Sky Full of Stars

The game against Montreal doesn't go well. While Tyler gets a goal and an assist, Calista can't help but notice that he definitely seems off after their conversation and it makes her feel a little bit guilty when they end up losing. She doesn't stay afterwards, instead texting Jamie that she bailed out early because she's tired, but really she just doesn't want to see Tyler yet. She knows she has to talk to him about keeping things to himself, but at the same time, she can't stomach seeing him face to face tonight. She heads home on her own, praying that it won't be too late when she goes to talk to him tomorrow.

Sleep turns out to be impossible. She starts to drift off a couple of times, only for the whole thing to pop into her head again until she dwells on it so long that she's wide awake again. The situation is just too stressful. She's so used to keeping secrets that it's like second nature to her, but now she has to depend on someone else to keep those very same secrets for her too, and it's so impossibly hard. If keeping secrets is her forte, then trusting others is her kryptonite. Of course she trusts people like Jamie and Jordie, but Tyler is one of the last people in the world she could trust and the fact that he's the one carrying the two biggest secrets of her life is enough to make her feel sick thinking about it.

Her cell phone is plugged into its charger resting on the nightstand and before she can think better of it, she snatches it up and opens a new text to ask Tyler if he's awake. She isn't really expecting him to be at this late hour, considering he just played a hard game and lost but he responds almost immediately. She doesn't reply, instead rolling out of bed to pull on some leggings and the Stars hoodie draped over the arm of the chair in the corner. She slides her feet into some flip flops on her way out of her apartment.

That same sick feeling comes back again as she stands in front of his door, identical to her own a few floors down. She knows this has to be done, but the dread filling her body is overwhelming and it takes every bit of willpower she has to raise her fist and knock. Her shaking hands nervously play with the hem of her hoodie and she chews on her bottom lip until the door finally swings open about fifteen seconds later.

Tyler definitely wasn't expecting her to actually show up at his place, that much is evident by the surprise on his face. Immediately following that is a look that's somehow both angry and hurt but she just bites down on her lip hard and pretends not to notice it. "We need to talk," she says quietly, and he stares at her for a long moment before finally stepping aside to let her into the apartment. She hesitantly walks past him through the door and stops only a few steps in, waiting for him to lead the way into the living room area. The huge chocolate lab comes trotting in from the kitchen and nudges his nose against her leg so she leans down to greet him for a moment, softly stroking his silky fur.

Her attention is torn away from the huge dog when Tyler clears his throat and she looks up to find him watching her from where he's taken a seat on the end of the sofa. She stands up straight and walks around to the other side of the sofa to join him, making sure to leave as much space as she can between the two of them in the middle. The empty glass and open bottle of scotch on the coffee table don't escape her notice and she wonders why he didn't go out to the bar with Jamie and the others.

Unsure of where exactly to begin, she nervously taps her fingers against her thigh and chances a glance over at him but his face is hard and unreadable. "You're up late," she comments then resists the urge to roll her eyes at how lame that was.

Tyler just shrugs his shoulders. "Couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, me neither," she mumbles. "Look, I know you're mad at me, and I get that. I'm mad at you too. But right now, I have to put that aside because the only thing that matters is that Jamie doesn't find out."

"So what if he does? What's the big deal?"

"You don't know the whole story but-"

"So tell me then," he interrupts.

"It's none of your business," she snaps, but then, when she sees him wince, she sighs heavily and pushes a hand through her wavy hair. "The whole story isn't what's important here. Jamie is. And I know how hurt he would be if he found out about this."

Tyler shakes his head. "I don't wanna lie to him, Calista."

"I'm not asking you to lie to him. I just-....I'm asking you to just forget Boston ever happened."

"How the hell am I supposed to forget that?" he asks, rising from his seat on the sofa to pace the length of the living room area in front of her. "How am I supposed to see you practically every day and just pretend that I was never that fucking asshole who embarrassed you in front of a whole bar full of people?"

Calista tries not to flinch at the mention of that stupid, God-forsaken night as she drops her gaze from him and folds her arms tightly over her chest. "You've been doing a pretty good job these past few months."

He pauses his pacing to look over at her but she won't meet his gaze, instead staring down at her hands resting on her thighs. "I didn't-....I didn't know it was you. I mean that first day, you looked familiar, but-....I thought if you were really that girl then you'd for sure slap me or something. I mean I'd been a total dick and you didn't even-....If I'd known that day that it was you, I would've begged for forgiveness right then."

She really isn't sure what she's supposed to say to that so instead she ignores it completely and shakes her head. "I'm not worried about you and me right now. I'm just focused on Jamie. Tyler, promise me that you're not going to tell him." When she finally looks up at him again, he still seems hesitant to agree and before she realizes, she's on her feet right in front of him, a pleading look on her face. "Just trust me on this. Please."

Tyler caves then, thanks to the extra little please on the end coupled with the way she's looking up at him because he's a sucker for those eyes, especially when they're all sad and pitiful. "Yeah," he finally sighs in resignation. "Okay. I won't say anything."

"Thank you," she says softly and her tense shoulders relax a little. She looks down again, her fingers playing with the bottom hem of her shirt, and after a moment of awkward silence, she clears her throat. "Okay, well that's all I guess."

She doesn't get two steps away from him before he's grabbing her elbow and turning her back around to face him. "Wait, no. I'm not done." His hand slides down to grab hers and he tugs her back into the living room area then down to sit on the sofa. She can't help but notice that even after she takes her seat next to him, he doesn't let go of her hand, instead placing his other large hand over it so that it's sandwiched between both of his.

"I'm not the same guy anymore, you have to know that. I was a stupid fucking bratty ass kid back then. Being drafted so young, being on a team like that, the money and the fame, I let it go to my head. I know that's a shitty excuse. Well, it's actually not an excuse at all but-....I'm not- I wasn't mad at you for not telling me, I just-....The second I saw that picture today, that night came flooding back to me and I remembered what I did, what I said to you, and I-....I was ashamed. I thought when I left Boston that I'd left all that shit behind me too but then suddenly I was face to face with it again and I freaked. I can't fucking stand that kid. I look back at him and wonder how I could've ever been so....cruel to somebody. Especially you."

He gently squeezes her hand when she starts to tear up and she silently curses herself for being such a fucking easy crier. "That's not me anymore, Calista. I'm different now. I changed. I grew up. I need you to know that."

"I do," she says quietly, and her heart stutters as his piercing dark eyes stare right into hers. "When I first found out you were traded here, I was-....Well, I fled the country. I so dreaded running into you again. I fucking hated you. I just knew that you were gonna come in here and be that same cocky asshole that I met in Boston. And maybe it was for my own selfish reasons that I kept our past to myself." Tyler shakes his head, preparing to interrupt, but she doesn't give him the opportunity. "I thought if said anything, maybe you'd try to act like you'd changed around me even if you really hadn't. But not telling you, just letting you be you and hanging around you these past few months....I see it. You're different now."

"I am," he agrees. "And can I just say-....I am so sorry about that night. I've been thinking about it nonstop since I left your office. God, I was such a dick back then."

Calista lets out a little chuckle. "Yeah, you were."

"Could you ever forgive me?"

His thumb brushes against the inside of her wrist and her eyes flutter shut for a moment as she exhales. "I could probably do that."

"Yeah?" he asks hesitantly. She gives him a little nod and a wide grin stretches across his face before he grabs her into a bone crushing hug. It takes her a moment to react and he's squeezing her so tightly that she can barely move her arms to hug him back but she doesn't really care all that much because she's actually really enjoying just being wrapped in his arms. As soon as she has the thought, it snaps her out of it and she reluctantly pulls away from him, pretending not to notice his disappointed look of rejection when she stands up.

"It's after three," she offers as an excuse, hoping it'll get that kicked puppy look off his face. "I should head back down, try to get some sleep."

He nods sadly and stands up too to walk her to the door. She pulls it open before she turns back to look at him. "See you later?"

That gives her small smile from him and he leans in to hug her one more time before she goes.

-

"What's up with you today?"

Calista looks up at him from behind the massive ice cream sundae sitting between them. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Jamie shrugs. "You seem....different."

She laughs. "Are my good moods so infrequent that now you think being happy is me acting weird?"

"Lately? Kind of."

That knocks her down a few notches and her smile fades as she watches him rake his spoon through the hot fudge running down the side of their massive dessert. "I'm sorry," she sighs. "I was having some....issues, but things are finally settling now."

"You're supposed to be able to talk to me about shit like that," he says quietly, and she can tell by the look on his face that he's disappointed that she didn't come to him with her problems.

"I know. I just had to handle this one on my own."

He pouts a little, leaving her hanging as he messes up all the pretty toppings sat atop the heap of vanilla ice cream, before he finally looks up at her. "But everything's okay now?"

"Yep," she grins, gently nudging his leg with hers under the table. "Things are good."

And for the first time in a long time, she actually means it. She's finally sort of settled things with Tyler, she's on good terms with Jordie, work is great, and all in all, she doesn't really have any complaints. Jamie seems okay with that answer because he drops the subject and bets her that he can eat his half before she can eat hers. And of course he can, but she just humors him anyway and lets him feel triumphant when he finishes off his side of the sundae, then proceeds to eat some of hers too. It feels nice to spend some quality time with just Jamie, each talking about their own lives and eating way too much food that Jamie's trainer would flip shit if he knew he was eating.

After they finish up their dessert, they leave the diner to go back home to their building but they head up to Jamie and Jordie's place instead of going to hers. Jordie is sprawled out across the sofa playing NHL '14 when they arrive but Jamie does the exact same thing on the other sofa, leaving no place for Calista. Jordie sits up and nods to the vacated space so she takes a seat but he just lays back down across her lap and resumes his game.

Tyler comes up not long after they get back and he sits down on the floor, stretching out his legs and leaning against Calista's legs. While he immediately gets busy joining in on the boys' game, she spends the next three hours trying not to think about the warmth of his body and the solid muscles of his back in between giving coherent replies when one of them addresses her. He throws his arms up in triumph and then she has something new to focus on, the tendons jumping with the movement of his hands and the dark ink winding all the way up to his shoulder.

"That's four in a row, Chubbs. Just give it up, you suck."

"I don't suck," Jamie retorts, tossing the controller onto the floor. "You suck."

Tyler laughs at Jamie's obvious bitterness. "C'mon, bud, I won fair and square. You owe me a pizza."

Jamie tries to protest again but Jordie interrupts before he can, insisting that he suck it up and stop being such a sore loser. Jamie rolls his eyes at his older brother but gets up to go into the kitchen and retrieve the menu for the pizza place down the street. Tyler finally moves over to the now empty couch from his position against her legs and she immediately misses the warmth but then she looks down at her lap and sees Jordie looking right back up at her. She just smiles and thumps him lightly on the forehead, and when he sits up to protest, she takes the opportunity to jump up from her seat and run over to the kitchen. Jordie is right on her tail and she lets out a squeal as she ducks to hide behind Jamie, who's definitely not amused with their antics with his phone pressed to his ear.

Tyler is her next target for protection but he does nothing at all to help her, instead just sitting there with a grin on his face as Jordie finally grabs her and pins her. She can barely say 'mercy' through her giggles but Jordie finally lets her up, grinning in satisfaction that he's won. As Jamie comes back into the living room to sit down on the sofa with Tyler, Calista looks around the room at the three boys there with her, and for the first time, she thinks maybe this can actually work.