Sky Full of Stars

02

Tyler tosses his keys on the counter and drops his bag to the floor, yawning loudly as he meanders over to the fridge. He opens it and stares inside for a moment, finding nothing but a few bottles of beer and an old container of chinese takeout, so he closes the door back and looks around at his empty apartment. There's not really anything to do; sure, he could watch tv or play xbox, but doing either of those alone just seems boring at the moment. He thinks about calling Jamie to come over and hang out, but then he remembers Jamie had said at practice that he was going to spend the afternoon with a friend who just got back to town after a whole summer away.

He wonders about this friend. Jamie hadn't mentioned her in the entire time that he'd known him, but one day, he just texted that he couldn't meet up because he was skyping with a friend and they were looking for flights for her to come home in a week. The moment Tyler heard the female pronoun, he was intrigued. He wondered how Jamie knew her. Was something going on between them? Was she hot? If she was, why the hell would she hang out with Jamie? Why had he waited so long to mention her?

It's decided immediately that meeting this mystery girl is of the utmost importance so he slips his phone out of the pocket of his basketball shorts and sends a quick text to Jamie anyway, asking if he wants to come over and hang out. He pulls out one of the bar stools at his kitchen counter and slides up onto it as he waits for a reply but it comes almost immediately, his phone vibrating against the granite.

sorry bro can't i'm claimed today

And then, before he has a chance to respond:

tomorrow after practice though. i want you guys to meet. you're gonna love her man

He can't help the grin that spreads across his face as he replies to his teammate's text with agreement and then he leans back in his seat, satisfied that meeting this girl is officially a sure thing. Now he just has a full 24 hours to kill until then.

-

The meeting with Mr. Lennox had taken over two hours. Once a recap of all the recent team and personnel changes was done, he had given her highlights and back stories of the newest members of the Stars roster and then had taken her down to meet the new head coach, who had just finished practice. By the time she stops off for a quick chat with her coworkers then makes her way out to her car, it's already past two and the players' parking area is empty. Jamie's plan was to meet up there when they were both finished with their obligations, but since her meeting took longer than his practice, she assumes he's already gone back to his apartment and he'll just meet her there instead of at the rink.

It's only a fifteen minute drive back to the high rise they call home but the whole time she's driving, she can't help going back over the names she'd been fed during the meeting. She's already familiar with them because even though she wasn't in town for part of the summer, she was there for the beginning when it all started happening at the Draft. Guys getting signed, guys getting traded-- it was madness in the office, in all the offices of the Stars organization, and it was exciting. There was only one minor problem: the big trade deal had been with the Bruins.

She'd be lying if she said her heart hadn't sank when she found out that he was one of the players who had been traded from the city she used to live in to the city she currently lived in. But she'd done her work as expected anyway, never mentioning a word about it, and then she'd gone home for almost three months so that she could put off coming face to face with him again. Mr. Lennox hadn't minded her going out of town because, after all, she was incredible at her job and she still put forth every effort at it no matter what town she was staying in for the summer.

Now the time has come. She's back in Dallas and the season is starting and he really is here, playing games in a green jersey instead of a black and yellow one. She knows that Jamie's become good friends with him in the short time that they've been teammates and that means this whole thing is only going to be harder for her, but there's nothing she can do about it. Mr. Lennox had told her that this project she'll be heading up is also going to involve him, not just her Benn boys, and that means she'll be working closely with him too, which will only add to the stress of getting it done properly. She almost wants to let her intern do that part so that she can focus on just Jamie and Jordie, but that wouldn't be fair and she couldn't do that to the poor girl. The bottom line is that she's just going to have to suck it up eventually and see him face to face again.

When Calista finally gets back to her building, she hops into the elevator and sends Jamie a text to let him know that she's back and that he can come down to hers whenever. He replies, saying he'll be down in just a few, and she digs her keys out of her bag as the metal doors slide open on the sixth floor. While she's waiting for him, she changes out of her work dress and into a much more comfortable pair of shorts and hoodie. She turns on the television in the living room, leaving it on whatever sports coverage happens to be on at the moment, and goes over to her little kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.

Jamie bursts into the apartment just as she's taking her first sip from the glass that's been filled up nearly to the brim and he raises his brows as he slides onto the seat at the bar across the counter from her. "It's not even 3pm, Liss."

"So? I'm a grown ass woman. I can drink alcohol in the middle of the afternoon if I want to."

"Something happen at work?" he asks, switching seamlessly from amused to concerned, as he props his elbows on the gray counter top and leans forward.

She takes one more long sip before she sets the glass down and lets out a heavy sigh, placing her palms flat against the counter so that she can lean on them. "I just-....I've got a lot of work to do."

"But that's good though, right? At least you won't be bored."

"Yeah," she replies mindlessly before deciding to change the subject so that she doesn't have to explain the real reason why she's day-drinking. "So I met your coach today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I really like him."

"He's pretty good so far," Jamie agrees with a nod. "Hey, are you gonna be around tomorrow?"

"Not around the arena, no. I'm meeting Fifi for lunch and then probably going back to the studio with her for a little while. I haven't seen her in forever."

"Oh, well when you're done over there, let me know. I want you to meet my new teammate."

"Which one?" she asks hesitantly, even though she already knows the answer. If anything, she just wants Jamie to say his name to prove that this is actually all real and happening.

"Does it matter?" he chuckles. "You'll love him, I promise."

Mm, afraid not, she thinks, but instead she just accepts his answer, picking up her glass of wine as she walks over to the living room to curl up on the couch. By the time Jamie follows her over and takes the empty space to her left, she's already scrolling through netflix on the hunt for something in particular.

"What are we watching today?"

With only a grin in response, she makes her selection and the screen cuts to black for a moment before the show begins. "Previously on One Tree Hill...."

Jamie groans loudly and pulls the glass from her hand, taking three large gulps of her wine before looking back at the annoyed look on her face. "What?" he asks innocently. "If you're gonna make me watch this, then I'm gonna need some alcohol. And actually, this isn't even gonna cut it. Lemme text Jord."

She takes the glass back from him and he pulls his phone from his pocket to text his brother and ask him to bring some beer, but Calista already knows he's going to make some excuse when he finds out why Jamie wants it. There's no way Jordie's going to come within a hundred yards of her apartment when there's an episode of her One Tree Hill on, especially when he knows she's in the middle of re-watching season 2, one of her favorites. He does exactly as she expects, telling Jamie that he's out playing golf with some buddies even though he's probably just lounging on his couch a few floors above them.

"Looks like just wine for you then, eh?"

Jamie purses his lips at her for a moment before he hops up from the couch, stuffing his phone back into his pocket as he grabs his keys from the counter. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

"You're gonna go all the way to the store just so you don't have to watch One Tree Hill with me sober?"

"Damn right," he grins before disappearing out the door.

Calista sighs and shakes her head as she turns back to the television, becoming immediately engrossed in the show, and she doesn't realize Jamie's taking so long until the episode goes off and she has to start the next one. When he finally makes it back, she's already halfway in, but the reason for his delay is obvious. In addition to the six-pack he left for, there are four bags in his hands and he hauls them up onto the counter before grinning up at her. "Got some stuff," he announces proudly.

"Did you even remember your beer?"

"I did, and I got an extra bottle of pinot noir."

"Oh God, I love you," she says, hopping up from her seat and when she reaches him in the kitchen, she plants a sloppy kiss to his cheek while he just makes a big deal out of wiping it off. She refills her glass, listening in amusement as he tells her about all the things he bought at the store while he unpacks each of the bags. When she sees the accumulation of raw ingredients he's set out in front of her, she laughs because she knows, even before he tells her, what they're for. "How did you know what all to buy?"

"I've got ways."

"And, by that, you mean you called your mom." He shrugs in response and she shakes her head as he sets down a container of cocoa powder next to the carton of eggs. "Did you tell her why you were going to attempt a pitiful rendition of her amazing dessert?"

"Yeah. She was disappointed for about two seconds before she called me a sweetheart for doing this."

"You're such a mama's boy."

"Hey thanks for ratting me out by the way," he says sarcastically as he balls up the now empty paper bag and chucks it at her head. "Jordie checked me into the boards about thirty times in practice just because he didn't get any brownies."

"Excuse me, I did not rat you out," she scoffs, shooting him a glare. "He asked me about the box from your mom and I wasn't gonna lie to him. Maybe you just shouldn't have been so stingy."

"Well I'm making up for it now, aren't I?"

Calista sighs but a smile creeps up onto her face as she sets her glass down. "Jordie may appreciate the effort, but we're never gonna be as good as your mom," she says before turning to reach up into the cabinet behind her for a large mixing bowl.

Jamie mostly just lets her do her thing because she's seen Mama Benn make the brownies more times than she could count, but once the batter is all mixed together and ready to be poured into the pre-greased pan, he won't get out of the way for trying to stick his finger into the bowl and get a taste. She slaps his hand away and turns her back to block him from it as she pours the batter into the pan and makes sure all the air bubbles are out before she slides it carefully into the preheated oven. Once that's done, she turns back to face him with a smile, handing over the spoon before opening the drawer to retrieve another.

After the last remnants of batter have been consumed by the two of them, Calista goes ahead and washes all the dishes and bowls she used while Jamie starts digging into the bag of tortilla chips he bought without any dip or salsa whatsoever. They end up staying at the counter on the bar stools instead of going back over to the living room because she has a serious problem with finding crumbs in her couch and Jamie has a serious problem of leaving them there. While he crunches the plain tortilla chips and drinks his beer, she sips on her wine, thinking to herself that he's lucky he has hockey because, with the amount he eats, if he didn't, he'd probably be like eight hundred pounds.

"So we need to talk about this hair of yours," she says, interrupting the comfortable silence between them.

He automatically frowns. "What about it?"

"It's gross, Jamie, honestly. You've got enough back here to put it in one of those creepy ponytails!" She leans over to run her hand through the overgrown mess he calls his hair before gathering it up in her fist at the base of his neck to prove her point. "It's gonna be longer than mine if you keep this up."

"Oh, please," he groans, rolling his eyes as he reaches up to swat her hand away. "Your hair is halfway down to your ass and it took you like seven years to get it like that after that awful haircut you got my senior year." She cringes just thinking about the bob she'd sported when she was fifteen and he grins because he suddenly has an idea that will silence her for good on the subject. "You know, I still have some pictures from that summer. I could just....casually post one to instagram or something?"

Her eyes narrow as she glares at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?"

"I'm just trying to help you not be so disgusting, but whatever," she scoffs, folding her arms across her chest as she leans back in her chair. "Just promise me you're not going to grow one of those god-awful mustaches. That plus the hair would force me to put an end to this friendship."

He only chuckles. "No promises. November is next month, in case you forgot."

"Oh, fuck me," she groans, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You are the actual worst and I hate you."

"Why don't you bitch at Jordie for his?"

"I'd happily encourage a haircut for him too, but at least his is long all over. Yours is short up top and then you've got that gross mullet. Like, make a choice! Wear it long or short, but not both."

He shakes his head at her, but there's a hint of a grin on his face. "Why is it suddenly a problem? I've looked like this for a long time."

"At least I didn't have to see it every day when I was at home this summer," she grumbles. "But trust me, I've always had a problem with it."

The ding of the timer interrupts their discussion and all thoughts of his weird hair are forgotten as she carefully pulls the brownies out of the oven. He tries to grab one as soon as she starts cutting them into little squares, but she smacks his hand with the spatula, warning him that they're still too hot. It's amazing that she even has to tell him that, but he's eager to see how hers compare to the ones he ate the day before and he doesn't stop reaching for them until she finally gives in and puts one on a napkin for him.

"That's all you get. These are for Jordie, remember?"

He sticks his tongue out at her like a five year old before he picks up the brownie and pops it into his mouth, and she gives him an 'I told you so' look when he starts fanning his mouth because it's still too hot.

"You're a dumbass."
♠ ♠ ♠
Calista's work outfit and her second outfit.

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