nhl one-shots | multi

silver rings | j. neal

James had been going through his plan for weeks. His heart was aching and he didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. He had been hiding the biggest secret of his life from his girlfriend Y/N and she was starting to get suspicious. He knew that she was starting to jump to conclusions about what was wrong with him, but he couldn't tell her. Not yet.

This proposal had to be perfect.

When Y/N had met James, it had been during his time in calgary- he was playing for the flames and they hit it off at the battle of Alberta game. He had been walking around the downtown area a few hours before the game when he stumbled into a particular coffee shop. Working the till, he found Y/N- A beautiful women with soft eyes and a heavenly smile. He was instantly head over heels and cursed himself for making it so obvious.

He had been caught staring at her, the woman's giggles acting as evidence to that fact as he walked up to take his order- rubbing his hands and fixing the toque on his head, he fixed his suit jacket- clearing his throat and giving her a smile. What was supposed to be a smooth flirtatious introduction had turned into him making a fool of himself. But lucky for James, Y/N thought he was cute.

She didn't know who he was the first time they met, but he had made a few extra trips to that shop before the game- coming back almost hourly until finally she called him on it. "Do you always drink this much coffee?" She asked, ringing him up and giving him a stamp card- in her mind if he was going to come in that much, he might as well get some rewards out of it.

Clutching what had become his fifth coffee of the day, James was already shaking from the amount of caffeine he had taken in. Every inch of him was buzzing with energy- he knew he had to go to the gym or something to help shake it off. That and drink a lot of water. "No actually I uh-" he chuckled awkwardly.

He didn't realize he could become so flustered, James was a very dominant and structured man. He knew what he wanted and He knew how to get it. But suddenly his life was being thrown upside down because of the cute barista outside rogers place. "I was hoping to get your number... I just keep making a fool of myself and changing my mind every time I go to ask." He admitted.

If he was going to try and get with this girl, he figure he should be upfront about it. Even if she didn't want to stay in touch- he wasn't missing out. He could easily go back to Calgary and pretend it never happened.

Nodding softly, Y/N turned towards her boss who had been watching the whole ordeal go down. The man had alerted his employee that James was in fact a hockey player- he had come in so many times and something about him seemed so familiar. "How about I do you one better." She pulled off her apron and hung it up on the hook.

"I just finished my shift and I have sometime before the game, we can walk around if you're not busy." She winked at him, cluing him into the fact that she knew who he was now.

Chuckling softly, he nodded and let her go get changed- he waited for her outside of the shop and when she came out wearing a winter jacket, black skinny jeans and a pair of heeled boots- he couldn't help but let his jaw drop. She was absolutely stunning.

That night, James had done his best to send a few winks to the girl's direction through the course of the game. They had exchanged numbers and stayed in contact when he went back to Calgary.

That was almost two years ago.

James had been living in Edmonton for almost a year now and he was really happy- not only had him and Y/N moved their long distance flirting into a real relationship, they had been together for an amazing two years officially- and James was finally ready to put a ring on it.

His friends thought that he might be rushing things and that he was diving into it too quickly, but James knew none of it was true. He loved everything about Y/N. The late night dates, the early morning phone calls when he was on a roadie, the mind blowing sex and every little thing that made Y/N into the wonderful girlfriend James had grown to love.

He was head over-heels for her. That would never change.

Standing outside their apartment, James was wearing a fresh suit, dry-cleaned that morning and now hugging his strong figure. The velvet box in his back pocket was sending waves of anxiety washing over him. His cheeks were blushing bright red and he walked inside- setting his keys down on the apartment. He had really gone out for this whole thing.

The house was spotless and he was relieved that he hired professional cleaners. Upon hearing his entry, Y/N came around the corner- fixing her earrings. Her body was adorned in a red satin gown, nude coloured heels and makeup covering her features. She looked stunning. As this was their two year anniversary, James had set up a romantic dinner in one of the best restaurants in Edmonton.

Everything was going swimmingly as they headed out for the night, sharing conversation about the season and how Y/N had been doing at work. They shared some of their plans for traveling in the upcoming year and family before finally James had built up the courage.

Standing up and kneeling against the floor, he got on one knee and held onto Y/N's hand tightly. His eyes welled up in tears and he gulped- the restaurant becoming quiet as everyone turned to watch.

James professed his love in more ways than one, but seeing hi on his knees made Y/N gasp and clutch her chest. Before he could even finish asking the question, she was nodding her head eagerly and swooping down to kiss his lips- the ring sliding onto her finger within a moments notice.

"You make me the happiest man on earth and I can't wait to spend forever with you." James grinned, wiping his fiancé's tears and kissing her lips. Wrapping her in a hug they were greeted by applause and quickly settled back into their seats to finish their date before heading home.

The previous flames and Vikings player was excited, not only was he engaged- but he knew he would be getting laid for sure that night.