Oh My Goodness

Jessica

As time went on, I spent more time over at Matt's - which meant more time with Gabriel. The tiny seed of a crush that had formed when I had first met him had grown, and was quickly turning into a full-fledged, "cue the butterflies every time he's near" crush.

Around the beginning of December, Paul and Jamie were throwing a Christmas themed party. It was the only time between then and Christmas that nearly everyone was free. I didn't mind that it was a bit early; I loved Christmas, and was more than glad to get the holiday started.

By the time I pulled into the parking lot of the couples' apartment, a light dusting of snow had begun to fall. As I reached over to the passenger seat to grab the dessert I had snagged from work and got out of the car, I couldn't help but smile. Something about snow always lifted my mood. I absolutely loved it.

I locked the car and quickly hurried to the door. Jamie buzzed me in, and I headed to the elevator.

When I finally reached the apartment, I could hear the quiet sound of Christmas music playing from the other side. I smiled, and took a minute to listen before knocking.

Jamie answered the door with a squeal, throwing her arms around me. I laughed and hugged her back.

"You look-"

"Jess, you look hot!" Jamie's appraisal was interrupted by Paul as he appeared beside her. He pulled me in for a hug as well, before looking me up and down. He added a low whistle before saying, "Gabe's gonna flip."

I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked to Jamie for help. She simply leaned into her boyfriends side and grinned.

"Its true, Jess!"

I rolled my eyes and pushed past them, heading for the kitchen, where I put the tiramisu in the fridge and tried to settle my flaming cheeks.

***

Gabe

Your girlfriend looks smokin'.

I rolled my eyes as I read Paul's text.

Don't you have another girl you should be focusing on?

Jame looks smokin' too. But I'm just saying, man.

I rolled my eyes and shut my phone.

Matt and I arrived at the apartment a few minutes later. I braced myself for the comments as soon as I arrived, and just hoped they wouldn't embarrass Jessica. I could deal with the teasing, but I knew she got embarrassed easily. I sighed, and stood behind Matt as we waited for the door to open.

We were greeted by Jamie a few seconds later. She greeted both of us with hugs, and let us inside. I thanked her as she took our jackets, and I turned back around to survey the room.

There were quite a few people already. Half the team, friends, family. Jamie had the place looking incredibly festive, and everyone was dressed up.

It took me a moment to spot her. She was leaning against the wall opposite me, talking to Elliot's wife. She was wearing a simple, red dress that cut off at her knees, and her hair was up.

I was struck with awe, yet again, at the fact that she could look so stunning in anything. I felt like an idiot as I finally turned away, only to be met by Paul's knowing eyes. He gave me a wink, and I turned away again.

***

Jessica

About a half hour later, everyone had arrived, and the party was in full swing. Jamie sent me to get some drinks from the fridge, and I was more than willing to oblige. It was taking all the willpower I had not to look over in Gabriel's direction.

As soon as the door had opened, my head had swung in that direction. I had been talking to Kelly, and had tried to casually peer over at the newcomers. My heart had fluttered when I saw Matt enter, knowing who would be coming in behind him. When he stepped into view and greeted Jamie with a big, signature Gabriel smile, I was sure my heart skipped a beat. He was wearing a grey dress shirt and jeans, and I bit my lip to stop myself from blurting out my thoughts. And throughout the night, as people made their rounds, I couldn't stop myself from glancing at him often. He caught me looking a few times, and all he did was smile. We hadn't been able to talk yet... And I was nearly certain that was a good thing. I didn't know if it was the romantic Christmas music, the lights, or what - but I was worried about what I might say if we came face to face.

I hadn't seen Gabe in about a week. The guys had been busy with practices and games, and I was working overtime so I could get a break around Christmastime. The only time I had talked to either Matt or Gabe was through brief text messaging. I knew a week wasn't that long, but I missed him. I missed Matt, too, of course, but... It was beginning to become clear to me that I had it bad for the blond Swede. Really bad.

I headed into the kitchen. I sighed as I turned the corner, immediately hearing the music and noise die down a bit. I took a deep breath, leaning against the counter, before heading over to the fridge. I opened it, and grabbed a few drinks. I held open the fridge with my foot, reaching down and grabbing as many bottles as I could carry at once. I really didn't want to make more than one trip.

"Need help?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I whipped around, causing a few of the bottles to begin to wobble in my arms. Within seconds, Gabe was in front of me.

One of his hands was on my elbow, the other was underneath the drinks that I held. It was quiet for a moment before we both burst into laughter, and Gabe took a few of the bottles from my hands. The laughter broke up the tension from the close proximity, and I was able to breathe a bit more normally again as he took a step back. I took a moment to admire the way his shirt hugged his arms, and the way he had one button undone up top, giving me a tiny glimpse of his chest.

"That was so close," I finally managed.

Gabriel shook his head, grinning. "I know," he agreed. "Its your fault for carrying so many at once."

I pretended to glare at him. "I didn't want to come back for a second trip."

Gabe laughed again and motioned for me to follow him back out into the living room. Just as we reached the doorway, he stopped, and I looked up at him. His blue eyes searched mine, and a smile spread across his lips. His eyes quickly gave me a once over before he said quietly, "You look beautiful."