nhl one-shots | multi

in your absence | m. barzal

Summary: Mathew finds himself falling for a girl with kind eyes but before he can make a move, someone beats him to it.

In essence, going out on a Sunday night wasn't exactly the best of choices. Y/N had to work in the morning and she knew that as soon as she got into a bar with her friends, her whole plan to wake up early and actually be productive was going to fly out the window.

It wasn't her fault really, she had already told her friends Anna and Taylor that she couldn't make it. But they insisted that she come with them, claiming that Tito was bringing some of his friends as well and they were just going to have a chill night. It was the fact that Tito was coming at all that peaked Y/N's interest.

She had known him for a couple of years through Anna, Tito being her boyfriend for quite a while now, they were going steady despite his rising hockey career which was why he usually never showed up to the bar. Between games and various media events, it made sense that he didn't always have time to stop in for a drink with the group.

But Y/N knew that Tito was a good guy, and if Anna had begged enough- like she did to get Y/N out of her apartment- Tito would somehow find a way to make his schedule work to show up for his girl.

He never usually brought friends however which made Y/N wonder if they had a break this week. She hadn't recalled Anna saying anything of the sort and Y/N was sure that Anna knew Tito's itinerary better than he did.

Nonetheless, at her best friend's request, Y/N pulled herself out of bed and put on a nice pair of jeans and a cute jacket, calling herself an Uber and going to the familiar bar they called home.

Poor Richards was exactly what the name made it out to be. It was a dirty pub on the west side of town owned by a middle aged man named Richard. How he could afford the New York rent prices blew Y/N's mind, but she figured since this had become quite the hotspot for hockey players and fans alike, the sports bar was doing rather well in its terms of sales.

Walking in the front door, Y/N saw her friends at the back corner- already having laid a claim to their usual table. She raised her hand and waved- hearing her girl friends call out in a slight squeal in response. A slight chuckle fell from the girl's lips as she walked through the bar, passing a few groups that were also at poor Richards that night. Some were business men looking to close deals with their clients, others looked like football fans getting ready to watch the game, and the remaining few were just lonely bystanders looking for a drink.

Luckily Y/N wasn't apart of that group tonight- she had found herself alone at the bar quite a few times before, but this evening she was surrounded by her best friends- or as she liked to call them, - her family. Of course she had a family outside of the city, but as a woman in her twenties trying to make it in New York, it wasn't a bad thing to have a close group of friends she could call her own.

"Look what the cat dragged in!" Anna laughed, getting up from the booth and hugging her friend. "You look hot- are you trying to take someone home tonight?" She winked. Directing Y/N to the bench, she winked at Tito- having him move aside so the two girls could sit together.

"Only if its you sweetheart." Y/N winked, pulled Anna close and giving her a playful kiss against the cheek. With Tito sitting on the outside of the booth beside Anna, he laughed.

"Looks like I've got some competition- I'm keeping an eye on you Y/L/N." He had always seen Y/N as a little sister, not only because she was younger than him, but simply because of how close her and Anna were. Anna was older than both Tito and Y/N- So it made sense that he would see her that way.