Let Her Go

“We will now be descending into Dallas, Texas will you please fasten your seatbelts and thank you for flying with us.”

Riley dug her nails into the arm muscles of the scruffy looking man beside her, keeping her eyes tightly closed as the wheels of the plane hit the Dallas ground.

“You know one day you’re going to eventually have to fly alone.” Reilly said to her, watching the way she clung to him.

She glanced up from the way she buried herself in the fabric of his white t-shirt, sending him a glare as he laughed obviously amused at her fear of flying. If she didn’t love him so much, she would hate him.

“When pigs fly. I’ll fly alone.”

He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead, the hum of his lips vibrating against her skin.

“You know, I heard they’re studying if pigs can actually fly.”

She wacked him across his chest with the back of her palm, only allowing him laugh even harder than before.

“I really do hate you,” she mumbled.

They gathered their carryon luggage making their way towards the front of the nearly empty plane.

“You couldn’t hate me if you tried,” Reilly tugged her close to his body as they made their way through the terminal to baggage claim.

With sunglasses pressed tightly against his eyes, he hoped that no one would recognize him in a place he once used to call home. Now that he was no longer a Dallas Star, and thriving in the Boston Bruin organization, he felt he had finally made a name for himself. Being a Star was completely different then being in Boston. Boston meant crazy fans, and people who actually took the sport of hockey seriously. And, he was finally getting the attention he deserved after all the hard work and effort he was putting into something that he loved so much.

“Riley!”

They both turned hearing their name called, to catch Emma walking up to them, with her suitcase in tow as they stood at baggage claim.

“Of course we’re waiting on you Smitty,” Emma said, glancing between the couple before her. She noticed that they both had their suitcases that they checked in back and Boston, but also realized that Reilly was missing his hockey gear that he insisted had to travel with him.

“Hey, what can I say? Me and my sticks are to never be separated.”

Being one of the newest members to the organization it was only mandatory, that all the players would give him crap for being a rookie on the team. It also sucked that he always seemed to be the last one out of the locker room, without meaning it. Eventually after attending one too many practices, when they should’ve been working, Riley and Emma caught on to the joke, and started teasing him about it as well.

As the conveyor belt of suitcases began, Reilly spotted the one with the large B on the side, along with three taped together skates that followed suit.

“So I was thinking we’d hit up a bar or something tonight. I’ve never been to Dallas, so we should explore while we can!” Emma said excitedly, as they got into the car that was waiting for them.

Riley, hugged her boyfriend’s arm tighter, as they made their way through the city that they would be in for a couple of days. The rival Dallas Vs. Bruins game wasn’t until two more nights, leaving them with plenty of time to explore before they had to return to work.

“Yeah sounds fun!” Riley answered.

Riley glanced up at the brown eyes staring back at her, “You wanna come?”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead, loving the way that she looked at him, and the way she spoke. He loved everything about her, from the moment that he skated past her at warm-ups one early morning at the garden. He tried with all the courage that he had just to work up the nerve to talk to her; it wasn’t until his new line-mate made the first move for him. Though they weren’t dating long, he knew that she was someone that he could spend the rest of his life with.

“I can meet you after we do press.”

She nodded against his shirt, resting her tired head against his shoulder. As they made their way through the city, finally arriving at the hotel.

“I’ll come to your room around eight, take a nap and look hot!” Emma shouted as she departed into the elevator.

XXX

“So you and Reilly are getting pretty serious, huh?”

Riley took another sip of her drink sitting in front of her, having it been the third one she’s probably sucked down in the past hour, she was starting to feel the effect it had on her.

She looked at her friend besides her watching her curiously rage, as she anticipated an answer.

“I don’t know. I guess so? I like having him around.” She replied.

Emma ordered them another round of drinks.

“Well you seem so much happier than before.”

She nodded.

They sat in silence at the local bar that they ended up at just a few blocks away from their hotel, and the arena where the boys were doing their press release for the game. She wasn’t looking to get completely wasted tonight, but knowing that she had Emma on her right hand side, it looked like she would most likely need to be carried out, by the end of the night.

She took another sip from her refreshed drink that sat in front of her, noticing the different in taste than the ones that she was drinking before, as she glanced around the bar she could’ve sworn that she had saw him. But, her mind had played tricked on her before, especially after he left her so abruptly, not even a phone call to explain that things were over between them. It was safe to assume after a month of no contact that their relationship that meant so much to her, was officially over. But, she was happy now with the life that she lived, and assumed that he was too.

She turned her stool once again to catch Emma leaving her to go across the bar at the man that had offered to buy them drinks a few times during the course of the night. He was cute, but not Emma’s type and she knew that, but a free drink was a free drink.

“Riley?”

She turned her stool around to find the voice that had called out for her, thinking that Emma had returned. As she spun, she glanced at the body standing tall, and muscular before her, leaving her breathless and her heart in the pit of her stomach.