Hayes (A Carolina Cyclones Story)

47.

Maggie

"Well, then I guess we're over."

Hayes' words echo through my head over and over as I toss and turn in my bed, begging for sleep to offer me a little relief from this hellish day.

Being back at my own place feels odd. I'd basically taken up residence at Hayes' house. My sheets don't smell like his woodsy cologne, his toothbrush isn't residing on my bathroom counter and his favorite snacks are missing from my kitchen cupboards. It's all just a constant reminder that the man I had come to love will now be constantly missing from my life.

My chest clenches at the thought and I feel the tears begin to fall. They've hardly stopped in the hours since I last talked to Hayes. If I'd been asked to give one hundred scenarios of how tonight would go I would have never imagined this ending.

Rachel had been surprised to see me when I'd crashed through the door, but one look at my face and she'd broken out the wine. By the time the bottle had been finished off we had determined that Hayes Hansen was an idiot. That for all his amazing qualities his inability to shake off his own insecurities was his own demise. As much as I loved him, it wasn't my job to fix him or convince him to see his own worth through my eyes. I deserved better.

Maybe in time he'd get his shit together. Maybe one day he would realize that he was kind and capable and a great man. But until he could see that himself, until he could find his own worth and not project his insecurity onto a relationship, going their separate ways was really for the best.

*

Malcolm's is slammed.

I knew it would be and that was the main reason I volunteered to help Rachel out tonight. The Cyclones are one win away from moving on to the conference finals. They'd bounced back after a rough road trip, not that I had been following but it was hard to ignore when the playoffs seemed to be all anyone in Charleston wanted to talk about.

It was even harder to ignore, in a crowded bar where everyone was dressed in teal and black jerseys, Hayes' last name scrawled across many of them, while every television in the bar blared the sound of the game. Rach had warned me it would be like this and I had sworn I could handle it. It had been nearly a week since I had heard from Hayes and I could handle this. My friend needed me.

The best part about the bar being packed to capacity was that it left little time for me to even think about Hayes. Trying to maneuver around a thousand patrons with full trays of drinks required every ounce of my concentration. Even when the crowds cheered or let out a collective groan I didn't dare look at the screens. I was holding it together through sheer willpower and one look at his face had the potential to do me in.

Curiosity gets the better of me though when the crowd bursts into rowdy chaos and it's clear the Cyclones have won and sealed themselves a place in the conference finals. It's the next comment I hear that finally does me in.

"At least Hansen acknowledged he didn't do shit to get them to the next round. Guy has been playing like shit. He's got to get it together if they want to play for the cup."

Realistically, I know it's not my fault that he's struggling, but knowing him like I do, I know he has to be beating himself up. Surely, he's desperate for a way to help the team, to live up to the man and player I know he can be. So badly I wish I could help him, comfort him. But that's not my place. Not anymore. 

AN: Super short chapter as we get setup for the finale of Book 1! 

How will things end for Hayes and Maggie? 

Book 2 will feature our favorite (or maybe not) badboy Jax!

See you soon,

Sav