Zipping up my suitcase, I let out a sigh of relief feeling a weight being lifted off my shoulders after procrastinating for the last few days. Normally, it takes me forever to find motivation to pack for a trip, but with thirty minutes left to head to the airport, I had no other choice but to suck it up and get it done. Any other time I'd be traveling, I'd usually know what to expect about where I was going and who I was meeting, but this trip was a little different. After Jack and I's kiss, we went home with stupid smiles on our faces and deep pink blushes coating our cheeks. Our hands never left their entwined state until we parted ways when I dropped him off at his house. Before getting out of my car, Jack gave me a quick peck on the lips and ran to his door all giddy. I couldn't help giggling at his cute action, before making my way home that night.

Since that night, Jack and I haven't had much time to talk about the kiss and what exactly it means for us since the team has been preparing for the next four away games. Luke and Quinn reached out to me about a day or so after the kiss and decided to invite me to Vancouver for the highly anticipated Hughes Bowl. At first, I was hesitant since I had no idea how I was even going to pay for a flight and a hotel room in Vancouver, especially with the game day creeping up. When I brought up this concern to them, they were quick to insist that they pay for everything since it had been their idea and they wanted to meet me. Jack refused to give them a straight answer on when they'd be able to meet me, so this was their way of forcing their hand on making it happen.

Despite my constant refusal to let them pay for me, an email with my flight itinerary appeared before I could refuse for what felt like the twentieth time. They must've been planning this for a while since they'd already talked and paid for Emilie to accompany me and even arranged for Gabi to pick us up from the airport. From what I knew, Jack had no idea I would watch him play in Vancouver, and intended to keep it that way.

Rolling my suitcase to the door, I see Em's suitcase is already at the door, but no Emilie. "Hey Em are you ready?" Walking out of her room, Em heads towards me, "Yeah I was just grabbing my camera." She lifted up her camera to eye level so I'd see that she'd successfully gotten it. We both decided to vlog the trip to Vancouver, but we decided to not post anything about the trip on our social since I'm going to surprise Jack. 

Turning on my camera, I turn on my camera to film the intro to the vlog, "Hey guys, welcome back, and if you're new here, welcome. Today Em and I are taking a little trip to Vancouver to visit some friends and I wanted to bring you guys along for the journey. The flight is about six hours long so I'm bringing my Kindle, AirPods, and laptop to get some editing done on the flight. I'll see you guys at the airport." Taking one of my hands, I cover the camera lens and stop recording. Putting my camera in my bag, I can't help thinking if I should put this vlog up. Jack's fans have had mixed reactions to the idea of us ever being together and a lot of them have said some terrible things. For every bad comment, there've been at least five defending me or saying lovely things.  

Gabi has been beyond helpful and supportive in helping me navigate criticism from Jack's fans who have nothing nice to say. Having been with Nico for the last few years, she knows how to ignore the hate comments and only focus on the positive ones. Dating a professional hockey player with a large female fanbase is going to be tough since there will always be girls who want to be in your position or feel obligated to make a bold claim that you're not good enough for said hockey player. Gabi says what's important is how Jack and I feel about each other. There's no reason to let the opinions of a select group of fans affect us.

~~~~~

"Alright we've just gotten through all the security checkpoints and now we're heading over to get some Starbucks before we head to our gate to wait for our flight to board. How are you feelin' about the trip Em?" Walking with Emilie, I turn the camera over to my right to face her. "I'm so excited! We've never been to Canada before and we also get to meet up with Gabi once we get there we're gonna have a great time!" Turning the camera back to me, I let everyone know that I'll be showing a few shots of the sky from the plane, but I'll catch up with them once we land in Vancouver.

"So Char, you're surprising lover boy! Are you excited?" Grabbing onto my right arm, Emilie violently shakes it in excitement. I'm nervous about surprising Jack because we haven't had a chance to talk and I'm not sure if this trip will give us much of a chance to. From what Luke and Quinn have told me, their parents Jim and Ellen are also going to be at the game, which adds another layer to my nerves. I want to make the best impression possible on their parents because no matter if Jack and I get together or stay as friends, I want them to like me. From what I've heard, Jim and Ellen are great parents and they played a big role in the development of all three brothers and their love for the sport. 

"Of course I am! I'm just a little nervous, but I'm sure everything will be fine. Having you and Gabi there will be a big help and once I see Jack I think I'll be much more relaxed." Letting out a breath, I feel some of my nerves leaving me at the thought of seeing Jack and getting to hug him.

"Flight 223 to Vancouver is now boarding." We both start to pick up our pace walking over to our gate ready to make the journey to Canada.

~~~~

𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐩𝐨𝐯

Today's the Hughes Bowl, or at least that's what fans and the NHL have dubbed this meet-up between the Canucks and the Devils. It's a pretty big deal since not many brothers get to play against each other in the league. The team and I flew into Vancouver a few days ago to get adjusted to the time difference and practice for the game. Luke, Quinn, and I spent the last few days with our parents catching up on everything we've been up to. We've also had a few chances to go out to dinner together, which felt great since we don't see each other often, due to how busy our schedules are during the season. Since this morning Quinn and Luke have been acting suspiciously. Every time I walk into any room they're in, they start whispering to each other and then go quiet until I leave. I've tried asking Mom and Dad about it, but they say they have no clue what's going on with those two.

Luke, Quinn, and I got dressed and ready to head to Rogers Arena for team walk-ins. Mom and Dad would be meeting us there sometime after we get in. We pile into Quinn's car as he drives us to the arena. I take the back seat while Luke and Quinn are in upfront. They both start whispering to each other and I can't stay quiet for longer. "What's going on? You guys have been all hush-hush since this morning around me and it's getting annoying. What are you guys hiding?" Rather than tell me what was going on, they chose to stay silent for the rest of the car ride, music lowly playing in the background. I let out a frustrated sigh, feeling defeated.

Parking at the arena, Luke and Quinn look at each other like they are debating if they should say something. Of the two, Quinn speaks up, "Don't worry Jack, you'll find out eventually, but for now, we have walk-ins so I'll see you both inside." Quinn walks away, leaving Luke and I to head over to where we have to enter the arena. There's not much time between walk-ins and having to check in at the locker room. If we want to meet up with our parents before the game, we need to get moving. 

"Jack, Quinn's right. Don't worry about it because you'll find out soon enough. Now come on let's go." Luke pats my shoulder, walking towards the entrance. "How do you guys not expect me to worry? It has something to do with me, but I don't even know what that something is. You can see why I'm worried." By the time I let out the last word, Luke is already in the arena leaving me to sigh and shake my head before composing myself, and walking inside.

~~~~

Finished with walk-ins and checking into the locker room, we head out to one of the hallways to meet our parents and Quinn before we need to finish getting ready for the game. "There are my boys." Luke walks ahead of me to greet our parents and hug them as if we hadn't just seen each other at Quinn's place. "Where's Quinn?" Dad asks us, but we shrug our shoulders since we thought Quinn would get here first since he walked into the building before we did.

Our backs are towards where we came from when Mom points out that Quinn is coming. "There's my oldest boy." Quinn smiles at mom as he goes over to hug her. Having our parents here since we spend so much time away from them is special to all of us. When we play against each other it's the perfect time during the season to spend more time together to catch up. 

"I'm sure I'm gonna win this one guys. Get ready to lose." We're all competitive and games like this remind us of all the times when we were kids and considered anything to be a competition. "That's funny Huggy cause last time I checked, it's two against one tonight," Quinn's once, cocky smile, is quickly replaced by silence since this is the first time all three of us are gonna be on the ice together at a professional level and he just so happens to be alone. 

"You boys better go get ready. We'll be seeing you out there, but just remember no matter the outcome, we are proud of you boys for everything you've accomplished. I love you." Mom gives us hugs and we fist-bump our dad before heading back to the locker room. Before walking to our locker rooms, Luke and I wish Quinn luck.

~~~~

Warming up before the start of the game, Luke and I are told that we'll be meeting with a team photographer to get a picture of the three of us together. Quinn, Luke, and I met at the center ice to take a few pictures, but before getting our pictures taken, we fist-bumped each other, Quinn placing himself in between Luke and I. Holding a smile for a few of the shots, I kept my eyes on the camera, but I feel someone watching me. Plenty of fans were in their seats, a few watching us have our picture taken, but this feeling of someone watching me seems like it's coming from a set of familiar eyes. Finishing up with the pictures, I look around to see if I spot the face I feel like those eyes belong to, but that's not possible, right? Or is it? To my surprise, when my eyes go to where my parents are sitting, I see a familiar brunette sitting next to my mom. Charlotte. My eyes go wide not expecting to see her here. She's already looking at me and sends me a little wave that I send back to her.

Luke and Quinn skate to either side of me, elbowing me. "Surprise Rowdy." I turn to look at both of them. "This is what you guys were hiding from me?" Asking them, they both nod their heads, smiles on their faces. In excitement, I pull them both in for a hug. I can't believe they knew Charlotte was gonna be here. Did they set this up? I'm gonna have to ask them later. This is probably one of the best surprises ever and the fact that she gets to meet my parents is almost too much to handle. I've been talking my mom's ear off about Charlotte when we have our weekly FaceTime calls. My mom already loves her, but now that they get to meet I know they're both going to get along very well.

"We'll fill you in on this surprise later, Rowdy, but for now, we've got a game to play." With Lotte here, I feel even more determined to perform out there and win. 

Edited: 11/28/24

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melissa speaks

Hey everyone! This chapter is a little bit on the shorter side and probably sucks cause I've just been going through some writer's block, but I wanted to get something written and up for you guys. Thank you guys for 5.39k on this little story! I appreciate every one of you who takes the time to read about Charlotte and Jack.

Love y'all <3