Hey Girl

**Hannah**

As I sat at the table listening to the familiar country song playing, I couldn't help but pinch myself. Never in a million years did I think I'd run into two members of the Dallas Stars’ top line while on spring break. I also never would have dreamed of Tyler Seguin buying us drinks and inviting us to join him and his friends, but here we were the only two girls at the table.

I glanced at Tyler who was sitting next to me and having a conversation with Freddy. His backwards Bauer hat gave me the perfect view of his eyes and I could see that they were bright with excitement and alcohol. In fact we were all sporting that glassy eyed stare, but none of us were complaining. Even Avery who was so uptight when we arrive was having a great time. I looked over at her and notice she and Jamie were a little closer than necessary, even if it was just to hear each other over the noise in the place, but I just smiled at my friend. She was enjoying herself and that's all that mattered.

"What are you thinking about?" Tyler's voice appeared in my ear. Causing me to gasp and turn to him.

"Sorry" he chuckled.

I simply smiled and shook my head, which brought our already close heads even closer. "It's okay, just tickled." I blushed. "To answer your question, I was just thinking about how never in a million years would I expect to be here right now."

Tyler smiled at me and I felt it down in my gut. “Why did you choose Dallas?” he asked, referring to our Spring Break.

I shrugged. “It was somewhere different. There are also less people here than Florida or Mexico. Less crazy too.”

“Understandable, but isn’t the whole point of spring break to be surrounded by a bunch of drunk college students?”

“Yeah, I guess. I didn’t want that though. I wanted something different and fun. I still wanted to enjoy myself and I don’t think I’d be able to do that in a normal spring break spot.” I glanced at Avery. “Plus, Avery isn’t too keen on big crowds or groups. I had to beg and drag her here tonight.”
Tyler was about to say something, but one of my favorite songs that I would have never thought I’d hear outside my bedroom came on. I couldn’t help the excited squeal that bubbled up, causing all the table’s attention to fall to me. All three guys laughed at me as Avery simply rolled her eyes, familiar with my reactions. Without a care in the world, I began dancing in my seat.

I couldn’t take this song sitting down anymore, so I jumped to my feet and continued to dance. All eyes landed on me as I started singing along with the dancing. When the song ended, I took my seat again and smiled at the group.

“I love that band.” I stated, taking a long sip of my drink. “I discovered them on Twitter and they’ve become a favorite of mine. I can’t help but dance when I hear them and that was the first time I’ve heard them outside of my bedroom.” I explained, finishing off my drink. Another song I knew came on and I suddenly wanted to do nothing but dance.

Tyler cleared his throat. “Hannah, do you want to dance?”

I quickly and happily agreed, dragging him to the dance floor just as “Aw Naw” by Chris Young started playing through the speakers. I giggled as I watched Tyler try his hardest to dance to the country beat.

“Not the same as a club in Boston, eh?” I smiled, going along with his movements.

“Eh?” He smirked, raising an eyebrow. I playfully smacked his shoulder, causing him to laugh. “And no, not the same.”

I saw the sadness in his eyes as he spoke of his previous home. We both fell quiet, just enjoying the music. I glanced at the guy in front of me and despite the smirk on his lips, you could see he was off in another world.

“You miss it don’t you?” I asked as quietly as I could with all the noise surrounding us.

He sighed and laid his head on my shoulder, sending a shiver through my body and my pulse to skyrocket. “Yeah, I do. It was my home away from home.” He sighed again and lifted his head, glancing at the table where his friends and mine were laughing about something. “This is better for me though. Things are better in about every aspect of my life down here.”

“That’s good to hear! I think that’s what a lot of people want for you. You’ve also matured since you were first drafted.” I told him, giving him a squeeze on the arm in reassurance.

“I’ve tried. I don’t want to always be known for the shit I did before. Rarely do they mention that I’m a Stanley Cup champion anymore.” His hold on my hips tightened and I saw the pain in his face. I also noticed that this was not the place for this conversation.

I stepped out of Tyler’s arms and before he could protest, I grabbed his hand and lead him to the table. When we got there, I dropped his hand and went over to Avery.

“I’m getting Tyler out of here. I think he needs some air.” I whispered to my best friend.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, concern evident in her voice as she glanced between Tyler and I.

I shrugged and left it at that. I didn’t need to spread news about Tyler, especially when he doesn’t really know me yet. I walked over to Tyler and grabbed his hand, ignoring the shock that traveled through my arm. “Let’s get out of here.” I whispered in his ear. I gave his hand a tug and we said our goodbyes to everyone.

“You know Freddy and Jamie think we’re going to hookup tonight, right?” He chuckled as we made it out of the club.

“Let them. You looked like you needed to talk and on the dance floor surrounded by ears probably wasn’t the best place.” I looked around and saw the hotel Avery and I were staying at, right down the street. I glanced at the handsome hockey player next to me and bit my lip. “In a complete non-sexual way, do you want to go back to my hotel room? We can talk there and that way A can bring Jamie and Freddy back later.”

Tyler chuckled. “Yeah, we can do that.” We started making our way towards the hotel and as we
walked, I noticed that we were still holding hands. As if Tyler could read my mind, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Thanks for getting me out of there. I really appreciate it.” He said quietly.

I blushed. “Don’t mention it. Like I said, you seem like you need to talk and I know we just met, but you can talk to me. More importantly, you can trust me.”

Tyler smiled down at me, a genuine smile. “I already do. You’re different Hannah. You know who we were and you didn’t react. We don’t get that all the time and it’s a nice change.”

My heart was beating super-fast at his words. I tried not to dwell on it too much, but the fact that he trusted me meant everything to me. The rest of the walk was filled with idle chit-chat about my semester, our families, and anything else that had nothing to do with Tyler’s trade.

“So you’re telling me that you’ve been with these guys for two seasons and they still don’t acknowledge you?” I was telling Tyler about my manager’s position of my school’s hockey team and he was appalled at the fact that the guys rarely spoke to me outside of the rink.

I shrugged. “I mean they talk to me during the season, but even that is limited too. I’m not offended about it though. It’s just a little annoying.”

“We talk to everybody on our staff.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, but everyone on the team and staff are getting paid pretty high. I just volunteer my time with the team. Plus, we’re measly college students.” I laughed.

“Douches.” He looked at me with a smile. “You’re so cool, how could they not want to talk to you?”

Blushing for the up-teenth time that night, I shrugged. “It’s whatever. I should actually be with
them this week, but I decided on vacation.”

“No wonder they don’t talk to you.” He winked, laughing.

I stuck my tongue out at him before skipping ahead to open the door to the hotel. I led him through the lobby as quickly as possible and to the stairs that I knew came out next to Avery’s and my room. When we reached our door, I turned to tell Tyler something but found myself between his body and the door. I glanced at Tyler and knew I should have panicked because I barely knew him, but I didn’t. Instead, my eyes locked onto his and then down to his lips. He licked them and moved in closer to me. There was a second’s hesitation before his soft lips were on mine. I sighed at the contact and enjoyed the sweetness of the kiss. It was innocent as far as slightly intoxicated kisses went and it left me wanting more, but I didn’t want to push it.

What seemed like hours later, Tyler took a step back and looked down at his feet. Without a word, I unlocked the door and pulled him inside. This is going to be interesting I thought to myself as I closed the door and turned to him.

“Hannah, I’d apologize for that, but I’m not sorry. As cocky as that sounds.” Tyler ran a hand over his face with a heavy sigh. I continued to stand where I was and wait to see if he had anything else to say. “It’s just….you understand and you’re attractive and I’m rambling.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his nervousness, it was actually really cute. Deciding to end his misery and rambling, I shut him up the only way I could think of. A kiss. And just like the one in the hallway, it left me wanting more.

“Truth be told, I kinda wanted that to happen.” I whispered. “And as much as I’d love to continue with that I think we should talk. It’s clear you have things you need to get off your chest and kissing me is only going to distract you from it. It is an easy out and I don’t think this process was meant to be easy.”

He sighed and nodded his head before resting his forehead on mine. The close proximity had my heart pounding, just like in the bar. This time though, there was an underlying current of nerves. We were alone and despite the ability to function, we both were intoxicated and who knows what could happen.

“Let me go change real quick, okay?” I whispered, not taking my eyes off of his. With a nod, he let me go. I quickly grabbed my sweats out of my bag and went into the bathroom. I took the time in there to calm myself down and get myself together. I could not let my attraction for Tyler get in the way of the real reason why we were here. What wasn’t helping that was the two kisses we shared running on repeat in my head.

I splashed some cold water on my face before throwing my hair up in a bun. When I figured I was calm enough, I rejoined Tyler in the room. I stopped in my tracks when I saw that he was lying on the bed that I had claimed as mine. He had taken his shoes and dress shirt off, leaving him in a tight, white v-neck and his dark jeans. He had his left arm raised above his head, exposing most of his tattoo. He looked relaxed, but I could still see the stress.

I took a seat on the end of the bed, still looking at the guy laying in my bed. “Hey, I may have a pair of my brother’s sweatpants in my bag if you want to change out of your jeans.” I said quietly.

“I’m okay, thanks though.” He smiled. Then his smile grew when he saw that I was staring at his arm.

I blushed. “Sorry. I’m always fascinated by tattoos and you’re sleeve is beautiful.”

“Thank you, I love it.” He glanced up at his arm and back to me. “Do you have any?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on getting one. I just don’t really know what I want yet.”

“Do you know where you want it?”

“Left shoulder blade.”

“I hope you get it soon.”

I smiled over at him. “Thanks, me too. You started another sleeve didn’t you?” I asked, hoping not to sound stalkerish.

“Yeah, I did. I’m excited to continue with it.”

“That’s awesome. I really love when someone is enthusiastic about their ink and especially when it has a special meaning to it. I think that’s what tattoos should be all about. Meaning.”

Tyler nodded and absentmindedly started rubbing the part of his sleeve with his family’s seal on it. We fell silent and I didn’t know what to say. Tyler was looking out the window and I was picking at my nail polish. I didn’t know how to approach the conversation we had started in the bar without straight out saying something, but I wanted to get him talking.

“You said you have a brother?” Tyler said quietly, glancing back at me. I simply nodded and waited. “What does he do?”

“He is a Navy SEAL and that’s all I really can say.”

“A SEAL, eh? That’s scary.”

“Nah, he pretends to be but in reality he is a giant teddy bear.” I smiled. “I love him and I’m so proud of him.”

“I can see that.” He paused. “Is he married?”

“Engaged. They’ve been dating since their senior year of high school. They stuck together through his basic training and eventually his BUDs training. They’ve been engaged for a year or so now. They’re hoping to get married this summer.”

“Do you like his fiancée?”

“Love her, absolutely love her. She has been the big sister I’ve always wanted. She’s also a saint for putting up with not only my brother, but everything that his job throws at him. The relocations, the deployments, and especially the secrecy.” I couldn’t help the smile that graced my lips. “What about your sisters, are they dating?”

Tyler scoffed. “They better not be. I’ll kill the guy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment, but Tyler did not like that. “Why are you laughing?” He demanded. “It’s not funny.”

“Big brothers are all the same. So protective.” I teased.

“We have to be when we have sisters that look like you and my sisters. We know how guys work and think. We also know how girls like you and my sister are treated.” He sighed.

And there it was, the segway I was looking for. I just didn’t want this angle on it. “Despite your protectiveness, your sisters must love you. I bet they are hella proud of you, whether they voice that or not.” I glanced at him and saw his face fall. I scooted closer to him and grabbed his hand, not sure what possessed me to do it. “What’s wrong Tyler?”

“They are proud of me, but it is something that I have had to regain from them. No matter how many times they’ve said that they’ve never stopped being proud of me I know they have. My own mom was so disappointed in me with everything that happened in the past.” He took a deep
breath. “Do you know how shitty it is to get a phone call from your own mother and having her tell you how disappointed she was in you? What about your dad? That was a fun one.” He let out a dry laugh. “The worst one though was from Candace, she and I are so close and having someone you’re so close to tell you that they are disappointed in you and know that you can do better hurts the most. She’s not afraid to call me out on my shit and believe me she didn’t hold back all those times.”

“What about your youngest sister?” I asked quietly, trying to keep my emotions in check.

Tyler sighed. “Everyone tried to keep the worst away from her, but she found out. She’s on Twitter and everything. She eventually saw everything I did and was doing. She would simply call me and ask me why I did the things I did. I was never able to answer her because half of the time I didn’t even know why I did them. I just knew that I enjoyed it at the time and thought it was the best decision ever.”

“They’ve have to be over all it though, right?” I asked. “I mean they are your family and they know who you truly are.”

He nodded. “I think that’s what the worse thing was though. They knew how I was and they knew that the guy they were seeing, reading about, and hearing about wasn’t me. They saw the change in me and they weren’t afraid about voicing their displeasure over it. Eventually though they all stopped mentioning and kind of just ignored it.”

“You were so young though. The transition into the NHL cannot be easy, especially when you have guys coming in right at 18 or 17. They are still growing up and they have things they need learn. Sometimes, as I hate to say it, they are things that they are going to have to learn the hard way. A lot like you did.”

“I know I wasn’t the only one. My buddy, Patrick struggled too.”

I nodded sadly. “Yeah, I remember that. That was hard to watch and everything. He was so lucky he did not end up getting in more trouble than he already did.” I sighed. “I really think the lockout helped both of you. It got you away from the craziness that is America when it comes to sports. You guys were focused on your hockey over there, not that you aren’t focused over here, but I just think there are more distractions and temptations over here. I think since you weren’t in the spotlight as much, it gave you a chance to relax and get back to the whole reason why you are where you are today. Playing hockey.”

Tyler was silent for a little while. His thumb began stroking my knuckles. “You noticed that big of a change?”

I nodded. “How could I not? When the NHL resumed, you were a scoring machine. When you weren’t on the point sheet, you were making things happen. You became a better player. Patrick too. You don’t win MVP for nothing.” I smirked. “You also don’t make the Stanley Cup finals for nothing either.”

“What did you think of the trade?”

I sighed and moved so I was lying beside him, our hands never detaching. I knew he needed the contact and I was more than okay to comply with it. “At first I was shocked. When my friend sent me the text telling me you were traded, I didn’t believe it. I had to use Avery’s phone to check online. After the initial shock, I was interested to see how you’d do down here. It was a lot like overseas, hockey wasn’t big so you wouldn’t be as in the spotlight as you were on the Bruins.” I smiled. “That all changed though the second that you and Jamie clicked. You two became the hottest topic in just about everything. You’re playing amazing hockey.” I turned and looked at Tyler. “In the long run, this was a good trade. For you and for the Stars. You and Jamie put them back on everyone’s radar.”

“You really think so?”

In that moment, I saw the real Tyler Seguin. The boy who was fortunate enough to make it into the world he wanted to, but wasn’t really ready for the backlash and stress of it all. He was scared, overwhelmed, and most of all insecure. No matter how confident he seemed on the ice or in interviews, Tyler really just wanted acceptance and know that he’s doing better. I also knew that I wanted nothing more than to be his friend and help him through everything. To be there for him when he needed a moment or two away from the stress of the NHL.

I turned on my side so I could look at him with ease. “Tyler,” I said softly, waiting until he was looking at me. “Trust me when I tell you this. Everything I have said, is one hundred percent the truth. I may just be some girl from out of town that you just met. I also may just be a hockey fan, but I am serious about everything we’ve been talking about. You can trust me to tell you the truth, especially when you need to hear it the most.”

Tyler rolled over to face me and searched my face for any indication that I was lying to him. When he was sure I wasn’t, he pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. I’ve noticed that he is a touchy-feely person when he was feeling insecure and I’ve only known him for a couple of hours.

“Am I really improving?” He asked quietly, not looking at me.

Oh, Tyler I thought as I ran my hand down his back, comforting him. “You know you are and you don’t need me to tell you that but if you do then I will tell you.”

He simply nodded. “How long are you and Avery in town for?” He asked, changing the subject.

“We leave Sunday morning.”

“We have the day off tomorrow and I was planning on having a few guys over to just chill. You and Avery should come.”

“I’ll talk to A and see what she thinks. Like I said earlier she doesn’t like crowds.”

“Okay. It’s an open invitation and I really hope you come.” He smiled.
“Thanks.”

The two of us continued to lay there with each other while we watched some television. I found my favorite show and left it there, only to find out that Tyler had no clue what Criminal Minds was. So, I spent the commercials explaining the show to him. Once he understood, he was hooked.

“I can’t believe I’ve never watched that show before?” Tyler exclaimed when the episode ended.

I shook my head and laughed. “So glad I’ve educated you.” I glanced at him. “You’ll be obsessed now.” I laughed.

“It’s not on Netflix?!”

I laughed even harder at his outburst. “No, it’s not and it’s the most depressing thing ever.”
“How am I supposed to start from the beginning?”

“Same way I did. Buy the seasons on DVD and watch the reruns.”

He huffed dramatically and opened a new tab on his phone. After a few more taps he smiled at me. “Ordered.”

I stared at him. “Did you seriously just buy all eight seasons?”

“Oh yeah.

“I don’t even have all the seasons. I have their first two and everything else I’ve seen has been reruns.”

Tyler shrugged. “I guess that gives us a reason to hang out again.”

I just stared at him. What did he mean again? We just met today and he was already talking about hanging out again. He even invited me and my friend to hang out with his friends. I was freaking out and I knew I was.

“Stop thinking so hard over there.” Tyler teased.
I blushed. “Sorry.”

“Does hanging out with me again really sound that bad?”

“No, no, no. Not at all. I’m just surprised that you want to. I mean you just met me and first you’re inviting me to hang out with tour friends and now you mention watching my favorite show together.”

“Hannah, I like you. You’re different from a lot of people, like I said at the bar. I want to get to know you better and I want us to be friends.”

“I understand that and I want that too. I’m just trying not to dwell of the fact that you’re you. I’ve done so well at keeping my cool, but now I’m freaking out.” I chuckled, embarrassed.

“Why are you freaking out?”

“You’re Tyler Seguin, one of the most talked about stars in the NHL and I’m just Hannah Malone, a junior in college. This isn’t reality.”

Tyler pulled me into him again and hugged me. “Breathe, Hannah.” He chuckled. “This is real and you haven’t been talking to NHL star Tyler Seguin. He’s a cocky son of a bitch, you wouldn’t like him. You’ve been talking to the real Tyler, the boy from Ontario who just wants to be accepted and succeed.”

I knew he was right, I knew he was truly being himself. I’ve heard and read enough gossip about how he can get and I have not once seen that side of him. I took a deep breath and felt myself relax at his words and my realization.

“I’m sorry for spazzing out on you. Everything kind of just hit me when you mentioned hanging out again. If I haven’t said it yet, I want to be friends with you Tyler. You’re a great guy and I’ve really enjoyed the time we’ve spent together.”

“First of all, no need to apologize. I am not use to making new friends that I can trust. Most of my friends are people that have been in my life before I was drafted or they are in the NHL. Secondly, I’ve enjoyed myself too. I said it before and I’ll say it again. You’re different, Hannah and I really like that about you. You’re down to earth from what I can tell and that is something that I need in my life.”

I pulled back from Tyler and looked up at him. He was looking anywhere but at me and I knew he was nervous about what he just said. I was about to respond, when my phone chimed from the night stand. I reached over and saw that I had a text from Avery.

From: Avery
Is it all clear to come back? Everyone dressed and clean? ;)

I laughed out loud and quickly typed back a reply. “A, just asked if it was all clear and we were dressed.” I said, looking up from my phone.

Tyler laughed and looked up from his as well. “Jamie just asked me the same thing.”

“Our friends.” I said with an eye roll before turning back to Criminal Minds. “Oh, give me your phone.” I said, holding my hand out. Tyler placed his phone in my hand and I went to add my number when I saw his background. “He is so cute!” I gushed at the picture of Tyler’s Chocolate Lab, Marshall.

“He’s my boy.” He smiled. “If you come tomorrow you can meet him.” He winked.

I glanced over at him. “Are you bribing me, Seguin?”

“Whatever it takes to get you there, Malone”

I laughed and quickly added my number to his phone and sent myself a text so I’d have his number. The two of us fell silent and continued to enjoy each other’s company while we waited for our friends to arrive.

After several minutes of quiet, Tyler sat up and looked at me with a wicked grin on his face. I simply raised an eyebrow in question at him. “Do you want to mess with them?” He asked.

“What did you have in mind?” I wondered.

Without an explanation Tyler pulled his v-neck over his head and tossed it across the room. I sat there and stared at all the flesh he exposed. I knew he was good looking, but seeing his build in person was a whole different experience. He got off the bed and tossed me his dress shirt that he had discarded when we first entered the hotel room. Finally understanding the situation, I quickly exchanged my t-shirt for his dress shirt. I also went to my suitcase and grabbed a pair of shorts and slipped those on. I sat back down on the bed and took my hair out of the ponytail it was in all night and ruffled my hair. As I was doing that Tyler slipped his belt out of his jeans, causing his jeans to slip a little lower on his hips and I stopped “fixing” my hair.

“Like what you see?” He asked with a smirk.

I blushed and nodded since I didn’t think words would actually come out of my mouth at that moment. Tyler climbed back into the bed and pulled me into his side. With a smile, I laid my head on his bare chest and laid my arm across his midsection. Tyler’s hand laid on my hip and his other grasped my hand that was on his stomach. This position should have been awkward for us since we just met, but it wasn’t. It actually felt really normal to be snuggled up against Tyler. Once again, as if he could read my mind, Tyler pulled me tighter to him and smiled down at me which I happily returned.

Just as we were getting back into the show, we head the door unlock and slowly open. Avery stuck her head in and smiled when she saw the position the two of us were in.

“Freddy, you owe my five bucks.” She said, pushing the door open all the way and walking in.

“Dude, Jamie, she’s right.” He said following my best friend into the room.

“What were you expecting?” I asked, looking between the three new people in the room.

“I thought you’d be going at it and we’d walk in on it.” Freddy shrugged.

I glanced at Avery and Jamie who were snickering next to each other. “You two didn’t tell him you texted us, did you?”

Jamie laughed. “Where would the fun in that be? Plus, Avery got money out of it.” He sent a wink at the girl next to him.

“You hustled me!” Freddy exclaimed, sending Avery into a fit of giggles.

Tyler looked over at the still laughing girl. “I like you, Avery.” He smiled and laughed when Freddy glared at him.

We continued to pick on Freddy for some time before the guys decided they needed to get going. Tyler put his shirt back on, much to my disappointment, and gathered his things as Jamie, Freddy, and Avery exchanged numbers. Tyler came over to me and wrapped me in a hug, as Freddy was snapping a selfie of him and his ‘new friend’ as he kept calling Avery.

“Thank you for tonight, talking is exactly what I needed.” He said quietly. “It was nice to just be Tyler tonight. Also thank you for introducing me to Criminal Minds, I’ll be sure to tell you when my seasons come in.” He smirked.

I gave him a squeeze. “Any time you need to talk, I’m there. You’ve got my number so call or text me whenever. Thanks for trusting me, too.” I whispered.

“Alright you two. I would really like to get some sleep before the sun comes up again.” Jamie called from the door.

Tyler and I laughed before saying our final goodbyes. I said goodbye to the guys and walked them to the door and watched them walk to the stairs. Tyler waved before following his two friends. I smiled to myself as I walked back into the hotel room and saw Avery sitting on her bed staring at me.
“You didn’t actually sleep with him did you?” She asked.

I just shrugged and walked into the bathroom to remove what make-up was still left. When I looked in the mirror, I noticed that I was still wearing Tyler’s dress shirt. How could I forget I was wearing it? I wondered as I snapped a picture of my reflection. I quickly scrolled through my messages and pulled up a new one to Tyler and attached the picture.

To: Tyler
1 attachment.
Forgot something.

I brushed my teeth and chuckled when his response was instantaneous. I unlocked my screen and laughed at his response.

From: Tyler
That’s my favorite shirt! Guess you’ll just have to bring it to me tomorrow ;)

He quickly sent a second message that contained his address.

To: Tyler
You did that on purpose!

I walked out of the bathroom and didn’t bother changing out of the shirt before climbing into my bed. I smiled when I easily picked up Tyler’s scent lingering on the pillows and blankets. My phone vibrated next to me. Tyler had sent a winky face and I knew that he indeed didn’t get his shirt back so I’d have to go to his place tomorrow. While Avery was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, I played on my phone.

“Hey A.” I called as she walked towards her bed. “Tyler invited us over to his place for a get together tomorrow. Would you want to go?”

Her answer surprised me. “Yeah, Jamie told me about it. I think it would be fun. I figure we can hang out at the pool for the day before heading over?”

“I like that idea. I’ll text Tyler and let him know.”

To: Tyler
What time should we be over?

I bit my lip, waiting for his response. I knew he was going to be excited and of course he didn’t disappoint.

From: Tyler
You’re coming?! That wasn’t hard at all. Around 4ish? If you want to come earlier you’re more than welcome to. Can’t wait to see you

I blushed at his words and wondered if staying friends with him was going to be easy. I tried to think of a witty response, but was coming up blank.

To: Tyler
4 is perfect. Gives us just the right amount of time to soak up some Texas sun ;) Guess, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Night, Tyler

I turned the light off and waited for the response that I knew was coming. As soon as I got settled under the blankets, my phone went off.

From: Tyler
Sweet dreams Hannah.

I giggled softly before setting my phone on the night stand and rolling onto my side. Despite the excitement that was our first full day in Dallas, I was exhausted and sleep came to me easily.