green. Brenda would've liked it. The color softened the sterile white that made everything feel like a hospital.

University came next, more out of obligation than ambition. She studied literature because it felt like an escape, a place where pain was beautiful and loneliness had purpose. Her classmates admired her writing, but they never knew the stories came from somewhere real. She wrote about girls drowning in oceans of expectation, about mothers who forgot how to love, about the sound of being forgotten.

On weekends, she wandered the streets of Vancouver, alone with her earbuds and playlists of sad songs. Sometimes she sat at cafes and watched people laughing over lattes, wondering what it would feel like to belong to someone's world like that. Other times, she would walk along the seawall in Stanley Park, letting the crashing of waves drown out the noise in her head. She liked rainy days best—something about the grey skies made her feel less alone, like even the weather understood her.

She was twenty-one now. Twenty-one and still haunted by a childhood that looked perfect in pictures. Twenty-one and still trying to figure out who she was beneath the layers of privilege and pain. Twenty-one and still waiting for someone to stay.

The thing about being hollow is that it echoes. It makes everything louder. Loneliness. Grief. Desperation. The ache of never being chosen.

And Ava Monroe's whole life had been one long, aching echo.

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The city of Vancouver glittered under grey skies, caught in that strange, beautiful limbo between rain and light. The kind of grey that wrapped itself around buildings like a heavy blanket, soft and suffocating all at once. For Quinn Hughes, the skyline had become a blur—glass towers that reflected versions of himself he no longer recognized. Faces he used to know stared back from the mirrored windows: the hopeful rookie, the quiet brother, the boy with wide eyes and big dreams. But now, the reflections were hollowed out, distorted. He no longer knew which one was real.

He sat in his high-rise apartment overlooking the city, the window cool against his shoulder as he leaned into the silence. His breath left faint fog on the glass, fading faster than the thoughts in his head. The world outside moved with its usual rhythm—cars zipping through puddles, cyclists hunched against the drizzle, pedestrians rushing somewhere with purpose, umbrellas bobbing like tiny shields against the storm. But inside, Quinn felt still. Stuck. Forgotten.

The hum of the refrigerator was the only sound. The kind of silence that pressed against your chest and made you question if the world would even notice if you were gone. He hadn’t spoken to anyone all day. Not because no one called—he just didn’t answer. Some part of him hoped someone might show up anyway. But no one did.

The loneliness wasn’t loud. It was quiet and creeping, like fog under a doorframe. It seeped into his bones and made everything feel a few shades colder. He had the view, the prestige, the life people envied. But none of it meant anything when the only voice he heard was his own, echoing through empty rooms.

He blinked slowly, letting the rain blur his vision, and for a moment, he imagined the skyline disappearing. The city swallowed by mist. And him, sitting there, unnoticed. A ghost in a glass tower.

They called it an honor. They said it was a privilege. They said he earned it.

But when Quinn was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks, it didn’t feel like a crown. It felt like a shackle.

He remembered the headlines. The social media storm. The debates.

He’s too quiet. He’s not vocal enough. He’s not a leader. He hasn’t won anything.

People questioned his worth like it was a commodity they could bid on. They dissected his posture, his words, his facial expressions like analysts on a mission. Every move he made was magnified, every mistake weaponized. He was under a microscope, and the scrutiny burned.

He tried to drown it out. He told himself it didn’t matter, that he didn’t owe the world anything more than his effort. But it mattered. It mattered more than he wanted to admit.

Because all Quinn Hughes ever wanted was to be good enough.

Not just for the team. Not just for the fans. For his brothers. For his parents. For himself.

He grew up with a stick in his hands and the weight of expectation already on his shoulders. Being the oldest meant being the example. The one who knew the right answer. The one who paved the path not just for himself, but for everyone who came after. Every step he took was supposed to be a guide for his brothers, a light to follow. But what people didn’t understand was that he had paved that path with pieces of himself—with sleep he never got, with tears no one saw, with bruises he never let anyone treat.

Every time someone praised his poise, they didn’t see the nights he stayed up wondering if he was enough. Every time someone called him steady, they didn’t see how hard he worked to hold the cracks together. Each season, each game, each injury chipped away at him like erosion on a cliffside—slow, relentless. There were days when his body moved on autopilot, when he looked in the mirror and felt like a stranger was staring back. The boy who once dreamed with fire in his chest now looked at his reflection with tired eyes, wondering when the light inside him dimmed.

He wore his role like armor, but underneath it, he was breaking.

There were mornings he couldn’t get out of bed without pain shooting down his spine. Nights he iced his knees in silence while his teammates laughed across hotel hallways. Games where he played through injuries he should’ve rested. And still, when the final buzzer blew and the Canucks fell short yet again, he took the blame.

Always, it was Quinn.

He bore it in his posture, in the way his shoulders slumped when no one was watching. In the way he lingered on the ice after practice, skating until the rink emptied and all that was left was his shadow. He bore it in the bags under his eyes, the ache in his muscles, the distant look that had settled into his face.

And yet, no matter how hard he pushed, how much he gave, it never felt like enough.

His life looked like a dream from the outside. The penthouse apartment. The cars. The designer suits. The headlines. The cheers. But inside, it all felt empty. Like he was moving through a world made of glass, afraid to breathe too hard in case it shattered.

He tried to fill the void. With late nights and loud music. With drinks and shallow company. With bodies that meant nothing, tangled in his sheets, saying all the right things in the moment and disappearing before morning. But when the sun rose, so did the silence. And the ache.

It was always there.

The ache of being needed, but not known. The ache of being seen, but not understood.

Quinn carried the team like a secret. He never wanted the credit. Just the weight. He thought maybe if he carried enough of it, he could finally prove something—to himself, to the critics, to the kid he used to be who dreamt of the NHL and didn’t know how lonely dreams could become.

He watched the city pass him by from his window. Rain streaked the glass. The clouds hung low. Everything was tinted in shades of grey. His phone buzzed from the counter. Another text. Another obligation. He ignored it.

Sometimes, he wished he could disappear for a while. Not forever. Just long enough to remember who he was beneath the layers. Beneath the jersey, the title, the expectations. He didn’t even know what he liked outside of hockey anymore. Who was he when he wasn’t on the ice?

He closed his eyes and tried to remember the last time he laughed—really laughed. The kind that made your chest ache and your eyes water. The kind that felt free. Unfiltered. Nothing came.

He hadn’t laughed in a long time.

He had teammates. He had family. He had people. But the truth was, Quinn Hughes felt more alone now than he ever had in his life. And he didn’t know how to ask for help.

He didn’t know how to say that the pressure was crushing him. That every game felt like walking a tightrope with no net. That every loss carved something deeper into his chest. That sometimes he stood under the shower for an hour just to feel something real.

There was no off switch. No escape. He was Captain Hughes now. He had to be calm. Composed. Controlled.

But inside, he was drowning.

There were moments, late at night, when he’d walk the seawall alone with a hoodie pulled over his head and his breath fogging in front of him. Moments when he’d sit by the water and wonder what life would be like if he weren’t Quinn Hughes. If he were just... someone. Anyone. Free to feel without the fear of letting someone down.

Because that’s what it always came back to: letting people down.

He thought of his brothers. Jack with his bright smile and boundless energy. Luke with his quiet brilliance. They looked up to him. They always had. And that scared him more than anything. Because what if they saw the cracks? What if they saw how tired he was? What if they saw that some days, he didn’t want to lace up his skates? That some days, he resented the game that had given him everything and taken just as much in return?

He hated that part of himself. The part that felt bitter. Burnt out. Hollow.

He turned from the window, the sky outside darkening with the promise of another cold Vancouver night. The apartment felt too quiet. Too sterile. He poured a drink, not because he wanted one, but because it gave his hands something to do. The whiskey burned down his throat. It didn’t help. It never did.

Quinn sat on the edge of his couch, elbows on his knees, the glass dangling loosely from his fingers. He stared at the floor and wondered how much longer he could keep doing this. Keep pretending. Keep performing. Keep carrying.

He wanted something different. Something real.

He didn’t know what that looked like. Not yet. But he knew what it wasn’t. It wasn’t the headlines. It wasn’t the jersey. It wasn’t the cheers that faded as quickly as they came. It wasn’t the way people only saw him when he was winning.

He wanted someone to see him when he was losing.

Really see him.

Not Captain Hughes. Not the defenseman. Not the franchise savior.

Just Quinn.

And maybe, one day, someone would.

But tonight, the only sound was the rain.

And the hollow echo of a man trying to hold himself together.

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The air inside Rogers Arena was thick with loss. It clung to the walls, to the empty seats, to the damp gear hanging in open lockers. The kind of silence that followed a season-ending defeat was unlike any other. It wasn’t loud. It was heavier than that. A kind of grief that pressed itself into the bones of the room, into the stitching of the jerseys, into the very air itself. And in the middle of it all, alone under the dim fluorescent lights of the locker room, Quinn Hughes sat perfectly still, still in full gear.

His skates were unlaced but still on. His gloves, damp with sweat and frustration, sat clenched between his knees. The rest of the team had long cleared out—some silent, others trying to shake it off with forced laughter and hollow reassurances. Quinn hadn’t moved. His eyes were locked on the floor, seeing everything and nothing all at once. The same square of tile beneath his skates stared back at him like it had answers he’d never find.

The Canucks had missed the playoffs.

Again.

He ran through every moment of the game like a looped reel in his head. The fumbled breakout. The missed stick lift. The turnover in the second period that shifted the momentum. The bad line change. The penalty that cost them the equalizer. What if he had blocked that shot? What if he had skated faster? Thought quicker? Passed sharper?

What if he was just better?

It was always him. He could’ve done more. He should’ve.

He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, his head cradled in his hands like it was the only thing keeping it from splitting apart. The weight of his helmet pressed into his forehead, the hard shell biting into his skin, but he didn’t take it off. It felt safer somehow, like a shield between him and the failure echoing in his bones. His fingers gripped at his hair through the fabric of his gloves before letting go, too tired to even hold himself together. His breathing was shallow, each inhale an effort, like even his lungs didn’t want to take up space. The room felt massive and shrinking all at once, like the walls were closing in on him while stretching into an infinite, hollow void. His pulse thundered in his ears, louder than the silence, louder than the thoughts shouting in his head. And still, he didn’t move. Couldn’t. Because moving meant facing it. And right now, he wasn’t sure he could survive that.

They made a mistake.

Not just naming him captain.

Drafting him.

Quinn didn’t know when those thoughts started to grow roots in his chest, but they were in full bloom now. What if he was a bust? A wasted draft pick? All this time, everyone talked about his skating, his vision, his composure—but what did any of that matter if he couldn’t get his team there? If he couldn’t lead them?

What if he was never meant to be enough?

What if he peaked too early?

He slowly peeled off his gloves and dropped them to the floor with a soft thud that echoed louder than it should have in the empty locker room. His fingers trembled, tingling from the cold sweat that had long dried against his palms. The ache in his knuckles pulsed like a second heartbeat. He flexed them slowly, like the pain might root him back into his body.

He stared at the gloves for a moment, his chest tightening. They looked so small on the floor. So defeated. Just like him.

He exhaled shakily, the sound catching in his throat. Then he braced himself against the bench and pushed himself up. His legs screamed in protest, muscles stiff and bruised from the game, from the season, from everything. The weight of his gear felt unbearable now. The jersey that once filled him with pride now felt suffocating, like it was pressing down on every bone.

His shoulder pads creaked as he moved, the Velcro at his sides sticking stubbornly as if even his equipment didn’t want to let go. The familiar routine of undressing after a game felt foreign. Wrong. His body went through the motions, but everything inside him was numb. Disconnected.

He didn’t bother taking off the rest. Just the gloves. Just enough to stand. Enough to move.

And so, step by step, like a sleepwalker, he drifted toward the showers. Not with purpose. Not even with intent. Just the instinct to hide somewhere the world couldn’t see him fall apart.

The water hit his skin, hot at first, then numb. Steam rose around him, curling into the air, catching the yellow of the overhead lights. He leaned his forearm against the tile and rested his head against it, eyes shut tight. His breath stuttered.

And then the tears came.

They ran down his cheeks, hot and quiet, blending seamlessly with the water cascading from the showerhead. He didn’t sob. He didn’t make a sound. He just cried. The kind of crying you didn’t even know you were doing until it had already broken through. His shoulders trembled under the pressure of all he carried, all he never said aloud.

He didn’t know how to do this anymore.

He didn’t know how to keep pretending.

How to wear the 'C' like it didn’t burn his chest.

How to keep skating when he was skating on empty.

He stayed under the water until it ran cold, until his skin was numb and his chest felt hollow, the ache in his sternum blooming deeper with each passing second. The icy spray carved through the steam and sliced against his shoulders, but still, he stood there. Rigid. Breathless. Hoping that if he just stayed a little longer, it would rinse away the guilt, the weight, the disappointment he carried like a second skin.

He tilted his face toward the stream, letting it pour down over him, blinding his eyes and filling his ears until the world outside was muffled into nothing. He wished it could drown everything out. The voices. The headlines. The pressure. The relentless whisper in his own head telling him he was a failure. That he’d let everyone down. That he was just pretending.

When he finally moved, it was mechanical. He reached for a towel without looking, barely registering the shivers that had taken over his body. Each motion was slow, deliberate, like his limbs were moving through molasses. He got dressed without looking in the mirror—he couldn't bear to. Not tonight. Not when all he would see was hollow eyes and the wreckage of who he used to be.

The locker room was even quieter now, echoing with emptiness. He grabbed his keys from his cubby and made his way down the hall, his footsteps the only sound bouncing off the concrete walls. The back exit opened with a metallic click, and he stepped out into the cold embrace of the night, where even the air seemed to exhale with grief.

He drove through downtown Vancouver like a ghost. The city glowed with artificial life—streetlights, neon signs, headlights weaving through traffic. His hands gripped the steering wheel tight, knuckles pale. He turned off the music. He couldn’t stand the sound. Not tonight.

When he pulled into the underground parking lot beneath his building, he didn’t move right away. He stared at the elevator doors, engine ticking as it cooled. His eyes burned.

Then, slowly, he shifted the gear into park, turned off the ignition, and stepped out.

But he didn’t go to the elevator.

He walked. Back up the ramp, through the quiet lobby. Past the sleeping doorman and out the revolving door. Into the cool night, where the mist clung to his hair and the scent of the sea drifted in from the harbor.

His feet took him to the waterfront without thinking.

He sat down on a bench facing the water, a familiar spot tucked just far enough from the streetlights to feel hidden—like the world had deliberately carved out a pocket for solitude. He didn't need light. Not tonight. He needed the shadows, the quiet, the place where he could unravel without the risk of being seen. The night stretched out before him like a great velvet curtain, draped in shades of sorrow.

The moon hung low and full, its glow casting a pale sheen across the surface of the harbor, soft and eerie like a whisper. The light shimmered on the dark water like spilled silver, rippling with every subtle breath of the breeze. It felt like something ancient was watching—not judging, just witnessing. Bearing quiet testimony to the ache in his chest.

Waves lapped quietly against the edge, a rhythm too soft to offer comfort, but enough to remind him that time was still moving even when he wasn't. Even when it felt like everything inside him had come to a halt. His breath came slow and fogged in the cold air, a small trace of life in a body that felt otherwise hollow.

Across the harbor, the city looked like it was sleeping. The lights in the high-rises twinkled like constellations behind glass, but there was no warmth in them. They were cold and distant, a mockery of connection. From here, the skyline looked soft, like someone had taken an eraser to its sharp edges—like the whole world had blurred, and he was the only thing left in focus.

There was no one else around. No footsteps. No voices. Just Quinn and the darkness and the distant, indifferent city. No hum of conversation. No rattle of a bike chain. No hint of movement on the quiet street behind him. Just the low thrum of the city breathing somewhere far away, out of reach.

The silence wasn’t peaceful. It was vast. Cold. Like standing in the middle of a frozen lake with nothing but the creaking ice beneath your feet. The kind of silence that made every heartbeat echo too loud, every breath feel like a scream in a cathedral.

And in that space between heartbeats, he let himself sink into the stillness. It wasn’t comfort he found there, but a numbness that offered a temporary shield from the thoughts clawing at the edges of his mind. He didn’t cry. Didn’t breathe deeply. He didn’t feel worthy of either.

He just existed. Quiet and alone. A silhouette on a bench, washed in moonlight and regret. A man with the weight of a city on his shoulders, with no one to help him carry it.

And somehow, that felt like both a punishment and a mercy. Because in that solitude, at least he didn’t have to pretend. At least out here, in the dark, he could stop performing for a world that only loved him when he was winning.

Quinn slouched forward, hands clasped together, his breath visible in the air. He stared at the reflection, wishing he could fall into it. Dissolve into the dark and start over. Be someone else.

The thoughts returned.

What if he never lived up to who he was supposed to be? What if he let everyone down? His team. His family. Himself.

He pressed his fists to his eyes.

He wasn’t good enough. He wasn’t even sure he ever had been.

He didn’t see her at first. His eyes were still on the water, lost in thought, in shame, in questions that never seemed to end. The world around him had blurred, dulled to nothing but the rhythmic lapping of the tide and the slow rise and fall of his breath. The bench, the ground, the sky—it all felt far away. He was so deep inside himself that the rest of the world ceased to exist. So when the wooden slats shifted just slightly beneath him, when the gentle weight of another person settled quietly on the far side of the bench, it felt more like a ripple than a presence. A shift in the atmosphere. A soft reminder that he wasn’t, in fact, entirely alone in the dark.

A girl had sat down beside him.

She wore a grey sweater, hood pulled up over short brown hair. Her hands were folded tightly in her lap, her shoulders drawn in like she was trying to take up less space. She didn’t look at him. Her gaze was fixed straight ahead, on the water, on the moonlight that shimmered across it.

Her eyes were glassy. She’d been crying.

Despite choosing to sit on the only occupied bench in a stretch of empty ones, she didn’t acknowledge him. It was almost like she didn’t even register that he was there. Or maybe she had—and chose not to care. She made no shift to the side, no polite nod, no glance of curiosity or apology. She just sat, arms crossed tightly around herself, a human question mark curled inward.

Her shoulders were hunched so tightly it looked like she was folding into herself, like she wanted to disappear. The kind of posture that said: don’t look at me, don’t ask, don’t speak. Her body language broadcasted it louder than words ever could. She didn’t seem to want to be seen, and yet she had come to this exact bench, as if drawn by some unspoken gravity.

She just sat there, staring at the water like it held answers. Like if she stared hard enough, long enough, the waves might part and whisper something she needed to hear. Something to make staying feel like less of a mistake.

And Quinn didn’t say anything either.

For a long time, they sat in silence.

The kind of silence that wasn’t awkward. Just heavy. Weighted with things neither of them could say. The occasional car drove by behind them, its tires hissing on the wet road. Somewhere nearby, a gull cried out and the water lapped softly against the shore. It was the only sound that felt honest.

He didn’t know who she was.

But she looked like she was drowning too.

Ava Monroe had never meant to sit on that bench.

She had never meant to be anywhere at all, not tonight.

The fight with her mom had been brutal. Ugly. The kind of words that didn’t just hurt—they hollowed her out. Scarred deeper than fists ever could. Ava had gone to her mother out of desperation, aching for some kind of connection, some shred of maternal warmth, a single thread to hold onto. But all she got was venom, sharp and cold and unforgiving.

The words weren't just cruel—they were confirmation. Confirmation that every terrible thing she had ever believed about herself was true. That she was a burden. That she wasn’t wanted. That she wasn’t enough. Her mother’s voice didn’t just echo in the room—it rooted itself in her chest, in the hollow spaces already carved out by years of neglect and silence. It made her feel microscopic. Like her existence had always been some colossal inconvenience.

Ava left that house feeling like a ghost. Like a girl made of glass. Each step home felt heavier, more meaningless. There was nothing left in her—no fire, no fight, not even the quiet defiance she used to carry just to get through the day. She felt like she didn’t belong anywhere, not even in her own skin. Like the world had gone on without her a long time ago, and she’d only just realized it.

"You’ll never be enough."

"You ruined everything."

"You were a mistake."

The words sliced her open, deep and surgical, with a precision only a mother could wield. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t argue. Didn’t cry. She just stood there, frozen in place, absorbing every blow like a sponge, letting it soak through her until she was heavy with shame. It was like watching her own soul disintegrate in real-time. Her hands hung limp at her sides. Her heart didn’t even race—it just slowed, like it had given up trying.

She moved on instinct, her body carrying her out the door and down the street like she was sleepwalking, like something detached had taken over and was pulling the strings for her. The city was buzzing around her, but she didn’t hear it. Didn’t see it. She was a shell.

When she got back to her apartment, the lights were too bright. Too artificial. They revealed too much, illuminated all the places inside her that were cracked and bleeding. She walked past the mirror without looking. She knew what she'd see: nothing. Just hollow eyes. A stranger.

And then she saw the bottle. It was just sitting there. Quiet. Waiting.

She picked it up.

Stared at it.

Her hand shook as she unscrewed the cap. She poured them out into her palm, white tablets spilling like tiny bones into the center of her hand. The weight of them felt enormous. Final.

She sat on the floor, cold and silent, and stared at her shaking hands. Her breathing came shallow, like the room had been drained of oxygen. Her thoughts were louder than ever, a storm behind her eyes: You’re a failure. A disappointment. A mistake. Unlovable.

The silence was so total, it felt like the world had already moved on without her.

And for one long, harrowing moment, she almost let go.

She shook them gently, the pills rattling like distant thunder in the quiet room—a sound so small, yet impossibly loud in the silence.

Her fingers shook.

Her breathing was shallow, barely there, each inhale catching like her lungs had to think twice before choosing to keep going. The silence in the apartment pressed against her ears, not soft or gentle, but brutal—the kind of silence that made your skin crawl, like the walls were whispering all the things you were too afraid to say out loud.

It was too quiet. Too still. Like the world had stopped moving just to watch her unravel. The ticking of the clock felt like a taunt, counting down a life she didn’t want to keep living. Her heart didn’t feel like it beat anymore—it thudded, dull and mechanical, like a broken metronome.

Everything inside her felt empty and echoing, like she had become a hollow thing, carved out piece by piece by the people who were supposed to love her. She didn’t even cry. There weren’t tears left. Just a vast, suffocating stillness, as if even grief had abandoned her now.

But something stopped her.

A voice she couldn’t name. A feeling in her chest. Like someone was holding her wrist. Telling her to wait. To breathe.

She put the pills back in the bottle.

Put on her sweater.

Walked.

And now she was here.

Sitting beside a stranger.

Alive, but unsure why.

She didn’t know who he was. Didn’t care. All she knew was that he was as still as she was. As broken. That something about the way he stared at the water made her feel less alone.

They didn’t speak.

But their silence was the loudest thing either of them had heard all night.

Minutes passed. Maybe an hour. Neither of them moved.

Quinn glanced at her. Just once.

And for a second, she met his eyes.

Just a second.

But in that second, he saw her pain. She saw his.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, they both breathed a little deeper.

Together.

The night didn’t fix anything. It didn’t heal them. But it didn’t break them further, either.

And sometimes, that’s enough.

That night, they didn’t fall apart.

They just... sat. And survived.

Side by side.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Quinn looked across to her one more time.

Really looked.

It wasn’t just the way the moonlight framed her face or the way her sweater hung like armor against the night. It was the stillness in her body, the haunting in her eyes. There was something about her—something not loud, not obvious—but deeply known. A ghost of a memory wrapped in velvet pain. A shape he hadn’t seen in years but still knew by name, as if she'd been waiting on the periphery of his life all along.

His eyes traced the soft outline of her jaw, delicate and trembling like it held back a thousand words. The faint sheen of dried tears clung stubbornly to her cheeks, catching the moonlight like salt-crusted silver. But it was her expression that stunned him. That deep, quiet devastation. The kind of brokenness people learn to wear like perfume—undetectable unless you’ve worn it too. She didn’t just look sad. She looked emptied. As if she’d bled out every last feeling and was only now discovering what it meant to be a shell.

And the way she held herself, shoulders slumped like her bones could no longer carry the weight of being alive—it almost looked rehearsed. Like she'd practiced disappearing. Like she’d spent years perfecting the art of looking okay while silently screaming.

And then it clicked.

Of course he knew who she was.

Her last name was practically stamped into every corner of the city.

Monroe.

David Monroe. Real estate titan. Investor. Philanthropist. A name stitched into the very fabric of the city. His empire touched everything—commercial towers, luxury condos, high-profile foundations. And the Canucks? They were just another line on his ledger. A silent but steady benefactor of the organization, his influence loomed like the skyline his company had helped build. Every player knew that name. You couldn’t be part of the team without brushing shoulders with the Monroes.

Every year, they hosted a lavish charity gala—an affair of such extravagance that even seasoned veterans couldn’t hide their discomfort. Held in a grand ballroom glittering with crystal chandeliers and lined with tables draped in silk, the event was a performance of wealth and image. Silver champagne trays floated between guests, the air filled with the soft clinking of crystal flutes and rehearsed laughter. The players would show up in tuxedos, practice their media smiles in the car, and take photos for the press like it all meant something. They thanked the Monroes with polite handshakes and obligatory small talk, careful not to overstep, careful to appear grateful.

It was the kind of night where everything sparkled, except the people who had to pretend to belong there.

Quinn remembered her father clearly.

David Monroe was the one standing on stage, smiling beside ownership and management, when Quinn first pulled on the Canucks jersey on draft night. A handshake, a picture. Flashbulbs. Cheers. Everything about that moment had felt like a coronation. Quinn Hughes, savior of the franchise. Golden boy.

But he didn’t remember seeing her.

Not until now.

And now that he had—he couldn’t unsee her. Ava Monroe, the invisible girl behind the empire. The one who should've glowed under the same lights, been photographed on red carpets, toasted by men in suits, wrapped in everything that came with a name like hers. But she hadn’t. Somehow, she had slipped through the cracks of her own legacy, choosing shadows over chandeliers. Sitting beside him now, she looked like a ghost aching to be felt, not seen—like someone who had spent her whole life being too visible in the wrong ways and invisible in all the ways that mattered.

There was a haunting in her presence, the kind that made you want to apologize without knowing what for. And Quinn did. He wanted to say sorry for a world that forgot her. For a father who used her last name like currency while letting his daughter starve for affection. For the cameras that had never panned her way. For the years she must've spent wondering if her life was even her own.

And then, just as the recognition settled into his bones, she looked up.

Tear-stained eyes. Silent. Red-rimmed.

And she knew.

Of course she did.

Quinn Hughes. The prodigy. The captain. The promise.

The man who was meant to lift the city. To carry its hopes like a crown and wear its failures like chains. To lead the team through the fire and still emerge smiling. To be the one who fixed everything, even when he was the one silently falling apart. He was the face on the banners, the name in the headlines, the reason kids wore number 43 jerseys. And no one ever stopped to ask what that weight might be doing to the boy underneath it all.

She blinked at him, slowly, and something passed between them—something unspoken and deeply human, like the kind of look you give someone when you both know what it means to want to disappear. A silent understanding that didn’t need translation. A breath of shared grief, heavy and unrelenting, that wrapped around them like a fog neither of them could escape. In that fragile second, it was like they were looking into a mirror made of pain—different stories, different scars, but the same hollow ache behind their eyes. The world didn’t shift around them, but something inside did. Something wordless and aching that whispered, I see you. I feel it too.

Both of them had grown up being told they were meant for greatness.

Both of them knew what it felt like to suffocate under that weight.

Both of them were breaking.

The emptiness echoed between them like a heartbeat. A soundless ache that needed no explanation.

And then, after a pause that felt like it stretched out forever, Quinn swallowed hard, the tension in his jaw finally giving way. He turned his body slightly toward her, hesitant, uncertain, but needing to say something before the silence drowned them both.

"I—"

His voice cracked, and he had to start again.

"I don’t know if I’m good enough for this," he said quietly, almost like he was confessing it to the ocean. "I don’t know if I’m good enough for anything. At all. And I feel like I’m slowly falling apart and breaking."

The words sat in the air, raw and trembling.

She didn’t respond. Not with words.

A tear slipped down her cheek. Another.

"My, uh... my thought was that this would be my last night," She said, her voice barely a whisper. Her voice was thin. A ghost of itself. "It almost was."

Quinn’s breath hitched, but he didn’t look away. He couldn’t.

She looked down at her hands, still clenched tightly in her lap, knuckles white. The air around them suddenly felt sharper, like the world had stilled to listen.

Quinn turned his head just slightly, not wanting to push, but needing to hear her.

Ava swallowed hard, her throat raw. "I had them all in my hand. The pills. I sat on the floor of my bedroom, staring at them. And for a second, it was the only thing that made sense. Like I could finally stop the screaming inside my head. Like I could finally rest."

She took a shaky breath, then another, like her lungs were relearning how to function. Her voice was a flicker, something barely lit. "But I didn’t. I don’t know why. Something in me—some tiny, quiet part that still believed in something—just... wouldn’t let me. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was hope. Maybe it was nothing more than habit. But I couldn’t do it. My hand was trembling so hard I thought I was going to drop everything."

Her stare fell distant, glassed over again. "I was sitting there, on the floor, holding my life in one hand and everything I hated about myself in the other. And all I could think was... no one would notice. Not really. My phone wouldn’t ring. No one would come looking. The world would keep spinning and I’d just be another girl who didn’t make it. And for a moment, that felt like peace."

She paused, her voice breaking on the next exhale. "But then something happened. Something I can’t explain. Like the tiniest part of me screamed. Like my own soul refused to be snuffed out without one final fight. I put the pills back. I stood up. I walked out the door. I didn’t even grab a coat. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew if I stayed one second longer, I wasn’t going to make it."

Her eyes finally flicked up, not to look at him, but past him, to the water. "So I ended up here. Still breathing. But not really living. Just... floating. Empty. I didn’t want to be found. I just didn’t want to disappear without someone knowing I was ever here in the first place."

The words hung between them, bare and bleeding. A confession not meant to earn comfort, just to be heard.

She didn’t cry when she said it. She sounded hollow. Like she’d already cried all the tears there were to cry.

And Quinn didn’t speak.

He just listened.

Because he knew what it felt like to be so tired of being alive that even breathing felt like a burden.

The honesty clung to the air like smoke. Fragile. Heavy.

Another tear traced the curve of Ava's face. But she still didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Her silence said enough. It said: Me too.

And maybe that was the first moment they truly understood each other. Not because of their names. Not because of who they were supposed to be. But because beneath all of that—the legacies, the expectations, the titles—they were just two broken people whose pain happened to echo at the same frequency. Two souls who had come to the water's edge not to find answers, but to surrender. And yet, somehow, they'd collided. Quietly. Gently. Without ceremony. Just a breath between strangers who were anything but.

Their silence wasn’t passive—it was deliberate. Thick with everything they couldn’t say. A communion of ghosts sitting side by side. Each aching, each unraveling, each choosing not to fall apart simply because the other was still sitting there. Still breathing.

And in that aching silence, something passed between them—not a promise, not a rescue, but a thread. Fragile. Unspoken. I see you. I feel it too.

As if pulled by gravity, they shifted.

Slowly. Quietly. As if afraid to shatter whatever had taken root between them.

They moved closer.

Ava’s shoulder brushed Quinn’s.

The contact was barely there, but it was enough. Enough to ground them both.

Quinn didn’t flinch.

Neither did Ava.

That small touch, that simple warmth, threaded something through them—a fragile thread of safety in a world that had offered them nothing but cold.

It wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t dramatic. It was real.

Their bodies didn’t shift again. They didn’t hug. They didn’t hold hands. They just sat, shoulder to shoulder, their pain seeping into one another, until it didn’t feel so sharp. So singular.

They were two souls trapped under the same foot of pressure.

Two hearts with too many cracks.

Two people who had spent years suffocating in silence, and somehow found breath in each other.

Ava closed her eyes and leaned just slightly into his side. Not enough to be a plea. Just enough to say, I’m still here.

Quinn stayed still. But his head dipped ever so slightly in her direction. His shoulder curved toward hers. His eyes remained on the water, but his thoughts were finally somewhere else.

And in that moment, they both felt it.

A shift.

The beginning of something neither of them had words for.

A presence. A tether. A reason.

They sat like that for a long time. The world moved on without them—cars passed, waves rose and fell, the city lights blinked in patterns too fast to follow. But they didn’t move.

Minutes turned into hours.

The pain didn’t disappear. But it dulled. Muted.

Like someone had finally lit a candle in the dark.

And though they didn’t say another word, they didn’t need to.

The silence had changed.

It was no longer a void.

It was a shelter.

And sometimes, that was enough to begin again.

Just as the wind picked up, brushing past them like the breath of something ancient, Quinn turned his head slightly toward her. His voice was soft, barely there. "I see you," he said. Three words, but they felt like a lighthouse cutting through fog.

Ava didn’t answer right away. But her breath hitched, and then steadied. She turned her gaze to him slowly, her eyes tired, but no longer empty. "I see you too," she whispered.

They didn’t say anything else. There was nothing left to say. So they leaned gently into each other, the contact quiet but constant, and let the silence settle around them like a blanket.

The night stretched long, and the darkness never lifted, but they stayed. Two shadows on a bench, side by side.

And somehow, that night—that fragile, fleeting night—was enough for them to choose to stay a little longer in the world.

Enough to make it through one more sunrise.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

The first light of dawn broke slowly, as if unsure whether it was welcome. It crept over the horizon in soft hues—faded gold, gentle blush, the faintest whisper of blue. The waves caught it first, the gentle lapping of water at the harbor edge shimmering like liquid gold. Then the sky followed, spreading it across the city like the slow reveal of a secret.

Neither of them had moved.

Quinn and Ava sat shoulder to shoulder on that old wooden bench, the air around them still heavy with the weight of everything that had passed between them. It wasn’t the kind of silence that screamed. It was the kind that exhaled—soft, worn, exhausted. The kind that said, you’re still here, and so am I.

The cold had settled into their bones, deep and aching, but they hadn’t noticed. Not really. Because something warmer had wrapped itself around them, invisible but steady. A shared understanding, a tether. The gravity of the night had forged something fragile and indelible between them—something they didn’t understand yet but felt all the same.

The silence between them had shifted from one of pain to one of comfort. From a quiet cry for help to a quiet offering of presence. No more apologies. No need for explanation. Just breath in the cold. The subtle rhythm of two people choosing, again and again, not to leave. Shared breath. Shared survival. And in that stillness, the beginning of something neither of them could name, but both of them needed.

The sunrise wasn’t beautiful. It was quiet. Muted. The kind of sunrise that didn’t demand attention, just offered presence. There were no vivid streaks of fire across the sky, no brilliant crescendo of colors. Just a slow, tender brightening. The world easing itself into wakefulness. It rose like a sigh—tired, cautious, and real.

And that, somehow, felt perfect.

Because that morning wasn’t about beauty. It wasn’t about spectacle. It was about surviving the night. About making it through the hardest hours and finding, somehow, that the sky still turned. That the sun still rose. That breath still came.

The light didn’t feel triumphant. It felt earned. Like something cracked open quietly and let the day slip in.

Quinn shifted slightly, straightening his back with a quiet exhale. He rubbed at his face, the exhaustion of the night finally catching up to him. Ava followed, stretching out her legs, feeling the pins and needles in her feet as blood returned to limbs left too still for too long. Her fingers flexed slowly, grounding herself back into her body.

They didn’t speak.

There was no need.

What could they say that hadn’t already been said in silence?

Instead, they exchanged a glance. A quiet, reverent thing. A moment of mutual understanding that needed no words. It lingered, not rushed or fleeting, but long enough to say everything that mattered. There was something sacred in it—a silent bow of gratitude, a recognition of shared survival. They didn’t smile. Didn’t cry. They just looked at each other with the kind of raw honesty that only exists after darkness has been witnessed together. It was their way of saying, I see you. Thank you for staying.

And softly, Quinn spoke again. His voice was hoarse. "I see you."

Ava met his eyes, her own rimmed with a different kind of tear this time—not despair, but something gentler. "I see you too."

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t cinematic. But it was enough.

Ava stood first. Her body protested, stiff and cold, but she didn’t mind. She tucked her hands into the sleeves of her hoodie, glanced down at Quinn, and gave the smallest of nods. He rose with her, slower, heavier, but he stood.

They didn’t hug.

They didn’t exchange numbers.

They didn’t make promises.

They just parted ways.

She walked one way, toward the edge of downtown, her steps slow, as if her body was still catching up to the weight of what had just happened. The hoodie swallowed her small frame, the sleeves too long, her hands still hidden inside them. With every step, she felt the echo of their silence, the comfort of it, trailing behind her like a ghost she wasn’t quite ready to let go of.

He walked the other, toward the towers he called home, his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched, not from the cold but from something deeper—an ache, a lingering presence pressed into the slope of his spine. The bench faded behind them, but the feeling of it stayed—like warmth that lingered long after the fire had gone out.

The city slowly came alive around them—joggers blinking against the light, dog walkers tugging sleepy pups along wet sidewalks, the hum of traffic stirring awake. The world resumed its rhythm as if nothing had happened, as if two broken souls hadn’t just sat in the quiet and saved each other without saying so.

And neither of them looked back.

But both of them carried it. That night. That moment. That bench. A memory soft and sacred, stitched into the fabric of their morning.

They didn’t need to say it aloud. There was an unspoken agreement between them now. A silent pact forged in the dark: this night belonged to no one else. It was not for telling. Not for sharing. It was theirs. Only theirs.

And somehow, that knowledge was enough to steady their steps.

That should’ve been the end.

But it wasn’t.

Because somehow, a week later, they both ended up back at that same bench.

It wasn’t planned. Neither of them expected it. Quinn had taken the long way home after a game, a loss that twisted in his chest like a knife and refused to loosen its grip. His body ached, but not from the ice—from the weight of the night, the disappointment of another failed attempt at being enough. He didn’t want to go back to his apartment. The silence there wasn’t just silence; it was sharp, punishing, an echo chamber of regret. The lights were always too bright when he walked in. The air always too still. The emptiness too honest.

So he drove with no destination, his hands on the wheel but his thoughts miles away. His chest heavy. His eyes burning. He didn’t know where he was going until he got there.

That bench.

The one that had held him when he couldn’t hold himself.

The one where someone had seen him and stayed.

And Ava—she hadn’t planned it either. But she couldn’t stay in that house. Not after the latest fight. Not after hearing the same accusations echo off the walls. Not after being told she was ungrateful. Spoiled. A waste.

She had walked out into the night without a destination. Without a plan. Just a desperate need to breathe. To exist somewhere her pain wasn’t questioned or ignored. She didn’t know where her feet were taking her. Only that she needed to follow them.

And like something pulled from a quiet promise, from the magnetic pull of shared grief, they ended up there. As if the bench itself remembered them—held their pain from nights before, waited patiently beneath the city’s noise for their return. It wasn’t just a coincidence. It felt fated, like a hidden current in the universe had gently ushered them back to each other, back to that sliver of peace they had carved together in the dark. A place that didn’t demand anything but presence. A place that somehow knew what they needed before they did. They arrived without purpose, without preparation, but their steps mirrored the same ache, the same longing—to not be alone with the weight they carried. To be met in the middle of their ache without question. And again, the bench made room. Again, they sat. Together.

At the bench.

At the edge of the world.

Within minutes of each other.

Their eyes met.

Quinn’s breath caught.

Ava’s shoulders, tight with tension, eased.

She sat first.

He followed.

And that night, they stayed until the stars faded.

It became a rhythm. An unspoken routine.

They never texted. Never called. Never asked, will you be there?

But somehow, they always were.

Maybe not every night. But often enough that the bench no longer felt like just a bench. It became something sacred. A place of reckoning. Of retreat. Of quiet rebuilding.

They brought coffee sometimes. Wore warmer clothes. Sometimes one would arrive to find the other already waiting, and nothing needed to be said. The presence alone was enough. Familiar. Reassuring.

And each night, they shared a little more.

Quinn spoke about the pressure of being captain. Not in the way reporters asked about it, but in the way it sat on his chest at 2 a.m., making it hard to breathe. He talked about the fear of failure. The guilt of losing. The exhaustion of being everything to everyone and still feeling like nothing to himself.

Ava listened. Not as a fan. Not as a girl dazzled by his fame. But as someone who knew what it meant to crumble. To carry weight you never asked for.

And Ava, in turn, spoke of her loneliness. Of growing up in a house full of noise but no warmth. Of disappearing behind her father’s money, behind her mother’s scorn. Of wanting, so desperately, to be loved without condition.

Quinn didn’t offer advice. He didn’t tell her to be strong. He just listened. Sat with her in the stillness. Let her be.

And so it went.

Sometimes they talked. Sometimes they didn’t. Some nights were filled with stories, confessions, tiny truths whispered into the dark. Other nights, they just sat side by side in silence, their presence saying everything their mouths couldn’t.

They didn’t touch. Not beyond the occasional brush of shoulders. Not beyond the quiet comfort of nearness. It wasn’t about that.

It was about knowing.

About being seen.

About sharing pain without having to relive it.

They came as Quinn and Ava. Not the captain burdened by expectations and headlines. Not the heiress veiled in privilege and shadowed by neglect. Just two souls stripped of their titles, peeled back to their most human selves. Two people with fractures in their bones and too much weight in their hearts—weight that made it hard to breathe some days, impossible to stand on others. And yet, they stood. Or sat. Or simply were. They didn’t need to perform. They didn’t need to impress. They didn’t need to be anything more than exactly what they were in those moments: quiet, unraveling, healing. The bench didn’t care about what jerseys they wore or whose name came on checks. It welcomed them as they were. And together, they began to stitch the pieces of themselves into something new—not flawless, but whole in a different kind of way.

And little by little, something began to shift.

The bench became a bridge.

They laughed sometimes. Quiet, soft laughter. The kind that didn’t echo, just lingered in the air like a promise. It wasn’t loud or forced—it was shy at first, like they were rediscovering what it meant to feel light for even a second. Ava would tell him about old books she loved, the ones with pages yellowed from being read too many times, stories that had been her escape when the world felt too cruel. She’d describe the characters like friends, like pieces of herself she never knew how to share until now.

Quinn would talk about skating. Not just the game, but the movement. The way it felt to glide when the world grew too heavy, how the ice made sense when nothing else did. He spoke about the quiet before a puck dropped, the clarity in motion, how for just a few seconds, everything else fell away and he could breathe. Sometimes he brought her old playlists from the locker room, laughing about the bad ones, smiling over the ones that stuck. Ava once brought him a thermos of chamomile tea because she said it smelled like peace. They didn’t make it a big deal. But he drank every drop.

Some nights she’d bring a book and read aloud, her voice soft and even, Quinn listening with his eyes closed, as if the sound alone was enough to stitch something inside him back together. Some nights he’d point out constellations, giving them wrong names on purpose just to make her roll her eyes and laugh, really laugh—head tipped back, teeth showing, that rare kind of laugh that healed something hidden.

They didn’t need plans. Just the bench. Just each other. And the quiet joys they built, one breath at a time.

And the pain didn’t vanish.

But it changed.

Because now, they weren’t carrying it alone.

They were still broken.

But broken didn’t mean empty.

And in each other, they found space to heal.

Quietly.

Softly.

Without rush.

Without expectation.

Without fear.

The world still didn’t know about those nights. No one ever would. And that was the point.

It was theirs.

Just Quinn.

Just Ava.

Two shadows who collided at the edge of their breaking point, and stayed long enough to remember what it meant to begin again.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Eventually, they moved on from the bench.

It wasn’t sudden. It was a slow drift, like everything else between them. A natural, quiet shift from one space to another. The bench had become their place, their anchor—but like all things born from pain, it wasn’t meant to hold them forever. Healing required movement, and without realizing it, they’d begun to crave something more than the comfort of shared silence. They wanted light. Warmth. A kind of closeness that didn’t depend on the shadows.

Quinn had been pestering her for weeks.

"You haven’t seen it? Seriously? Ava, it’s the movie," he’d say with mock indignation, hand over his heart as if she’d personally offended his taste in cinema.

"I don’t know," she’d reply with a small shrug, teasing but cautious. "I’m not in the mood for something sad."

"It’s not sad. Okay, well, it kind of is. But in a good way. In a ‘you’ll cry but also feel seen’ kind of way."

He’d keep bringing it up at the end of their nights at the bench, each mention softer, more coaxing. Until one night, she sighed, smiled faintly, and said, "Fine. Let’s watch your movie."

That night, they didn’t go to the bench.

Instead, they found themselves in his apartment. It was the first time she’d been there. He had tried to tidy up beforehand, but it still looked lived in—soft piles of laundry, a few mugs on the counter, books stacked haphazardly beside the TV. It smelled like pine soap and popcorn, and it felt safe. Not perfect. Not curated. Just like him.

They sat next to each other on the couch, sharing a worn fleece blanket Quinn had pulled from the back of the couch, its corners frayed, edges soft from years of use. He’d made popcorn, which she’d half-spilled trying to get comfortable. They laughed about it, brushing kernels off the floor, her giggling melting into his quiet chuckle. The room buzzed with the easy kind of energy they didn’t get to feel often—light, open, effortless.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

They watched in silence, the kind that meant they didn’t need to fill the space between them. It was the kind of quiet that felt sacred, a quiet formed not from awkwardness but from complete ease. The room seemed to hold its breath with them, lit only by the flickering of the screen and the faint rustle of popcorn shifting in the bowl on Ava’s lap.

Occasionally, Ava would glance sideways at him, not just watching him, but seeing him. The way he leaned forward during the emotional scenes, how his hands twitched slightly during moments of tension, the way he mouthed his favorite lines as if they were prayers. He didn’t just watch the movie—he felt it, deeply, letting it thread through him like a song he knew by heart. His eyes were wide, glassy even, but soft. Focused.

He didn’t talk during it. Not once. Just sat there, wide-eyed and still, like he was living it again, like he was seeing parts of himself on the screen he didn’t often show. Every so often, his chest would rise with a slightly deeper breath, and Ava would mirror it without thinking. They were in their own quiet rhythm, bound by a story that wasn’t theirs but somehow spoke to both of them anyway. The silence between them said more than any words could have—it said, I’m here. I understand. And that was enough.

When the final scene faded and the music swelled, neither of them reached for the remote. The room sat in silence for a while, except for the soft hum of the credits and the world outside.

"You were right," Ava whispered.

Quinn didn’t look away from the screen. "Told you."

She nudged his shoulder with hers beneath the blanket, a small gesture of warmth. He glanced at her, and for a second, the smile on his face wasn’t weighed down by anything at all.

The hockey season was long over.

For a few months, the noise quieted. The headlines stilled. The fans moved on to other sports, other distractions. And Quinn—he had become visibly lighter. The stress lines in his forehead softened. The haunted look in his eyes began to fade. His days were slow. His nights were gentler. He took walks. He cooked. He laughed more.

It was like the pressure had been peeled off, even if only temporarily. He could breathe again. He could be Quinn, not Captain Hughes.

But with the end of the season came the inevitable.

Summer. And Michigan.

He hadn’t talked about it yet, not out loud. But it had been lingering. A quiet shadow at the edge of every day. A low hum behind every laugh. A weight pressing down on his chest when the nights got too still. It was the kind of thought that crept in during the softest moments—when her head was tilted back in laughter, or when she was watching the world pass outside his window with that faraway look in her eyes. The thought that he was leaving. That time was slipping through his fingers like sand, grain by grain, and soon this fragile pocket of peace they’d built would dissolve. He felt it in the silence between them. In the long pauses that stretched a little longer each day. It was a countdown, not just to his departure, but to a shift he didn’t know how to navigate. And the worst part was—he didn’t know how to tell her. How to put into words the ache of loving something so gentle and knowing it couldn’t last in this exact way forever. So he kept it tucked away, a secret pulsing in his chest, waiting for the courage to speak it out loud.

He was going home. To his family. To the lake. To the place where he could hide from the world for a while.

But not from her.

He didn’t want to leave her.

Ava had been his quiet salvation. His rock. The person who never expected him to be anything other than human. When the weight of the captaincy crushed his chest, she never once told him to be strong. She just sat with him in the dark and let him breathe. When the headlines screamed his name or fans threw blame like darts, she didn’t flinch. She didn’t care about stats, didn’t ask about press conferences, didn’t bring up hockey unless he did.

With her, he wasn’t a franchise player or a golden boy. He wasn’t a fixer of broken teams or the hope of a city. He was just Quinn—the boy who liked quiet nights, who sometimes needed to be held without asking, who laughed softly when she rolled her eyes, who listened to the same song on repeat because it made him feel less alone.

She gave him space to fall apart. To speak without being judged. To not speak at all and still be heard. She made silence feel like safety. And he needed her—more than he ever realized—because for the first time in years, he didn’t feel like he was holding the world alone. He didn’t feel like he had to.

And he knew, in that complicated, painful way, that she needed him too.

So the night after the movie, when they were sitting in the kitchen sharing a bowl of cereal at 1 a.m.—because Quinn claimed cereal always tasted better after midnight—he finally said it.

"I have to go home next week."

Ava looked up slowly, spoon halfway to her mouth.

He saw it instantly—the flicker in her eyes, the stiffening of her shoulders. She tried to smile. She tried to play it cool. But she wasn’t very good at hiding how she felt.

She dropped her head, focusing on her bowl. "Oh. Yeah. That makes sense."

Quinn hated how her voice changed when she tried to be brave.

Without thinking, he reached across the counter and touched her hand. She froze.

Then he stood and walked around to her side of the table, crouching down in front of her like he couldn’t stand the space between them any longer. And then—he hugged her.

Their first hug.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she buried her face in his shoulder, arms hesitating before folding around him like she was afraid he might vanish. When she finally did hold him back, it was with a grip that trembled, like she was holding onto something fragile but vital. Her hands curled into the back of his sweatshirt, and he felt her breathing grow uneven against his chest.

His fingers pressed gently into her back like he was trying to memorize the shape of her, not just physically, but emotionally—every piece of her he’d come to know and need. He didn’t want to let go. Neither did she. It was one of those moments that stretched beyond time, where the ache of goodbye wrapped itself around the warmth of presence.

They weren’t just hugging—they were trying to stay whole, just a little longer. Trying to carry the memory of this moment into the spaces where their hands wouldn’t be able to reach. And in that grip, in the silence, in the tremble of their bodies against one another, they both knew: letting go was going to feel like breaking.

He held her there for a while.

"I’ll call you every night," he murmured. "Okay? Every night. I promise."

She didn’t respond. Just nodded against his chest, but her arms tightened around him, just slightly. Like she was trying to memorize the shape of this moment, hold it in her body so she wouldn’t forget what it felt like to be needed like this. Her breath hitched once, and then again, and he could feel the way she was trying not to fall apart entirely. But she was trembling, and so was he.

And for the first time in a long time, Quinn cried. Quiet tears. The kind that slipped out without warning, catching on his lashes before falling onto the top of her head. His chest ached with the kind of sadness that didn’t shout—it simply settled, low and slow, into every part of him. He didn’t sob. He just let the tears fall, like something inside him had finally run out of ways to hold it all in.

He didn’t know how he’d be okay without her. How to wake up without her quiet texts. How to fall asleep without her voice lacing through the dark. He didn’t know how to let go of someone who had found all his broken pieces and made him feel like they weren’t something to be ashamed of. He didn’t know how to leave when every instinct in his body was screaming to stay.

So he held her tighter. As if that could freeze the clock. As if maybe, just maybe, if he held her long enough, time would pause, and they wouldn't have to say goodbye—not yet. Maybe not ever.

He kissed the top of her head. She didn’t pull away.

Michigan was quiet.

It was green and warm, the trees stretching overhead like old friends. The lake glistened with sunlight that bounced in a thousand directions, and his childhood home looked the same, down to the worn wooden steps and the wind chime that clinked softly when the breeze passed through. He fell back into the rhythm of home, but it didn’t feel quite the same.

His mom met him at the door with a long, wordless hug. She didn’t ask anything. Not yet.

But she saw it.

She always saw everything.

She watched him during those first few days. Not closely, not with suspicion. But with the gentle curiosity of a mother who knew her son had been hurting. She noticed the way he checked his phone constantly. The way he lingered near the window after dinner. The way his moods shifted in the evenings, how his restlessness would suddenly vanish around midnight.

She noticed the smile, too.

The one he wore when he slipped out to the dock. The one he didn’t even realize had crept onto his face.

And so, she didn’t ask.

She let him have that secret.

Each night, like clockwork, Quinn would sit on the dock with his phone pressed to his ear, feet hanging over the edge, toes brushing the cool wood worn smooth by years of childhood summers. The water below reflected moonlight like shattered glass, shifting gently with the breeze, a quiet mirror to the thoughts swirling in his head.

He would talk quietly, his voice softer than it ever was in the city. Some nights, he laughed—those rare, low laughs that came from somewhere deep, bubbling up like relief. Other nights, he spoke in hushed fragments, sometimes pausing between words just to listen to the sound of her breathing on the other end. And on some nights, they said almost nothing at all. Just stayed connected. Just were. The silence never felt empty with her. It felt held.

He would eventually lie on his back, letting the wood press into his shoulders, the lake air cool on his face. The stars above him stretched endless and quiet, like someone had thrown glitter across black velvet. His phone rested on his chest, warm against his heart, Ava's voice still ringing in his ears like a lullaby. Some nights she read to him. Some nights they made up constellations and gave them stupid names. Some nights they listened to the same song over and over again, letting the lyrics fill the spaces where words couldn’t reach.

And always, always, he stayed until the last word, the last laugh, the last breath of her presence faded into sleep. Because even from hundreds of miles away, she was the only thing that made him feel close to whole.

They talked about everything and nothing.

About books. The ones they’d read as kids, and the ones they never finished because life got in the way. About the sky—how it looked different in Michigan than it did in Vancouver, how sometimes clouds held stories and the stars made promises. About what they ate that day, even when it wasn’t exciting, even when it was just cereal or cold leftovers, because the mundane started to feel sacred when it was shared.

They talked about the ache in their chests that showed up when the world grew too quiet. About what it meant to long for someone you hadn’t known forever but who felt like home anyway. About the strange beauty of missing someone who wasn’t family, who wasn’t a lover, but who had become something more essential—like a lighthouse, like gravity, like air.

Sometimes they didn’t need words. Sometimes it was just the soft rustle of wind through his phone speaker, the distant sound of a car in the background of her call. They filled the spaces not with stories, but with the simple assurance: I’m here. I haven’t gone anywhere. And that, more than anything, kept them both afloat.

One night, he asked her to describe the bench to him.

"It’s lonely without you," she said.

He closed his eyes. "You’re not alone. I’m there. Just on the other end of the line."

And she believed him.

Other nights, he read to her. Passages from his favorite book. Descriptions of the lake. The way the water caught fire at sunset. They’d fall asleep on the phone more than once, whispering until their words faded into breath. There were no rules. Just the comfort of knowing the other was there.

His mom never interrupted. But sometimes, she’d step out onto the porch and see him there, lying on the dock, eyes full of stars. His silhouette, outlined by the faint silver of moonlight, looked younger somehow, like the boy he used to be before the world placed so much weight on his shoulders. The phone was always pressed gently to his ear, and she could see the subtle curve of a smile tugging at his lips—soft, unguarded, the kind of smile she hadn’t seen in years.

And her heart would ache in the best way. Ache because she recognized that someone, somewhere, was reaching into her son’s darkness and lighting a candle. Someone was listening to him, truly listening, in the way only people who have learned to sit with pain know how. She didn’t know what they talked about. She didn’t need to. The way his shoulders relaxed, the way his breathing slowed, the way he lingered in that same spot long after the conversations ended—all of it told her what she needed to know.

She’d watch for a moment longer, letting the quiet scene imprint itself in her memory, before stepping back inside. Because what he had out there on that dock wasn’t hers to claim or question. It was sacred, healing, his. A piece of peace she’d prayed he would find, even if it didn’t come from her.

Someone was healing her son.

Not fixing him. Not changing him.

Just holding the broken parts gently enough that they stopped hurting so much.

She didn’t need to know who it was.

But she hoped they knew what they meant to him.

And maybe, just maybe, what he meant to them.

Because when Quinn finally came back inside each night, his shoulders were lighter. His smile was softer. His eyes were clearer.

And for the first time in years, he looked like someone who believed he could be okay again.

And all because somewhere out there, someone was assembling him again.

Piece by piece.

With love that didn’t need a name yet.

With care that didn’t ask for anything in return.

And with the quiet, powerful promise of a connection strong enough to survive even the distance between them.

Quinn and Ava. Still broken, but still healing. Holding onto a thread of connection that reached across state lines and time zones, woven through whispered phone calls, unspoken understanding, and the memory of arms that didn't want to let go. They weren’t whole yet, but they didn’t need to be. Not when they had each other—soft, steady, and there. Even miles apart, they found their way back to one another, night after night, word by word, breath by breath. And that was enough. For now, that was enough.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Ava’s summer had gone differently than she’d imagined.

She had pictured long walks along the waterfront, more quiet calls with Quinn, late nights under moonlight where healing happened slowly and gently. She imagined space to breathe, mornings without pain, silence that wasn’t sharp. She had imagined peace—not total, not perfect, but something close enough to quiet the ache inside her.

But life had other plans. And it started, as it always seemed to, with her mother.

It was a Thursday night. The air outside was humid, heavy with the weight of July. The kind of heat that clung to skin and made the air taste like metal. Inside the Monroe house, the air felt even thicker. The windows were closed, the blinds drawn, and the silence had a pulse of its own—waiting, watching. Ava was curled up by her window, her favorite spot when she needed to forget where she was. She had headphones in, a playlist Quinn had made her playing softly, anchoring her to something safer, something real. The soft hum of the music, his careful curation of lyrics that understood her better than most people did, made the world feel just a little less cruel.

Until her name rang out through the house.

"Ava!"

Her mother's voice, sharp and slurred, cut through the melody like glass against skin.

The spell was broken. She sighed, carefully removing her headphones and sliding off the windowsill. She padded down the stairs on bare feet, moving like a ghost through her own home. Every movement was familiar. Predictable. This wasn’t new.

In the kitchen, her mother stood swaying, wine glass in hand, her eyes glazed with the kind of fury that had nowhere else to go. Her lipstick was smudged, her hair wild, her expression twisted with something bitter and ugly.

"What?" Ava asked, her voice neutral, steady—a mask she had learned to wear early.

"What the hell is this attitude? Don’t talk to me like that," her mother snapped, slamming the glass down on the granite counter with a sharp crack that made Ava flinch.

"I wasn’t," she replied calmly, standing her ground. "You called me. I just came down."

"God, you think you’re better than me now, huh?" her mother snarled, eyes narrowing. "Since when did you get so full of yourself? So fucking self-righteous."

Ava stood still. She could feel her heart racing, but she wouldn’t show it. Not this time.

"I don’t think I’m better than you. But I’m not going to let you keep doing this to me."

Her mother tilted her head, mock confusion bleeding into rage.

"Doing what, exactly? Raising you? Giving you a roof over your head? Feeding you?"

"No. Tearing me down. Making me feel like I was a mistake. Like I’ll never be enough. I’m not your punching bag. Not anymore."

And in that moment, the air in the room shifted—no longer merely still, but suffocating. It pressed against Ava’s chest, a living thing, thick and trembling with unspoken violence. The flicker of rage in her mother’s eyes wasn’t new; Ava had seen it before in a hundred quiet slights and shouted insults. But tonight, it looked different. Not just angry—unhinged. It crackled like static in the air, raw and unchecked, simmering beneath the surface with a force that threatened to spill over. Her mother's pupils were blown wide, her jaw clenched tight, lips curling with disgust. Something inside her had snapped, and it wasn’t going to be restrained. Ava felt it—like standing on the edge of a storm, knowing the lightning was already too close.

She moved quickly, her fingers wrapping around Ava’s wrist with a grip so tight it made her wince. Her mother’s nails dug into her skin, leaving crescents that would still ache days later. And then, before Ava could speak again—

Smack.

A hand across her face. The sound cracked through the room like a whip, sharp and unnatural, echoing off the cold tile like the slap of thunder before a storm breaks. Time slowed for a moment as the pain registered—an immediate, searing bloom that spread across her cheek like wildfire. The heat radiated outward, red and raw, and her skin stung like it had been scalded. Her eye watered involuntarily, the shock stealing her breath before the ache could even fully set in. Her body rocked with the force of it, a sway that felt more like being untethered than being struck. But she didn’t fall. She didn’t scream. She just stood there, heart pounding in her ears, a storm behind her ribs, staring into the space between pain and defiance where her voice had finally risen—and her mother had tried to silence it.

She looked up.

Straight into her mother’s face.

"You are embarrassing," she said, her voice low and controlled. "And I’m done letting you walk all over me. Maybe your life turned out shitty, but that’s not my fault. That’s yours."

Another hit. This one harder. Her head snapped sideways, pain blooming just beneath her eye. She didn’t cry. She only straightened again, breathing shallow but steady.

And then, the front door opened.

The heavy click of the latch was jarring in the silence.

"What the hell is going on?"

Her father’s voice rang out, low and commanding, but beneath it was something heavier—a tremor of disbelief, of dawning horror. David Monroe stood in the entryway, framed by the glow of the hallway light, his presence suddenly too large for the space. His suit was slightly wrinkled, the tie loosened like he’d just barely made it home, briefcase hanging forgotten in his hand. But it wasn’t the tiredness of his long day that defined him in that moment—it was the way he stood utterly still, like his world had just been cracked open. His gaze swept the room and landed on his daughter—on the redness blooming across her cheek, the bruise beneath her eye, the fear she wore like a second skin. And just like that, the tension rolled off him in waves, not from stress, but from rage—cold, deliberate, and deeply paternal. The kind of rage that only exists when you realize you’ve failed to protect what matters most.

Sally spun to face him, her expression crumbling into something falsely fragile.

"David, it’s not what it looks like, I swear! She was yelling at me—completely out of control. You know how she gets when she thinks she’s right about something. She wouldn’t stop. She kept pushing and shouting and—I didn’t know what to do! I felt threatened, David. I really did. She was coming at me, and I just—I panicked, okay? She was acting like a completely different person. I’m the one who felt unsafe in my own home. She made me feel like the villain, and all I’ve done is try to be her mother. She’s been impossible lately, and I—David, you have to believe me!"

But he wasn’t looking at her. He looked at Ava.

And he saw everything.

The flushed cheek. The swelling bruise already forming. The tear that had slipped down without her noticing. The way her wrist was still red and marked. And more than that—he saw the resignation in her eyes. The fatigue. The pain she no longer even tried to hide.

He dropped the briefcase.

"Get out."

"What? David, she—"

"I said get out."

His voice didn’t rise. It didn’t need to. It cut through the room like a blade—cold, controlled, and laced with a fury so precise it chilled the air. The stillness in it was more terrifying than any yell could ever be, because it held finality. A reckoning. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. A boundary drawn not in anger, but in protection. And in that silence, in that unwavering tone, the whole house seemed to hold its breath, because everyone knew: there was no coming back from this moment.

"Go pack a bag. Go to your sister’s. You are not staying here. Not after this."

Sally sputtered, tried again to protest, but it was useless. Ava didn’t even look at her.

David moved to his daughter as if on instinct, something primal and protective rising from within him that left no room for hesitation. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, and for a heartbeat she remained stiff—rigid with shock, with pain, with disbelief that this moment was even happening. But then something in her broke open, not from weakness, but from the exhaustion of holding everything in for so long. She gave in, crumpling into him like a wave folding into the shore, her hands gripping fistfuls of his shirt like a child who had waited too many years to be caught.

Her body trembled against his, and David felt it all—every sob she wouldn't let out, every bruise he hadn’t stopped, every silence he hadn’t noticed. Guilt rushed through him like ice, swift and sharp. He had failed her. Not just tonight, but for years. He’d left her in a house where her pain went unseen, unheard, unanswered. And now she was breaking in his arms and all he could do was hold her, whispering apologies he knew weren’t enough.

"I’m so sorry," he breathed, his voice thick, cracking at the edges. "God, Ava, I’m so sorry. I should have seen it. I should have known."

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Her weight against him said everything. The way her fingers curled into his chest, desperate to hold on, desperate not to be let down again.

He tightened his grip and lowered his head, pressing it to hers as though he could somehow shield her from every blow she’d already taken. And in that moment, all he wanted was to go back—to every missed sign, every late night, every moment he hadn’t been there. But he couldn’t. So he stood there instead, rooted, holding his daughter like a lifeline, like a man trying to say with his arms what his words never could.

"I’m sorry," he whispered.

She didn’t speak. But she didn’t pull away either.

He held her tighter.

"This is over. She will never lay a hand on you again. I swear to you."

She closed her eyes. Let herself believe it. Just for a moment.

"I should have protected you," he said again. His voice cracked. "I should have been here."

And she finally spoke. Quiet. Steady.

"Then be here now."

That night, everything changed.

Sally left in a storm of haphazard packing and venomous muttering, her suitcase dragging behind her like a carcass of bitterness and regret. The sound of the wheels scraping across the tile echoed through the hall like an exorcism. When the door finally slammed shut behind her, it was as if something rancid had been purged from the walls of the house. The silence that followed wasn’t empty. It was reverent. It was peace reclaiming its place after years of torment. It was the first exhale after holding your breath for too long.

David stayed by Ava’s side, almost afraid to leave the room, afraid she might disappear or that the strength she showed might crumble if she were left alone. He hovered at first, unsure, guilt still clawing at his chest. But Ava didn’t push him away. She didn’t say much. She didn’t have to. Her presence allowed his, and that was enough. He made her tea with trembling hands, fingers fumbling with the kettle like he hadn’t done something so ordinary in years. He found the first aid kit in the hallway cabinet and pressed a cold compress gently to her cheek, his touch reverent, like he was tending to something sacred. And when he apologized, again and again, Ava finally reached up and placed her hand over his.

"Stop," she whispered. "I heard you. I need you to be here. Not to say it. To show me."

And he nodded, eyes glassy, heart breaking open in his chest for the girl he hadn’t known how to save. That night, they sat in the quiet for a long time. No TV. No distractions. Just two people slowly stitching together the space between them.

Ava went to bed in a room that finally felt like hers. Not a prison. Not a trap. But a place where her voice had been heard. A room where the shadows no longer whispered her worthlessness back to her. A place where, for the first time in years, she didn’t have to brace for a door slamming or a voice rising.

The bruise on her face took a week to fade. But the thing that bloomed inside her that night—the fury, the clarity, the self she thought had been buried for good—that stayed. It grew roots. And with every passing day, she stood a little taller, spoke a little louder, breathed a little deeper.

Because for the first time in her life, Ava wasn’t afraid of taking up space.

And for the first time in a long time, she believed she might actually deserve it.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

From that day on, David Monroe became a different kind of father.

He didn’t announce it. There were no grand speeches, no dramatic gestures to mark the shift. It was quieter than that. More intentional. He started coming home early. Left his phone face-down during dinner. Took a step back from the relentless machinery of the company and let his second-in-command carry the weight he’d once insisted on shouldering alone. Where there used to be boardrooms and flights and conferences, there were now shared breakfasts with Ava, long walks through Stanley Park, and slow mornings that allowed space for conversation. He asked questions. He listened. Really listened. And most importantly, he looked at her like he was seeing her—not the heiress, not the troubled teen, not the reflection of his failings—but his daughter. His child.

And in the small moments, Ava started to feel it too.

Not everything was fixed. But the tension that once lived in the walls began to soften. Her room didn’t feel like a cage anymore. The echo of slamming doors had disappeared. Her face healed, but more than that, something inside her had started to mend. It wasn’t linear. Some days were harder than others. But for the first time in her life, she believed that healing was possible. That she was allowed to take up space without apologizing for it. She smiled more. Laughed, even. The guilt that used to settle on her shoulders like wet sand began to lift.

And when Quinn returned from Michigan, as if drawn by some invisible pull, they found each other again.

No texts were exchanged. No call to meet. There didn’t have to be. The connection between them was something unspoken, something carved into the marrow of their bones. It moved in whispers, in intuition, in that aching familiarity that exists between people who have seen each other at their absolute lowest. Their bond defied explanation—it had always existed beneath the surface, simmering gently, waiting for the moment they would need it again.

So when the air in Vancouver turned warm and humid, and the sky burned soft at the edges with the promise of summer's return, they simply showed up. At the bench. The one by the water where everything began. The same wooden slats worn down from years of weather, still creaking under weight, still welcoming. As though the universe had gently reached out with an invisible hand, nudging them back toward the only place that ever felt like sanctuary. It didn’t need to shout or point—just whispered softly: go now. They're waiting.

There he was, sitting with his elbows on his knees, looking out at the water like it held the answers to questions he hadn't yet asked. Ava didn’t make a sound as she approached, but he turned anyway—as if he felt her there before he saw her. Their eyes met, and something settled in both of them. Relief. Recognition. That aching kind of warmth that only comes from being missed.

They said nothing. Just moved toward each other like gravity had decided for them. He opened the blanket he had brought, and she stepped into it, sinking into his side like it was the most natural thing in the world. His arm draped over her shoulders, her head rested gently against his chest. They laid there in silence, the water stretching out before them, the stars quietly blinking in the sky above. The city buzzed behind them, distant and irrelevant. In that moment, it was just them.

Two quiet souls with too much history and not enough words.

They didn’t need to speak. They never had.

Their breathing synced, rising and falling in a rhythm so effortless it felt orchestrated by something bigger than them. His fingers moved gently against her arm, drawing absentminded circles that whispered reassurance against her skin. Each pass of his fingertips was a soft reminder that she wasn’t alone, that he was there, and that the silence between them was anything but empty. Her hand, slow and deliberate, found the hem of his sweater—that familiar place where fabric met warmth—and curled there, anchoring herself in the presence of someone who had seen her unravel and hadn’t flinched.

They had been apart for months, but this—this space, this contact, this hush that wrapped around them like a cocoon—made time feel irrelevant. It wasn’t just comfort. It was communion. Like their hearts had never stopped whispering across the distance, tracing constellations in one another’s absence. And now, reunited, they could finally hear what had always been there. That steady hum of knowing, of safety, of belonging. A closeness that asked nothing, proved nothing, but simply was.

It was the kind of reunion that didn’t require explanation. Just presence. Just breath.

And then came the night of the Monroe Gala.

It was an annual tradition, always hosted in the grand ballroom of one of Vancouver’s finest hotels—chandeliers dripping with light, golden accents reflecting off the champagne flutes, soft classical music humming beneath the din of polite conversation. The Monroe name was printed on every wall, gilded on every place card. Cameras flashed as donors and dignitaries arrived, each trying to catch the attention of the city's elite.

But this year, something was different. Ava stood next to her father the entire night.

David hadn’t asked—he insisted. And for once, she didn’t mind.

She wore a simple black satin gown, elegant and understated, the fabric catching the light with every graceful movement she made. It flowed around her like a whisper, the kind of dress that didn’t need embellishment to draw attention. Her hair was swept into a soft bun, a few delicate strands framing her face, and her makeup was minimal—just enough to highlight the natural beauty she was finally learning to own. But it wasn’t her dress or her makeup that turned heads. It was her presence. The way she carried herself with a quiet, unshakable strength that hadn’t been there before. A stillness that commanded respect without demanding it. She wasn’t just attending the gala; she was reclaiming the space she had once shrunk inside of. Every step she took was a silent declaration.

David kept a proud hand on her back, steady and constant, as he introduced her to guests. It was protective but not possessive, proud but not overbearing—a father who had come to understand his daughter’s worth in the way he should have all along. For once, his presence beside her didn’t feel like a spotlight; it felt like support. And Ava, radiant beneath the golden chandeliers, met each handshake and greeting with grace and a poised confidence that made people pause, look again, and wonder who she truly was beneath the satin and silk.

"This is my daughter, Ava," he’d say with a smile that reached his eyes. "She’s doing incredibly well in school. Top of her class. Strong as ever."

No one brought up Sally. Not once. Not in passing, not in whispers behind champagne glasses, not in speculative glances. It was as if the woman had been erased from memory, a name swallowed by the elegance of the room and the power of Ava’s presence. And David, for all his pride and poise, didn’t let her shadow stretch across this night. He didn’t allow it. This was Ava’s moment. Hers alone.

She smiled, nodded, shook hands, posed for the occasional photo, but her mind wandered.

Because across the room, Quinn was there.

Tall, composed, dressed in a sharp navy suit. His hair was slightly tousled in that effortless way only he could pull off. He looked different here—not out of place, but dressed in armor. His hands tucked into his pockets, his expression polite but reserved. He mingled with his teammates, with the Canucks GM, with sponsors and fans. But his eyes were scanning the room.

For her.

Their eyes met across the ballroom, and it was like the world stilled, folded inward, until the only thing that existed was the space between them. They didn’t smile. They didn’t wave. They just watched each other, a kind of watching that felt like remembering and longing all at once. Ava’s breath caught in her throat, her heart aching with the pressure of everything she couldn’t say. And Quinn—his posture steady, his eyes unreadable but soft—looked at her like she was the first quiet breath after drowning. It was a silent conversation layered with everything they had endured in the months apart. A quiet, aching kind of yearning that throbbed in the stillness.

I missed you.

I know.

I’m here.

So am I.

As the night wore on, they moved through the space like magnets drawn by a thread. David introduced Ava to a dozen important faces, but each time she turned, she could feel Quinn’s gaze finding hers. When he laughed at something Brock Boeser said, she caught the moment his smile faltered just slightly—because she wasn’t beside him. And when she shook hands with Tyler Myers, she felt Quinn watching, his gaze unreadable.

Eventually, the inevitable happened.

David and Ava approached a small cluster of men—Quinn, the GM, Brock, and Elias. Golf was the topic of choice, spoken with that kind of lighthearted competitiveness that only athletes could pull off. The laughter was easy, the posture relaxed. Ava stood a step behind her father, her eyes immediately finding Quinn’s.

He didn’t speak. Neither did she.

They just gravitated toward one another until, somehow, they were side by side. The space between them dissolved with a familiarity so profound, it felt rehearsed by the universe itself. Their arms brushed once—a fleeting stroke of fabric against skin that made Ava's breath hitch. Then again, slower this time, as if the universe was drawing their lines closer. And on the third, they didn’t pull away. They stayed.

Shoulder to shoulder, standing like twin sentinels in a crowd of strangers, the contact was quiet but absolute. A low pulse of warmth spread from where they touched, down their spines, into their lungs. Ava felt her anxiety melt just slightly, the noise of the room dimming, her thoughts softening. Quinn tilted slightly closer, the smallest gesture, like a lean into gravity. And together they stood—not speaking, not shifting, simply existing in the kind of silence that nourished.

For a moment, neither of them listened to the conversation. They didn’t hear the jokes about sand traps or the groans about bad swings. They were simply there. Together. Anchored.

David turned and, with the proudest smile, said, "Gentlemen, this is my daughter, Ava."

She extended her hand politely, introducing herself with a poise that made her look older than she felt. Quinn gave the smallest nod, his lips twitching, like he was trying not to smirk.

"Nice to meet you," he said softly, eyes never leaving hers.

They had to pretend.

Pretend like they didn’t know every jagged edge of each other’s trauma—each wound, each scar, each moment that nearly broke them. Like they hadn’t fallen asleep on the phone night after night, their voices the last thread tethering each other to sleep, murmured goodnights passed like fragile lifelines. Like she hadn’t once read him poetry in the early hours of the morning, her voice trembling over words not her own, until they cracked open something inside him that he hadn’t dared to touch in years, and he cried—not just from the words, but from the way she saw him, really saw him. Like he hadn’t once driven across the city at midnight, headlights cutting through fog, just to be near her, just to sit on the floor of her room and say nothing while she stared blankly at the wall, her silence heavier than any words. Like they weren’t each other's refuge in a world that had offered them far too many reasons to stop trying. Like they weren’t still carrying pieces of each other in places no one else could reach.

They had to pretend like they weren’t tethered by something deeper than most people in that room would ever understand.

Like if it weren’t for Quinn, Ava wouldn’t be here.

And if it weren’t for Ava, Quinn would have walked away from the game he loved.

They stood quietly, shoulder to shoulder, both masters of silence, both carrying more than anyone knew. And while the rest of the room buzzed with noise and expectation, they existed in their own bubble. One glance. One breath. One heartbeat.

That was enough.

For now.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Somehow, later that night, Quinn and Ava found themselves away from all the eyes, tucked behind velvet curtains and down a quiet hallway, onto a narrow balcony that overlooked the city. It felt like they had stumbled upon it by accident, but both of them knew better. The pull between them had always been magnetic, quiet and deliberate, and it had led them here—out of the spotlight, away from the polished smiles and the swirling conversations. Just the two of them. Just how they liked it.

The air was crisp and cool, the summer breeze biting at her bare shoulders, and without a word, Quinn slipped his suit jacket from his shoulders and draped it gently over her. Then, like gravity had always meant him to, he stayed close. His arm wrapped around her back, resting just above her waist, drawing her into his warmth. She leaned into it with a sigh, one that felt like it had been trapped inside her all evening.

The city lights glittered below them, casting soft gold and silver glows onto their faces. Neither of them spoke at first. There was no need to fill the silence. The world outside buzzed with energy and expectation, but here—on this hidden balcony—time felt suspended. They turned toward each other slowly, their gazes meeting in a softness reserved only for the quietest of truths.

Their voices, when they came, were hushed. Gentle. Full of intimacy. It wasn’t what they said—it was how they said it. Like they were catching up on lifetimes rather than hours. As if the conversation from the night before, curled up on Quinn’s couch in hoodies and tangled legs, hadn’t happened just twenty-four hours earlier. As if time with each other never felt like enough.

He told her about his mom asking questions. About Luke and Jack teasing him, but softer than usual. She told him about her father pausing in the middle of breakfast to ask her how she really was. How she answered him honestly.

They laughed quietly, shared fragments of their lives, their voices slipping between them like the breeze winding around their bodies. Ava’s hand found his. Their fingers interlaced without fanfare, like they were meant to. Like they always had.

They craved each other’s presence in a way that neither of them could quite articulate. It was an ache in the bones, a whisper that lingered in the quiet moments when the world slowed down. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t desperate. It was patient and persistent, like the tide returning to shore. Every brush of their hands, every shared look, every heartbeat that seemed to echo in tandem reminded them that the world felt more bearable with the other nearby.

It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was all-consuming in the gentlest way—like warm water rising slowly around them until they were submerged in comfort. Being together didn’t feel like fireworks or explosions. It felt like exhaling. Like the pause between waves. Like breathing after forgetting how to. It was the soft kind of safety that asked nothing, yet offered everything. It was steady. It was healing. It was home.

Eventually, they knew they had to go back. The world would start to wonder. So they disentangled slowly, reluctantly, the weight of the party pressing back against their little sanctuary. They stepped inside, the heavy doors closing behind them like a secret, and returned to the crowd, slipping seamlessly back into their silent game of eye tag.

Longing looks drifted like invisible threads across the room—delicate, deliberate, and too soft for anyone else to notice. They passed between them in glances that carried weight, in stares that lingered just a second too long. Ava could feel him in the room like a current beneath the surface of calm water. Even when her back was turned, she knew exactly where he was. It was instinctual now, the way she tracked him without searching, the way her body seemed to orient itself around his presence.

Quinn was woven into the night, stitched into the seams of her awareness. Like his gaze had painted itself onto the architecture of the ballroom—carved into the corners of mirrors, hidden in the shadows between chandeliers, echoing in the hush between conversations. He was there in the stillness. In the pause before the music swelled again.

Every time their eyes met, it felt like the rest of the world blurred, like the space between them collapsed into memory and possibility. It was quiet, desperate longing. Not just for touch, but for the kind of closeness they weren’t allowed to show here. The kind they could only hint at through parted lips that said nothing, and eyes that said everything.

When the night came to a close, and the last of the toasts had been made, David began his rounds. He shook hands with the team, warm and gracious, all the pride of a father written into his smile.

And Ava stood there, just a few feet away from Quinn.

So close. Yet still oceans apart.

She stared at him, and he stared back. Neither moving. Neither speaking. Just holding on through the space between them. And in that glance, they said everything they couldn’t say out loud.

Stay.

I will.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Fundraiser after fundraiser. Event after event. Gala after gala. It was always the same.

There was a rhythm to it now—the way Ava and Quinn would find themselves orbiting the same glittering rooms, under the same glowing chandeliers, surrounded by clinking glasses, velvet gowns, and the quiet murmur of old money. These were nights meant for appearances, for networking and public smiles. And yet, for them, they had taken on a different meaning. They became a ritual of sorts. A dance.

They never arrived together. They never left together. But they were always there. Always watching.

She stood by her father's side, poised and elegant, every inch of her radiating a quiet, cultivated grace. The dress she wore shimmered beneath the golden chandeliers, catching the light each time she moved, but it wasn’t the fabric that made people pause when they looked at her—it was the composure, the soft confidence in the way she held herself. The kind of strength not learned overnight but forged through fire and healing. There was something magnetic about her silence, a steadiness in her stillness, like she didn’t need to speak to be understood. David often rested a hand gently on her back, not to guide her, but to show the world he was proud.

Across the room, Quinn lingered with his teammates, half-listening to stories about summer golf trips and rookie antics, his drink untouched, the condensation leaving faint circles on the bar. His posture was casual, familiar to those around him, but his eyes—they betrayed him. They moved past people, past clinking glasses and shallow chatter, to find her. Always her. No matter where she was in the room, he found her. Even if she was half-turned, speaking to someone else, he knew. Like her presence lived in his peripheral vision. Like a magnetic pull beneath his skin.

And when their eyes met—briefly, quietly—everything else fell away. The world dimmed. The noise dulled. It was just them, across the distance, tethered by something invisible and unshakable. The kind of connection that didn’t require words or permission. Even in a crowded ballroom. Even in a sea of faces. The invisible string between them never faltered. It only grew stronger, more certain, more sacred.

They had mastered the art of silent presence. Of being near, but not too near. Their glances were small offerings. Wordless affirmations. I'm here.

Sometimes, Quinn would catch her in mid-laugh, head tilted back slightly, eyes crinkled at the corners, and his chest would tighten. Sometimes Ava would look up to see him politely declining a drink, his fingers tracing the edge of the glass, and she'd know he was counting down the minutes until they could be alone.

Every so often, someone would notice. One of Quinn's teammates. An old family friend of Ava's. Someone would glance between them and furrow their brow.

Eventually, Brock and Petey began to catch on. It wasn't just in the obvious ways—not just the glances or the quiet way Quinn seemed to tune out everything but a single presence across the room. It was deeper than that. It was in the ease of his movements during practice, in the softness of his voice when he spoke to the trainers, in the subtle calm that had settled into his shoulders like a long-held burden had finally been set down.

They saw the change in him before they saw her. The lightness in him. The subtle peace. The way his temper didn’t flare as easily. The way he lingered longer in the locker room, not because he was avoiding something, but because he had somewhere he wanted to be afterward. The way his phone would buzz mid-conversation, and he’d glance at it, eyes lighting up in a way neither of them had seen in a long time.

Petey noticed it first after a morning skate. Quinn had sat on the bench longer than usual, sipping his water, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth for no apparent reason. Brock picked up on it later, when Quinn turned down a night out in favor of heading home early—again.

There was something different about him. Something quieter. Something warmer. Something that felt like the first breath after breaking the surface of a deep dive. They didn’t know who she was yet. But they knew what she was doing to him.

And they were grateful for it.

“You’re different lately,” Brock had teased once, nudging him with his elbow after a press conference.

Quinn shrugged. “Just focused.”

Petey raised an eyebrow. “Focused, huh?”

He said nothing more, just offered a faint smirk and pulled his cap low. But they knew. Of course they did.

They didn’t push. They didn’t need to. Because they remembered the nights Quinn went silent in the locker room, the way he would sit with his head in his hands, shoulders hunched and trembling slightly, eyes distant as though he was somewhere far away. They remembered the nights he left the arena without a word, ghosting through the exit like he wanted to disappear into the dark, burdened by invisible weights that the rest of the world never saw. They remembered the sting of watching him crumble under the pressure, carrying the weight of a franchise, a name, and expectations so heavy no one his age should have had to bear them.

And now, he was present. He was grounded. He stayed after practices, laughed more freely, smiled without flinching, and leaned in during conversations instead of drifting out. He moved through the world with a kind of steadiness that was new, earned, and deeply felt. There was a fullness to him, a quiet confidence that hadn’t been there before, like he had finally allowed himself to be held by something—or someone—other than the game. And whatever or whoever had given him that, they weren’t going to interfere. Because Quinn wasn’t just surviving anymore. He was healing. And they weren’t about to question the one bright thread that had started to stitch him back together.

And David Monroe—the man who spent a lifetime reading contracts, reading negotiations, reading people—read his daughter the same way.

He noticed the subtle tilt of her head when Quinn entered the room—that barely perceptible shift in her body that spoke volumes. He noticed how her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, how her stance softened in the way that people do when they feel safe. The shift in her voice when she greeted him was unmistakable, too—a quiet warmth that hadn't been there before, a kind of familiarity laced with unspoken joy. There was a glint of something softer in her eyes, something David hadn’t seen in a long time: hope. It shimmered beneath her lashes when she looked at Quinn, not flashy or bold, but real.

And maybe it was in the way she leaned in slightly, even when they weren’t talking. Maybe it was in the way her laughter carried just a little further when Quinn was near, fuller, less guarded. Maybe it was in the way she always seemed to know where he was, even if her back was turned. Whatever it was, she didn’t have to say a word. David knew. He knew in the same way a father knows when something inside his daughter has changed—not in fear, not in pain, but in healing. In comfort. In love.

But he never asked.

Never pushed. Never demanded to know.

Instead, he offered something rarer: trust.

He’d excuse himself from conversations at just the right moment. He’d conveniently get caught up with a donor when Ava and Quinn found themselves standing nearby. And most notably, he’d offer, again and again, with quiet confidence:

“Quinn, would you mind driving Ava back tonight? Her driver’s been rerouted.”

Even when they both knew that wasn’t true. Even when her driver was parked right outside. It was never about logistics. It was about space.

David offered it to them the way a father offers love when he doesn’t quite know how to say the words. With open doors. With quiet knowing. With the kind of steady, behind-the-scenes support that didn't demand acknowledgment or praise. He made space for them gently, without ever announcing it, always a few steps behind, always watching without hovering. He knew enough not to interrupt something still delicate and forming, something unspoken and sacred. But he could feel it—the gravity between them—and rather than stand in the way of it, he simply stepped aside.

In the way he lingered in conversations a little longer when he saw them drawn together. In the way he made himself scarce just as Ava started looking around for an escape from small talk. In the way he mentioned Quinn’s name with familiarity, like someone already considered family. He didn’t overstep. He didn’t press. He just made sure they knew he saw them. That he trusted them. That they were safe, and they were seen.

On the nights Ava stayed at the Monroe home, David would pass by her room, the soft spill of her laughter filtering through the crack in the door. Her voice, light and unguarded, speaking into the phone like it was the most natural thing in the world. It didn’t take much for him to recognize the voice on the other end. He’d seen Quinn smile that same way, phone in hand, thumb brushing the screen, eyes warm with something he rarely let the world see.

And then there were the late nights.

The soft creak of the front door. The shuffle of feet on the tile. Her silhouette slipping out into the quiet dark, only to return hours later with the faintest curve of peace around her mouth. She never said where she went. He never asked. But he could see it in her eyes. The steadiness. The gratitude.

Her chauffeur confirmed it once, in the casual way longtime employees do.

"Nice kid comes around a lot," he’d said, leaning against the car as David stepped out one morning, his tone casual but warm with unspoken approval. "Shows up like clockwork. Never loud, never late. Always polite—calls me sir, if you can believe it. Keeps to himself mostly, but he's careful with her. Stays in the car sometimes, waits until the lights are on before driving off. And when he does walk her in, he never lingers longer than she wants him to. Just makes sure she’s safe. You can tell he cares, even if he doesn’t say much. Been doing it for months now. Since before the summer started, even when school was still in session. Honestly? Feels like he's been here longer than that. Like he's part of the rhythm of the place now."

David had only nodded.

He didn’t need confirmation. He just needed to know she was okay.

And when it came to Quinn Hughes, he knew she was.

He’d always admired the young defenseman. Not for his stats, not for his name. But for the way he carried himself. Humble. Quiet. Steady. The kind of man who didn’t demand the spotlight, but still lit the way for others. The kind of man David hoped his daughter would meet one day, when she was ready.

And now, it seemed, she had.

David never said anything. Not directly.

But one evening, Ava walked into her apartment, tired from class, her shoulders heavy with the day. And there, on her kitchen counter, was an envelope. Small. Unassuming. Her name printed on the front in familiar, slanted script.

Inside, a single ticket.

Canucks Family Suite.

Next to it, a bouquet of lilies. Fresh, fragrant, wrapped in soft tissue and tied with a satin ribbon.

And tucked inside the bouquet was a note, folded neatly. In her father’s handwriting, blocky and precise:

I’m glad you’re happy. Enjoy the game, sweetheart. Tell Q I say hi.

Ava stood in the center of her kitchen for a long time, the note pressed to her chest, her fingertips brushing over the familiar scrawl of her father’s handwriting as if it were something fragile and precious. The air around her felt still, suspended, as if the world had paused to give her this moment—this moment where the past and present met in a quiet, breathtaking kind of peace. Her eyes stung with something tender, something deep and sacred, a soft ache blooming in her chest that had nothing to do with pain and everything to do with being seen. Truly seen.

It wasn’t permission. It wasn’t approval. It was deeper than that. It was trust. It was understanding. It was a father’s love given not with conditions or expectations, but with a steady hand and a hopeful heart. It was a message: * I trust you. I love you.*

And in that stillness, Ava felt something inside her settle. A lifelong ache she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying softened, just a little. It was love, quiet and sure. The kind that didn’t ask questions. The kind that didn’t need to be proven. The kind that just... was.

She didn’t text him to say thank you. She didn’t need to. He already knew.

That night, she wore the jersey Quinn had left for her. The one that still smelled faintly of his cologne. The one that had become a second skin on nights when the world felt too sharp. She tucked the ticket into her bag and made her way to the arena.

The family suite buzzed with polite chatter, children balancing popcorn tubs on their laps, partners snapping photos through the glass. Ava sat alone, her hands folded neatly in her lap, eyes trained on the ice.

And then he skated out.

Helmet tucked under one arm, his stick resting against his shoulder, his eyes flicked upward—toward her.

Just once.

But it was enough.

He smiled. Slow. Soft. The kind of smile that reached the corners of his eyes.

And this time, she smiled back.

Wide. Unafraid. Home.

A few rows down, David watched the exchange, his heart quietly swelling with a kind of warmth he hadn't felt in years. His hands were folded in his lap, but his grip softened as he took them in—his daughter and the boy she hadn’t quite named yet. His chin tilted upward slightly, like he was catching sunlight, though it was only the gentle glow of the rink lights reflecting in his eyes. And what he saw wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t grand. But it was everything.

There was something so gentle in their exchange, so sweet and unguarded, that it rooted itself deep in his chest. The way Quinn looked up like the world paused when he saw her. The way Ava smiled back without a hint of hesitation. That silent thread between them—invisible to others but so very visible to a father who had learned to look—wasn't just connection. It was care. It was safety. It was the soft, tender shape of something real beginning to bloom.

And David—a man who once wondered if he’d ever get to see this kind of light in his daughter again—felt nothing but gratitude. For the quiet between them. For the steady presence Quinn had become. For the fact that in a world that demanded so much of both of them, they had found each other.

He smiled too.

Because this—this was all he had ever wanted for her.

Not perfection. Not prestige.

Just peace.

And someone to hold her steady when the world tried to pull her apart.

And he smiled too.

Because this—this was all he had ever wanted for her.

Not perfection. Not prestige.

Just peace.

And someone to hold her steady when the world tried to pull her apart.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Eventually, it happened.

After a week of distance, of nothing but texted good mornings and tired, late-night voice notes, Quinn returned from a stretch of away games in the States. A week apart wasn’t long in the grand scheme of things, but it felt like an eternity to both of them. After so many nights spent orbiting each other’s presence, to suddenly have nothing but a phone screen was a sharp absence.

So when he finally got back to Vancouver, there was no hesitation. No ceremony. Just the quiet thud of the door closing behind him and the soft, wordless pull of Ava’s arms as they collapsed into each other in the dim comfort of her apartment.

They ended up in her bed, legs tangled beneath the covers, the low hum of a television show playing in the background. Neither of them paid attention to the dialogue. The screen flickered, casting soft colors across the room, but their world had narrowed to each other—to the warmth of bodies reunited, to the gentle exchange of breath in a space that finally felt whole again.

Quinn laid on his side, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other curled gently around Ava’s waist. She faced him, her fingers resting lightly against his chest, eyes tracing the sharp curve of his jaw, the dimple in his chin, the soft slope of his nose. It was quiet, reverent almost, the kind of silence that said everything.

Their foreheads pressed together.

Like an anchor. Like a prayer.

As if the touch could absorb all the ache, all the exhaustion, all the pieces of the past still lodged deep inside.

Quinn's fingers gently brushed a piece of hair from her face, tucking it slowly behind her ear with the kind of tenderness that made her stomach flutter. His hand lingered there, the pad of his thumb grazing the curve of her cheek like it was something sacred. It was such a small gesture, but it was full of reverence—as though he were memorizing her, as though her softness was something he needed to commit to memory in case the world ever tried to make him forget. His eyes searched hers, not in question but in quiet certainty, and when he finally took a breath, it trembled slightly, his voice low and raw and steady. The words that followed were barely above a whisper, but they rang through her like a cathedral bell, reverberating in her chest, anchoring something deep and aching inside of her with the weight of truth.

"I love you so much, Ava."

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t dramatic. But it held weight. A gravity that made her heart still for a moment.

Her eyes met his, glassy with something close to awe, and she reached up, cupping his face in her hands with a gentleness that nearly broke him.

"I love you so much, Quinn."

And then their lips met.

Soft. Slow. Healing.

Like the breath after a storm. Like the beginning of something safe and endless.

In that kiss, it was as if they were transported—to a different place, a different version of the world where nothing had ever hurt them, where every crack had been mended, every bruise gently kissed away. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was a release. A surrender. A soft unraveling of everything they had held in for too long. It was warm and still and whole, the kind of kiss that stitched them back together from the inside out. In that moment, their bodies remembered safety, their hearts remembered peace. Every aching memory, every lonely night, every self-doubt and lingering wound faded into the background.

For a few heartbeats, they forgot what it meant to carry pain. Forgot what it was to be broken. There was only the hush between them, the taste of belonging, the way their souls seemed to fit together like pieces that had always known where they belonged.

They were just two people who loved each other.

And for the first time, that was more than enough.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Ava attended every game she could. If she could make it, she was there. She sat quietly in the family suite, tucked between executives and loved ones, her eyes always scanning the ice for #43.

And it was inevitable, really, that eventually she would run into Ellen Hughes.

It was during a highly anticipated game—the Canucks versus the Devils. A Hughes family reunion of sorts, with Jack and Luke skating for New Jersey while Quinn stood on the opposing blue line. The suite was buzzing with excitement, filled with friends, distant relatives, and family friends.

Ellen had made her rounds with practiced warmth. She greeted the WAGs, the team staff, the donors and their spouses. And eventually, her eyes fell on a girl she didn’t recognize.

She was sitting at the far end of the suite, small and tucked into her seat, her body angled slightly away from the crowd as though trying not to draw attention. But there was something about her posture—something familiar. She wasn’t avoiding people. She was just comfortable in her own space.

Curious, Ellen approached.

"Hi there," she said with a soft smile. "I don't think we've met. I'm Ellen. Quinn's mom."

Ava's head snapped up, and her heart immediately jumped to her throat, thudding so hard she swore Ellen could hear it. Her breath caught, and for a split second she forgot how to speak, how to move, how to be. She hadn’t expected this moment—not so soon, not like this. Her eyes widened slightly, and a nervous flush crept up her neck, blooming across her cheeks as recognition dawned. Of course she knew who Ellen Hughes was. Quinn had spoken of her with reverence and warmth, had mentioned her kindness and strength. And now here she was, standing just feet away, reaching out not with suspicion, but with genuine interest. Ava forced a smile, her palms suddenly clammy, and willed her voice to be steady, to not betray the storm of nerves unraveling inside her.

"Oh," she said, standing quickly and smoothing her sweater. "Hi. I’m Ava. Ava Monroe. My dad’s David Monroe—he's one of the team's silent donors. I… I sometimes come to games with him."

Ellen nodded thoughtfully, but her eyes didn’t move. They stayed on Ava.

There was something about her. Something that tugged at Ellen's chest in a way she couldn't quite explain. A familiarity, a presence. A quiet gentleness that felt known, though she was sure they had never met. The girl’s posture, the way she sat with graceful reserve, like she was holding something close and sacred—Ellen couldn’t look away.

And then the players took the ice. The lights brightened, the music swelled, and her son stepped onto the rink. The roar of the crowd rose up like a wave, but Ellen barely heard it. Her eyes were on Quinn. And his eyes? His eyes were searching.

Not for his father. Not for her. Not for the fans.

They locked onto the far edge of the suite.

To her.

And in that one look, everything else fell away.

Ellen watched as his face softened, his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and the tension that had built during warmups dissolved like ice under the sun. His expression wasn’t just love. It was longing. A yearning so deep, it was visible even from all the way up here. A look that said, There you are. I can breathe again.

It hit Ellen like a memory—a summer evening by the lake, Quinn laid out on the dock, his eyes turned toward the stars with that same quiet peace. That same softness.

And now she saw it again.

Not because of the game.

Because of the girl.

And Ellen saw it.

The look.

The look that lit his entire face.

She followed his gaze and then looked back to Ava. And suddenly, it all clicked. The jersey wasn’t just a Hughes one. It was a game-worn #43. His first one. And Ava wasn’t just some donor’s daughter.

She was the girl.

The one who had existed only in quiet murmurs for months. The one whose name hadn’t been spoken, but whose presence had echoed in every shift of Quinn's energy. The one Ellen had wondered about late at night, when she noticed her son checking his phone more often, when she heard the smile in his voice during calls, when he talked about "someone" who made things feel easier.

She was the one who had pulled her son back from the edge. Who had reminded him, not with grand declarations but with steady hands and soft silence, that he didn’t have to carry the weight of the world alone. The girl who had entered his life like a whisper, and yet managed to soften every sharp edge he carried. The girl who brought stillness to the storm.

And now, seeing her here, Ellen understood everything.

Every look. Every shift. Every softened breath her son had taken over the past several months.

This was her.

The one who had become his home.

After the game, as players filtered off the ice and families began gathering their things, Ellen watched as Ava lingered. She didn’t move to leave like the others. She stayed in the back, her coat draped over her arm, her gaze fixed on the hallway leading to the locker rooms.

And when the crowds began to thin, Quinn reappeared.

He wasn’t obvious. He never was. But he moved with intention. He walked right past the others. Right to her.

And the way he looked at her—that same quiet, awe-filled expression he wore that summer on the dock, when the world was still and the stars were just beginning to shine, like he was seeing the whole universe unfold before him. But this time, he wasn't looking at the sky—he was looking at her. With a reverence that made it seem as if she held constellations in her eyes, like every part of him had been waiting for this one second of clarity. There was no mistaking it, no downplaying the depth of it. That look held stories, memories, hopes he hadn’t dared to name. It was a gaze filled with yearning, with a kind of stillness that only comes when you find the thing you didn’t even know you were missing. It was the look of a man who had come home—and found that home in her.

That’s when Ellen knew.

This girl. This quiet, kind-eyed girl.

She was the one who had been stitching her son back together.

And when Ava began to make her way out, ready to quietly leave before anyone could say anything, Ellen stepped in gently.

"Why don’t you come with us?" she asked, her voice warm, inviting. "We’re going out for dinner. Nothing fancy. Just family."

Ava blinked. "I… I wouldn’t want to intrude."

Ellen smiled. "You wouldn’t be. Please."

There was a look in Ellen’s eyes—soft, knowing, and impossibly kind. A look filled with gentle recognition and something deeper than just polite interest. The same look David Monroe had when he realized the truth, when he saw the way his daughter smiled with her whole heart for the first time in years. It was the look of someone who understood exactly what was unfolding, even if it hadn’t been said aloud. A mother’s intuition, quietly affirming what she had already pieced together long before introductions had been made.

Ava felt the weight of it settle over her chest—not heavy, but grounding. She felt seen, not just as Quinn's quiet constant, but as someone who mattered on her own. And in that moment, she felt the doors to something bigger opening, something she had always tiptoed around. A family, a place, a seat at the table. She felt welcome.

So when Ellen extended the invitation, Ava couldn’t say no. Not because she felt obligated. But because she wanted to. Because this, whatever this was, felt like the beginning of something sacred.

They went to a quiet restaurant downtown. One the Hughes family knew well. A booth in the back was waiting, and Quinn reached for her hand beneath the table as they sat. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

Dinner was easy.

Ava was quiet, like Quinn, but she listened well. Asked thoughtful questions. Laughed at the right moments. And slowly, the Hughes brothers started to lean in a little more. Ellen and Jim exchanged a glance across the table.

They watched the way Quinn passed Ava the pickles from his plate without asking, and how she did the same with her tomatoes. How they shared a single glass of water, how Ava refilled it halfway through without a word. How they leaned into each other during the lull in conversation, foreheads brushing like they couldn’t quite believe they were still allowed to be near.

It was like watching a dance.

Soft. Natural. Magnetic.

And when dinner ended, and they all stood to leave, one by one the Hughes family pulled Ava into tight hugs.

From Jim’s strong embrace to Luke’s teasing grin, to Jack’s quiet "Glad you're here. Really."

And then Ellen. Who held her for a little longer.

As if saying, Thank you.

For bringing their Quinn back.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

After dinner, they parted ways outside the restaurant. The night had cooled, the sidewalks quieter now, as families dispersed and city lights blinked sleepily overhead. Quinn and Ava didn’t speak much as they walked. They didn’t need to. Their hands were still intertwined, fingers laced with the kind of familiarity that spoke louder than any words.

Somehow, without planning, they ended up at the bench.

Their bench.

The same one by the water. The one where it all began.

The moon hung low and bright above them, casting silver reflections across the calm harbor. The city buzzed behind them, but here, it was quiet. Safe. Like always.

They sat side by side, shoulders brushing, the hush of waves lapping gently below. Quinn leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, while Ava curled slightly into his side. Her head found his shoulder, and his cheek rested against the top of her head.

For a while, they didn’t say anything. They just listened—to the water, to the cars in the distance, to their own hearts beating in rhythm again.

"You know," Ava murmured after a while, "I didn’t think I’d ever feel this again. Safe. Loved. Not just by you… but by the world. By your family."

Quinn turned his head, brushing a kiss to her temple.

"You were always worthy of it. You just needed someone to remind you."

A small smile tugged at her lips, and she leaned further into him.

"You did more than remind me. You showed me."

He looked out at the water, his voice a whisper.

"You saved me too. I was drowning and didn’t even realize it. And then there you were. Just... quiet and strong and exactly what I didn’t know I needed."

She tilted her head to look up at him. "Do you think we would have found each other if everything in our lives had gone differently?"

He considered that, then shook his head gently.

"No. But I think we found each other exactly when we needed to. Broken, but still whole enough to see the light in the other."

She reached up and touched his cheek. "You were always the light, Quinn."

He closed his eyes for a moment, holding her hand against his face.

They stayed there until the sky began to shift—the deep navy of night giving way to pale hints of morning. The first signs of a new day stretching out before them.

And as the sun began to rise, spilling warmth across the horizon, they knew.

They had survived the darkness.

Together.

And now, they had a future.

Hand in hand, they sat on that bench. Their bench. Not as two people weighed down by the past, but as two hearts who had found their way back to themselves—through love, through healing, and through each other.

This was their beginning.

And it was everything.

Post Game Interview | Quinn Hughes

❝ 𝓐nother 𝓑aby?! ❞

✦. ── 🎶it's the little things you do that make me want you and the not so little things that make me need you. 🎶 things, maggie lindemann

✦. ── pairing: trevor zegras x grayson kelce

✦. ── main masterlist things masterlist

✦. ── in which . . . grayson and trevor are visiting philly when her parents tell her she's going to be a big sister yet again.

𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟸𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺

"Be careful, please!" Kylie's voice carried through the house as Grayson stretched across one of the couches in the living room, Jason stretched out on the other as a random tv show played on the screen.

Wyatt and Ellie's giggle's filling the air, Bennett having gone down for a nap thirty minutes before.

After moving in with Trevor, Grayson decided that she wanted to go back home to stay with her parents and sisters for a few days, especially since her boyfriend was on a road trip with a cluster of hockey games to play.

So far, Grayson had spent time with both Jason and Kyle, even joining her dad and uncle for a new episode of New Heights, and she had spent a lot of her time just being in the presence of her three little sisters who absolutely were thrilled to have their older sister back.

"Hey, Gray." Kylie walks into the living room with a wooden box in her hands, a pretty pink bow wrapped around it, "Your dad and I got you and Trevor a gift. But since he's not here, we just decided to let you open it."

The eldest of the Kelce children looks up at her mother with squinted eyes, looking between her two parents as they had been sharing secretive looks with each other since her plane landed and she was picked up from the airport.

"I'm scared to even open it....neither of you just give either of us a gift for no reason. Especially just out of the blue like this." She's cautious as she takes the neatly wrapped box into her hands, sitting up so that she was sitting on her butt on the couch instead of laying on her side.

Jason playfully rolls his eyes as he turns his attention to his oldest daughter, "Jeez, it's not going to eat you alive, Gracy."

"Hmm, you say that..." Grayson mumbled as she pulls the ribbon from the box, pulling the lid up and freezing as she peered inside, "You're fucking kidding me!"

Inside the box was a pink sweater in Grayson's size with the words "big sister" stitched to the front, along with a few positive pregnancy test and an ultrasound.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She's quickly off the couch with the box sitting on the cushion as she stares at her parents in complete shock.

"I wish we were kidding." Jason shakes his head with a sigh, "I'm really out numbered now, five girls. What am I gonna do? At least I have a future son-in-law, hopefully, so I'm not totally alone."

"Yep, you're gonna be a big sister yet again." Kylie smiles softly at her daughter, watching as she lets out a quiet squeal to be mindful of her sleeping baby sister, "We haven't told the girls yet because we wanted to tell you first. Your grandparents and Travis don't even know just yet, but we're gonna call them to let them know."

"Oh my, God." Her bottom lip begins to tremble as she pulls her mother into a hug, the two hugging each other tightly, "Holy shit, another sister."

Jason grinned as he stood up from the couch to wrap both his wife and his first born child into a tight hug.

"Oh! I need to call Trevor and tell him!" Grayson quickly pulls away from her parents, reaching for both the box and her phone before she raced towards the stairs so that she could call her boyfriend in private.

Kylie smiles up at her husband, "Well, she took that better than I thought that she would."

"She took it exactly how I knew she would take it." Jason chuckled, sitting back on the couch, "She loves being a sister."

"Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you on that. She's a great big sister. And Trevor will be a great big brother. All our girls have him wrapped around their fingers.”

Upstairs in her bedroom, Grayson sits criss-crossed on her bed as she waits for the FaceTime call to go through, grinning big as her boyfriend's face finally connected.

"Hey, gorgeous." Trevor grins from his end of the FaceTime, "Hold up...why do you look so happy right now? Should I be worried about some other guy making you smile that way?”

“No….well, I did hang out with Jamie a few times since being here, but no.” She shakes her head before he smiles grows even more. “But no! They’re having another baby!”

Trevor’s eyes grow wide before a smile pulls on his lips, “Another girl for you to train to have all us guys wrapped around your fingers, huh?”

Grayson shrugged with a smirk, “You love us anyway.”

“of course I do, your my girls.”

❝ 𝓦renlee 𝓗ughes ❞

ꨄ ─── 🎶now i remember what it feels like to fly, you give me butterflies🎶 butterflies, kacey musgraves

ꨄ ─── auston matthews x wren hughes

ꨄ ─── main masterlist

ꨄ ─── butterflies masterlist

⋆.˚ ★— MEET WRENLEE .ᐟ

FULL NAME Wrenlee Warren Hughes DATE OF BIRTH October 14, 1999 PLACE OF BIRTH Orlando, Florida NICKNAMES Wren, Lee, Ren, Win PREFERRED NAME Wren STAR SIGN Libra LAST KNOWN ADDRESS Ann Arbor, Michigan CURRENT ADDRESS Toronto, Canada HEIGHT 5'2" EYE COLOR Hazel HAIR COLOR Dark Brown (naturally) TATTOOS Flowers & leaves on sternum, 734 in red ink on right forearm with her best friend Dylan, initials of JEQJL on her left fingers to represent her parents and brothers. Number 34 tattooed on her hipbone. PIERCINGS Ears, Nose, Nipples FAMILY Quinn Hughes (twin brother), Jack Hughes (younger brother), Luke Hughes (younger brother) CLOSEST FRIENDS Dylan Richards, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, Brock Boeser, Elias Petterson, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies, William Nylander, Joseph Woll, Morgan Rielly, Dawson Mercer, Nico Hischier, Stephanie LaChance, Tessa Virtue, Reanne Lazar RELATIONSHIPS Kian Lawley (ex-boyfriend), Auston Matthews (2021) INSTAGRAM @/hughes.wren FACE CLAIM Andrea Russett

⋆.˚ ★—WRENLEE'S FAVORITES .ᐟ

FAVORITE ANIMAL Dogs FAVORITE DRINK RedBull, Long Island Iced Tea FAVORITE FOOD Waffles FAVORITE COLOR Red, Blue, Purple FAVORITE SEASON Summer FAVORITE HOLIDAY Halloween FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM Canucks, Devils, Maple Leafs, FAVORITE MOVIE We're The Millers FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES Jesse Lee Soffer, Sydney Sweeney FAVORITE SINGERS Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift FAVORITE TV SHOWS The Office, Teen Wolf, Grey's Anatomy

⋆.˚ ★ — FACTS OF WRENLEE .ᐟ

୨୧ Wrenlee was born October 14, 1999, alongside her twin brother Quinn Hughes, in Orlando, Florida to their parents Ellen and Jim Hughes.

୨୧ When the twins were born, they already had a close connection so when they weren't being held close to each other, they would cry until they were next to each other once again.

୨୧ Being the only girl out of the four siblings, her brothers were always super protective of Wrenlee — even Jack & Luke who were younger than her.

୨୧ Just like her brothers, Wrenlee was always on the ice when she first started walking, but she didn't want to always be on the ice.

୨୧ When she was six, she decided that she wanted to learn how to play the piano, so Jim and Ellen got her into piano lessons, which later turned into wanting to play more instruments, which then lead to singing lessons.

୨୧ Wrenlee can play piano, drums, trumpet, guitar, violin, cello, electric guitar, bass guitar & she sings really well.

୨୧ She started posting video's online when she was thirteen which was mostly hockey vlogs of her brothers, videos of the four siblings skating on frozen ponds and that moved onto just random videos.

୨୧ Wrenlee posted her first video of her singing online when she was fourteen, which gained a lot of attention to her.

୨୧ Wrenlee went to UMICH right next to her twin brother, but just a year later she transferred to UC Berkeley where she majored in music, film & photography.

୨୧ There, she met her best friend, Dylan Richardson, and they stuck to each other like glue.

୨୧ Wrenlee and Quinn never got out of their phase of being heartbroken when the other wasn't close, to the move from Michigan to California really took a toll on the twins for the longest time.

୨୧ Luke was named after Wrenlee when he was born because when Ellen was pregnant with him, Wrenlee was obsessed with her mother and baby brother, which was still a thing when he was born.

୨୧ After Luke was born and no one could find Wrenlee, she wasn't too far behind wherever Luke was, even taking naps right outside of his crib to watch over "her baby".

୨୧ Even though Quinn and Wrenlee are twins, their personalities are the complete opposite of each other. When Quinn is quiet and keeps to himself, Wrenlee is very outgoing and never meets a stranger.

୨୧ In 2018, when Quinn got drafted to the Canucks, Wrenlee decided that it was time to move back home to be closer to her twin brother and her family.

୨୧ She finished college at UMICH.

୨୧ She moved to Vancouver in 2020 after finishing school where she and Quinn lived in an apartment together.

୨୧ When Luke is drafted for the Devils, Wrenlee gets a split jersey to represent all three of her brothers whenever they play against each other.

⋆.˚ ★ — WRENLEE & AUSTON .ᐟ

୨୧ In September of 2020, she was offered a job to be in charge of the Social Media pages for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

୨୧ She moved to Toronto from Vancouver which put even more distance between her and Quinn.

୨୧ Dylan moved to Toronto a few months later, him moving in to Wrenlee's apartment.

୨୧ Mitch is the first person from the team that she met & he tried his very best for the younger girl to fit in with the team and some of the teams girlfriends.

୨୧ With her friendship with Mitch, Wrenlee also got really close to his girlfriend Stephanie LaChance.

୨୧ Auston & Wrenlee first met during her first day as a media girl/photographer when she asked them Monday's question.

୨୧ Instantly, Auston was head over heals for the Hughes girl when he noticed how bright her smile was.

୨୧ Auston & Wrenlee both had feelings for each other but never did anything on their own, scared it would ruin everything. There was also a policy that the social media girls and players couldn't date that was in the way.

୨୧ For seven months, the two of them really tried to play off their feelings for each other but one night at a bar after a home game for the team, lines blurred & the two ended up sleeping together.

୨୧ Deciding to no longer deny their feelings for each other anymore after that night, Wrenlee & Auston went to the team managers to tell them about their relationship.

୨୧ They had to keep their relationship and their jobs separate which wasn't really hard for the two of them.

୨୧ Nobody knew about their relationship besides Quinn, Mitch, Steph, and a few of the other players that they were closest to.

୨୧ It isn't until the summer of 2021 when she's home with her family that she tells the rest of them that she's dating Auston.

୨୧ Jack & Luke are confused because Wrenlee swore she would never date a hockey player while Ellen & Jim are just happy that their daughter is happy & that Auston treats her well.

୨୧ The summer of 2022, Auston goes with her to the lakehouse for the first time since they started dating.

୨୧ Wrenlee gets Auston's jersey number tattooed on her hipbone.

୨୧ Auston asks her to move in with him March of 2022.

୨୧ They get engaged Christmas of 2023 & are married in the summer of 2024.

❝ 𝓑utterflies ❞ ─── 🦋

ꨄ ─── 🎶now i remember what it feels like to fly, you give me butterflies🎶 butterflies, kacey musgraves

ꨄ ─── auston matthews x wrenlee hughes

ꨄ ─── main masterlist

ꨄ ─── 𝓐bout ⋮ wrenlee hughes is offered a job as the social media girl for the maple leafs where auston can’t help but to fall in love with her and her smile.

꒰ 🏹 ꒱ — blurbs ꒰ 🎬 ꒱ — smau ꒰📱 ꒱ — tiktok

꒰ 📝 ꒱ — written

꒰ 🦋 ꒱ — Wrenlee’s profile

꒰ 🏹 ꒱ — blurbs !

𖥸 hughes sibling dynamic

꒰ 🎬 ꒱ — social media !

𖥸 welcome to toronto

❝ 𝓒harlotte 𝓛azar ❞

🜲 ──── 🎶 long drives, blue skies, straight to the horizon dancing in the rain, even through all the lightening. 🎶 always been you, michael sanzone

🜲 ──── series masterlist 🜲 ──── charlotte lazar x luke hughes 🜲 ──── main masterlist

⋆.˚ ★— MEET CHARLIE .ᐟ

FULL NAME Charlotte James Lazar DATE OF BIRTH November 7, 2003 PLACE OF BIRTH Salmon Arm, Canada NICKNAMES Char, Charlie, CJ, Lottie, Charles PREFERRED NAME Charlie STAR SIGN Scorpio LAST KNOWN ADDRESS Salmon Arm, Canada CURRENT ADDRESS Newark, New Jersey HEIGHT 5'6" EYE COLOR Blue HAIR COLOR Brown (naturally), Blonde TATTOOS None PIERCINGS Ears, Nose FAMILY Curtis Lazar (older brother) CLOSEST FRIENDS Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Nico Hischier, Benson Boone, Tabitha Swatosh, Josh Richards, Kouvr RELATIONSHIPS Luke Hughes (2023), Ryan Patterson (2019-2022) INSTAGRAM @/charlie_lazar FACE CLAIM Ashley Mae Besson

⋆.˚ ★— CHARLIE'S FAVORITES .ᐟ

🜲 FAVORITE ANIMAL Kitten 🜲 FAVORITE DRINK Apple Juice 🜲 FAVORITE FOOD Pizza 🜲 FAVORITE COLOR Blue & Sage green 🜲 FAVORITE SEASON Summer 🜲 FAVORITE HOLIDAY Christmas 🜲 FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM New Jersey Devils 🜲 FAVORITE MOVIE Marvel Movies, The Notebook 🜲 FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES Joe Keery, Tom Holland, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Rudy Pankow 🜲 FAVORITE SINGERS Justin Bieber, Billie Eillish, Kelsea Ballerini, Shawn Mendes, Morgan Wallen, Jessie Murph, Benson Boone 🜲 FAVORITE TV SHOWS Teen Wolf, Stranger Things, Outer Banks, The Vampire Diaries

⋆.˚ ★— CHARLIE'S FACTS .ᐟ

୨୧ Charlotte is going to NYU for film, photography and business. She wants to someday have her own photography business.

୨୧ Instead of staying in a dorm, Charlotte stays in Newark with her brother and his little family.

୨୧ She hates any other green color besides Sage Green.

୨୧ She started a YouTube channel in 2019 with the name 'Life With Charlie' where she post daily vlogs of her life and often collabs in LA with various other YouTubers and sometimes TikTokers.

୨୧ She absolutely adores her two nephews, and Owen is definitely an auntie's boy.

୨୧ She's really shy when you first meet her, but it takes no time to warm up to you.

୨୧ When she first meet the Devils, Jack actually freaked her out with the amount of talking he had done with her.

୨୧ Her brother is super protective over her but he's gotten much worse after her ex treated her terribly.

୨୧ She met Benson Boone during a trip to LA and the two immediately hit it off, claiming each other as best friends.

୨୧ She loves to read and sometimes gets lost in another world when she has a really good book in her hand.

୨୧ Charlotte is a big romantic and has always said that she wants to fall in love in the rain.

୨୧ She's a nervous baker.

୨୧ It's easy to tell when she likes a guy because she'll twirl her hair around her finger and giggles.

୨୧ When she meets Luke, she's instantly playing with her hair and giggling while the youngest Hughes boy is grinning ear to ear while Jack and the team watches them.

୨୧ Out of everyone on the team, Jack is her best friend.

୨୧ She's naturally a brunette but she dies her hair blonde.

୨୧ When her and Luke first start dating, his parents don't find out for two weeks, but as soon as they meet Charlotte, they adore her.

୨୧ Quinn has known Charlotte for awhile since their brother's play together, but once she and Luke are dating, the two of them get extremely close (especially during the summer when they leave the others to read together).

୨୧ Charlotte used to be a cheerleader in high school, but she broke her leg her Junior year and decided to quit and take up photography. ୨୧ She has a group chat with the entire Hughes family, but she also has one that does not include Luke.

୨୧ Before they start dating, it's raining outside while Charlotte is over at Luke and Jack's, so Luke pulls her outside with him, remembering that she wanted to fall in love in the rain, and he kisses her for the first time.

❝𝓐lways 𝓑een 𝓨ou ❞

𝓐bout ⋮ after luke gets drafted to the devils and gets moved in with his brother, he meets charlotte lazar, the little sister of his teammate curtis lazar who's living with her brother while attending nyu.

𝓟airing ⋮ luke hughes 𝔵 charlotte lazar.

꒰ 🏹 ꒱ — blurbs ꒰ 🎬 ꒱ — smau ꒰📱 ꒱ —tiktok ꒰ 📝 ꒱ — written

꒰ 📝 ꒱ — charlotte lazar

꒰ 🏹 ꒱ — her relationship w/ luke ꒰ 🏹 ꒱ — her relationships

꒰ 📝 ꒱ — twirls & giggles

The hair😍

bounce bounce bounce

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆꒰𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄꒱ ᯓ★

✦. ── 🎶they say to get out with the old, you get in with the new and i haven't been on a date since i was 22 my friend has a friend, and they say they're my type. 🎶how do i do this, kelsea ballerini

✦. ── pairing: auston matthews x kinsley baker

✦. ── in which: mitch comes home from an away game, only to have his fiancé tell him that her best friend has shown up out of the blue, and that leads kinsley to telling them she's getting a divorce.

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

❪ 𝙹𝚄𝙻𝚈 𝟷𝟼, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟸 .ᐟ ── .✦ ❫

𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒 out a sigh of relief as he sits his hockey bag by the front door of his shared home with his fiancé, Steph. But he's both confused and concerned when Zeus doesn't run up and greet him like he usually does.

And he's equally as confused and concerned when Steph comes around the corner, hugging herself with a sad expression painted on her face.

"What's wrong?" Are the first words that leave his lips as he wraps his arms around the blonde's waist.

"Kinsley."

"Is she okay? Why didn't you call me?" Mitch asks almost a million questions, worried for his best friend's little sister, who had become like his little sister, "Where's Zeus?"

"He's on the couch with Kins. She showed up out of the blue with her suitcase and in tears." Steph mumbles against his chest, "It's bad this time."

"C'mon." He wraps his arm around her waist, moving them both towards the living room where he could see his dog lying next to the blonde country singer, who was wrapped up in a blanket that usually was thrown over the back of the couch.

Mitch frowns at the tear stains on her tanned cheeks. He knew that her marriage had been on the rocks, but he never thought that it would get as bad as it was to where she just showed up out of the blue without calling.

"She hasn't moved from that spot since she got here, and she hasn't eaten either." Steph tells him softly, running her hand through Kinsley's hair, "I'm gonna go make her something quick."

"Okay." Mitch nods, crouching in front of the couch as Steph heads towards the kitchen. He runs a hand through her hair, softly calling her name, "Kins. Kinny."

Kinsley's eyes flutter open, locking with Mitch's and her bottom lips instantly begins to tremble as she sits up and hugs him.

"It's okay." Mitch mumbles, hugging her tightly as she cries into his shoulder, kissing the side of her head. "It's okay. I got you."

The two stay hugging for a brief moment, Zeus between them before Kinsley pulls away from him, wiping away her tears.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to just show up out of the blue." She tells him as she changes her position so that she was hugging her knees to her chest.

"No, hey, it's okay." Mitch shakes his head with a gentle smile. "I'm happy you came here instead of staying like last time."

He moved so that he was sitting next to her. Zeus laid his head on his owner's lap while Kinsley laid her head on Mitch's shoulder.

"You wanna talk about it?"

A sigh leaves her lips, "Same as usual. We fought about the same stuff. He said some pretty harsh shit. I told him that I was the only one trying to make this marriage work. Got called a bitch, then told that I was giving up easy just like my parents."

Mitch listens to her, feeling himself grow angry at the Australian that she was married to, but her next words shock him.

"So, I told him that I wanted a divorce, and I flew here."

He turns his head, kissing the top of her head and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "I'm proud of you, Kins."

"At least someone is. My dad was pretty angry at me when I told him." She mumbled bitterly, "Seems he loves him more than his own kid."

"Your dad always seemed like a dick to me."

"Mitch!" She throws her head back laughing.

"It got you to laugh!"

"Thank God for Mitch." Steph smiled, coming back with a plate and a wine glass in hand, "I made you a grilled cheese, and poured you some adult juice!"

"Ugh, I love both of you so much." Kinsley smiled, taking both dishes from her best friends hands.

Zeus barks, causing the three adults to laugh.

"But I love you the most, buddy!" She pets the top of his head.

"Would now be a bad time to ask if I could talk you up to some of the single guys on the team?"

"Mitch!"

"What?! Her and Auston would be perfect for each other!"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆꒰ 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑꒱ ᯓ★

✦. ── 🎶they say to get out with the old, you get in with the new and i haven't been on a date since i was 22 my friend has a friend, and they say they're my type. 🎶how do i do this, kelsea ballerini

✦. ── pairing: auston matthews x kinsley baker

✦. ── in which: we meet kinsley!

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

❪ 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝚂𝙻𝙴𝚈 𝙱𝙰𝙺𝙴𝚁 .ᐟ ── .✦ ❫ ⨾ 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗂𝖼'𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌

── ⌇ profile .ᐟ

୨୧ FULL NAME. KINSLEY NOELLE BAKER ୨୧ DATE OF BIRTH. SEPTEMBER 12, 1997 ୨୧ PLACE OF BIRTH. KNOXVILLE, TENNESSE ୨୧ NICKAMES. KINS, KINNY, ELLE, KB ୨୧ FAMILY. NANCY BAKER ❪ MOTHER ❫, CORBYN BAKER ❪ FATHER ❫, KOLSON BAKER ❪ TWIN BROTHER ❫ ୨୧ PREFERED NAME. KINSLEY ୨୧ ASTROLOGICAL SIGN. VIRGO ୨୧ LAST KNOWN ADDRESS. KNOXVILLE, TENNESSE ୨୧ CURRENT ADDRESS. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE ୨୧ HEIGHT. 5'6 ୨୧ EYE COLOR. GREEN ୨୧ HAIR COLOR. BLONDE ୨୧ OCCUPATIONS. COUNTRY SINGER/SONGWRITTER ୨୧ TATTOOS. 'HOW SWEET THE SOUNDS' NEAR LEFT WRIST, 'LOVE.LOVE' IN MOM & DAD'S HANDWRITTING ON RIGHT RIBCAGE, TRIBUTE TATTOO FOR 'SQUARE PEGS' ON LEFT WRIST, HUMMINGBIRD ON SIDE, WAVE ON HIP, MOUNTAIN WITH VIEW ON LEFT FOREARM ୨୧ PIERCINGS. EARS ୨୧ CLOSEST FRIENDS. KOLTON BAKER, STEPHANIE LACHANCE, MITCH MARNER, AUSTON MATTHEWS ୨୧ RELATIONSHIPS. MORGAN EVANS ❪ EXHUSBAND ❫, AUSTON MATTHEWS ❪ BOYFRIEND ❫ ୨୧ INSTAGRAM. BAKER.KINSLEY ୨୧ FACE CLAIM. KELSEA BALLERINI

── ⌇ favorites .ᐟ

୨୧ FAVORITE ANIMAL. DOG ୨୧ FAVORITE DRINK. SPRITE, WTER, APPLE JUICE ୨୧ FAVORITE FOOD. PASTA, PIZZA ୨୧ FAVORITE COLOR. SAGE GREEN ୨୧ FAVORITE SEASON. WINTER ୨୧ FAVORITE HOLIDAY. CHRISTMAS ୨୧ FAVORITE MOVIE. THE MAZE RUNNER ୨୧ FAVORITE TV SHOW. CRIMINAL MINDS

── ⌇ life facts .ᐟ

୨୧ she was born september 12, 1997 to parents nancy & corbyn baker. ୨୧ she has a twin brother named kolton & he is 15 minutes older. ୨୧ she discovered her passion for singing at a young age. ୨୧ her musical influences included shania twain and taylor swift, who inspired her to pursue a career in country music. ୨୧ her parents divorced when she and kolton were six years old & they moved in with their mother. ୨୧ she wrote her first song at the sage of twelve. ୨୧ she married australian country singer morgan evans in 2017. ୨୧ in 2018, she met toronto maple leafs player, mitch marner, due to his friendship with her twin brother and she soon became best friends with his long-term girlfriend, stephanie lachance. ୨୧ in august of 2022, she and husband morgan evans announced their separation. ୨୧ she was stephanie's maid of honor in her wedding in july 2023.

── ⌇ career facts .ᐟ

୨୧ she signed her first record deal at the age of 19 with black river entertainment. ୨୧ she made quit the impression with her debut single, who claimed its way to the top of the billboard charts. ୨୧ she became the first female artist in country music history to have three consecutive number one songs from a debut album. ୨୧ in 2015, kinsley released her debut studio album, 'the first time', which garnered critical acclaim and commercial success. ୨୧ she co-wrote all 12 songs on her debut album. ୨୧ she won the acm award for new female vocalist of the year in 2016. ୨୧ she embarked on her first headling tour, 'the first time tour' in 2016. ୨୧ kinsley's second studio album 'unapologetically' was released in 2017. ୨୧ she has collaborated with prominent artists such as halsey & the chainsmokers. ୨୧ kinsley's third studio album "kinsley" was released in 2020. ୨୧ kinsley is known for her empowering and relatable lyrics. ୨୧ utilizing the power of social media, kinsley engages with her fans regularly, keeping them updated on her music, life, and upcoming projects. ୨୧ she is an advocate for female empowerment in the music industry. ୨୧ she has been nominated for a grammy award. ୨୧ she actively promotes mental health awareness. ୨୧ kinsley has performed duets with renowned artists such as kenny chesney & lukas graham. ୨୧ kensley has been recognized as one of rolling stone's "10 new country artists you need to know". ୨୧ on valentine's day in 2023, kinsley released an ep called 'rolling up the welcome mat', full of songs based on the truth of what happened before and during her divorce with ex-husband, morgan evans.

── ⌇ kinsley & auston .ᐟ

୨୧ in november 2022, she was introduced to auston matthews during her visit to toronto, going with steph to a maple leafs game. ୨୧ she and auston were rumored to be dating after being spotted with one another in an arizona airport but both parties, their families and their friends have denied the rumors. ୨୧ kinsley was seen at the nhl all-star 2023 game, showing her support for teen bieber, which included auston, mitch, and mat barzal on feburary 4, 2023. ୨୧ kinsley and auston began dating may 16, 2023. ୨୧ they announce their relationship just three months later when she released her new album 'rolling up the welcome mat (for good) on august 11, 2023 where she thanked auston for being the reason and inspiration for getting through her divorce.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆꒰𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐓 (𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃)꒱ ᯓ★

✦. ── 🎶they say to get out with the old, you get in with the new and i haven't been on a date since i was 22 my friend has a friend, and they say they're my type. 🎶how do i do this, kelsea ballerini

✦. ── pairing: auston matthews x kinsley baker

✦. ── in which: kinsley baker has just gotten a divorce from her husband when she meets auston at a maple leafs game, and she realizes that love actually does exist for her.

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

✦. ── key : written💌 blurbs🪻 smau📸

୨୧ kinsley baker ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

── ⋆ i wanted a divorce .ᐟ 💌 ── ⋆ number 34 .ᐟ 💌 ── ⋆ how do i do this .ᐟ 💌

꒰ఎ THAT AIN’T NO MAN THAT’S THE DEVIL

⋆✩⋆ ─── midnight rain masterlist main masterlist

⋆✩⋆ ─── delilah hughes x connor bedard

⋆✩⋆ ─── IN WHICH . . . delilah announces her new album.

⋆✩⋆ ─── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

lilah_86 has posted !

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lilah_86 my album 'that ain't no man that's the devil' is out now! which track is your favorite?!

tagged teddyswims, jellyroll615, bailey.zimmerman, koe_wetzel

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Guy’s, I’m not okay….still can’t believe this!💔😭

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗘𝗫𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗡 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 ꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

✦. ── 🎶it's the little things you do that make me want you and the not so little things that make me need you. 🎶 things, maggie lindemann

✦. ── pairing: trevor zegras x grayson kelce

✦. ── main masterlist things masterlist

✦. ── in which . . . travis accidently exposes grayson and trevor's relationship on the new heights podcast

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

𝙵𝙴𝙱𝚄𝚁𝙰𝚁𝚈 𝟷𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹. ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

"gray, have you seen your sister?" kylie walks into the living room with ellie on her hip and her pregnant belly sticking out, looking over at her daughter who was scrolling on her phone.

grayson looks away from the episode of grey's anatomy she had been watching, shaking her head, "i thought she was with you. i'll go check downstairs with dad."

"thank you." kylie sends her a thankful smile as she sits on the couch, "i would but i'm out of breath."

the black-haired girl lets out a giggle as she heads towards the stairs that lead down to what use to be the basement, but her dad had turned into a room where he had all his podcast equipment set up.

valentines was tomorrow and since trevor was at an away game, her dad has called and asked her if she would come down to philadelphia to watch her sisters so that he could take kylie out for one last date night before bennett, the newest kelce child was born in a few days.

of course, the nineteen-year-old agreed because she absolutely loved her little sister, but because she also wanted to be there wherever kylie had the baby.

"dad? is wy down here?"

"is that my biggest baby?!" travis's voice floated into the room as grayson got closer to where her dad was sitting in his chair, wyatt sat in his lap. "baby k!"

grayson leaned down so she was in camera view, smiling a bright white smile at her uncle, "uncle t!"

"what's up, my beautiful niece?!" travis shared the same smile for the niece that he had not only helped raised but grown up with. a confused look flashed across his face, "shouldn't you be in california to celebrate valentines with little zegras tomorrow?"

"uncle travis!" grayson's eyes grow wide along with his and her dad's, her jaw dropping in disbelief, "please tell me that you can edit that out?"

"uh, no not really." jason shakes his head at his daughter, "today's episode is live. i mean, live live."

"oh, my god." grayson throws her head back before she reaches for wyatt, "c'mon, wy. let's see if we can get uncle trevor to answer his phone and tell him about uncle travy's big mess up."

"i'm sorry, gray." travis has a guilty expression on his face.

"no, it's okay." she sighed, laying her head on top of wyatt's as her little sister rested her head on grayson's shoulder, "it was gonna get exposed sooner or later."

"what's with the droopy face?" kylie questioned as her daughters come back up the stairs, "looks like someone kicked your cat down the stairs."

"uncle travis just exposed my relationship with trevor on their live podcast."

"of course he did."

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗧 ꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

⋆✩⋆ ─── 🎶and i thank god every day for the girl he sent my way🎶 - beautiful things, benson boone

⋆✩⋆ ─── pairing: jamie drysdale x isabelle hughes

⋆✩⋆ ─── beautiful things masterlist main masterlist

⋆✩⋆ ─── in which . . . belle finds out she's pregnant & has to tell jamie right away!

⋆✩⋆ ─── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟷𝟽, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻 . ┊

belle grins as she stands in her and jamie's shared bathroom in philadelphia, her camera propped up on the rectangular jewelry box resting in the middle of the two sinks.

"welcome to jamie and i's bathroom. today is. . . ," she trails off, picking her phone off the counter to check the date, "december seventeenth. so, jamie and i have been married for six months, and i think i may be pregnant. i've had pregnancy scares before, but i feel different this time."

"it is super early in the morning, jamie is at the gym with carter and cam so i thought it would be the perfect time to take a pregnancy test." she holds the wrapped test up for the camera to catch it. "i'm gonna pee on this stick and i'll be right back."

"okay, that's done." belle caps the last pregnancy test and sits it back down on the bathroom counter, "i'm really freaking nervous. jamie and i haven't really been trying for babies, but we also haven't done anything to prevent babies from happening. either way, we'll both be excited and happy."

"jack will probably be the most excited out of my brothers, and most likely will throw himself a party. he's always asking me when i'm making him an uncle and i'm sure he has a bet going on with trevor." belle nervously fidgets as she tries to think of anything to keep her mind from wondering. "why did i think this was a good thing to do on my own?"

moments later, the timer that she has set up goes off and she picks the first test up, her jaw dropping as she takes in the small 'pregnant' on the small screen, "holy fucking shit."

flipping the other test over, she jumps in place as they also read 'pregnant', and she holds them up for the camera to see them, "holy shit, i'm pregnant! i'm fucking pregnant! i wanna call my mom but at the same time i want to keep this between jamie and i until i can at least go to the doctor and confirm that i am a hundred precent pregnant."

"jamie should be home in a little bit so the next time you see us, we'll be telling him that he's going to be a dad! okay, i need to calm my nerves down."

the camera view now shows jamie scrolling through his phone on the couch, freshly showered from his morning at the gym with a few of the Flyer's players and with no mind that he was being recorded.

a sigh leaves his lips as he locks his phone, laying it on his leg and throwing his head down onto the back of the couch, "baby! come sit with me on the couch! we can watch a movie!"

a angelic giggle rings through the room before belle moves into the view of the camera, a view of the three pregnancy test tucked away in the pack pocket of her blue jean shorts. "hi."

jamie smiles widely, leaning over to kiss her softly, "hi."

"okay, i know we promised to not be those kinds of couples, but i got you a present for six months of being married." belle smiles warmly at her husband as her hand moves to the back of his neck, gently scratching at his scalp.

"hmm, that feels nice." jamie's eyes slip close for a few second before he opens them back up, turning his head to look over at his wife with a stern expression on his face, "what did i say about just buying me shit? it's my job to surprise you with stuff, not the other way around."

"this is a good surprise, i promise. now, close your eyes and hold your hands out."

"baby, i swear, if this is another one of your tiktok pranks, i'm sleeping on the couch for a week." jamie sighs before doing as she says.

belle takes the test out of her back pocket and places them on his hands, "okay. open."

"holy shit! no fucking way!" jamie jumps up from the couch, pregnancy test hitting the floor as he jumps around, "no fucking way!"

the blonde watches her husband run around their living room before he rushes back over to pick the best up from the floor, his eyes closing over as he made sure he was actually seeing what he was seeing.

"baby, holy shit." jamie sits on his knees in front of belle, forehead resting on her legs as he took the moment in, "you're pregnant. baby, you're fucking pregnant."

"i'm pregnant." she runs her fingers through his hair as tears fill her eyes, one falling from her eye as she blinked. "we'll, it says that i am, but i'm not a hundred percent sold. i made an appointment for the doctor for thursday."

jamie nods, lifting his head up from her knees and bringing his hand up to wipe the tears away from her eyes, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips a few times, i love you's between each one. "i love you."

"i love you."

the video ends with a silent moment between belle and jamie, their foreheads pressed together before the screen goes black and the worlds, "baby drysdale coming 2026" appearing on the screen.

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗦𝗢𝗡 & 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗢𝗥 ꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

✦. ── 🎶it's the little things you do that make me want you and the not so little things that make me need you. 🎶 things, maggie lindemann

✦. ── pairing: trevor zegras x grayson kelce

✦. ── main masterlist things masterlist

✦. ── in which . . . we learn more about the dynamic between grayson and trevor.

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻 & 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗿. ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ ────୨ৎ──── ────୨ৎ────

─── grayson & trevor.ᐟ

✦ after taking a break from music & just the spotlight in general, grayson announced on instragram that she was putting out a new single which caught the attention of trevor. ✦ seeing that jamie was friends & commenting on her post, he begged his roommate to invite her to a game so that he could meet her. ✦ grayson and trevor met each other april 29, 2022 at a ducks vs. stars game. ✦ the two of them instantly hit it off with jamie telling them that he would make a good matchmaker if hockey didn't work out for him. ✦ the two go on a couple of dates before coming official on may 15, 2022 with both of them making the decision to keep it out of the spotlight for as long as they could. ✦ kylie is the very first person that grayson calls to tell her about trevor when they go on their first date, getting her mom to promise that she wouldn't say anything to her dad before she could sit him down and tell him herself. ✦ she mostly wants to make sure that the relationship is really going to go somewhere before she tells the rest of her family about trevor. ✦ july 21, 2022, during the summer in ohio with her family, on her birthday, two bouquets of flowers are sent to her grandparents' house from trevor & she has to tell her family about him. ✦ trevor meets jason and kylie july 24, 2022 when the invite him to stay with them in philadelphia to have dinner with them. ✦ jason is skeptical about trevor at first because he didn't really like her last two boyfriends, but he warms up to trevor quickly. ✦ the rest of her family absolutely adores trevor, especially her little sisters who always ask to talk to him whenever they call to talk to grayson. ✦ wyatt is absolutely smitten with trevor & whenever he's around the family, she's quick to cling to him, always getting him to play with her. ✦ trevor loves that her little sisters love him. ✦ they first say "i love you" on their eight-month anniversary. ✦ they soft launch their relationship on january 16, 2023. ✦ their relationship is revealed by travis on accident during an episode of his and jason's podcast. ✦ trevor and grayson switched between each other's apartments when trevor didn't have away games. ✦ after a year and six months together, grayson traded her small one bedroom apartment in los angeles for trevor's "bachelor pad" in anaheim. ✦ when they first start dating, and she meets trevor’s family, his sister is in shock because her brother is dating one of her favorite artists. ✦ trevor's parents loved the kelce girl, and his brother and sister took a quick liking to her. the three often find themselves on facetime with each other. ✦ the summer of '23, trevor is invited to the hughes lake house while grayson went to ohio to see her family, though for a week, she went to visit him & meets the hughes family, bringing wyatt along with her because she wanted to see her "brother". ✦ everyone ended up loving her, & she often found herself sitting with quinn & breaking him out of his shy shell. they also made fun of trevor a lot during that trip. ✦ on their second-year anniversary, trevor asks grayson to marry him in the privacy of their anaheim apartment. ✦ trevor flew all the way to philadelipha when travis was visiting and asked not only her parents and travis to marry her, but he also asked her sisters. ✦ they get married on their fourth anniversary. ✦ they don't hardly get into fights, but whenever they do, trevor is usually the first one to crack and apologize, bringing her flowers. ✦ during their wedding reception, trevor & grayson got 't' and 'g' tattooed on the outside of their wrist.

─── grayson & trevor dated timeline .ᐟ

✦ april 13, 2021 ── took a break from social media & music to spend time with her parents and sisters. ✦ april 27, 2022 ── posted on instagram promoting her ep that would be dropping in july & trevor noticed jamie commenting & liking the post. begged jamie to invite her to a game so he could meet her. ✦ april 29, 2022 ── trevor & grayson meet at a duck vs. stars game. ✦ may 15, 2022 ── trevor & grayson officially become a couple. ✦ july 15, 2022 ── dropping a four-song ep called "you're not special" which featured artists such as siiiickbrain and kellin quinn from sleeping with sirens. ✦ july 21, 2022 ── trevor sends grayson flowers to ohio for her birthday where she comes clean about dating the hockey player. ✦ july 24, 2022 ── trevor flies to philadelphia to meet her parents & have dinner with them. ✦ january 15, 2023 ── they first say, "i love you". ✦ january 16, 2023 ── they soft launch their relationship on instagram. ✦ july 16, 2023 ── grayson & wyatt stay a week at the hughes lake house so she can meet his friends. ✦ november 11, 2023 ── they move in together. ✦ december 17, 2024 ── trevor proposes in their anaheim apartment. ✦ may 15, 2026 ── trevor & grayson get married.

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗦𝗢𝗡'𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

✦. ── 🎶it's the little things you do that make me want you and the not so little things that make me need you. 🎶 things, maggie lindemann

✦. ── pairing: trevor zegras x grayson kelce

✦. ── main masterlist things masterlist

✦. ── in which . . . we learn more about the dynamic between grayson, her dad, her stepmom and her uncle.

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰. ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ ────୨ৎ──── ────୨ৎ────

─── grayson & jason .ᐟ

✦ jason was only sixteen when he learned that his ex-girlfriend michelle was pregnant, and he was seventeen when grayson was born. ✦ after learning that michelle was pregnant, he was terrified to tell his parents that he was going to be a teenage father, but in the end, they were supportive of him. ✦ the thought of having a kid terrified him, yet he was super excited especially after finding out that he was having a daughter and he vowed to protect her with his life. ✦ for michelle, she didn't want to raise a kid so young & had suggested putting the unborn baby up for adoption, but jason was against the idea. ✦ jason made the decision to take care of his daughter on his own, and a week after she was born, michelle signed over all of her parenting rights, leaving him and his daughter. ✦ from the moment she was born, she had jason totally wrapped around her finger. ✦ because he was seventeen when she was born, jason's parents often left him to take care of grayson and the two of them had to grow up with each other. ✦ being the only parent in her life and still being a high school student was hard. when he had football practice and nobody could watch the newborn, jason had to take her with him. ✦ in 2011, when he was drafted to the eagles, his entire team feel in love with the little girl and would often take turns playing with her during practices. ✦ he always dressed her up in eagle's gear and got her a personalized jersey every time she outgrew one. ✦ she was often found at most home games, but she also went to all of his away games until she was either old enough to stay at home on her own, and after jason met kylie. ✦ when she was fifteen, allowed her to get her first tattoo and took her to get it. ✦ jason was supportive when she started posting videos of her singing on her social media and vine (which she was allowed to get once she turned fourteen). ✦ she has a moon tattoo on her knuckles that he drew for her. ✦ during the off-season, he goes to as many of her concerts as he can. ✦ he absolutely loves when he can brag about his daughter, her music and just her career in general. ✦ they don't keep secrets from each other . . . only her keeping her relationship with trevor a secret until she was ready to tell him.

─── grayson & travis .ᐟ

✦ travis was only fourteen when grayson was born, and just like her father and grandfather, she had him wrapped around her finger. ✦ he was at times jason's babysitter when he was grounded or just wasn't able to go anywhere before he could drive. ✦ travis was often seen carrying her around more than anyone other than jason, especially whenever she would cry. ✦ travis loves talking about his niece during interviews whenever she's mentioned. he's super proud of everything that she's accomplished. ✦ travis bought her first car when she was sixteen and got her license. ✦ as she grew older, her and travis grew more of a friendship bond than an uncle and niece bond, often doing out of pocket things that drove jason crazy. ✦ grayson once had a pet goldfish that she named goldie, but travis overfed it which ended up with the fist dying and he had to replace it before she noticed. he's never told her. ✦ she has a star tattoo on her knuckles that travis drew. ✦ travis goes to as many concerts as he can whether that's during the football season or on the off-season. ✦ they are always sending each other goofy text messages & memes that they see about each other. ✦ he took her to the taylor swift concert that jumpstarted his relationship with the country singer.

─── grayson & kylie .ᐟ

✦ kylie and jason met on tinder in 2014, and grayson was one of the first things that jason mentioned to the girl when they went on their first date. ✦ a couple months after they started dating, jason finally introduced his girlfriend to grayson and the two of them instantly adored one another. ✦ grayson had just turned eleven when kylie and jason began dating. ✦ kylie instantly took on the mother roll for grayson, and would often babysit the young girl for jason. ✦ at fifteen, when jason and kylie got married, grayson asked kylie to adopt her for a wedding gift. ✦ grayson has planets on her knuckles that kylie drew. ✦ when grayson and trevor went on their first date, kylie was instantly the first person who she called to tell her about. ✦ kylie and grayson are super close with one another, and though kylie is the only mother-figure in her life besides her grandmother that she had, the two of them also like to gossip like best friends. ✦ grayson was with kylie when she found out that she was pregnant with wyatt, and when the little baby was born, both kylie and jason surprised her with naming the baby after her. ✦ they don't keep any secrets from each other.

Thank you Jim and Ellen 🙏🏽

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 ꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

✦. ── 🎶it's the little things you do that make me want you and the not so little things that make me need you. 🎶 things, maggie lindemann

✦. ── pairing: trevor zegras x grayson kelce

✦. ── main masterlist

✦. ── in which . . . grayson kelce comes back from a hiatus, only to catch the attention of anaheim ducks fowards player, trevor zegras.

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

୨୧ grayson's profile ── the kelce sweetheart ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

blurbs ─── ⋆✩⋆ ୨୧ grayson's relationship w/ her family ୨୧ grayson's relationship w/ trevor ୨୧ exposed on new heights ୨୧ the webs most asked questions ୨୧ grayson kelce, tattoo tour ୨୧ another baby?!

imagines ─── ⋆✩⋆ ୨୧ the fam meets trevor ୨୧ gq couple's quiz

instagram ─── ⋆✩⋆ ୨୧ suckerpunch ୨୧ you make me crazier ୨୧ you're the best part ୨୧ tell a friend to tell a friend

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐄 ꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

✦. ── 🎶it's the little things you do that make me want you and the not so little things that make me need you. 🎶 things, maggie lindemann

✦. ── pairing: trevor zegras x grayson kelce

✦. ── main masterlist

✦. ── in which . . . grayson kelce comes back from a hiatus, only to catch the attention of anaheim ducks fowards player, trevor zegras.

✦. ── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

✦. ── grayson's career is based on maggie lindemann's career, who is being used as the face claim for grayson. all of the information used is used from maggie's wikipedia page, though some of it has been changed to fit the timeline.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐄 . ┊⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

─── profile .ᐟ

FULL NAME GRAYSON WYATT KELCE DATE OF BIRTH JULY 21, 2003 PLACE OF BIRTH CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO NICKNAMES GRAY, GRACY, BABY K, LITTLE KELCE, SISSY PREFERRED NAME GRAYSON ASTROLOGICAL SIGN CANCER LAST KNOWN ADDRESS CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO CURRENT ADDRESS LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA HEIGHT 5'4" EYE COLOR BROWN HAIR COLOR BROWN ❪NATURALLY❫, BLACK ❪DYED❫ OCCUPATION AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITTER, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER TATTOOS BROKEN HEART ON WRIST, "ALWAYS" ON FOREARM, MUSIC NOTES ON HER WRIST, "NOT AFRAID" ON ELBOW, MOON ON HER KNUCKLE, DOTS & SUN ON HER KNUCKLE, DOTS & PLANET ON HER KNUCKLE, STAR ON KNUCKLE, ANTI-BULLYING QUOTE ON HER SHOULDER, X ON HER KNUCKLE, "BITE ME" ON FINGER, "FEAR" ON HER WRIST, CROSS ON HER FINGER, HANDS HOLDING A FLOWER ON HER FOREARM, VAMPIRE FANGS ON HER FOREARM, "DEPRESSION & OBSESSION" ON HER UPPER ARM, KAOMOJI SMILEY FACE ON RIGHT INDEX FINGER PIERCINGS EAR LOBE, HELIX/CARTILAGE, AURICLE/RIM FAMILY JASON KELCE ❪ FATHER ❫, KYLIE KELCE ❪ STEPMOTHER ❫, WYATT KELCE ❪ LITTLE SISTER ❫, ELLIOTTE KELCE ❪ LITTLE SISTER ❫, BENNETT KELCE ❪ LITTLE SISTER ❫, TRAVIS KELCE ❪ UNCLE ❫, ED KELCE ❪ GRANDFATHER ❫, DONNA KELCE ❪ GRANDMOTHER ❫, MICHELLE WARREN ❪ BIRTH MOTHER ❫ CLOSEST FRIENDS JADEN HOSSLER, TAYLER HOLDER, RYLAND LYNCH, KOUVR ANNON, BRAD SIMPSON, SADIE SINK, JAMIE DRYSDALE, CAM YORK, CARTER HART RELATIONSHIPS CARTER REYNOLDS ❪ EXBOYFRIEND ❫, BRANDON ARREAGA ❪ EX BOYFRIEND ❫, TREVOR ZEGRAS ❪ 2022 ❫INSTAGRAM @/LIFEOFGRAYSON FACE CLAIM MAGGIE LINDEMANN

─── favorites .ᐟ

FAVORITE ANIMAL PUPPIES FAVORITE DRINK APPLE JUICE FAVORITE FOOD MEXICAN FOOD FAVORITE COLOR BLACK & RED FAVORITE SEASON WINTER FAVORITE HOLIDAY THANKSGIVING FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS, ANAHEIM DUCKS, NEW JERSEY DEVILS, VANCOUVER CANUCKS, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS FAVORITE MOVIES BEETLEJUICE, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES MEGAN FOX, JENNA ORTEGA, WINONA RYDER, TYLER POSEY, DYLAN O'BRIEN, ROSS LYNCH FAVORITE SINGERS/BANDS TATE MCRAE, BILLIE EILISH, JUSTIN BIEBER, SHAWN MENDES, JESSIE MURPH, BENSON BOONE, THE VAMPS, PANIC AT THE DISCO, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS FAVORITE TV SHOWS TEEN WOLF, STRANGER THINGS, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

─── life facts .ᐟ

୨୧ grayson wyatt kelce was born july 21, 2003 at 2:45 am to michelle warren and jason kelce who were teenagers at the time of her birth. ୨୧ she was a week old when her mother signed over all of her rights to jason and left her daughter behind. ୨୧ grayson instantly had ed, jason and travis wrapped around her finger the moment she took her first breathe into the world. ୨୧ when she was six, she busted her chin open on a coffee table and ended up with twenty stitches, and she now has a long scar under her chin. ୨୧ she had a childhood best friend names kacey, but he passed away when they were sixteen after being in a motorcycle accident along with his older brother. ୨୧ she once had a goldfish that she named goldie, but travis overfed it and killed it so he had to replace goldie and he's never told her. ୨୧ she got her first tattoo when she was fifteen with her father's permission. ୨୧ in 2011, when she was eight years old, her dad was drafted to the philadelphia eagles and the two of them moved from cleveland heighs, ohio to pennsylvania, philadelphia. ୨୧ for the longest time, it was just her and jason until 2014 when he meets kylie and introduces the two of them to each other. ୨୧ grayson instantly liked kylie, and kylie absolutely adored grayson. ୨୧ april 14, 2018, grayson being fifteen, jason and kylie got married and as a wedding gift, grayson asked kylie to adopt her. ୨୧ october 2, 2019, grayson became a big sister at sixteen to a little baby girl that was named after her, wyatt elizabeth kelce. ୨୧ march 4, 2021, grayson once again became a big sister at seventeen to another little sister named elliotte ray kelce. ୨୧ february 23, 2023, grayson again became a big sister at nineteen to bennett liewellyn kelce which officially made jason a girl dad.

─── career facts .ᐟ

୨୧ she began posting videos of her singing on both vine and her other social media accounts, gaining quit the following for herself despite the following she already had for being the daughter of jason kelce. ୨୧ her career in music really kicked off when ryan tedder from onerepublic discovered a video of her singing on her instagram page, and soon after became her manager. ୨୧ she flew back and forth between philadelpia and los angele's to record music before fully moving to los angele's on her own when she was just seventeen. ୨୧ her debut single "knocking on your heart" was released in september 2015. her second single "couple of kids" was released on october 30, 2015. her third single "things" was released january 29, 2016. ୨୧ the official music video of "things" was released on her youtube channel on feburary 5, 2016. ୨୧ on september 29, 2018, grayson released her single "pretty girl", and it peaked at number four on the next big sound chart. ୨୧ she wrote "pretty girl" to show to people, and her little sister when she's older, that there's more to girls than just being pretty. that girls have so much to offer, and people should get past the physical appearance to something deeper. ୨୧ the music video for "pretty girl" premiered through people on march 9, 2019 and was her first song to ever chart on the us pop radio charts, peaking at number fifty. it also peaked at number eight on the uk singles chart. ୨୧ october 13, 2017, grayson features on the vamps single "personal", which started her friendship with the english band. ୨୧ grayson released yet another single "obsessed" on november 17, 2017, followed by, "human" on october 26, 2018, and "would I" on november 16, 2018. ୨୧ in march 2019, grayson was the supporting act for sabrina carpenter on the north american leg of the singular tour, and has also opened for the vamps, as well as madison beer on her life support tour in 2021. ୨୧ grayson released the single "friends go" on april 24, 2019 and the song was later rereleased featuring travis barker. ୨୧ through 2020, she released four more singles, "knife under my pillow", "gaslight", "sissorhands" and "loner". all four of the songs, as well as four new songs, were included on her debut ep paranoia, released on january 22, 2021. ୨୧ she took a break from social media & fame in april 2021 to move back to philadelphia for a little bit to be with her parents and little sisters.

─── grayson & trevor .ᐟ

୨୧ after taking a break from music & fame, grayson announced on instagram that she was putting a new single out after a year away which caught the attention of trevor. ୨୧ seeing that jamie was friends & commenting on her post, begging his roommate to invite her to a game so that he could meet her. ୨୧ grayson and trevor met each other april 29, 2022 at a ducks vs. stars game. ୨୧ the two of them instantly hit it off with jamie telling them that he would make a good matchmaker. ୨୧ the two of them go on a couple of dates before becoming official on may 15, 2022 with both of them making the decision to keep it out of the spotlight for a while. ୨୧ kylie is the very first person that grayson calls to tell her about trevor when they go on their first date, getting her mom to promise that she won't say anything to her dad before she can sit him down to tell him. ୨୧ she mostly wants to make sure that the relationship is really serious before she tells the rest of her family about trevor. ୨୧ july 21, 2022, during the summer in ohio with her family, on her birthday, two bouquets of flowers are sent to her grandparents' house from trevor & she tells her family about him. ୨୧ trevor meets jason and kylie july 24, 2022 when they invited him to stay with them in philadelphia to have dinner with them. ୨୧ jason is skeptical about trevor at first because he didn't really like her last two boyfriends, but he warms up to trevor before he and grayson go back to california. ୨୧ the rest of her family absolutely adores trevor, ecpecially her little sisters who always ask to talk to him whenever they call to talk to grayson. ୨୧ trevor is wyatt's favorite & she always clings to him whenever they're around each other. ୨୧ trevor loves that her little sisters like him. ୨୧ they first say "i love you" on their eight-month anniversary. ୨୧ they soft launch their relationship on january 16, 2023. ୨୧ their relationship is revealed by travis on accident during an episode of his and jason's podcast.

˗ˏˋ 𝐋𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄🦋🍀 ˎˊ˗

⋆✩⋆ ─── 🎶 long drives, blue skies, straight to the horizon. dancing in the rain, even through all the lightening! 🎶 - Always Been You, Michael Sanzone

⋆✩⋆ ─── pairing : luke hughes x charlotte lazar

⋆✩⋆ ─── always been you masterlist main masterlist

⋆✩⋆ ─── in which . . . charlotte is living the la lifestyle as she visits some friends.

⋆✩⋆ ─── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

𝙻𝙰 𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴𝚂𝚃𝚈𝙻𝙴. ┊

charlie_lazar has posted .ᐟ

♡ liked by jackhughes, bensonboone, kouvr

charlie_lazar la life with my girlssss💕

tagged @/kouv @/tabithaswatosh

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jackhughes come backkkkk, i’m lonelyyyy ↳ charlie_lazar 2 dayssss and i’m back in jersey!!

lhughes_06 is that . . . you took my hat! I’ve been looking for it! ↳ charlie_lazar #sorrynotsorry

bensonboone come see me before you leave! ↳ charles_lazar check your messagesssss!!!

username you’re so fucking prettyyyyy! liked by charlie_lazar

username la life looks so good on you liked by charlie_lazar

kouvr if you just moved here, we could do this all the timeeeee ↳ charlie_lazar gotta finish nyu first, babyyyy

alexwaarren can i have my fiancé back now? ↳ michael_sanzone and can i have my girlfriend back? @/charlie_lazar ↳ charlie_lazar nope

tabithaswatosh ❤️😘

charlie_lazar had posted !

♡ liked by maggiethurmon, curtislazar95

charlie_lazar “are we really trusting benson and charlie to go shopping for us?” — maggie thurmon

Obviously not as see in slide 3 and 4…..😬 btw, my ankle still hurts from running into that car.

tagged bensonboone

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username are we really trusting those two to really be just best friends? ↳ username they literally talk about how much they love each other as brother and sister in a video…. they always give off sibling vibes. ↳ username yeah…. keep telling yourself that ↳ charlie_lazar sorry, but he’s not a 6’2 hockey player so he’s not really my type🤷‍♀️

maggiethurmon you guys didn’t even bring everything we needed back!

curtislazar95 just come home in my one piece, please. my live-in babysitter cannot get hurt before next weekend.

bensonboone my eyes still burn from getting that face mask in my eyes!! ↳ charlie_lazar I told you to close your eyes when you washed it off!

bensonboone had posted !

♡ liked by charlie_lazar, maggiethurmon

bensonboone everyone say thank you charlie for the amazing pictures last night!! now tell her to hurry and finish nyu so she can be my personal photographer all the time!!!

But on a serious note — thanks for always dropping what you’re doing when I need a kick ass photographer to do concert pics. It means the world that our friendship means that much. love you, sis! 🩵

tagged charlie_lazar

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username i met her last night during the concert when she was taking pics for him, and omg!!!! she’s the sweetest human in this planet.

username pretty sure i was sitting behind her last night and i caught a glimpse of her phone screen. tell me why she was having the fucking sweetest text convo with luke hughes! ↳ username sameeee!! he was calling her all kinds of cute little pet names, and i’m sure i seen her blushing so hard.

maggiethurmon tell her not to leaveeeee!😭 ↳ charlie_lazar i’m gonna come back this summer, i promise!😭

danielseavey i need to borrow her one day! @/bensonboone @/charlie_lazar

↳ bensonboone get your own nyu photography best friend!!!

↳ charlie_lazar get my number from benson or corbyn! let me know when you need me, i’ll see what i can do! @/danielseavey

charlie_lazar i love you, bens!🩵 my second favorite person to photograph!!! ↳ bensonboone WHO’S THE FIRST?!?😲 ↳ njdevils we areeeee!😁 @/bensonboone

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗘꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

୨୧ midnight rain masterlist main masterlist

୨୧ pairing: connor bedard x delilah hughes

୨୧ IN WHICH . . . delilah wishes luke a happy birthday!

September 9, 2024

lilah_86 has posted !

liked by lhughes_06, tatemcrae

lilah_86 happy mother fucking 21st to my ride or die! can't wait for 21 more years or crazy ass shit to happen and 21 years of getting in trouble for the dumb shit we pull together. hate that i can't be in jersey to celebrate, but i'll see you as soon as i can, moosey! i love you, brother! Always and forever, to the moon and back! 🤍

ps. mommy, ignore the second picture! i promise it's not what it looks like!

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lhughes_06 thank you, sissy! i love you, always and forever, to the moon and back! 🤍

username happy birthday, luke!

username the relationship i wish i had with my brother! happy birthday, luke!

username happy birthday, brother luke!

tatemcrae happy birthday, luke!🥳

edwards.73 happy 21st, brother! ↳ lhughes_06 thank you, brother!

rutgermcroarty happy brother, brother-in-law! ↳ lhughes_06 you are NOT marrying my sister! ↳ jackhughes yeah, that's not happening. ↳ _quinnhughes not in this lifetime.

jellyroll615 happy 21, luke! we all need to hang soon!

barzal97 happy birthday! @/lhughes_06

username love that @/lhughes_06 got 9 pics while @/jackhughes and @/_quinnhughes only get 3 for theirs. guess we know who her favorite brother is! ↳ lilah_86 you said it, not me!🤷‍♀️ ↳ jackhughes HEY! @/lilah_86

_connorbedard happy birthday, bro! ↳ lhughes_06 thanks, bro!

username is anyone else not concerned that for one, luke has fries shoved up his nose? or that their heads might have gotten stuck in those traffic cones?

username love the siblings' bond between this large group of siblings.

username it's almost like they're actually related by blood and not because of an adoption. ↳ _quinnhughes we were blood siblings in another lifetime, no doubt about it! ↳ username OGM! HE ANSWERED ME!

bailey.zimmerman happy birthday, man! it was great meeting you, maybe we can hang out some time! ↳ username and why were you hanging out with luke? a collab w/ @/lilah_86 in the future?! ↳ lhughes_06 just give me a time and place, man! maybe we can go golf since somebody didn't want to.

꒰ఎ I GOT NO MERCY!

⋆✩⋆ ─── midnight rain masterlist main masterlist

⋆✩⋆ ─── IN WHICH . . . her new song comes out next friday and fans are suspicious when Connor comments on her post since they have yet to be seen with one another!

⋆✩⋆ ─── writing this chapter cause she’s finally releasing this song after holding out on us for so longgg! also, some of the comments that i use from this was taken from her tiktok!

⋆✩⋆ ─── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

@/lilah_86

posted 7-25-24

liked by teddyswims, madisonbeer, and others

lilah_86 🎶 i got no mercy! you don’t deserve me! 🎶

dirty is coming to you next friday! featuring the wonderfully talented, Mr. teddy swims!

tagged, @/teddyswims

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username okay so next friday as in tomorrow or next week cause technically the next friday is tomorrow????

teddyswims we got one! 🤩

username you know you've made it when you have teddy swims AND james arthur comment on your post.

jamesarthur23 yes

username why all these collabs? you know you don't need them? they're nice but your voice is already therapeutic!!

trevorzegras little sisterrrrr, finally blessing our ears with this after a year-long wait!! ↳ lilah_86 gotta keep my groupies interested🤷‍♀️

philadelphiaflyers new lock room jams? i think yes!! @/lilah_86 ↳ lilah_86 yesssss! my favorite teammm! ↳ njdevils we take offense, mini hughes! @/lilah_86 ↳ canucks we second that! ↳ lilah_86 hey, ya'll get @/jamiedrysdale and i'll be a fan @/njdevils @/canucks

_connorbedard did someone say presave a new banger? @/lilah_86 ↳ @/lilah_86 that's what's uppppp!

username did. . . did connor bedard just comment?

username since when are they friends?

username DELILAH HUGHES AND CONNOR BEDARD INTERACTIVE WITH EACH OTHER WAS NOT ON MY 2024 BINGO CARD!!!!

username FINALLY AND WITH TEDDY SWINS!?!?!😭😭

tylerposey58 gonna be the hit of a century!!!!

jackhughes THIS IS WHY YOU KEPT IT A SECRET FROM ME?!?!? ↳ lilah_86 i didn't keep this song a secret . . . i sent it to luke. ↳ jackhughes do you see how they treat us?! @/_quinnhughes just because they're closer in age! ↳ _quinnhughes how they treat us? ↳ lhughes_06 didn't @/_quinnhughes listen to it the same time that i did? @/lilah_86 ↳ jackhughes QUINN GOT TO LISTEN TO THIS VERSION?!?! @/lilah_86 ↳ lilah_86 that's because you don't know how to keep a secret to save your life! @/jackhughes you or @/trevorzegras

jadenhossler let's fucking goooooo! ↳ lilah_86 let's fucking goooooo!

dixiedamelio so ready to have this song grace my ears!

jamiedrysdale presaving as i type! @/lilah_86 ↳ lilah_86 .....🫣

username SO WORTH THE WAITTTTTTTTT

username i ain't the only one that saw she ignored dixie right? ↳ username apparently, they had some beef over delilah being so close with trevor and dixie put something out about how she was just chasing fame from a hockey player she didn't really know. ↳ username like she didn't already know trevor 'cause of her brothers🙄

username can we get back to connor and delilah? like how did they meet? when did they meet? did her brother's now that she was talking to him?

꒰ఎ CLOUSER! ━━ PART THREE

⋆✩⋆ ─── adore you masterlist main masterlist

⋆✩⋆ ─── part one part two

⋆✩⋆ ─── IN WHICH . . . emersyn comes back from california and a talk with quinn may just put everything back into place.

⋆✩⋆ ─── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

June 16, 2022

“You wanna talk about it?” Justin asked the younger girl sitting across from him in his and Hailey’s kitchen. “You’ve been in the clouds since getting here.”

Emersyn sighs, locking her phone and sitting it face down, ignoring the incoming messages from both Jack as Quinn. “I don’t know how to feel about any of this.”

“Emmie, you’ve been pinning for this guy since the day I met you. Even before then!”

“I’ve been waiting years for Quinn to tell me he loved me, for him to show me that he saw me as more than his little brother’s best friend.” Emersyn chips at the red nail polish on her nails, "And now that he has, I don't know how to feel."

"I'm not the best person to be getting advice from...but I think you just need to sit down and talk it out with him, see where it goes." Justin shrugged his shoulder, "...and thank me at the weeding in six years."

A playful glare is sent his way as the brunette sitting in front of him tosses one of her grapes in his direction, loud laughter filling the kitchen between the two non-biological siblings.

June 18, 2022

Quinn stares at the closed bedroom door, arms crossed over his chest as he pays attention to nothing around him but the door.

"Quinn! Dude!" Cole shoves the older boy, breaking him from his trance.

"What's up?"

"Everyone's downstairs. Emmies back."

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

Taking a moment as Cole walks back down the stairs, Quinn can't help the sigh that leaves his lips as he throws his head back.

“Why does the world fucking hate me today?” He mumbles as he makes his way down the stairs, smiling slightly at the sight of Emersyn and Jack clinging to each other as if their lives depended on it.

“Jack! Other people want a turn hugging her!” Luke is trying to pry his brother’s arms from around the brunette.

A laugh falls from Emersyn’s lips as Luke is finally successful, the singer falling back into Luke’s chest as they sway slightly, “Luke, I was gone for a couple of days.”

“I missed your pancakes.”

Quinn stands back as he watches all of his close friends hugging the girl, arms crossed over his chest as he’s unsure of what to do.

Emersyn laughs as she pats Luke on the back, "I told you that I could teach you how to make them."

"Yeah, but you make them the best." Luke pouts.

"Alright, I think we should all go out on the lake and let Quinn and Emmie talk." Jack sighs, glancing over at his brother with a frown. He pulls his best friend in a hug, "Text me if you need me and I'll come back."

"Okay."

Everyone piles out of the lake house, most of the glancing back at the two being left behind, Trevor shooting Emersyn an encouraging smile as he walked out.

It's quiet in the now empty lake house as Emersyn moves around Quinn to head towards the kitchen, the brunette moving around to clean up the mess the boys had made.

"Are we gonna talk about it or stay quiet the entire time?" Quinn breaks the silence

"You wanna talk, talk." She shrugged, "I'm not sure there is anything to talk about."

"I told you that I loved you, that's something to talk about."

"Is it? Because this is something that I could've heard nine years ago. Or back when I was 13 and my crush got spilled to you." Emersyn shrugged her shoulder as she loaded the dishwasher.

"What was I supposed to do? I was a dumb kid, Emmie!"

"And I was a stupid ass kid who had a crush on my best friends' older brother! A crush that he wasn't even supposed to about, that his little brother overheard!" She spun around to look at him. "You weren't supposed to know!"

"Why not? Why wasn't I supposed to know, Emmie?!"

"For this reason, right here! Because of this! Because of how embarrassed I was when all of your little jackass friends laughed at me, and you just let it happen!"

"You stopped coming here! You ran away!"

"Yeah, I ran away. It's what I do best." She shrugged.

"What do you want me to do, Emersyn?! Huh, you want me to drop to my knees and confess my love for you?! I told you I loved you and you ran away!" Quinn throws his arms out, “You want an apology?! I’m so fucking sorry and I love you! I’m in love with and I have been for a couple of years now! My heart broke every single time you called and said that you weren’t coming back for the Summer! And it killed me when you decided that you were moving to California, which is on the other side of the map, by the way!”

“I have tried every single way that I possibly could get in contact with you! I asked Jack for your new number! I tried to talk the old one! I’m blocked from sending you a damn message on Instagram, and you took me off of Snapchat! I tried, Emersyn and you wouldn't let me!"

Emersyn shakes her head, looking up at him, "I wanted to hear you say you love me years ago! I've written so many songs, and I got into that toxic ass relationship that I was in to get you out of my fucking head, and nothing worked! Absolutely nothing because I'm still in love with you and I hate you for it!"

"You don't hate me." Quinn shakes his head, moving around the table so that he was standing in front of her, "We both know you don't."

A tear falls from one of her eyes, "I wanna hate you, I really do."

"I know, Ems." He presses his forehead against hers, using his thumb to wipe away at the tear, "I don't want you to hate me. I just want you to love me."

"I do love you, Quinn, but I. . .,"

Quinn shakes his head, "No. No, "buts', Emersyn. Just. . . just let me make it up to you, okay? Let me prove to you that I am still worth you loving."

"Okay, but don't make me regret it, Hughes."

"Never." The boy grinned before pressing his lips against hers.

"Where's Emmie?" Jack questions his older brother as him and the others had walked back into the lake house, all of them agreeing that the two had been left alone long enough on their own.

Quinn looks up from his phone from his place on the couch, "She left." He shrugged.

"What the hell do you mean she left?!" Jack exclaimed, looking at his brother with a look of disbelief on his face.

"We got into a fight when we were talking, and she just left." Quinn shrugs again, looking down at his phone to hide the smile that wanted to form on his lips.

"She just -- why the fuck did you just let her leave for?!" Jack exclaimed, racing up the stairs to find the bedroom that Emersyn usually stayed in was empty. "Seriously?!"

"I told you that she left." Quinn looks up at his little brother as Jack raced back down the stairs. "I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen to me, said she would call you later."

"Quinn!"

"Hey, guys." Emersyn walks down the stairs, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"What? But Quinn said you left!" Luke's jaw drops, "Jack just went to check upstairs!"

"Seriously? You told him that I left?" Emersyn shakes her head as she takes her seat back next to Quinn, the boy wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him.

"Your stuff is gone! Where the hell is your stuff?" Jack has his hands on his hips like a mother scolding their child.

"I moved my stuff into Quinns room." She shrugged, bringing her knees up to her chest, moving the blanket around to cover her entire body as a chill ran down her spine.

Cole tilts his head to the side, "Why would you move your stuff into Quinn's room?"

Quinn and Emersyn turned their heads towards each other, having an entire conversation with their eyes.

"Well?"

"Emmie and I decided that we were going to give us a chance." Quinn tells them, "We're gonna test this summer out before we have to go back to Vancouver and California.

Jack squints his eyes as he looks down at his older brother, "Let me tell you something, buster, you do anything to hurt my girl, anything at all, if one little tear leaves her eye because of you and it's not a happy tear, I will make sure that you go missing. Capeesh, Quinton?"

"I promise that I will not hurt Emmie."

"I'll be watching."

"Mm-hmm."

"I'm serious."

"I'm sure."

꒰ఎ SO PROUD!

⋆✩⋆ ─── lose control masterlist !

⋆✩⋆ ─── main masterlist !

⋆✩⋆ ─── in which . . . Nessa post how proud she is of her boy's team, and also putting to rest the rumors of her and auston.

@/nessaaa_

liked by nhl, justinbieber, austonmatthews and others

nessaaa_ so incredible proud of everyone that was a part of the All Star 2024 game so i had to get rid of the purple hair!

but i'm more incredibly proud of you, baby! @/austonmatthews you killed it out there and i'm so happy that i was able to be a part of it this year! i love you to saturn and back!

tagged; @/austonmatthews, @/justinbieber, @/marner_93

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nhl happy to have you attend!

username1 so ... the rumors ... are true? username2 they've been friends for years and we've all shipped them for the longest time! can't believe it's actually happening! 😭

marner_93 my ride or die, i love you! 💙🤞 nessaaa_ love you, mitchyyyy! 💙🤞

justinbieber little sisterrrrrrr nessaaa_ big brotherrrrrrr

username3 you mean to tell me that i ended up sick and couldn't make it to the all-star game this year .... only to have nessa bieber, tate mccrae, justin bieber, the kid laroi, AND michael buble all in the same fucking room?!?!?

username4 our girl is writing breakup songs for every album . . . ONLY TO BE DATING A HOCKEY PLAYER?!? my whole life has been a lie.

username5 i miss the purple hair

username6 i wonder how @/justinbieber feels about his little sister dating one of his friends. username7 auston and nessa were friends way before he and justin were.

username8 i love the two of them being together but just how long have they been together?

austonmatthews my love, thank you for being there for me today! all of my accomplishments aren't for me anymore but for you! i love you to saturn and back! 💙😘 nessaaa_ 💙😘