Hurts Like Heaven

Gabriel walked into the locker room with the biggest smile on his face.

His teammates stared at him like he was a psychopath, and some of them merely shook their heads at his goofy behaviour. He hadn’t been able to wipe the smile from his face ever since he woke up just a few hours prior to morning practice, and it was evident most of his teammates knew it was because of a certain girl who had unintentionally stolen his heart. He had gotten used to all of the playful comments during practice, but nothing could bring down the rookie’s amazing mood. They had a game tonight against Toronto, and while he was looking forward to that, he was also looking forward to Maddie being there to cheer him on. She had been more than happy when Gabriel asked if she wanted to come to one of his games, and that made his heart swell with happiness.

He showered, shoved all of his equipment into his duffelbag, and said goodbye to all of his teammates before exiting the locker room and making his way to the player’s parking lot. He grinned when he spotted a small figure standing in front of his car with her arms wrapped around herself. It was about 30 degrees outside, which wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the icy wind. It had been an open practice today and Maddie had been kind enough to tag along with him, claiming she had never been to one before. She turned around when she heard his footsteps and instantly grinned, holding her arms out for a hug which he blissfully accepted.

“You looked good out there.” She smiled at him and opened the passenger door when he unlocked the car.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to inflate my ego anymore.” He smirked and playfully nudged her when they both got settled in the car and he turned the heater on.

She giggled and stuffed her hands into the Avalanche hoodie that she had miraculously found in the back of her closet, “Maybe if I keep inflating it then it will just pop some day.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon,” He laughed and pulled out of the parking lot, “I didn’t have a chance to ask this morning, but how have you been lately? I feel like we haven’t been talking as much.” He said sheepishly and gave Maddie an apologetic smile. It was the middle of November and the past few weeks had been hectic for both Maddie and Gabriel.

She shook her head, “Don’t even worry about it, I’ve been really busy with classes and applying for part time jobs that I probably wouldn’t have had a lot of time to talk to you.”

His eyes seemed to light up, “Have you found any jobs yet?”

Maddie’s cheeks reddened, “Starbucks wants me to work for them, so I’ll probably take that job since the pay is decent.”

“Nice!” He grins mischievously, “Does this mean I get discounts on my coffee now?”

She snorts, “I wouldn’t count on it unless you want to get me fired.”

“I’m just kidding, I’m really happy for you though. I know how much you needed this job.” He said, talking about the fact that she was a college student and didn’t have a lot of money. She didn’t reply back but threw him a warm smile that was infectious, because he soon found himself smiling like a moron. The pair decided on going out to lunch since it was almost noon, and Maddie told Gabriel the directions to her favourite Italian restaurant. The place was tiny, just a little hole in the wall on the corner of the street with no parking lot, so he had to park on the other side of the street across from the restaurant. He opened the passenger door for her and grabbed her hand as she led him to their destination.

“I never would have even known about this place if you hadn’t pointed it out.” Gabriel said as he waited for the green light to come on so they could use the crosswalk, “I guess those are the best kinds of places to eat at though.”

Gabe continued to ramble on as they finally made it across the street and entered the warm restaurant, but the only thing she could think about was how it good it felt to be holding his hand. After Maddie told the waiter it was only the two of them he led the pair to a table that was right in front of a window.

“I’ll just have water.” Gabe said when the middle aged waiter asked what he wanted to drink, and then looked at Maddie expectantly.

“Dr. Pepper.” She answered and bit back the impulse to roll her eyes when she heard Gabriel laugh at her choice of beverage. It was the only thing she drank whenever they went out to eat and Gabriel always teased her about it.

“Are you excited for the game tonight?” He asked and the way he looked at her with those stunning blue eyes made Maddie melt, she absolutely loved those baby blue eyes.

“I really am, I’ve only been to an Av’s game once and that was when I was 8.”

“Well I know you’ll have a good time, Matt said Sara was probably going to go too, so you don’t have to be alone.”

That made Maddie curious, it seemed as though Matt Duchene and her roommate, Sara, had been inseparable ever since Gabriel had introduced them to each other. She wasn’t surprised though, that’s just how her best friend was when it came to most guys. Sara’s never really been the relationship type of person, but she’s not the type of girl who goes around looking for one night stands either. Maddie knew she just liked having the feeling of comfort whenever she was around another man, and Matt just happened to be that man. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest kind of relationship, to Maddie it almost sounded like she was leading him on, which could end very badly on both ends. She decided to keep her mouth shut; she had never been one to stick her nose in other people’s business anyways.

She was happy that her friend was going to the game nonetheless, “That should be interesting considering she doesn’t really know anything about hockey.”

He smirks and opens his mouth to say something but is cut off by the Italian waiter who is setting drinks down in front of both of them and asking for their order. They both decided on cheese pizza since they couldn’t agree on the same toppings.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come to my place after the game tonight?” He said, but sounded extremely unsure of himself, “I figured we could just hang out and catch up, maybe watch a movie.”

“That sounds great actually; I didn’t have any classes tomorrow anyways.”

Maddie watched with an amused look as his ego was boosted once again, and shook her head at his victorious grin. She still couldn’t believe that he genuinely liked her; it was just unfathomable to Maddie for some odd reason. As clichéd as it might have sounded, she felt like she was dreaming every time she was with Gabriel. She couldn’t remember a time where she had ever been this excited to just be with a particular individual, but she wasn’t going to complain. She loved having something to look forward to whenever she saw his number pop up on her cell phone. She loved his cheesy sense of humour and his crude jokes, along with his deep laugh that always seemed to keep him from finishing his terrible jokes.

Gabriel Landeskog was perfectly imperfect.

All through lunch Gabriel kept nudging her leg with his foot, causing Maddie’s curiosity to intensify every time he did it, “This better not be some weird Swedish mating call.”

He snorted and nearly choked on his water, “We’re in an Italian restaurant sharing a pizza; I’m just trying to be romantic over here.”

Maddie busted out into a fit of giggles, “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but kicking me with your dirty shoe isn’t exactly romantic… and you have a little tomato sauce on your upper lip.”

He pouted as she leaned forward and gently wiped his upper lip with a napkin, “This didn’t go how I expected it to.”

“Don’t worry Gabe; you’re still a sweetheart in my book.” Maddie playfully pinches his cheek causing his pout to dissipate and being instantly replaced with a toothy grin. He grabs her hand and holds it on top of the table, his fingers intertwining with hers as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Don’t be fooled by my looks, I can be a badass too.” He says defensively and takes a big bite out of the slice of pizza he’s holding with his other hand.

“I’m sure you can Gabe.” She mumbles and playfully rolls her eyes at him, “Even though I like you just the way you are.”

Gabriel’s heart pounded in his chest at her compliment and he had no clue why he was taken over by such a large amount of happiness in that moment.

“At least let me pay the tip?” She asked and gave him a puppy dog look as he stood up and pulled out his wallet.

“Nope,” He shook his head decisively and threw a couple of bills on the table, “I ate the most, therefore I pay.”

She scoffs, “You always eat the most.”

“Madelyn Hyatt, was that a fat joke?” He gasps as he trailed behind her when they exited the building, “I’ll show you how fat I am.”

Without another word Gabriel wraps his arms around her shoulders and presses all of his weight into her side, causing her to slip and fall on the wet pavement, bringing the Swedish hockey player with her. She groaned as he unintentionally dug his elbow into her ribs and got up from the cold ground. She lied there for a few moments, one handing rubbing her ribs while the other covered her forehead.

“Sorry.” He said, trying to contain his laughter as she finally sat up.

“Mads, is that you?”

She froze at the sound of the familiar voice and after a few seconds she picked herself up from the ground. There was only one person who had ever called her that nickname, and because of him she had come to hate it. Standing just a few feet away from Maddie and Gabriel was a dark haired man that she hadn’t seen in years, and had wished to keep it that way. He looked exactly the same with his dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and built frame. She felt Gabe tense up next to her at the presence of the stranger, and she went from being completely happy to miserable within seconds.

“Travis,” She forced a smile at the man she had known since middle school, “What are you doing here?”

He shrugs nonchalantly, “Just visiting the family for a few weeks for Thanksgiving… Who’s this?” He gestured towards Gabriel who was standing right next to Maddie with a hard look on his face.

“Gabriel Landeskog,” He reached out and much to his dismay, shook Travis’ hand, “Nice to meet you.”

That peaked Travis’ interest, “The rookie for the Avalanche? Wow Mads, you really have changed.”

Gabriel didn’t know who this guy was, but he did know that he already despised him. He hated the way that Maddie’s mood seem to gradually become more and more depressing with each and every word she spoke to him, he hated the way this Travis guy stared at Maddie like she was a piece of meat, and he most definitely hated the way this weird sense of jealousy coursed through his veins. It was obvious Maddie wasn’t fond of this guy in the slightest bit, so Gabriel didn’t even know what he was jealous for.

Maybe he was annoyed, not jealous.

“I should probably be going now; I have a few errands to run.”

“See you later.” She muttered, and Gabriel could tell that she wasn’t being sincere at all.

“C’mere and give me a hug.” He said with a shit eating grin and pulled her into his arms.

Gabriel wanted to punch that look off his face, and he was really starting to consider it. She didn’t return the hug and merely kept her hands stuffed inside the pocket of her hoodie. The hug looked uncomfortable as he crushed Maddie to his chest, her honey eyes were the darkest he had ever seen them and were glossed over; he thought for sure she was going to burst into tears.

Travis’ hands started to lower and Gabriel nearly lost his shit, “We have to go Maddie.” He snapped and glared at Travis.

She instantly pulled herself from his arms and looped her arm through the crook of Gabriel’s elbow before dragging him away from Travis. They both heard Travis call after Maddie, but she ignored him and stormed off with an irritated huff. Gabriel could barely keep up with her as she nearly ran across the crosswalk. It wasn’t until they got to the car that he finally got a good look at her, her face was drained of all colour and she was shaking terribly bad. Gabriel watched dejectedly as she pinched the bridge of her nose as tears leaked from the corners of her closed eyes, she kept her head tilted downwards and tried to keep her face concealed from Gabriel, but the damage had already been done. He absolutely hated seeing women cry because he never knew what to say to make it better, but having to see Maddie cry made his heart ache. This was the same girl who was always putting up a façade so people could think she was strong, and here she was breaking down right in front of him. He reached out and placed a hand on her back, rubbing the space between her shoulder blades consolingly.

Gabriel wanted to ask her who that asshole was and what he had done to hurt her, but he didn’t want to upset her more than she already was.

He felt helpless having to see her in such a vulnerable state, so he started the car and drove without another word.

“So are you going to tell him about Travis?”

Maddie tried her best to drown out all of Sara’s questions as they walked down the corridor and waited outside of the double doors that led to the locker room. The Av’s had just beaten the Leafs 3-2, and while Gabe hadn’t scored any goals, he still had an amazing night and ended up getting two assists. She was extremely proud of him, but at the same time she was dreading having to see him again. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other after the whole incident in front of the restaurant, and Maddie knew it was only a matter of time before he mentioned it. She had seen that look on his face when he saw her crying, and had never felt more pathetic in her life. She hadn’t cried in such a long time, she didn’t know why she was crying over this dim-witted man that she hadn’t even seen in years.

“I don’t know Sara, maybe.”

Her eyes hardened, “Don’t be stubborn Maddie; he needs to know sooner or later.”

“He doesn’t need to know anything about Travis.” She spat and his name tasted like poison on her tongue.

Her facial features softened and her tender side slowly started to come out, “You know Gabriel cares about you a lot, why is it so hard for you to just open up to him?”

“Because I’m scared!” Maddie nearly shrieks and manages to lower her voice, “Are you happy now? For the first time in years I am scared of being hurt again; I refuse to go through all of that pain again!”

She opens her mouth to comfort Maddie, but the door swings open and Sara is cut off by Matt Duchene’s bear hug. She hugs him back just as tightly, but keeps her bright green eyes directed towards Maddie. One by one the players leave the locker room, all smiles and some even know who Maddie is and greet her happily.

“Hey there Lynn!”

Maddie smiles weakly when Ryan O’Reilly appears in front of her and gives her a side hug, “Hey Ry, where’s Gabe?”

“Interview,” He shrugs, “Did you enjoy the game?”

“Of course! You guys played an amazing game tonight.”

He grinned and ruffled the beanie on top of her head playfully, “We’re going to go out and celebrate, you coming?”

“Not tonight, Gabe and I were just going to go watch a movie or something.” She knew she was acting kind of distant from her friend, but in that moment she just wanted the comfort of Gabriel’s presence. He seemed to understand though and gave her another hug, “I’ll see you later then; don’t keep Gabe up all night.” He winked and made his way down the corridor with Sara and Matt in tow.

“Hey.”

Maddie quickly turned around at the sound of his deep voice, “You were amazing out there!”

“Thanks.” He grinned.

She instantly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, cherishing the feeling of how his arms folded tightly around her. Maddie could tell he had just gotten out of the shower due to the strong smell of his body wash; it was overwhelming in the best way possible. She felt safe in his powerful arms, and she wished she could stay there forever because all of her troubled thoughts disappeared when Gabriel held her like that. She clutched the soft material of his suit jacket and reluctantly pulled away.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Gabriel should have known that Maddie wouldn’t be awake for long from the second she almost fell asleep in the car. He had to give her credit though, because she managed to keep her heavy eyelids open the whole car ride and even when they were in the elevator. He held her hand once again and he led her down the small corridor, she nearly walked into his back as he came to a sharp stop in front of an oak door.

“I still need some more furniture, but I have the necessities.” He admitted sheepishly as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Gabe… it’s beautiful.” She murmured as she observed the apartment, but she seemed especially amazed with the fact that most of the walls were floor to ceiling windows that displayed amazing views of downtown Denver and the Rocky Mountains. He stepped forward until his front was pressed to her back and lazily wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. Is this how friends are supposed to hug each other? Gabriel wasn’t sure, but Maddie didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“I wish I could stay like this forever.” She murmured almost sadly.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked courageously.

“You want to know about Travis, don’t you?”

“Will you tell me what he did that hurt you so much?”