Plié and Clout

Epilogue: 1

We're back back back, back again-

YEah, you guessed it. He's going to meet her parents. Get ready for a hair-ripping teeth-grinding toe-scrunching awkward epilogue. 

OKAY A NOTE THOUGH: I'M GONNA POST A PRE-EPILOGUE SOON SO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR THAT, IT'S GONNA HAVE SOME COOL INFO

kay i'm gonna shut up now

-rabid

***

AUGUST

I've watched more hockey in the last month than I have in the entire rest of my life combined. Jilly proves to be a fantastic game-watching partner and Steph is playing, according to him, his best yet. I've barely told anyone that Steph, my friendly neighborhood engineer isn't an engineer at all. My office still thinks I'm dating Steph Ghallagher and not Saffie's hockey hero. I'm not sure they would believe me.

That brings about another catch, I also haven't told my parents. I've just fuzzed the line on his actual job. I have no flying clue how to inform them that engineer Steph wasn't real and that their kid somehow managed to start dating a pro athlete. That'll throw them for a loop, considering they made me swear off hockey players after the Garrett debacle.

Like, oh, hey, Mom, remember when I said I'd never date another hockey player? Right, so I managed to start dating a big time hockey player.

I can just picture her mildly shocked I-hope-this-is-a-joke expression.

Except I leave tomorrow for home and I still haven't told them. Dad is picking me up from the airport. Ben and Tristan are driving home from Northeastern and UMaine for the kick off of their spring break and celebrate their birthdays.

Another important thing to note in the last month, is that Gabby and Zak finally finished the apartment, so I officially live alone. It's not that bad living alone when Steph comes over all the time to get away from people and take a nap. People don't normally (I'm looking at you, Rocket) come over to look for him at my apartment, so he's interruption free there, prime real-estate for taking a nap. Which, he takes a considerably large amount of naps. I can't tell if it's seriously about hockey like he says it is, or a cute ploy to get me to cuddle him. 

"August, hey, Aug." Saffie is poking me repeatedly in the sleeve.

"Huh?" I turn around to look into her cube. "Need something?"

"No, but Jax just texted from the front desk. Were you telling the truth when you told me you were dating Steph Sagamore like a month ago? When you went to the game?"

I shake my head. "Yeah, I am, here," I wiggle my phone out of my pocket and turn it on, showing her my lock screen. It's nothing much, just a shot that Jilly got of Steph napping on my chest while I played a game on my phone. (I swear, after I found out about the hockey thing, his average time napping around me per day has gone up)

"So, holy shit, so that's real?" Saffie asks, eyes wide, she looks back down at her own phone.

"Yeah, why are you asking?"

The elevator dings but I ignore it, it goes off five times an hour at least, this isn't anything new.

Then I realize how pale Saffie just got. "Oh my actual god." She whispers.

I groan and turn around to the elevator, shaking my mouse to keep my computer awake. Having it shut off while running CADD is never fun.

"Steph?" I basically blurt.

He picks up the noise and looks over, grinning when he spots me. Then he bounces across the office on the balls of his feet. He's in a full suit, a look I've become used to at this point. Before games, after games, before getting on the plane, getting off, anything media. He has a collection.