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Allie thought long and hard about the situation. She couldn't just let it be. She was the type of person who needed to know everything and the way it would play out. That way, nothing could go wrong, or, at the very least, she wouldn't be surprised at the outcome. It was how she protected herself from failure, from disappointment. 

She knew she could fall for Tyler. He knew how to charm any girl that he set his sights upon. The way he carried himself, the way he smirked anytime they so much as flirted - Allie knew he was trouble, though she couldn't stop herself from wondering what if. Butterflies flew about when she so much as heard his name. She wouldn't let anything come out of that, but he really hadn't been anything but nice to her. So if they stayed just friends, what harm could come of it? 

And so she decided that, no matter the feelings she got when she was around him, they would stay friends. 

Just friends. 

And she would get over it... Whatever it was.

***

Allie waited outside the player's entrance for her uncle to appear. He had to give her tickets for that night's game. It was her first game, and she was beyond excited.

Her head was down and she was tapping her foot impatiently. She looked up and around, her stomach doing sudden flips as she saw the man approaching her. His shoulders were slumped forward, his hands in his pockets. He didn't meet her eyes until he was halfway to her, and when he did, he gave her a half smile.

"Hi," Allie smiled as he reached her.

"Hi," Tyler replied. He let out a small sigh, and ran a hand through his hair. Allie watched, concerned.

"Hey," she said genty, hitting him lightly on the arm. "That's no way to be before a game."

Tyler glanced at her for a second before they both turned their heads at the sound of the door opening. Allie's uncle emerged and she gave him a smile.

"Bonjour," he greeted them both. He turned to Allie, his hand outstretched. She took the tickets from his hand and thanked him. He nodded, giving Tyler a pat on the back.

"Sorry about not being in tonight, Segs." Tyler nodded and Allie's uncle messed up Allie's hair before heading back inside.

Allie turned to Tyler, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," she said quietly as she fixed her hair.

Tyler shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He let his head fall back, his eyes closed. Allie's gaze fell to the floor, and she fiddled with the paper in her hands. She glanced back up, muttered a quiet goodbye, and hurried away.

*** 

Who's bright idea was it to take this course?

Allie sighed, her head falling forward against her sports science textbook. They were into the technical aspect of it now - something Allie had never been good at. She had taken the course because a), it interested her, and b) so that if she covered sports in an article she would know lots about the topic. She had been okay up until this point. 

Her head snapped up as she heard the front door of the apartment slam open. She heard voices, and instead of groaning like she usually did, Allie found she was actually excited to see the guys.  

The team had won the game at home against the Flyers, but Tyler had been told to sit out again. Allie hadn't talked to him since a few days ago, but she knew he must have been disappointed.

She got up off her bed, not bothering to put away her work. She sauntered out into the hall and leaned against the doorway that led into the living room. She smiled as Milan Lucic gave her a wave, and she found herself waving back. Sure, the guys were loud, and most of them were 'old', but Allie had found that they were growing on her. A lot of them acted younger than they were, and they were always laughing, something Allie figured she could benefit from. Her parents had always told her she needed to focus less on work and smile more. 

The guys were all sitting on the couches and the floor, spread around the room. Allie searched for Tyler, but he was no where to be found. 

"Where are the, um, rest of the guys?" Allie tried to say nonchalantly.

Her uncle raised an eyebrow knowingly and Allie tried not to blush.

"The other guys are home, except for Tyler. We made him go pick up the pizza," her Uncle Patrice explained. The guys began to laugh and Allie shook her head, but she couldn't hold back a smile. 

"You guys are awful," she declared. 

"Eh," said Milan, "we all went through stuff like this as rookies." The other guys murmured in agreement. 

Allie laughed and moved from her spot, informing her uncle that she was going out on the back deck. She sat on one of the chairs, looking out over the city of Boston. In her short time here, she had quickly deemed it as one of her favourite places. It was quiet, save for the faint murmur of hustle and bustle in the streets below. Although the view was very industrial, the ups and downs and irregular shape of the skyline intrigued Allie. A lot of the time, she went out there to write.

She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. She had been like that for a few minutes when the screen door opened. Allie's eyes opened at the sound, and she turned her head. Tyler smiled at her before stepping out and turning around to close the door. He came over and sat in the chair beside her.

"Hello." Allie glanced over with a smile.

"Hi," came his reply. He was quiet, and Allie paused before speaking up. 

"It doesn't mean you're not a good hockey player, you know."

Tyler looked over at her. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "It still sucks."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." They were silent for a few moments. "I love Boston," Tyler spoke up.

Allie nodded, a smile gracing her lips. "I didn't think I would, but I do."

"You said you're from Quebec, right?" Allie nodded. "Why'd you move here?" Tyler inquired.

Allie shrugged, running her fingers along the armrest of the chair. "There's a really good journalism program here," she replied. "And when Uncle Patrice offered, it just seemed meant to be, you know?"

Tyler nodded. He looked over at Allie, and she smiled. "Do you miss home?"

Allie sighed. "Yeah." She quickly countered, "You?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah... but you know. Who cares? I'm living the dream. Girls, free alcohol, hockey. What could be better?"

Allie pursed her lips. Way to ruin a perfect moment, Seguin. She sighed and stood up. "I should get back to studying." Tyler analyzed her face before nodding slowly and standing up, following her inside.