HOCKEY IMAGINES [ UNEDITED ]

#17: JAKE GARDINER - #51 CAROLINA HURRICANES

Once again I found myself sitting on the couch early into the night waiting for Jake to return home after his hockey game. He said he was going out to celebrate the guys win and would be home around midnight, he was suppose to be home two hours ago, and yet I still wait for him to arrive home even though it is after two in the morning.

I'm not the type of person to jump to conclusions on certain things when stuff doesn't go to plane, but when your boyfriend hasn't returned home when he says he will it makes you feel uneasy. He'll say that he is leaving around midnight and won't turn up to the apartment till around two or three in the morning, I am I wrong to start jumping to conclusions?

Is it wrong to think he's cheating on me? He's not drunk when he comes home so that rules out the possibility of going to the bar with the team. He always smells of female perfume that isn't the one I wear instead of his own cologne. Maybe I'm just thinking ahead of myself, but asking can never hurt anyone. 

The door opened round three in the morning and Jake walks in sober. I didn't move from my position on the couch when I heard the door open. I lay curled up in ball with the blanket up to my neck, the TV turned on but no sound comes out of it. Many nights I've laid like this until Jake shows up home and many nights I give up and go into our room, I pretend to be asleep when he comes in but I'm wide awake and hardly fall asleep the nights he comes in late.

"Why are you still up? It's after three." Jake wondered walking over to the TV and turned it off from the TV remote. I refused to look up at him, I keep my attention on the black screen in front of me, Jake's legs in my view.

"Babe, are you OK?" Jake asked in a worried tone. He bent down in front of me, his chest coming close to my nose and for the first time in a while he does't smell like female perfume, and he rested the back of his hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

"You don't have a temperature so you don't have the flu, we can rule that out. Is it your monthly?" He wondered using his thumb to stroke my cheek, his thumb leaving a trail of tingles in its wake like his touch always does it me. I finally plucked up the courage and looked him in the eyes, his soft blue ones looking at me carefully.

"Jake, are you cheating on me?" I finally asked, freeing my thoughts like I should have done ages ago. His whole body went ridged at my words and his thumb stopped moving.

"You think I'm cheating on you?" He asked in shock moving his hand away from my face and stood up.

"Well, yeah, I do Jake." I admitted throwing the blanket off me.

 "You come home late in the night smelling of perfume that isn't mine, you've gone really secretive this past week walking out whenever you get a call saying it's one of the boys but I know it isn't. Just tell me straight up if you are cheating on me and if you are, I'll leave right away." I told pushing myself up into a standing position and face Jake. He stood a few feet away from me, his face written with guilt.

"I'm not cheating on you Y/N. I'd never think of doing that to you in a million, I'm not that bad of a person." Jake argued putting his hands on his hip and shook his head. I sighed and ran my hand through my tatty hair. I don't want to fight with him at this time of the night, I don't want Jake to be mad at me but when he comes home at this time of the night, things have to be said no matter what time it is.

"Then tell me why you're acting like this Jake! Why have you been coming home so late? Why are you so secretive? You were never like this, what happened? Is it me? Did I do something wrong that made you want to leave me? Are you done with our relationship? Because it feels like you are. Do you even love me anymore? Jake, just tell me if you are done with our relationship and we'll end it right here! Because I can't bear the fact if you don't love me back." I cried pouring all my thoughts out to Jake, he said nothing as I continued to cry in front of him.

"Tell me!" I sobbed falling to my knees, my head dropped to my hands and more tears fell from my eyes.

"You think that I don't love you anymore? Do you know how much that hurts me to hear you say that?" Jake whispered kneeling before me and used his hands to lift my head up to face him. He too has tears in his eyes, some fall from his eyes as I looked at him, and he keeps both hands on my cheeks as he stared at me deeply.

"Because it really hurts me Y/N. It really hurts me to know that you think I don't love you anymore, I love you more than anything in this world including hockey and you know how much I love that. Y/N, you are my everything and to hear you say what you feel about me really hurts me. I can't lose you, not now not ever." Jake told using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that fall from eyes, my head bowed in shame as I realized how stupid I sounded when I asked if he is cheating on me.

"I didn't know Jake, I'm so sorry." I whimpered throwing my arms around him and pulled him close, my hands grabbing handfuls of his shirt as I hugged him like my life depends on it.

"It's OK baby, it's OK." He soothed rubbing his hand up and down my back.

"I'm sorry Jake, I'm so sorry. I thought you were cheating on me, I should have never thought of such a thing. I'm so sorry." I said pulling out of the hug and used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"Shh, baby. The reason I've been coming home late is because I've been helping Morgan's girlfriend, he's been having a tough time and she's worried about him. That's all Y/N, I'm not doing anything stupid. You're the only one I love and you'll be the only one I love." Jake told laying a kiss on my forehead. I let out a soft silent breath of relief knowing that he isn't cheating on me, doubts and worries leaving me as I hear what Jake has to say.

"You're such a good person, that's one of the greatest things I love about you." I smiled leaning into his chest, my arms going around his torso and held him close.

"I love you Y/N, you and only you." Jake said confirming his love for me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

"I love you too Jake." I whispered all my doubts of him cheating on me washed away and all that is left if knowing how much he loves me.