Status: Ongoing
Counting Stars
Nine
With a frustrated sigh, Avery anchors her fingers into her hair and groans. “Whoa,” Jon says, coming up behind her. “We just moved in two days ago. How have you already made this much mess?”
“I’m trying to plan this stupid wedding,” She glares over at him.
“Not going well, I take it?” He sits down in the chair next to her, pulls one of her pages closer. “This guest list has 400 people on it!”
“Well we know a lot of people Jonathan!” At his look, Avery realizes she’s being a little snarky and dials it down. “But really. We do need to cut that down. And decide where we’re getting married so we can choose a venue,”
“There’s no way we can make everyone happy, right?” Jon says thoughtfully. Avery shakes her head. They’d had this discussion before, many times over the last few weeks since they decided the wedding was happening. If they have the fake wedding in Nova Scotia, Jon’s family isn’t all happy about the travel. If it’s Winnipeg, her family’s pissed. “So let’s make no one happy,”
Avery stares at him for a few seconds. “I don’t even know who you are, but I like it,” Jon laughs. “Alright. Destination it is.” After a moment, she adds. “Or here,”
“Here?”
“Not like, right here,” She looks at all the boxes around them that have yet to be unpacked. Between the wedding and everything else going on, they may not get unpacked until next season. “But, Chicago? If—if we can find a place?”
Jon smiles and nods, leaning in and pressing a kiss against her forehead. “Sounds great, Ave,” He pats her thigh twice. “Twenty minutes before we leave for holiday skate; get dressed.”
“What? You could have given me more warning!” She takes off, dancing through the maze of boxes and furniture, leaping over a large duffel bag on her way to the stairs.
She can still hear Jon’s snicker from downstairs. “And miss that show? No way,”
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“My New Year’s Resolution?” Jon feigns thought, looking up and away from the camera. “Hmm, to be more serious?”
“Seriously?” Avery raises an eyebrow from where she’s standing behind the cameramen. For all that they tried pulling her into this little take, she’s refused. Jon doesn’t blame her; they both know this thing’s going to blow up once it gets out. The longer that takes, the better.
The cameraman snorts as Jon looks over at her. “Try and look a little more unimpressed,” He says dryly.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” She points to her face. “Is my face not changing? It should be be looking more unimpressed,”
He pulls a face at her, distorting his features comically. Avery throws her head back and laughs, sheer volume catching everyone’s attention and just as contagious as usual. She’s gone casual today, wearing skinny jeans and a red and blue plaid shirt. Her hair is down and loose (he’s not even sure she did anything with it this morning) and she’s wearing the fake glasses she sometimes wears when she’s trying to hide her appearance.
The cameraman is starting to look actually unimpressed, so Jon placates him. “My New Year’s Resolution is to be less serious,” He deadpans, then pulls another face.
“Serial killer,” Avery coughs, then takes off skating toward the opposite side of the rink.
Jon immediately takes off after her as the cameramen and producers shout thanks at him, doesn’t catch up until he has to physically wrap his arms around her to prevent the two of them from completely crashing into the boards, and even then they end up pressed right against it.
Avery’s absolutely beaming, breaking out that smile that makes Jon’s heart skip a beat. For the all the shit he’ll give her about how often and loudly she laughs, there’s maybe no sound he likes more on the planet, and certainly not when it’s accompanied by his favorite sight. He preemptively cuts off the laugh with a kiss, swallowing her small gasp, and kisses her again when she brings her hands up to pull his face down closer to hers.
The sounds of whistles and catcalls bring Jon back to reality and pull him away from Avery. He groans as he watches her blush and worry her lower lip between her teeth. “Later?” She asks.
Jon nods. “Definitely.” He says, lacing their fingers together and pulling her back out on the ice.
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“So don’t be mad,” Jon steps right up behind Avery at the team’s post-skate Christmas lunch and bends down to wrap his arms around her in the chair she’s occupying. She, Abby, Kelly-Rae, Dayna, Elina, and Amanda are occupying a table together in the corner. It’s the loudest in the room, far and away, and often bursting into loud fits of laughter.
“Uh-oh,” Elina sing-songs.
“That’s a sure-fire way to start a sentence that absolutely ends with your wife getting mad,” Dayna adds.
“What did you do?” Avery pokes his hand where they meet on her body. She keeps poking until he grabs her finger.
“I may havevolunteeredustohosttheteamChristmasparty,”
“Jon!” Avery whines. “We are nowhere near unpacked!”
“We’ll shove what’s not finished in a guest room.” The look every woman at the table gives him is enough to tell him that’s the wrong answer.
“That was such a boy response,” Amanda snorts.
Jon blinks at her. “You were supposed to be the nice one!” Amanda grins at him as they all laugh. “No, no, no, you don’t spend two days with this one and become mean all of a sudden.”
“Hey!” Avery protests to more laughter from her friends. “Jerk,” She bumps her head backwards against his stomach.
Jon grabs her chin to stop her from looking away; Avery pulls a face at him and Jon laughs. “We’re good on Christmas party front?”
“Yes,” Avery beams up at him.
“Good,” Jon bends down, presses a kiss to her forehead and then just goes for it and presses a soft one to her lips. “I’ll let you get back to your girl talk. I want no part in these shenanigans.”
“Probably for the best,” Abby assures him, and well, if Abby’s saying that then that’s definitely Jon’s cue to leave.
“I’m trying to plan this stupid wedding,” She glares over at him.
“Not going well, I take it?” He sits down in the chair next to her, pulls one of her pages closer. “This guest list has 400 people on it!”
“Well we know a lot of people Jonathan!” At his look, Avery realizes she’s being a little snarky and dials it down. “But really. We do need to cut that down. And decide where we’re getting married so we can choose a venue,”
“There’s no way we can make everyone happy, right?” Jon says thoughtfully. Avery shakes her head. They’d had this discussion before, many times over the last few weeks since they decided the wedding was happening. If they have the fake wedding in Nova Scotia, Jon’s family isn’t all happy about the travel. If it’s Winnipeg, her family’s pissed. “So let’s make no one happy,”
Avery stares at him for a few seconds. “I don’t even know who you are, but I like it,” Jon laughs. “Alright. Destination it is.” After a moment, she adds. “Or here,”
“Here?”
“Not like, right here,” She looks at all the boxes around them that have yet to be unpacked. Between the wedding and everything else going on, they may not get unpacked until next season. “But, Chicago? If—if we can find a place?”
Jon smiles and nods, leaning in and pressing a kiss against her forehead. “Sounds great, Ave,” He pats her thigh twice. “Twenty minutes before we leave for holiday skate; get dressed.”
“What? You could have given me more warning!” She takes off, dancing through the maze of boxes and furniture, leaping over a large duffel bag on her way to the stairs.
She can still hear Jon’s snicker from downstairs. “And miss that show? No way,”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My New Year’s Resolution?” Jon feigns thought, looking up and away from the camera. “Hmm, to be more serious?”
“Seriously?” Avery raises an eyebrow from where she’s standing behind the cameramen. For all that they tried pulling her into this little take, she’s refused. Jon doesn’t blame her; they both know this thing’s going to blow up once it gets out. The longer that takes, the better.
The cameraman snorts as Jon looks over at her. “Try and look a little more unimpressed,” He says dryly.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” She points to her face. “Is my face not changing? It should be be looking more unimpressed,”
He pulls a face at her, distorting his features comically. Avery throws her head back and laughs, sheer volume catching everyone’s attention and just as contagious as usual. She’s gone casual today, wearing skinny jeans and a red and blue plaid shirt. Her hair is down and loose (he’s not even sure she did anything with it this morning) and she’s wearing the fake glasses she sometimes wears when she’s trying to hide her appearance.
The cameraman is starting to look actually unimpressed, so Jon placates him. “My New Year’s Resolution is to be less serious,” He deadpans, then pulls another face.
“Serial killer,” Avery coughs, then takes off skating toward the opposite side of the rink.
Jon immediately takes off after her as the cameramen and producers shout thanks at him, doesn’t catch up until he has to physically wrap his arms around her to prevent the two of them from completely crashing into the boards, and even then they end up pressed right against it.
Avery’s absolutely beaming, breaking out that smile that makes Jon’s heart skip a beat. For the all the shit he’ll give her about how often and loudly she laughs, there’s maybe no sound he likes more on the planet, and certainly not when it’s accompanied by his favorite sight. He preemptively cuts off the laugh with a kiss, swallowing her small gasp, and kisses her again when she brings her hands up to pull his face down closer to hers.
The sounds of whistles and catcalls bring Jon back to reality and pull him away from Avery. He groans as he watches her blush and worry her lower lip between her teeth. “Later?” She asks.
Jon nods. “Definitely.” He says, lacing their fingers together and pulling her back out on the ice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So don’t be mad,” Jon steps right up behind Avery at the team’s post-skate Christmas lunch and bends down to wrap his arms around her in the chair she’s occupying. She, Abby, Kelly-Rae, Dayna, Elina, and Amanda are occupying a table together in the corner. It’s the loudest in the room, far and away, and often bursting into loud fits of laughter.
“Uh-oh,” Elina sing-songs.
“That’s a sure-fire way to start a sentence that absolutely ends with your wife getting mad,” Dayna adds.
“What did you do?” Avery pokes his hand where they meet on her body. She keeps poking until he grabs her finger.
“I may havevolunteeredustohosttheteamChristmasparty,”
“Jon!” Avery whines. “We are nowhere near unpacked!”
“We’ll shove what’s not finished in a guest room.” The look every woman at the table gives him is enough to tell him that’s the wrong answer.
“That was such a boy response,” Amanda snorts.
Jon blinks at her. “You were supposed to be the nice one!” Amanda grins at him as they all laugh. “No, no, no, you don’t spend two days with this one and become mean all of a sudden.”
“Hey!” Avery protests to more laughter from her friends. “Jerk,” She bumps her head backwards against his stomach.
Jon grabs her chin to stop her from looking away; Avery pulls a face at him and Jon laughs. “We’re good on Christmas party front?”
“Yes,” Avery beams up at him.
“Good,” Jon bends down, presses a kiss to her forehead and then just goes for it and presses a soft one to her lips. “I’ll let you get back to your girl talk. I want no part in these shenanigans.”
“Probably for the best,” Abby assures him, and well, if Abby’s saying that then that’s definitely Jon’s cue to leave.