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hischierhoney · 7 days

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it's been a long time coming / nico hischier

please save all your questions for the end, and maybe I'll be brave enough by then.

/ or, the one where nico and lucie pretend to be in love.

word count: 28K pairing: nico hischier x OFC; teammate's sister warnings: 18+ smut below the cut; MDNI; oral (fem receiving); language, alcohol, a brief mention of blood, angst & lots of miscommunication; this trope is nothing new, but i got this idea stuck in my head and couldn't write anything else until it was done. it's a little angsty because i don't know how not to include that in my writing, but still lots of feet-kicking fluff, too. this one is a novel that i probably should have released in multiple parts, but i wanted you to have it all at once. i'd love your feedback on this one. have fun falling in love with dreamboat nico to forget about that awful devils' season. xoxo

it's been a long time coming

❄️ Day Zero: THURSDAY Jersey City, New Jersey

"Everything about you stresses me out, Stella."

Lucie Meier took a moment of reprieve to wander back into the kitchen of her brother's luxury condo and retrieve the bottle of wine that she had left on the counter. She needed the space from this conversation for a moment before she completely lost her cool, using this as an excuse to refill her best friends' wine glasses.

As she topped up their three glasses, Stella Muller gave a displeased huff, letting her best friend know she was unhappy and their conversation was not done.

Lucie was a type A personality. Everything in her life was organized and always had been. Nothing brought her more joy than labels, color coordination, and no clutter. She was the type of person who emptied the crumb tray in the toaster before and after every single use. This hyper-organization and affinity for stress-cleaning when she needed to clear her head was what made her so good at her job as an event planner. Clients needed organization and guidance in the chaos of a big event—especially a wedding.

Stella was the complete opposite of everything Lucie was. She was impulsive and chaotic and never needed to make a plan. But opposites attract, and that was part of what made their friendship work. Growing up in Switzerland, the pair had been best friends since they had met on the first day of kindergarten. Everything after that was history.

Lucie was happy to let Stella be, never one to be overly critical of her life's general lack of rules. Except for when she received that phone call in the middle of the night last year. Stella was screaming that she was engaged to the cute American boy she had met on holiday in Ibiza a few months ago, and Lucie had to help plan the wedding.

The two girls had been planning for this moment since they had known each other, but Stella had always assumed it would be the other way around and they would be planning Lucie's wedding first.

Honestly, everyone who knew Lucie and Stella thought that way.

But now here they were, huddled around the coffee table on the floor in Lucie's brother's apartment with Stella's older sister, Sophie, trying to put together a seating chart for the reception only three weeks out from the wedding.

Stella had received the final RSVP numbers nearly a month ago but had been procrastinating. Now, the caterer needed the final arrangement yesterday, so Lucie and Sophie had forced Stella to sit down and work on the seating chart, or they knew it would never get done.

"It's almost like we should have done this a month ago," Sophie mumbled as she sipped from her freshly poured wine glass.

Only two years older than Stella and Lucie, Sophie was the pair's confidant and unofficial third musketeer. When it came to organization and impulsiveness, she sat somewhere on the scale between Stella and Lucie.

She helped keep the trio balanced.

"Sorry, I've been a little busy," snapped Stella.

"Okay, enough," Lucie interrupted. "It's fine. We're going to figure this out."

Lucie placed her wine glass back onto the coffee table, resuming her spot between the two sisters on the floor. She pretended to ignore Stella's sour face as she stuck her tongue out to taunt Sophie. Sophie rolled her eyes, directing her attention to the giant paper seating plan covering nearly the entire coffee table.

Lucie had cut out small place cards for every confirmed attendee and placed them throughout the map to help visualize the beachside reception.

"How many brothers does Connor have again?" Lucie asked as she placed cards down to begin filling the head table, which had been the issue of the night so far.

"Two," Stella answered. "His older brother Noah is bringing his wife Liz, and his younger brother, Matt, is bringing his latest Tinder fling."

"And you're okay with having someone you've never met before sit at your head table?" Sophie asked cautiously, watching Lucie rearrange the markers.

Stella merely shrugged in response. "I mean, that's Matt. And I can't demote his date from the table unless I move everyone's dates to their own miscellaneous seats."

"I would love that," Lucie laughed. "Imagine Timo having to make small talk with the wives and Matt's Tinder date all night? He'd hate it."

"I like that idea," Sophie chimed in with a giggle. "I'll relegate Timo to the plus one's table."

Sophie was always a pseudo-big sister when Lucie was a teenager, but now Sophie was actually her sister, too. Lucie and Stella had schemed hard to set Sophie up with Lucie's older brother, Timo. But he had consistently turned her down because he didn't want to date one of his younger sister's best friends. He claimed it would make the group dynamic weird, especially if they broke up.

Anyone who spent more than two minutes with Sophie and Timo instantly knew they were in love with each other; they were just in denial. It wasn't until hockey took Timo to Halifax for a season that he noticed the distance and how much he missed Sophie for the first time.

It took him a couple more years to finally come to his senses and ask her out officially, but the pair had been together for nearly eight years and were now happily settled in New Jersey.

Stella was now also in New York, having moved in with Connor on the Upper East Side of Manhattan last year right before their engagement.

"No, I'm not making a table just for the plus ones." Stella swiped all the place cards Lucie had moved off the table and began rearranging them at the head table. "It's not a big group, and I want everyone together."

Stella paused as she stared at the table, face-to-face with the exact issue causing her procrastination. The numbers didn't work. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and looked over the seating chart again, hand hovering over the empty spot at the head table.

"What are we doing about Lucie's plus one?" Sophie spoke up, addressing the elephant in the room everyone was so desperately avoiding.

The numbers didn't work because Lucie had originally RSVPed as bringing a date—her long-term boyfriend, Alexander. But now that Alexander was no longer in the picture, every seating combination had an odd number, making everything much more complicated than it needed to be.

Not only did Lucie feel self-conscious about the inconvenience her blindside break-up was causing the wedding planning, but she would also have to spend the week in Mexico alone at every wedding event—way to rub salt into a wound.

"You can move me to an open seat at another table," Lucie insisted. She moved her placeholder on the chart to the remaining open table, located in the far back corner for the friends of a friend who were only on the invite list out of courtesy.

"No!" Stella was firm in her objection. "I'm not letting my oldest friend be banished to the sad singles table."

The sad singles. Lucie had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to hold back the self-deprecating comment threatening to spill out. Instead, she tried to fight Stella with the one thing she hated most—reason.

"If you don't, the numbers will be off," Lucie gently reminded her. "It's going to make every wedding photo look lopsided, and I know that's going to drive even you insane."

Stella tapped her fingers on the tabletop, silently agreeing with Lucie's argument. She didn't want to admit she was right but didn't know if other options existed.

The sound of the key in the front door offered another moment of reprieve. The three girls looked up at the welcome distraction as Timo came through the front door, two of his teammates trailing in behind him. Timo dropped his bag by the entryway table, something Lucie knew she would be tripping over and putting away later, and came into the living room to greet the girls.

Nico Hischier and Jonas Siegenthaler followed after him, making their way to the open-concept kitchen with a polite wave to the girls. The Swiss men regularly hung out together, often coming over to Timo's place after practices or having dinner parties hosted by Jonas and his girlfriend. Nico lived a few floors above Timo, usually carpooling together to and from games and practices. Since Lucie had moved in, it felt like Nico spent more time at Timo's apartment than Timo did.

With how often they were over and how many games and team events Lucie had tagged along to in the last six months she had been living here with Timo and Sophie, she was pretty familiar with the two hockey players. She didn't bat an eye as they made themselves at home in the kitchen, grabbing water bottles and protein shakes from the fridge.

Not to mention Lucie's tiny and totally not serious crush on Nico.

She'd had a crush on him forever. The first time she really remembered noticing him, he was a shy teenager playing with Timo on the Swiss national team. But she was so far off his radar—completely off-limits, as most teammates sisters were. And she had been in a relationship for so long, it wasn't like she was actually looking. She simply liked to admire from afar, something Stella and Sophie were all too aware of.

Timo made his way into the living room, bending down to greet his girlfriend and younger sister, each with a kiss to the top of their heads. "Are you girls good?" he asked as he surveyed the situation before him on the table.

"Yeah, just sorting out wedding stuff," Sophie answered as she leaned backward against his legs from where he stood behind her. His hands instinctually rested in her hair, gently brushing it back as he listened to her speak.

"And why are you banishing poor Lucie to a different time zone?" he joked, noticing where Lucie had moved her placeholder to the table in the far corner.

"We have an uneven number for the head table," Lucie said, rolling her eyes. "Someone had to be cut, so I moved myself."

"Or," Stella said with a wide grin, "you could just bring a date."

It was no secret that Stella and Sophie were eager to see Lucie get back out there and meet someone new. They had been anything less than subtle since Lucie and Alexander had broken up last summer.

"I can't bring a date," Lucie dismissed, rolling her eyes. She took a large gulp from her glass of wine, hoping someone else would fill the moment of silence and the topic of conversation would move on.

Instead, Sophie was the one to speak up, her eyebrows knit together as she gave Lucie a puzzled look. "Why not?"

"I don't have a boyfriend?" came Lucie's obvious response, as if she couldn't believe that Sophie had forgotten. "I don't even think I have any single friends I could ask for a favor. And I am not showing up with a random stranger so your numbers can be even."

"It wouldn't just be for the numbers," Stella tried to reason. "Having a date would also help shut down all of those 'Is she doing okay?' questions you've been so anxious about."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," Lucie grumbled, suddenly embarrassed of the audience watching along from the kitchen.

She was acutely aware that Nico and Jonas' conversation had trailed off, and they were well within earshot of Stella and Lucie's current exchange. It wasn't that Lucie was necessarily embarrassed about being single. Still, she didn't like the idea of others bearing witness to the vulnerability of navigating her first major event post-breakup.

She knew people would ask the same questions she had been dodging from friends and family for the last six months since it happened. Everyone wanted to see if she was okay, if she was moving on, and most of all, what happened. It was a natural reaction when you heard that 'the perfect couple' had suddenly broken up after ten years with no warning. She could already feel her skin crawling, imagining the looks of pity from Stella and Sophie's family, who all assumed Lucie and Alexander would be the ones tying the knot.

Lucie wasn't sure how much Timo had shared with his teammates about why his younger sister was suddenly moving across the ocean into the spare bedroom in his apartment in Jersey City. Nico and Jonas had met Lucie's ex-boyfriend many times before back in Switzerland, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was suddenly no longer in the picture. She had overheard Timo mumbling something to a coach at a charity fundraiser about offering Lucie a fresh start but not giving up any more details.

They didn't really talk about Alexander anymore, though.

Timo and Sophie had been there to listen, offered a shoulder to cry on when Lucie needed it, and did all they could to make her feel at home in New Jersey. They had expected it would be a slow rebound, that it would take some time for her to get back on her feet and start feeling like herself again. But Lucie was back to her usual self and doing fine, much sooner than everyone expected. When Timo saw the spark return in his little sister, who had always been the most important person in his life, he didn't want to rock the boat and even risk mentioning Alexander's name again.

But the reality was, after ten years with her teenage sweetheart, Lucie only felt relieved when it was over.

Lucie and Alexander had been together since they were 14, if you could even consider a relationship at that age real. His family had moved to their small village in the Northeast of Switzerland, and they sat beside each other in class. Lucie had a crush on him right away, and it snowballed from there.

It was one of those relationships in which they had been together for so long that she didn't know what life would be like without him. He wasn't mean or evil but had never been particularly nice to Lucie. They kind of just tolerated each other. But as they graduated from university, everyone started to whisper to them about getting married and starting a family—the logical next step in a long-term relationship. Friends and family talked openly about it, especially as Lucie began working as an assistant to a local wedding planner.

Lucie tried to ignore the sense of dread in the pit of her stomach every time the topic was brought up. She was constantly trying to figure out why, though. Lucie assumed it resulted from working in the industry and witnessing so many weddings. She had met too many awful brides and rude husbands—couples that very obviously should not have been getting married. But all their guests would smile and toast to them, ignoring that they were a dreadful match.

Everything about weddings seemed to be for show rather than to celebrate genuine love. So she chalked up her hesitations to wanting to avoid getting married in general, not to Alexander specifically.

She loved him—she had to to have stayed with him that long, right? This was just what real love felt like. It was comfortable, not the over-the-top sparks and butterflies that movies and TV shows tried to portray. They went through all the usual motions, moving to a beautiful apartment in Zurich together, celebrating holidays with their merged families, and building a life intertwined together.

Until one morning last summer when something didn't feel right.

Lucie had gone through Alexander's phone several times over their ten years together, thanks to a voice in her head telling her something was going on. But she never found anything and was overwhelmed with guilt about not trusting her partner, someone she had built a life with. So she would push that voice to the back of her mind and try not to read too far into Alexander's withdrawn behavior, putting on a happy show whenever they were with friends or family.

That morning, she woke up early to go for a run, desperate to clear her head and get some of this anxious energy out in a healthy outlet. She had been doing that a lot lately, but living so far away from friends and family, no one was around to comment on how much weight Lucie appeared to be rapidly losing. Alexander was still in bed when she left, having the morning off from work after spending the last few days traveling on a business trip to Bern.

As organized as Lucie was, her fatal flaw was that she never remembered to charge her phone or any electronic device. She was notorious for always having a dead phone. Once again, having forgotten to charge her phone or watch, she had grabbed Alexander's Apple Watch off the bathroom counter to track her running distance that morning since hers was dead.

Not long into the run, her wrist buzzed with notifications synched from Alexander's phone. She paused momentarily to silence the watch but was met with a flurry of notifications on the home screen. Tinder, Hinge, Bumble—every dating app Lucie could name was pinging with notifications of new messages. She clicked into the iMessage app, scanning over the unread texts, all explicit in nature, from unsaved numbers.

Alexander was clearly using his time home alone to catch up on his roster of other girls.

But as Lucie swiped on the watch's screen, the texts and responses were being deleted in real time. He was responding and then removing any evidence, so Lucie would have nothing left to find. He obviously didn't know Lucie had taken his watch.

When Lucie returned home to confront him, Alexander tried to blame her. He talked about how distant she was and how she never supported or loved him the way he needed. As if Lucie was the reason he had to turn to other women, forcing him to be unfaithful to his girlfriend of ten years.

As relieved as Lucie felt to walk away and rid herself of the overwhelming dread her relationship with Alexander had recently filled her with, so much of their lives were intertwined after a decade together that she didn't have anywhere to go. Her entire life had been moved to Zurich with him, but all of the friends she had made in the city were technically his friends, so it wasn't like she could reach out to crash on their couch.

So, at 24, Lucie had the opportunity to start over.

She spent a few weeks at her parents' house before Timo stepped in and offered her a fresh start. Sophie and Timo had a spare room in his condo in New Jersey, and Sophie would appreciate the company while Timo's busy hockey schedule kept him away for most of the season. So she packed up what little belongings she had to her name, re-downloaded Duolingo to try and brush up on the English she hadn't used in years, and settled in New Jersey.

Lucie was eternally grateful for Timo and Sophie's generosity and even more thankful that Stella had also ended up in New York. It had been a while since the trio of girls had lived in the same space and could spend so much time together like they were teenagers all over again.

Whatever lesson Lucie's relationship with Alexander was supposed to have taught her, she was glad it was over. Now, she was hoping there would be sparks and butterflies whenever she met the right person, like the excitement and nerves of a new crush that never seemed to wear off. She loved how Timo and Sophie still looked at each other with such adoration, even after knowing each other their entire lives.

She wasn't quite sure how to convey that in a concise answer when Stella's entire family inevitably cornered her about why her fairytale romance was so suddenly over.

Sophie glanced over her shoulder to exchange a look with Timo, who only smirked at his girlfriend in response. They had a knack for having entire conversations with just silent looks. It was all part of what made them such a dreamy couple.

Lucie didn't know what this particular look was meant to convey, but she already knew she didn't like it.

"What about Nico?" Timo asked, still staring down at Sophie, who now donned a similar smirk.

"What?!" Nico and Lucie managed to sputter out at the same time.

"Yeah," Timo shrugged, finally looking up at his sister. "It checks off all the boxes you listed. You know him already-"

"And he's single!" Sophie added in.

"And he doesn't have any plans for the All-Star break yet," Jonas said with a matching grin.

"Oh my God," Lucie trailed off as she sank further into her seat, hoping the floor would swallow her up if she tried hard enough. Instead, she groaned, refusing to look over where Nico was still standing in the kitchen.

At the same time, Lucie buried her face in her hands, trying to hide the embarrassed flush of her cheeks, Nico spoke up with a small "Okay."

"What?" Lucie repeated, dropping her hands to look over at him.

Nico shrugged his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable with the weight of everyone's eyes on him. "I'll do it."

"Really?" Lucie asked. She was about to ask him why and start some long-winded tangent about how he didn't need to do this and that she'd be fine going to the destination wedding solo when she felt Stella's watchful eyes on her. She didn't even have to look over at her best friend to know she was shooting daggers, silently warning her that she knew Lucie would try and talk her way out of this.

"Yeah, I mean, they're right," Nico shrugged again. He scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck as he spoke—a contrast to the usually confident and composed NHL captain. "Plus, I love weddings, so, yeah."

"I love weddings," Jonas repeated under his breath with a mocking laugh. Nico roughly elbowed him in the side to shut him up. Lucie had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling at the action, not missing the pink blush creeping up Nico's neck as she watched him.

"Okay, perfect!" Stella cheered as she reached for Lucie's placeholder on the seating chart. She slid it back to the head table before grabbing a blank one and placing it next to Lucie's. "We'll add Nico to the seating chart here, and we're all sorted!"

⛅ Day One: MONDAY Tulum, Mexico

Stella and Connor's wedding was going to be an elaborate affair.

Everything about Stella was fancy and over the top, and Connor would do anything to make his future bride happy. This brought the group to a luxury villa in Tulum, which was rented for the entire bridal party for the week. The schedule was full of wedding festivities in the tropical paradise leading up to Friday's main event.

The villa would be the group's home base for the next seven days until the rest of their guests began arriving for the wedding later in the week.

Stella kept referring to it as a pre-wedding honeymoon, insisting she wanted a fun vacation with their closest friends before everything got too hectic. All conveniently scheduled for the week of the NHL All-Star break, so Sophie and Timo could attend, of course.

Lucie had helped make this happen, spending countless hours booking vendors, planning travel times, and fussing over the small details. She had spent so much time and energy over the last year planning the destination wedding that it didn't quite feel real, even as she boarded the plane to Mexico.

Maybe part of what felt surreal about the whole experience was having Nico in the seat next to her on the flight—the unexpected variable in this week's equation.

Lucie, Nico, Timo, and Sophie had all flown in from New Jersey together. When Nico arrived at the airport to meet the travel group, it was the first time Lucie had seen him since he had blindly agreed to be her date to the wedding a few weeks beforehand. Stella had sent him home that night with the entire week's itinerary, including the list Lucie had made of outfit suggestions for the theme of each day's event. He hadn't asked any questions or objected and had arrived at the airport excited and ready to go.

He had put his headphones on during takeoff, dozing off for a nap almost instantly. Lucie had opted for a book instead. The time seemed to fly by as she kept her mind occupied until the flight attendants came around to offer complimentary drinks and snacks about halfway through the four-hour flight.

"So am I just a friendly wedding date, or is this a relationship?" Nico had asked as he slipped his headphones off. Now wide awake, he accepted a bottle of water from a flight attendant as they came by.

"What do you mean?" Lucie nervously asked. Was her teenage crush on Nico so obvious that he had already picked up on it? Or maybe Timo had said something when Nico confronted him privately about why he had volunteered him for this stupid trip.

"Like, what have you told people I'm here with you for?" Nico handed her a bottle of water from the flight attendant as he took a moment to find the right words. "Are you bringing a friend to keep you company, or am I a boyfriend this week so no one will ask you why you're here without your ex?"

"Ah," Lucie muttered, sinking further into her seat. She kept her eyes straight ahead, focusing on the small TV screen mounted to the headrest before her. "I haven't really told anyone anything. Timo kind of suggested this as a last-minute thing."

She could see Nico nodding out of the corner of her vision but made no motion to look at him. She was so embarrassed about this whole thing, and admitting all of this out loud made her cringe.

"There's no right or wrong answer here," Nico spoke softly. "I'm only asking so I don't say the wrong thing and mess this up."

"Oh." Lucie felt her stomach drop at his quiet admission. They must have hit a pocket of turbulence or something—that was the only rational explanation for why her stomach felt like she was on a roller coaster. She reluctantly looked over at Nico, only to be met with a dimpled smile that made her stomach flutter even more.

"We could play it by ear. Is that okay?" she hesitantly asked.

"Whatever works for you, Lucie," he instantly agreed.

Unsure if Nico was playing the role of her brother's teammate or her fake boyfriend, he was ever the gentleman when their flight finally landed in Tulum. He collected Lucie's bags, helped carry her things, and opened every door. In the single afternoon that Nico had been directly in Lucie's orbit, he had been more of a boyfriend than Alexander had been to her in the ten years they had been together.

She was still acutely aware that Timo was also in their orbit. Despite being the one who had volunteered Nico for this trip, Lucie could feel her older brother's watchful gaze on the pair from the moment they landed in Mexico. If Nico felt his linemate's stern glares, he did a great job pretending he was unaffected.

Even as the four climbed into the shuttle bus to take them from the airport to Stella and Connor's villa, he calmly ignored Timo staring him down as he took his spot next to Lucie. They were pressed so close together in the small car that their knees would bump together at every turn in the road.

Arriving at the villa, they were greeted by what felt like the entire welcoming committee. Stella, Connor, and their families had all been on an earlier flight that morning and were now a few bottles of champagne deep. They went through a quick line of hellos, Lucie having already met everyone last year at the engagement party—or parties, as they had celebrated in both New York and Switzerland.

Connor's two brothers were also staying at the villa with them. Noah, the older brother, had left his young kids at home for the week to enjoy a stress-free vacation with his wife, Liz.

Matt, the youngest of the Thompson sons, introduced everyone to Brandy, his Tinder date he had matched with a few weeks beforehand. Lucie suddenly didn't feel so bad about bringing a surprise wedding date as she listened to Matt and Brandy retell their lackluster online dating romance.

Last to greet the group were Stella and Sophie's parents, Therese and Walt. Walt, always a man of few words, greeted Lucie and Nico each with a quick hug before passing them a fresh champagne flute and letting his wife take over. Therese shrieked loudly as she noticed Lucie and pulled her in for a dramatic hug.

Therese had been a second mother to Lucie her entire life. Lucie gave her a tight squeeze back, equally excited to see the woman. Lucie had yet to see Therese since she had left Switzerland last summer. She would occasionally say hi in the background if she caught Sophie on a FaceTime call with her parents, but it didn't compare to an in-person reunion like this.

"Oh, Mausi," Therese cooed, referring to the old childhood nickname she had called all three girls. "We were so sorry to hear about you and Alexander."

Lucie braced herself for what she knew was coming next. In Therese's defense, this was the first time she had seen Lucie since everything happened last summer. And Therese surely had heard all of the painful details Stella and Sophie had witnessed during the previous six months. Lucie knew she meant well, but it didn't make her feel any less embarrassed.

"We've all been so worried!"

Lucie tuned out as Therese continued, plastering a polite smile on her face. She nodded at what she assumed were the correct times, and Therese continued to ramble.

Her words seemed to blend together until Lucie felt a hand sneak into her own. She didn't have to look back to know that it was Nico's fingers intertwining with her own; she could already feel his presence as he came to stand behind her.

"I was relieved when the girls said you'd be here." Therese continued.

Lucie returned to reality, leaning backward slightly to rest her back against Nico's broad chest from where he stood behind her. As Therese continued on her tangent, she had yet to notice Nico's arrival.

"I know this can't be easy, being at a wedding and all. I mean, Stella's planned a whole week of romance! But I know she's so grateful that you'll power through for her. You two have always had such an incredible friendship."

Lucie wanted to bite back that she was single, not dead, but it wouldn't do any good. Therese was definitely where Stella had inherited her flare for the dramatics. From experience, Lucie knew it was best to let her get it out of her system.

Or give her something new to focus on.

At her words, Nico gave Lucie's hand a light squeeze, silently letting Lucie know he was right there.

"Oh, Therese," Lucie said, cutting the older woman off mid-sentence. "Have you had a chance to meet my boyfriend, Nico?"

That was one way to decide how they would play it this week. But as Lucie looked up to gauge Nico's reaction to the revelation, he looked unshaken. He gave Therese a warm smile, deep dimples on full display despite the dark stubble he had grown. He stuck his hand out to greet her, but Therese waved it off and pulled the tall hockey player into her usual bone-crushing hug.

"Ah, Nico!" she cheered. "So lovely to meet you."

Loosening her grip, she held Nico out at arm's length, looking him over with a bright grin. As she stepped back, Nico retook his spot next to Lucie, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her closer to his side. Lucie didn't miss Therese's impossibly large smile, which grew even further at the subtle action.

"I'm so happy to see you're doing well." Therese eyed Nico's firm grip around Lucie's waist as she spoke. "I had coffee with your mom a few weeks ago, and she was so worried about you, as mothers are."

Lucie did her best to smile as she felt Nico's grip instinctively tighten on her waist. "No need to worry," he said. "She's in good hands."

That seemed to satisfy Therese as she leaned forward to affectionately pinch Lucie's cheek—another action she had been doing to the three girls for as long as Lucie could remember.

"Now, where is that sweet brother of yours?" she asked, eyes lighting up as she spotted her son-in-law deep in conversation with Connor. She bid Lucie and Nico a quick goodbye before moving on to Timo, her next target.

Letting out the breath Lucie hadn't realized she was holding, she turned slightly in Nico's arms to face him. She hadn't quite expected to be bombarded with the pity party and Alexander interrogation this early in the week. She naively figured they would at least get to the actual wedding before it really became a topic of conversation.

"Thank you," Lucie mumbled into Nico's shoulder as she relaxed into his arms.

Nico didn't respond with words; instead, he dipped his head to place a soft kiss on the crown of her head. Lucie had no idea he was so physically affectionate, always reaching out to make sure he was touching her in some way. But his touch still felt timid and reserved, like Nico wanted to stay within what Lucie was comfortable with. He let her take the lead, silently observing her boundaries.

"Sorry," came Stella's soft voice, interrupting the moment between Lucie and Nico. But as Lucie stepped back, separating herself from Nico, the smirk on Stella's face looked anything but apologetic. "Before things get too hectic, I wanted to discuss room assignments. It's been a bit of a free-for-all, so I started assigning rooms to keep us Lucie-level organized."

Lucie rolled her eyes at the subtle jab but couldn't fight the smile on her face. She loved organization and she loved that her strict planning was finally rubbing off on Sophie.

"You guys are in the last guest suite—down the hall on the left, and the door is at the very end of the hallway. That room is a bit far from everyone else's, but it has a beautiful beach view, so you're welcome." Stella smiled, shooting Lucie a not-so-subtle wink as she spoke.

Lucie suddenly felt nervous. She hadn't quite considered all that bringing Nico as a date to this wedding would entail. At no point had Lucie even thought of having to share a room with him. But Lucie knew the villa was limited with the exact number of bedrooms the group had needed—she had been the one to help Stella book it for that exact reason. They couldn't magically add an extra bedroom. And how would she explain why her wedding date/boyfriend was staying by himself at a nearby hotel?

Was this crossing a line? What was Nico thinking right now?

Stella lowered her voice to a whisper for a moment. "I made sure that room was set aside just for you two—to help with this situation."

"Thanks, Stella," Nico smiled, speaking up on their behalf.

Almost as quickly as Stella appeared, she picked up another glass of champagne and wandered off to find her fiance.

Exhausted from the day of travel, the entire group called it a night relatively early. Lucie followed Nico down the long hallway as they all exchanged goodnights and see you in the mornings. He easily pushed their suitcases towards the final door, a pit growing in Lucie's stomach with each step toward the room.

Nico held open the door, stepping aside to let Lucie enter first. And she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight before her.

The room wasn't huge, but it offered floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the villa's private stretch of beach. A pool was on the other side of the villa, closer to Sophie and Timo's room, but Stella knew Lucie would appreciate the ocean view. She also knew Lucie would appreciate the main selling feature of this room—its two twin beds.

There was no bedside table between them, and the one furthest from the door was a bit crooked, so Lucie assumed Stella had enlisted Connor to help her separate the two beds before their arrival. It was a small gesture but did wonders to calm Lucie's mounting nerves.

After unpacking some of their suitcases into the small closet in the room and washing off the day's sunscreen and travel grime in the ensuite bathroom, Lucie found herself slipping under the cool cotton sheets as Nico reached to turn off the light.

"Thank you," Lucie mumbled, blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the low light. The quiet darkness of the bedroom offered Lucie a bit of armor from Nico's unwavering gaze, and she felt a bit bolder. She let out a soft sigh before speaking up again. "I'm sorry for putting you through this."

It was true. Lucie felt immense guilt that Nico had been pulled into this trip and, even worse, that she had lied and told Stella's mom that he was her boyfriend. She had no doubt Therese would be on the phone with her parents this week to ask about Nico, and Lucie's phone would be blowing up with questions about her new relationship status.

Or worse, they'd call Timo, demanding to know when and why their youngest daughter was now dating his captain. Her parents knew Nico, which was only bound to worsen this situation.

She also knew the team didn't get any time off during the season. The week-long All-Star break was Nico's only opportunity to travel. Some guys would head home for the break, and others took it as an opportunity to go on vacation.

Jonas had said Nico had no plans, so it wasn't like she was stopping him from returning to see his family in Switzerland. Still, she knew that whatever his plans would have been, they probably involved a lot more female attention if he was going on vacation this week as a single NHL player. Instead, he was sleeping alone in a twin bed, getting dirty looks from Timo anytime he stepped too close to Lucie. This had to be the last thing on Nico's list of ways he wanted to spend his break.

"It's okay." Nico's laughter interrupted Lucie's spiraling thoughts. "I don't mind at all."

"So, what dirt does Timo have on you?" Lucie asked as she let herself sink further into the pillow-top mattress. She didn't think she had ever been in a bed this comfortable, her eyes already feeling heavy as she fought to stay awake.

"What does that mean?" Nico asked. She heard him shuffle, glancing over to see that he had rolled onto his side, staring at Lucie with his brows furrowed. Even in the dark, only able to make out his silhouette, she could sense the concern and curiosity on his face as he propped himself up on an elbow to stare over at her.

Lucie sat up slightly, mirroring his position as she stared at him across the gap between the two beds. "He's got to be holding something over your head to get you to agree to all this so easily," she said.

Nico hesitated for a moment, and Lucie could feel the weight of his silence. Maybe she had pushed too far. Lucie probably didn't want to know what happened between Nico and Timo behind the scenes. She opened her mouth to take back the question, but Nico beat her to it.

"Nah," he answered after a short pause. "I'm just here to help a friend."

"Right," Lucie nodded, settling back down onto the bed. "It's all part of the captain's duties, I assume."

"I mean you, Lucie," he answered with a soft laugh.

"Oh, sure," Lucie mumbled, staring blankly at the ceiling as she tried to comprehend what Nico was implying.

She didn't think they were friends; she assumed they were probably more like acquaintances. Not that she didn't want to be—she had been drooling over him for years, and now that Lucie was finally single, she realistically wanted to be more than friends. But she was also his teammate's sister and knew there must be a million rules against that situation. It was merely another reminder of the awkward position she had put Nico in.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again. She wasn't quite sure what she was apologizing for—maybe a little bit of everything.

"Stop apologizing," he replied instantly, his voice firm as he collapsed back onto his pillow. "If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be here."

"You're right." Lucie nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Sorry."

"Lucie."

🏖️ Day Two: TUESDAY Tulum, Mexico

Lucie wasn't usually an early riser, but with turquoise blue waves waiting outside her bedroom door, her internal alarm clock had her jumping out of bed as soon as the sun was up.

Tuesday was the only day on the schedule without a pre-planned group event. Stella had insisted everyone might be tired from traveling and wanted a day of rest and relaxation before the chaos kicked off. That would likely mean lots of poolside drinks, but Lucie had her own agenda for the day.

Nico was still asleep when Lucie got up. She changed and did her skincare routine as quietly as possible in the ensuite so as not to disturb him. As she returned to the room, backtracking to grab her sunscreen and beach bag, he was awake and sitting up against the headboard.

"You're up early," he greeted her, his voice gravelly with sleep.

Lucie focused on packing her bag with the essentials to try and ignore how tight her chest felt at the deep sound of his morning voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she mumbled over her shoulder.

"Please, stop apologizing," he shook his head, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed to stand up. He took a moment to stretch as Lucie turned back around, her bag now packed and ready to go. "What's the plan for today?"

"Nothing on Stella's official agenda," Lucie answered. She took a moment to steal a look at the impressive muscles in his back flexing as he dug around in his suitcase. "I want to get some sun today, so I was going to head down to the beach."

"Works for me," Nico shrugged, grabbing a pair of swim trunks to change into.

"If you're bored, I think Timo was going to go to some-"

"Lucie." His voice was gruff as he cut her off, but his brown eyes still held a playful spark as he looked down at Lucie. "I'm here with you, not Timo."

"I know," she tried to spit out. "But I just thought you might like-"

"I see enough of him every day at home," he laughed, shaking his head slightly for emphasis.

"Okay," Lucie smiled. "The beach it is."

Nico was ready to go not long after, following Lucie down the small trail from the villa to their private stretch of white sandy beach. Lucie made herself at home, sunbathing on a towel on the hot sand, head propped up on an extra towel she had rolled up as a makeshift pillow.

She was determined to soak up as much sun as possible as she read her book. True to his promise that he would do whatever Lucie wanted, Nico alternated between lying on a matching towel beside her and dipping into the ocean when he got too hot.

Lucie took his swim breaks as her signal to roll over, ensuring she was tanning evenly. Wanting to avoid tan lines since Stella had her wearing a strapless dress for the ceremony in a few days, Lucie undid the ties of her bikini top as she rolled over onto her stomach. She was so enthralled in her book, some mystery thriller Sophie had recommended from the Devils WAG Book Club, that she had no idea how much time had passed.

She didn't notice Nico returning from his latest ocean reprieve until her book went dark. She looked up from the page to find Nico standing over her, blocking the sun's rays with a coy smile. Maybe it was the backlit sunlight illuminating his silhouette as he smiled down at her, but Lucie's entire mind blanked. He was too gorgeous to form a coherent thought around when he looked like this. It wasn't fair that Nico just existed, looking like this every day.

The crinkles by his eyes as he smiled had Lucie mesmerized. It was like his joy lit him up from the inside out. This little crush was now anything but little. She should have known this would happen when she spent a week together with Nico, but Lucie was practically head over heels, and they weren't even 24 hours in.

Everything about Nico felt so different to Alexander. There were no eggshells to walk on. There was no fear of upsetting or angering him. Instead, there were only playful nerves and butterflies in her stomach, all while Nico was unapologetically himself.

Everything about him was dreamy. He looked incredible, his touseled brown hair pushed back by the sunglasses resting on his head. Dressed only in a pair of red swim trunks dripping salty ocean water onto Lucie's towel, all she could focus on was the impressive muscles of his chest.

Lucie had to remind herself to blink as she watched him reach a hand up to fuss with his wet hair. The tattoo on his inner bicep was on full display as his muscles flexed under the movement. She wouldn't have been surprised if someone told her she was drooling.

But then she noticed Nico's eyebrows knit together, his head cocked to the side as he looked at her expectantly. He had asked her something, but her brain was too busy burning this half-naked image of Nico into her memory to hear it.

"Sorry, what?" Lucie asked, reaching for her pair of sunglasses to try and hide her staring.

"I was just checking in," Nico laughed, retaking his spot on the towel beside Lucie. He had obviously clocked her not-so-subtle gawking. "Making sure you're not getting heat stroke on day one."

"No, no heat stroke," Lucie lamented, playfully rolling her eyes.

"Good," he smiled, leaning backward on his palms as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "Timo would kill me if I wasn't taking care of you."

Lucie's eyes bugged out of her head at his response. She was thankful to now be wearing sunglasses so Nico couldn't see the reaction his words were drawing out of her. He couldn't possibly be flirting with her. Whether he meant it that way or not, Lucie would add that comment to the list of innocent sentences that had her temperature climbing.

"What have you been doing to keep yourself busy?" Lucie asked as she gently shut her book. She strained her neck to look up at Nico from where he sat next to her, but he simply shrugged in response.

Mostly watching you, he wanted to say but wasn't sure there was a way to say that without sounding insane. "Just happy to be here," he answered instead.

Lucie clutched her untied top to her chest as she rolled over to sit up. She carefully retied the strings around her neck as she sat up straight, feeling Nico's eyes follow her fingers' movements closely.

She felt oddly guilty for taking up so much of Nico's time today doing nothing. Despite his insistence that he was fine doing whatever Lucie wanted, she figured he was merely being polite. Timo had mentioned a golf course nearby that he wanted to check out, and that surely sounded like something more enticing to Nico than sitting on the beach watching Lucie read a book all day. She was about to apologize again, something Nico would no doubt scold her for again when he spoke up to break the silence first.

"Do you want to, uh, go for a walk with me down the beach?" Nico asked.

"I'd love to," Lucie answered with no hesitation.

He hoisted himself up as Lucie finished adjusting her top, grabbing Nico's outstretched hand to help her up. He kept their hands intertwined as he guided her down the warm sand to the water's edge. The rest of their group had lounged around the pool today, offering them an entirely private beach. While Lucie had been reading earlier, he had scouted out the best lookout spot to watch the sunset down the shoreline.

As they made their way down the beach, Lucie wandered further into the water. She dropped Nico's hand so she could wade into the salt water, turning to face the sun as it sat lower in the sky. Lucie pushed her sunglasses up to rest on the top of her head again, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face as the waves lapped at her ankles. Nico gave her her space, quietly admiring how at peace she looked here from where he stood on the sand.

"I'm pretty sure I could stay here forever," she said, eyes closed, enjoying the warm sun on her face.

"Me too," Nico agreed, words whispered under his breath. He didn't know if he meant he could stay forever here on this beach—or anywhere with Lucie. Both of those options felt like bliss at the moment.

He was playing a dangerous game, teetering on giving in to the temptations of his long-standing crush on Lucie. Everyone knew that Nico liked her—it was the reason Timo and Sophie had volunteered him to come on the trip in the first place. But he also knew having a bit of fun embarrassing your teammate in front of his crush was very different from actually being okay with him making a move on your little sister.

When Lucie opened her eyes, Nico was a few steps ahead, having turned around to face her. His brown eyes sparkled in the sun and looked so at ease. She had never seen him like this before.

Sure, Lucie had always had this silly crush on Nico, but something about seeing him in this light felt different. He looked so calm and relaxed, like he was utterly at peace with everything.

For a moment, she thought about what it would be like to travel the world with him, to be his partner in crime as they explored more postcard-perfect beaches. She wanted to exist in this moment forever, without messy exes or overbearing brothers.

Lucie felt her entire body buzz with warmth—not from the golden hour sun setting lower in the sky but from the heat radiating in her skin under Nico's unwavering gaze. He wasn't even hers, and she was spiraling like this already.

But she could at least enjoy playing pretend for a couple of days. She could dive in and experience what it would be like to be Nico's. It would be harmless for a couple of days, and then she would return to reality and pretend this never happened.

Suddenly unhappy with the space between them, she took a few quick strides to catch up with him, wanting to intertwine their hands again and sheepishly brush shoulders as they continued their sunset stroll. Picking up her pace to catch up, Lucie felt a sharp pain shoot up from the bottom of her foot when she placed it down, stumbling as she almost lost her balance.

"Fuck!"

Nico was at her side in an instant, hands reaching out to grab her waist to steady her as she stumbled forward. "Are you okay?" he asked, eyes wide with concern as he gave her a once-over to try to assess what had happened.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she brushed him off. "I think I stepped on a sea shell or something."

"Let me see," he urged. He took a small step backward to kneel in front of her.

"No, it's fine," Lucie insisted, wincing as she took another step forward. But as she put her weight on it, her foot began to sting again.

"Lucie," Nico spoke firmly. "Let me see."

She gingerly lifted her foot up, glancing down to see a small bit of blood on the sole of her foot. It was a tiny cut that would undoubtedly be healed by the morning, but the salty ocean water made it feel extra sensitive. "It's basically nothing," Lucie tried to brush it off, but Nico wasn't having any of it.

"Come on, hop on." Nico stood up, turning his back towards Lucie. He motioned for her to jump up so he could carry her. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

Lucie hesitated before gently placing her hands on his bare shoulders. She jumped up, Nico easily catching her as she wrapped her legs around him. Turning back toward the direction they had come from, Nico gave her a piggyback all the way back to the villa. He had even stopped to pick up Lucie's towel and beach bag on their way back, seemingly unphased by the weight as he carried everything.

"Nico, I can walk," Lucie whined as he crossed the threshold into the villa's kitchen. He was being too dramatic about such a small cut, but Lucie couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach as he fussed over her.

He dropped her bag and towel by the door before carrying her to the kitchen island. He gently placed her onto the cool marble of the island countertop. He ignored her protests as he dug through the cabinets for a moment until he returned with a small first aid kit.

"Okay, let's see the damage," he quipped, sinking to his knees before her to get a better view. She extended her leg, holding her foot up for him to grab hold of.

"How bad is it?" she asked, fingers gripping the edge of the countertop to keep herself grounded.

His grasp on her ankle was so delicate, but she felt like her entire body was on fire. Maybe she had spent too much time in the sun.

"Do I need surgery?" she tried to joke, desperate to relieve some of the tension as Nico looked up at her from where he was kneeling between her legs. She'd had quite a few dreams that looked similar to this situation.

"I think we can save it, Schatz," he beamed at her.

Lucie gave him a weak smile as her stomach flipped at the sweet pet name. Suddenly tongue-tied, she could only focus on his brown doe eyes sparkling in the golden hour sun streaming into the kitchen. She sucked in a sharp breath as he cleaned the small cut with an alcohol wipe.

"You okay?" he asked, hands freezing at her reaction.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, tightening her grip on the counter's lip.

He rubbed his thumb in soothing circles against her ankle to calm her, then placed a fresh bandaid over the cut with his other hand.

"Almost done, Schatz," he mumbled, gently pressing the bandage to ensure it was securely stuck on. "And you're good as new." He softly kissed her shin before sitting back on his heels to look up at Lucie.

She smiled down at him, completely entranced with how tender he was with her. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning forward to stare at Nico.

"Of course," he whispered back. But he made no motion to break eye contact. His hand, resting lightly on her ankle, slid further up her leg to give her bare thigh a reassuring squeeze.

She was sure he meant it as a friendly gesture, but Lucie's brain was now very aware of where Nico's hands were—how close he was to her. She was also suddenly aware of the little clothing they were actually wearing. Heat pooled between her legs as his thumb continued to rub against the soft skin of her bare thigh. If she leaned forward a bit further, she would be close enough to close the distance and kiss him.

"Nico."

Timo's voice tore them apart, Lucie visibly jumping as her brother's loud voice burst their bubble. She pressed a hand to her chest to catch her breath, looking over her shoulder to where Timo and Sophie stood. They had just returned from the pool, dressed in their matching couple swimsuits Sophie had insisted on getting for the trip. Looking authoritative in a flamingo-print outfit was hard, but Timo was making his best attempt.

"What's going on here?" Timo's voice was cold, an obvious warning to Nico. Lucie glanced back at Nico, his brown eyes filled with panic.

This did look like quite a compromising situation to find your sister and best friend in—a shirtless Nico kneeling between Lucie's bikini-clad legs.

"He's just bandaging my foot," Lucie scoffed.

"I told you not to hurt my sister."

Sophie jabbed an elbow into Timo's ribs, muttering a quick "Relax" to shut him up. But Nico had already jumped away, trying to put as much space between him and Lucie as possible.

⛵ Day Three: WEDNESDAY Tulum, Mexico

"Okay, I need the full story," Liz giggled, pausing to take another sip from her champagne flute.

As the oldest in the group, and having been married to Connor's older brother for almost a decade, she had been going down the dinner table and asking everyone's fairytale romance stories to vicariously relive the honeymoon stage.

Liz focused her attention on Lucie. "Tell me how you fall in love with your brother's best friend."

Lucie forced out a laugh, trying to buy some more time by reaching for her wine glass.

Officially kicking off the wedding festivities, Stella and Connor had chartered a boat for the small wedding party to take them for a sunset dinner. Floating somewhere in the crystal blue waters, there wasn't another boat in sight. They had spent the afternoon on the boat, jumping off the deck for a quick swim before they sat down for their meal.

Lucie should have known the conversation would eventually land on her and Nico. The group had been going around the table, making light conversation and catching up on everything new since they had all last seen each other. And Lucie's something new was a 6'1 Swiss hockey player seated next to her, arm casually draped over her shoulders as she rested against his chest.

"Oh, Lucie had a crush on Nico forever," Stella answered first.

"That's so cute," Liz squealed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table as her husband topped up her champagne.

Lucie shot Stella a warning look, not liking the loose lips an afternoon of day drinking had created on her best friend. Stella knew too much embarrassing information that Lucie did not want to be brought up in front of the group. Or, more realistically, in front of Nico.

"She even stayed up all night and watched his draft when they were 18." Stella laughed as she spoke, ignoring the daggers Lucie was throwing at her with her eyes.

Lucie's eyebrows shot up, hoping she wasn't hearing Stella correctly. There was no way she was telling this story right now. Before Lucie could cut her off and save face, Stella giggled again.

"She pretended she was excited to see a Swiss player get drafted first overall," Stella snickered, sharing a knowing look with Sophie, who sat beside her. "But we all knew she was only watching it for the eye candy."

Lucie's entire body went hot with embarrassment as she heard Nico laugh beside her. His arm, resting around her shoulders, dropped down to her waist. He gently pulled her in even closer to him, her back pressing flush against his chest.

She refused to turn around and look at him as she felt him shake with laughter. All she could focus on was the cool metallic sensation of his gold chain pressing into the skin of her shoulder, which was left exposed by her tank top.

"As if Nico wasn't just as bad," Sophie scoffed. That comment shut up Nico's smug laugh real quick. "Every time we saw him, he'd ask, where's Lucie? How's Lucie? And then she moved to Jersey and was single—he was like a lovesick puppy coming up with every possible excuse to come over."

Lucie felt Nico stiffen up and could picture him rolling his eyes based on the wicked grin on Sophie's face as she spoke. Stella and Sophie were definitely sisters. They loved pushing people's buttons and seeing just how far they could take a joke.

But Nico made no attempt to separate himself from Lucie. Instead, she could have sworn his grip around her waist tightened. He gave her a light squeeze, fingertips slipping under the hem of her thin tank top to ghost over her warm skin.

"They just needed some help taking that next step," Stella smiled. She looked over at Lucie with a playful wink.

Why did this feel so calculated?

"And you're okay with your teammate dating your sister?" Noah, Connor's oldest brother, asked skeptically.

Timo shrugged. "I'm keeping an eye on it."

Lucie dramatically rolled her eyes at his answer. As if Timo wasn't a hypocrite, dating the sister of her oldest friend. Whatever he was claiming to keep an eye on this week was unnecessary.

After dinner, Connor and Matt insisted on getting the entire group to jump off the boat's bow. As the sun started to set behind the horizon, they had enough time for a quick dip in the ocean before the boat had to return them to the shore.

Stella hesitated, leaning over the railing as she looked down at the distance to the water. "It's kind of high up," she whined.

"You'll be fine," Connor called from the water below. "I'm right here to catch you, baby."

"I don't know," Stella stuttered out. "I'm not ready."

"Nico, Timo," Connor yelled, turning his attention to the two Swiss men. "You're up next. Let's go!"

Upon hearing their names called, Nico and Timo both stepped up to the railing, peeling off the t-shirts that they had worn for dinner.

"And you're just going to jump?" Stella shrieked, eyes wide with panic as she watched Timo grab the railing, preparing to hoist himself up. "No hesitation or anything?"

"I've dived off higher," Nico shrugged as he followed Timo's lead.

"What?!" Stella gawked. "How? Why?!"

"I used to be a diver as a kid," Nico downplayed, suddenly embarrassed.

"You can't say that and then not show off," Lucie laughed, giving Nico a light shove towards the railing.

"I mean, it's been a while," he tried to reason. He tentatively hoisted himself up onto the railing to prepare to jump.

"Can you do a backflip?" Sophie asked, ignoring Timo's eye roll at his girlfriend's question.

"Yeah, but-"

"Please," Lucie pleaded, puppy dog eyes on full display.

Nico shook his head, letting out a small laugh. As if he could possibly say no to Lucie when she looked at him like that. He balanced himself on the top of the railing before jumping, pulling off a perfect backflip before breaking the water's surface.

"He's perfect," Lucie gushed to Sophie beside her. "Is there anything he can't do?"

She momentarily forgot about her older brother's presence until she heard him scoff. "Yeah, he can't match his shoes to his suit on a game day to save his life."

Lucie was about to snap back at him, but before she could make her comeback, Timo followed Nico's lead and jumped into the water below.

After much convincing, they managed to get Stella to jump off the boat, too. While all the guys opted to jump in again, quickly turning into an unofficial competition, Lucie sat on the swim platform at the stern of the boat. Her feet dangled over the edge, resting in the crystal blue water. Surrounded by the laughs and screams of her friends, she had never felt so calm before.

She looked up right as Nico swam around the side of the boat, making his way towards the ladder next to Lucie.

"Nico Hischier, the Olympic diver," she teased as he hoisted himself out of the water to sit beside her. He rolled his eyes, but a crimson blush was still creeping across his cheeks.

She watched the expanse of muscles in his shoulders and back flex as he lifted himself up, unabashedly drooling over how incredible he looked with beads of salt water dripping off of him onto the teak swim platform below.

He casually pushed his wet hair out of his face, ignoring Lucie's comment.

"Do you always do that?" she asked. "Downplay your accomplishments," she clarified when Nico looked at her with his thick eyebrows raised curiously.

But he just gave a slight shrug. Instead of answering Lucie's original question, he looked directly at her. "Was that true?" he challenged, holding the intense eye contact.

"What?"

"Stella's story," he clarified. "Was it true?"

"Uh-" Lucie looked away, scared she'd been caught. He'd never been so blunt before. Was this what Nico was like when he was upset? Could he feel cheated that he had been lured into this under false pretense?

"I think they're trying to make our story sound more interesting to the group," she tried to reason.

"Ah," Nico nodded, turning his attention away from Lucie to look out over the water. She couldn't quite decipher the look on his face. He almost looked disappointed, and she felt immense guilt about being the cause of that.

"I mean, I was excited to see a Swiss player go first overall," she tried to joke to lighten the mood. It wasn't a total lie, but she thought it was enough of an excuse to downplay the situation and plant a seed of doubt in Nico's mind about her obvious crush.

Nico laughed, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. They didn't have that playful sparkle they usually held when he laughed at one of Lucie's jokes. She instantly missed that warmth.

An apology sat on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to reach out, grab onto him, and apologize. Instead, she slid her hands under her thighs, sitting on them to physically stop herself from reaching out. She figured there was no audience right now, so he didn't feel the need to put on a show.

"Was Sophie's story true?" she found herself whispering. "That you've been making excuses to come over and check in on me?"

She didn't know why she was asking. She already felt sick thinking about Nico's potential answer. It was like she wanted to torture herself on purpose.

She watched Nico open and close his mouth a few times as if the words he wanted to say weren't ready to come out. The longer he took to respond, the more Lucie wanted to squirm. She could feel her eyes stinging as she looked away, unable to watch him stay silent.

She blinked rapidly to try to quell the stinging, which must have been from the salty ocean water they had just jumped into. There was absolutely no reason for her to cry over Nico, especially not over a fake story that Sophie had made up about a fake boyfriend.

It was supposed to be made up. That was the entire point of this week, but Lucie's mind seemed to keep conveniently forgetting that.

"Lucie," Nico finally spoke up. "I've-"

A big splash, followed by a blood-curdling scream, cut them off before Nico could manage to spit out an actual response.

"Timo!" Sophie's shriek was so loud it echoed across the water.

Seconds later, a scowling Sophie and a grinning Timo were swimming around the side of the boat towards Lucie and Nico. Lucie shuffled away from Nico to leave more space on the small swim platform ladder so her brother and his girlfriend could climb up.

"Asshole," Sophie grumbled as she pulled herself up the ladder onto the boat.

"My bad," Timo laughed, climbing up after her.

Sophie made no motion to wait for her boyfriend, grabbing a fresh towel and stalking up the steps to the main deck where the rest of the group was gathering.

Timo grabbed a towel to dry off, wiping the salt water from his eyes. He momentarily paused on the swim platform, reaching down to squeeze his sister's shoulder. "Are you having fun, Lu?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lucie answered lamely.

Timo glanced at Nico and then back to Lucie. The tension between them was evident. He wasn't sure what had happened in the moments before, but he knew when his little sister was upset. She may have done a good job hiding her hurt from everyone else, but he liked to think he was pretty good at cluing in when his little sister was hurting.

He had also known Nico long enough to recognize when his captain was sulking. Nico always wore his emotions on his sleeve—it was part of what made him such an incredible leader.

But off the ice, Timo would always pick his sister in a battle between Nico and Lucie.

"Want to help me throw Sophie off the boat again?" Timo asked. He knew it would put him in the doghouse with his girlfriend, but he was relieved to see his sister's face light up at his offer.

"I would love to," Lucie laughed, scrambling to get up and follow Timo to the boat's bow.

Standing, she finally looked back at Nico, who watched her every move. Knowing he was caught and there was no use denying the obvious staring, he flashed her a dimpled smile and a wink. Just as quickly as it had disappeared, that happy and carefree facade was back.

☀️ Day Four: THURSDAY Tulum, Mexico

When Lucie and Timo were in America, they usually tried to only speak English with each other. It was the easiest way to keep their skills sharp rather than switching back to the comfort of Swiss German—especially if there were others around who weren't fluent in their native tongue.

So when Lucie woke up on Thursday morning and made her way into the kitchen, it took her a little while to register the voices carrying on a hushed conversation in Swiss German. She rounded the corner to find Nico and Timo deep in conversation, oblivious to her presence.

Their voices were too low for Lucie to make out the exact words they were saying until she got closer.

"You knew that before we got here." Nico's voice was the first one Lucie recognized, but she lacked context about what exactly Timo must have known.

"I'm aware," came Timo's annoyed response.

Whatever they were discussing, Lucie immediately knew they didn't want others overhearing or understanding if they were speaking in Swiss German. She also knew Timo's sour look very well. The pair were arguing, and Timo was evidently not winning.

"And you were the one that asked me," Nico harshly whispered.

"I know that," Timo snapped in response. "But I didn't-"

As Timo looked up and noticed his sister, he immediately shut up, causing Nico to look over at what had forced Timo's sudden silence.

"Everything good?" Lucie asked, eyebrows raised as she stared her brother down.

"Yeah," Nico smiled and answered on behalf of her brother. Timo nodded in agreement, wordlessly refilling his cup of coffee, but that sour look was still on his face.

She knew her older brother well enough to know he was irritated but didn't want to press the issue.

"Stella and Connor need us all ready by 4 for the rehearsal dinner today," she told them. "So you two should kiss and make up before then."

"Very funny," Timo grumbled, giving his sister a light shove with his shoulder as he brushed past her toward his bedroom.

Lucie didn't see much of Timo or Nico for the rest of the day, preoccupied with running last-minute errands and helping a stressed-out Stella ensure everything was perfect and ready to go for tomorrow's wedding. These were the kinds of environments Lucie thrived in, though. They were a welcome distraction from the constant conflict waging on between her head and heart this week.

By the time she was settled into her seat at the lavish beach club venue, listening to Stella and Connor's families give their speeches to toast the couple with best wishes, Lucie was exhausted.

She blamed her tired state for the tears on her waterline as she listened to Sophie give her maid of honor speech. Lucie had never been one to get so emotional at the weddings she planned, but perhaps it was different when it was your best friend. This was making her contemplate everything she had ever felt about weddings and marriage.

Maybe she did want this.

Connor's brothers had playfully roasted him, something she imagined Timo would be all too eager to do if it were her wedding day. Sophie was giving a tearful speech about how wonderful it had been to watch how fiercely Connor loved her little sister.

As Sophie sniffled, trying to compose herself as she recalled a story about the phone call she received from Stella after her first date with Connor, Lucie was a goner. She loved love. She wanted to experience all of this, too.

The more she thought about it, the heavier Lucie's heart felt. She was mad at Alexander, and herself, for wasting so much of her life in a relationship that was doing nothing but sucking the joy out of her life. She deserved more than that.

Lucie deserved a love story like this.

But she had already wasted so much time on partners who dulled her spirit. It felt like she had missed her chance.

As Sophie's speech ended, Lucie felt Nico's hand slip into hers under the table to grab her attention. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She was noticeably distracted, and Nico sounded concerned.

"Of course," she smiled at him, but he didn't seem convinced. "These heels are killing my feet," she offered with a small laugh.

Nico seemed to buy the excuse, shaking his head slightly. "Then take them off?"

"And risk cutting my foot open again?" she mocked. He rolled his eyes at her response, but a smile still tugged at the corner of his mouth. "No, they complete the outfit."

"Schatz." He blinked at her a few times, not understanding her argument. "You're sitting down. They're not even part of the outfit right now," he whispered.

"You're a guy, you don't get it." Lucie playfully rolled her eyes as she spoke, satisfied with herself for diverting his questions.

"Maybe," he shrugged, ignoring her attempt at a joke. "But I know you look beautiful tonight—with or without the shoes."

He moved his arm to rest atop the back of her chair, pulling her closer to his side until their thighs were pressed against each other under the table. She felt her body temperature skyrocket at the seemingly innocent contact.

Lucie's eyes shot up to Timo and Sophie, sitting only a few seats down from them. Timo seemed oblivious, smiling at Sophie as she retook her seat after her speech. They were so caught up in each other that he was paying no attention to Lucie or Nico a few feet away.

She wasn't sure why she was suddenly worried about Timo witnessing Nico's blatant flirting. He had been doing this all week, with or without Timo around, if you could even count this as actual flirting. He was playing a part, doing Lucie a favor by pretending to be into her. She was sure that the flirting getting under Timo's skin was just a fun perk for him.

"Thank you," she managed to squeak out, returning her attention to Nico.

"I'm serious." His hand on the back of her chair came forward a bit to allow his fingers to ghost over the thin strap of her dress. He didn't comment at the goosebumps that covered her skin everywhere he touched. "I love this color on you," he kept his voice low, fingers running over the yellow silk fabric.

Lucie's brain felt like it was short-circuiting.

She could barely choke out a thank you before Stella and Sophie's dad lightly tapped his knife against his wine glass to get the group's attention again. Lucie was thankful for the distraction as Walt and Therese made their way to the head of the table for their speech.

But Nico made no motion to move his hand away. His thumb absentmindedly traced the freckles on the skin of her exposed shoulder throughout the rest of the dinner.

After dinner and speeches turned into drinks and dancing, Lucie held up the hem of her full-length dress as she chatted with Liz. Last call had come and gone, and the pair were on the sand just outside the beach club, waiting for the rest of the group to trickle out before returning to the villa. The sun had long since set, the beach now illuminated by the warm glow of tiki lights that had lined the makeshift dance floor.

It had been a beautiful night, but exhaustion was setting in, and Lucie was ready to call it a night and get some rest before they did this whole thing again tomorrow, for real.

"So who's next?" Liz asked as they waited for the rest of their group to join them. "I love weddings, so I'm looking for any excuse to do this again."

"I mean, it has to be Sophie and Timo," Lucie laughed, lightly fanning herself to try and cool down in the sticky, humid air. "That's kind of the only option."

"What do you mean only option?" Liz's brows knit together as she stared at Lucie.

Liz and Noah were already married and had a trio of young kids at home. Matt would never settle down, especially not with his wedding Tinder date. Lucie was hopelessly single—but Liz didn't know that.

Lucie's stomach dropped as she realized what she had said, desperate to backtrack and not blow her cover. "Oh, I just-"

"I think it might be you and Nico." Liz gave Lucie a mischievous grin.

"What makes you think that?" Lucie asked, trying to fight back a laugh. If Liz only knew the reality of Lucie and Nico's situation. She'd no doubt get a kick out of Lucie secretly pining over one of her brother's best friends and now being stuck at a wedding pretending to be a couple with him.

They were either putting on a great show, or Liz had to have been blackout drunk. Lucie didn't recall seeing her have more than a glass or two of wine at dinner tonight, muttering something about not wanting to be hungover in the wedding photos tomorrow.

"I mean, the way he looks at you? Come on." As she spoke, Liz rolled her eyes for emphasis, but her bright grin remained. "Falling in love with your brother's best friend after being just friends for years—you two are straight out of a movie or something."

Lucie wanted to tell Liz it was all an act, that Nico merely had a knack for making everyone feel warm and comfortable. Instead, she laughed politely, gently dismissing Liz's suggestion.

"But Timo and Sophie have been together forever," Lucie insisted, trying to steer the conversation away from herself again. "I'm sure there will be a wedding sometime soon."

"Time means nothing," Liz dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Six days or six years—when you know, you know."

Lucie's stomach turned at the mention of six days. Did Liz know this was that new—a relationship forged just for this week? Her seemingly random example felt too close to home.

Liz smiled at something over Lucie's shoulder. She glanced behind her to see what had captured Liz's attention, only to find Nico coming her way. As Lucie's eyes found him, Nico's face lit up with a matching grin.

He looked ethereal, the top buttons of his white dress shirt undone to expose that gold chain hanging delicately around his neck. His sleeves were loosely rolled up, accentuating his muscular forearms as he pushed his long hair back. But that one strand that seemed to have a mind of its own fell right back, resting perfectly across his forehead.

Liz's voice pulled Lucie back from her daze.

"And I think that's a man that knows, Luce."

When they returned to their room that night, Lucie was uncharacteristically reserved. She took extra time in the bathroom, removing her makeup and brushing her hair until her shoulder ached from the repetitive motion. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt apprehensive about being completely alone with Nico, so she tried to hide in the bathroom until he was asleep and didn't have to risk talking to him.

He had been tired on the walk back, fighting a yawn as he held open the door to their bedroom and let her in. She assumed he was going to pass out quickly rather than wait up for her like he had been doing every night.

She tiptoed out of the bathroom, returning tonight's yellow dress to her suitcase as silently as possible. Nico was already in bed, curled up under the sheets with his back to her bed. The only light in the room came from the soft glow of the lamp on the bedside table next to Lucie's bed. Nico must have turned it on so she wouldn't have to stumble through the dark.

Assuming he was already asleep, she wordlessly slipped under the covers before reaching to turn the light off. She settled into the soft sheets, her exhausted muscles turning to jello as she sunk into the mattress.

But Lucie's brain would not shut off, no matter how drained she felt.

She couldn't shake Liz's comments from her mind. It was such a simple thing, a casual comment that Liz probably hadn't thought too hard about when she said it. But it was all Lucie could focus on.

When you know, you know.

And then there was Sophie's story on the boat the other night about Nico having a crush on her. She made it sound like a long-standing crush, going so far as to describe him as lovesick. He hadn't denied the story but also hadn't confirmed it.

What Stella had said about Lucie was true, going so far as exposing her for watching Nico's draft when they were teenagers. If Stella's story was honest, did that mean there was truth in Sophie's rebuttal about Nico? What did Timo mean by saying that he was keeping an eye on it? Was that what they were talking about in the kitchen that morning?

I think that's a man that knows.

Lucie could feel the tension headache beginning to form behind her eyes as her thoughts teetered dangerously close to the point of no return. She was standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground beginning to crumble beneath her with every racing thought.

"Lucie." Nico's voice cut through the silence, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?" she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"You okay?"

"Of course," she answered immediately. It felt like Nico had already asked her that a million times this week. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I can hear you thinking from here, Schatz," he laughed softly. She heard him shuffle in his bed, sheets rustling as he rolled over to face Lucie in the dark. "You know you can talk to me. Whatever it is."

Lucie closed her eyes while she tried to process what to do next.

Did she blurt out that she was pretty sure she was in love with him and risk making him uncomfortable? She'd be ruining everything the day before her best friend's wedding if he didn't feel the same. Stella and Lucie had been meticulously planning this day for the last year; she couldn't throw that away because Nico had been nice to her for a couple of days, and someone said he belonged in a rom-com.

She recalled Timo's sour face that morning. He would kill her.

He would probably kill Nico, too.

"I don't think I can," she admitted, honestly.

Nico settled back into bed, mirroring Lucie's position as he blinked at the ceiling while her words hung heavy in the air. He had an idea of what could possibly be on Lucie's mind. Selfishly, he prayed that she was thinking the same thing—that she was equally as crazy about him as he was about her.

The confession weighed heavily on his tongue. He wanted to tell Lucie, to let her know it was okay and that he was struggling to navigate the same emotions, but the words failed him.

He didn't want to overstep. This week was supposed to be about Lucie and her best friend; he couldn't overshadow that. Making a move now and pushing one step past too far could ruin the week for Lucie.

And then, anytime she looked back in the future to remember Stella's wedding, all she would remember was Nico wrecking everything.

�� Day Five: FRIDAY Tulum, Mexico

For someone who had spent their entire life relishing being the center of attention, Stella was uncharacteristically nervous on the morning of her wedding. And she was channeling her wedding day jitters into stress-eating.

As the three girls got ready in the villa's primary bedroom, Stella cradled a bowl of fresh strawberries in her lap. She popped an additional slice into her mouth as the hair stylist she had hired for the day curled another section of her hair.

Sophie and Lucie, having already finished their hair and makeup, were dressed in the expensive dresses Stella had picked out for them. They were now focused on finishing off the bottles of champagne they had delivered for the morning. Lucie topped up their glasses before settling back into her seat beside Sophie on the chaise lounge at the end of the suite's king-sized bed.

"So," Sophie smiled at Stella in the reflection of the vanity mirror she was sitting in front of. "Nico's been a lot of fun this week."

"Uh, yeah," Lucie nodded weakly.

"He's pretty dreamy," Stella giggled, biting another strawberry. "Dare I say, the perfect gentleman."

Lucie rolled her eyes, staying quiet as she took a large sip from her champagne flute.

"How's that little crush holding up?" Stella egged her on.

"Nothing's going on," Lucie answered. If she said it out loud enough, maybe she would start to believe it. "I mean, Timo would kill me. Timo would kill him," she repeated the same mantra that had kept her up most of last night.

"Timo's the one who set you two up," Sophie reminded her.

Lucie finished off her glass of champagne, her skin already starting to feel hot and flushed as the alcohol began to set in. "I'd hardly call this wedding a setup," she tried to dismiss.

"Oh, come on," Stella groaned. She leaned forward to place her bowl of fruit on the vanity so she could cross her arms over her chest for emphasis. Lucie could feel her skin crawl under her best friend's disapproving glare.

"This was absolutely planned," Sophie added with an eye roll.

Lucie narrowed her eyes, brows furrowed together as she eyed her older brother's girlfriend. "What do you know that I don't?"

"I know that Timo is all talk," Sophie shrugged. "He loves you, and he loves Nico. And I know he would love the two of you together."

"If he would love the two of us together, why has he been glaring at Nico anytime he's come near me this week?" Lucie countered. It was her turn to cross her arms over her chest, eyeing down the older girl. "Not to mention, I found the two of them arguing over breakfast yesterday."

"Yeah, Timo told me," Sophie laughed. "He was giving Nico the big if you hurt my little sister speech. Everyone knows Nico likes you. He's just giving him a hard time until he knows you're actually in it."

Lucie was confused, unsure she was hearing Sophie correctly. "Everyone knows?" she repeated.

"Everyone knows," Stella laughed. "Do you think Timo and Jonas randomly volunteered Nico for this?"

"So," Sophie tried again. "How do you really feel about Nico?"

Both girls stared at Lucie expectantly. She knew she couldn't lie to them and didn't see the point in trying to downplay how she was feeling. She needed to get these thoughts off her chest, if only just to say them out loud and get them out of her system. And it was safer to confide in her best friends than ever try to say these things to Nico.

"I think I'm falling-" Lucie paused, letting out a shaky breath. How did she even put these feelings into words? "Oh God, I can't even say it out loud."

Sophie and Stella both let out an excited shriek. Lucie didn't need to finish that sentence; they already knew.

"Have you told him?" Stella asked, an ear-to-ear grin on her face. After watching her best friend crush on Nico from afar for years, she was over the moon that Lucie was finally coming to her senses and recognizing the love she deserved.

"No, I can't!" Lucie whined. "I can't say anything! What if this is all in my head and I ruin-"

"Lucie." Sophie's stern voice cut her off. "Come on. He's crazy about you."

"Did you not hear Sophie's story about him checking in on you, making excuses to come by the apartment to see you?" Stella reminded her. "This is a man who could quite literally be anywhere in the world right now, and he dropped everything at a moment's notice to be your date to a wedding. Not to mention, he's been so sweet and protective all week. Everyone can see that."

"That doesn't mean much," Lucie tried to shrug. "That's just Nico being Nico. He's like that with everyone."

"No, he really isn't," Sophie objected. "He's a nice guy, but if I stubbed my toe, he'd probably hand me a bandaid rather than carry me up the beach and perform some tantric first aid half-naked in the kitchen in front of everyone."

"Shut up," Lucie shrieked, face flushing with embarrassment as she watched the hair stylist try to hide a giggle while pinning another curl on Stella's head. "It was not like that."

Sophie innocently threw her hands up in surrender. "All I'm saying is that's a man that will catch you when you're ready to fall."

"Oh, that's a good line," Stella said, picking up her phone, which was resting in her lap. She typed away on the screen for a moment. "I'm working that into my vows for today."

Lucie couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head in disbelief at her best friend. But true to her word, Stella had slipped the line into her vows, albeit shakily, as she was a blubbering mess through the entire ceremony.

Not that Lucie and Sophie were much better.

Lucie thought her face would crack in half with how hard she smiled through their vows, a grin that didn't leave her face for the rest of the evening. Even after dinner, as the reception dwindled down and she found herself tangled up on the dancefloor with Nico, she couldn't shake the smile.

His hands rested dangerously low on her hips as they swayed together to a slow song, offering a brief moment of calm. His palm slid around to find a home on the small of her back, pressing her as close as possible to him.

He smelled incredible—an odd thing to pick up on, but pressed this close to him, her senses were saturated with all things Nico. She couldn't put a finger on it, but she knew it was something sandalwood and vanilla that had to be expensive. It was the perfect luxurious combination of sweet yet musky. She'd probably never smell another cologne again without thinking of him and how it paled in comparison.

He tended to have that effect on things. He was overwhelming in the best way possible. Nothing could compare to Nico's presence when he walked into a room.

She let her arms wind loosely around his neck, her hands absentmindedly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She could have sworn she heard Nico sigh as he leaned into her touch.

"Do you ever think of this?" he asked, cocking his head to the side as he stared down at Lucie. That one unruly strand of hair came untucked from behind his ear, and Lucie instinctively brushed it back out of his face.

"Of what?" she asked.

"A wedding," Nico whispered, his voice just loud enough for only her to hear it over the music. "I know you plan them all the time, obviously, but..." He trailed off with a slight shrug.

"Honestly," she contemplated, attention focused on twirling a few strands of his perfectly touseled hair in her fingers, "before this week, not really."

Nico frowned at her response. "How come?"

"I don't know," Lucie shrugged. "I was in a relationship I never saw leading to a wedding. I guess I assumed that meant there wasn't supposed to be one in my future."

"A wedding planner who doesn't believe in marriage," he muttered. He repeated the phrase as if deep in thought, contemplating the idea. "I'm pretty sure my sister made me watch a shitty movie about that once."

Lucie let out a genuine laugh, resting her temple against Nico's chest as she thought. "It's not that I don't believe in it; I just didn't think I deserved it," she clarified.

She kept her voice low, unsure if Nico had heard her or if she even wanted him to. Part of her enjoyed the relief of getting these thoughts out of her head. The same way she had confessed her true feelings about Nico to Sophie and Stella that morning.

But Nico's grip around her waist tightened, holding her flush against his chest. He ducked his head to speak directly into her ear, lips ghosting against the shell of her ear as he spoke. "Anyone who would ever make you feel like that is a fucking idiot."

Lucie let out a sigh, melting further into his arms. "Sometimes, you're with someone for so long that you don't even realize that you're changing until one day, you don't recognize each other."

"Yeah," Nico agreed. She felt his chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath. "I get that."

"And then I stayed for three more years after that," Lucie mumbled, unable to resist the self-deprecating laugh as she spoke.

She didn't know why she was being so honest with Nico. She was saying things out loud she had never admitted before. These thoughts exclusively lived in her head, not even trusting Sophie or Timo with these confessions. Yet Nico could effortlessly pull them out of her. She felt safe with him.

Nico pressed a kiss to the top of Lucie's head. "It's not always like that, you know?" His hands rubbed soothingly up and down her back as he spoke, fingers tracing along the outline of her spine. "It can be difficult, but being in love is also incredible. The nerves, the butterflies, the whole thing."

Those were all the things she was convinced weren't real with Alexander. And now they were all the things she was feeling with Nico. She wondered if he was feeling it too—like Sophie and Stella insisted he was—or if he was thinking of another girl, speaking with a past girlfriend in mind.

"Liz thinks we're getting married next," Lucie mentioned with a light laugh. She was desperate to try to change the subject and steer the conversation away from how obviously in love with Nico she was and how unrequited her feelings were.

She felt his chest rumble with laughter. "Oh yeah?"

The simple response had her temperature spiking, heat pooling in her stomach and between her legs. Lucie hoped Nico didn't notice how wobbly she felt as she nodded, pulling back just enough so she could crane her neck to look up at him.

"Yeah, so if you're enjoying the fake girlfriend experience, there's interest from critics in a sequel." Lucie watched the smile on his face grow, biting down on the inside of her cheek to suppress the urge to lean up and kiss him. "The fake wife," she offered.

"Are you proposing to me?" The tension between them was unbearable as he laughed at her joke. His smirk made his deep dimples even more prominent, and Lucie couldn't focus on anything else.

She loved how effortlessly scruffy he had left his beard all week. His dark stubble was trimmed as if he had just woken up looking this breathtaking every day—and he did. Lucie had witnessed it firsthand all week, and it was unfair.

After dinner, he had loosened his tie and shed the suit jacket, but he left the top buttons of his white dress shirt undone to show off the thin gold chain around his neck. He was the perfect combination of disheveled and breathtaking. The dark blue color of Nico's tie perfectly complimented the royal blue fabric of her own dress.

When Stella sent Nico the packing list Lucie had created, she had included a note that Lucie was wearing blue to the wedding. It wasn't meant to be mandatory, but it was a friendly fact shared on the off chance he'd have something already in his closet that would match enough to make it seem like they had intentionally coordinated their outfits, as couples usually did.

And then he showed up to the ceremony in a perfectly tailored navy blue suit, one she had never seen in the game day walkout photos or when she would catch a glimpse of him in the friends and family suite after a game. She couldn't believe he would go out of his way to get a new custom suit tailored just for the occasion, but little things like that were what made Nico, Nico.

Without thinking, Lucie's hand traced along the gold chain, fingers ghosting over the tiny crucifix that rested against his chest. But Nico remained stoic, not commenting on the intimate gesture.

Instead, he smiled at her playfully, continuing their conversation as if nothing else was happening. "Isn't it against the rules to propose at someone else's wedding?" he asked.

"I'm not proposing," Lucie giggled. "I'm just letting you know."

Nico shook his head, pulling her back into his chest. His hand stayed where it rested, intertwined in her hair as he cradled her against him.

"I'll take you on a real date when we're back in Jersey," he whispered into her hair. Lucie's breath caught in her throat at his words. She silently hoped he didn't notice her momentarily stop breathing. "And then you can propose."

Ah, it was all the setup for a joke.

Lucie nodded weakly, mumbling to Nico that he had a deal.

Of course, Nico wasn't taking her out on an actual date. They were playing pretend. And he was so good at it, he had everyone here fooled—including Lucie.

So Lucie did what any rational girl would do in this scenario. She drank until her mind was too blurry to remember all of the sweet things Nico had been whispering to her all night. An easy feat at your best friend's wedding with an open bar.

Stumbling down the hallway of the villa after about six glasses of champagne too many, Nico kept his hand pressed firmly to Lucie's lower back as he tried to guide her. He was just as unsteady on his feet as he opened the door to their room, letting Lucie step through before gently shutting it behind them.

Lucie was focused on kicking off her strappy heels, feet aching from wearing them all day. But Nico made no motion to move, leaning his back against the closed door as he watched her.

With her feet now flat on the cold tile floor, Lucie looked up at Nico. His brown eyes were hooded, staring down at her with an emotion her buzzed brain couldn't place. His brown eyes almost seemed darker, if possible, in their bedroom's dim light. The only light creeping through was from the moonlight outside the large windows.

Lucie wasn't sure how long they stood there in silence, but she couldn't speak up or walk away. Something felt different. Like the butterflies in her chest were expanding, putting pressure on her ribs. Her chest ached when he looked at her like this, making it difficult to breathe.

No matter how much alcohol she had consumed tonight, nothing could overpower the effect Nico had on her whenever he walked into a room. So Lucie remained frozen, enjoying the moment. Unsure of what was going to come next or when this was going to end. But she'd stay in this afterglow as long as he'd let her, heart rate hammering in her ears as Nico's gaze drifted down to her lips.

"It was true," Nico whispered out.

"What was true?" Lucie asked. Her feet remained firmly planted on the ground, unable to move to close the small gap between them or retreat to the comfort of her own bed.

"You asked me the other day if Sophie's story was true, and I didn't answer you," he clarified. "About making excuses to come over in hopes I'd get to see you."

Lucie's heart was in her throat. "And it was true?" she quietly asked, scared that if she spoke too loudly, she'd pop this bubble and bring them back to reality too quickly. Or if she asked too many questions, Nico would close back up, and then this conversation would be over before she got the answers she was looking for.

Nico nodded. Alcohol always made him more honest. After a couple of drinks, he tended to drop his guard and lose that captain filter. Maybe he'd regret this in the morning, but he couldn't bear it any longer. Lucie had to know.

He couldn't play pretend anymore and continue to ignore his feelings for Lucie. It had been brewing all week, something he should have known would happen when he agreed to come on this trip. He had been head over heels for the girl before they boarded that plane, and he was naive to think it wouldn't get stronger spending an entire week by her side at romantic events. He had been doing a terrible job at keeping his distance anyway—something Timo had reminded him of over breakfast the day before.

Timo's protective big brother side came out when he ran into Nico in the kitchen as he got coffee for Lucie. He had given Nico a firm warning that he may have been invited here as part of some complicated fake boyfriend ruse, but his little sister was a real person with very real feelings. He didn't want to see Lucie hurt if Nico wasn't serious about this, so he needed to be careful.

Nico got it. He couldn't fault Timo for being a bit overbearing and keeping a watchful eye over Nico's every move around Lucie. Nico would have been doing the same thing if his friends were interested in his sister.

Nico tried to assure Timo of that, reminding him how he had felt about Lucie long before he had invited him on the trip. Instead, Timo warned him that Nico needed to wait for Lucie to make the first move and figure out her genuine feelings.

It was sure to be an emotional week, caught up in the wedding festivities. Timo didn't want his little sister to get swept up with Nico and get her feelings hurt because she wasn't actually ready. It had been enough to plant that seed of doubt in Nico's head. If she felt the same way he did, there had been numerous opportunities to speak up this week.

It was that stern warning that replayed in Nico's head last night when he was pretty sure Lucie was on the brink of confessing exactly what he needed her to say.

The same stern warning that he was about to ignore.

"Timo's known forever that I've liked you," he confessed. "But you were always... taken or whatever. So he'd just chirp me about it because we knew nothing would come of it. Like some stupid inside joke."

"I'm not taken anymore," Lucie managed to whisper out.

"I know." Nico closed his eyes for a second, leaning his head back against the closed door he was still pressed against as he let out a shaky breath at the revelation.

He thought admitting that out loud would get it out of his system or calm his nerves. But all it did was make him want Lucie even more. His hands itched with anticipation, wanting nothing more than to reach out and grab Lucie, finally closing the little distance between them.

But Timo had a point. He needed to wait for Lucie to make up her mind. She had to come to her own conclusions, not just get swept up in Nico because he was here and available.

"Nico," she called his name gently, prompting him to open his eyes.

All Lucie could focus on was the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed another shaky breath. The pronounced veins on the side of his throat as he tried to even out his breathing made Lucie's heart race and skin burn.

"Y-yeah?"

Lucie wasn't sure where the sudden surge of bravery was coming from. Maybe it was the shots Timo had insisted everyone do with him because he was on vacation. Or perhaps it was brought on by the frustrating realization that she had let so much of her life pass her by because she was okay with settling for good enough rather than what she deserved. She had taken the safe option her entire life, never actually pursuing what she wanted.

Even that morning, when Sophie and Stella fawned over Nico, Lucie tried to downplay it all. If she brushed off the possibility of him feeling the same way enough times, she could create some distance in her mind and get over it.

But Nico wasn't just good enough. He was the embodiment of the sparks you feel in your fingertips the first time you brush hands with your crush, the butterflies fluttering in your chest before a timid first kiss, and the punch to your stomach when you realize you've met the one.

He was all of the best parts of being in love rolled into one sweet but scruffy smile.

Lucie finally willed herself to move, taking a small, timid step toward Nico. He remained still, head leaning back against the closed door of their bedroom as he stared down at her through thick lashes. As she took another step to close the space between them, she reached up to trace her hands over the dark blue fabric of the crooked tie hanging loosely around his neck. His hands hovered above her hips as if he was suddenly scared to touch her after a week of shamelessly stolen touches.

"Can you do something for me?" she asked quietly.

"Anything, Schatz," he answered instantly.

"Please don't tell Timo I'm about to kiss his captain."

Lucie leaned up onto her toes, her hand wrapped firmly around the silk tie as she gave it a gentle tug to pull him down closer. Without hesitation, he ducked his head down to meet Lucie in a heated kiss, finally closing the remaining gap between them.

In an instant, Nico's hands were in her hair, spinning them around so she was now the one pressed into the closed door. She let out a small gasp as her back met the cold wooden door, allowing Nico the opportunity to slip his tongue past her lips. She blindly pulled at his silk tie until it came loose, tossing it behind him as she fumbled with the remaining buttons on his crisp white shirt.

He removed his hands from where they were buried in Lucie's hair, not before giving her roots a gentle tug as she shoved the shirt off his shoulders. He broke their heated kiss for a moment to shrug the dress shirt off the rest of the way before roughly grabbing Lucie by the hips to pull her back into him.

She could already feel his arousal pressing into her abdomen as he reattached his lips to Lucie's jaw, leaving wet kisses along her neck as he brought his hand up to cradle the back of her neck. Lucie couldn't stop herself from moaning out Nico's name as his teeth traced over her pulse point. Her hands came up to rest in his hair, gently pulling at the overgrown brunette tresses as he bit down softly on her neck.

"What do you need, Schatz?" he whispered against her skin.

"You," she barely managed to breathe out.

"Words, baby." He pushed his leg in between Lucie's, gently coaxing her knees apart. "Tell me what you want," he demanded.

"Anything," she moaned out, grinding her hips down onto Nico's thigh as it pressed up between her legs. She was desperate for any sort of friction to offer her some form of relief. "Touch me. Oh my God, Nico, just do something, please."

Hearing Lucie whimper and having her a begging mess like this was almost too much. Without another word, Nico sank to his knees in front of Lucie. Her legs went wobbly at the sight. She was having deja vu of their first morning together in the villa's kitchen. If it weren't for the door she was propped against, she surely would have collapsed into a puddle by now.

He kept his eye contact strong as he pushed her dress up her legs, bunching the silk fabric around her hips as he leaned forward to kiss up her inner thigh, sucking lightly at the soft skin. Nico gently tapped on her outer thigh, nudging her to lift it easily over his shoulder.

Lucie's head fell back against the door as she felt his fingers hook under the thin lace of her panties. Her eyes were already rolling into the back of her head, breathing labored at his feather-light touch. And then she was met with the distinctive sound of fabric ripping. Her head shot up, staring down at Nico with wide eyes, only to be met with an innocent grin from the Swiss captain.

"What?" he asked, eyes crinkling as he smiled at her.

"I liked those," Lucie whined as she vaguely gestured at the torn lace pooling around her ankle.

Nico shrugged, dismissing her half-hearted protest as he resumed kissing his way up her inner thigh. "They were in my way," he mumbled.

The sassy comeback died on Lucie's tongue as Nico brought a finger up to slide through her folds. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as he collected her wetness before focusing the pads of his fingertips on rubbing circles over her sensitive clit. The moan Lucie let out as Nico pushed his middle finger inside of her felt borderline pornographic.

Watching Lucie whimper and writhe above him had Nico painfully hard already. He kept his pace slow until he felt Lucie grind her hips down onto his hands for more. He groaned as he felt Lucie clench around his finger before gingerly adding his ring finger, too. He buried his smirk into her arousal, lapping his tongue over her swollen clit as he curled his fingers forward.

Lucie was seeing stars, completely slumped against the door as Nico's fingers hit that perfect spot inside her. Lucie would crumble if it weren't for the leg draped over Nico's shoulder holding her steady.

She could feel the burning building in her stomach, that familiar knot tightening as she chased her high. She bucked her hips into Nico again as he continued his movements at an unrelenting pace. The rough scratch of his beard against her sensitive skin was putting her over the edge.

Lucie brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she moaned out Nico's name again. She was vaguely aware that they were still pressed against the door of their bedroom entryway, their voices easily carrying down the hallway. Her other hand came up to tangle in Nico's hair, pulling at the roots as the edges of her vision began to blur. Her back arched off the door as she let out a final cry, riding out her orgasm on Nico's tongue.

As Lucie came down from her high, Nico sat back on his heels for a moment. He smiled up at her, watching her chest rise and fall rapidly. Nico slowly removed his fingers from Lucie, earning a small whimper from her at the loss of contact. He roughly rubbed the back of his hand over his chin to clean up the mess Lucie had left, and she swore she could have came again just from watching him.

Before she was fully back on Earth, he had dropped the fabric of her dress, letting the floor-length silk fall back into place as he stood up. He leaned his forearm on the door above Lucie's head, disheveled hair falling across his forehead as he looked down at her. Whatever product had been in Nico's hair tonight was long gone after Lucie's relentless pulling.

She brought her shaking hands up to cup the sides of his face, pulling him back into a feverish kiss. She could still taste herself on Nico's tongue and it made her feel delirious.

His free hand, which wasn't propped against the door, slid up the side of her rib cage and snuck around her back towards the zipper holding up her strapless dress. She felt his fingers fumble with the small zipper, pulling blindly to try and loosen the fabric.

Lucie placed her hands on Nico's chest, gently pulling away from their kiss. "If you rip this dress, you're dead," she whispered with a firm warning. She tried to keep a straight face, but Nico's sweet smile had her biting back a laugh.

"I have no idea why you'd think I'd rip this dress," he teased.

Lucie rolled her eyes as she felt him unhook the tiny clasp at the top of the zipper. He gave one final tug, letting the light blue fabric fall and pool around her feet. Nico took a small step back, taking his time raking his eyes over Lucie's naked figure.

He had no intention of this being a one-time thing, but he wanted to remember every detail of this moment. Lucie was breathtaking. Everything about her was intoxicating.

He felt like a teenager falling in love for the first time all over again.

⚡️ Day Six: SATURDAY Tulum, Mexico

"Stop looking at me like that."

Lucie had been a bit occupied last night, forgetting to close the linen curtains before she fell asleep to pre-emptively block out the morning sun. Despite only falling asleep a few hours before, Lucie was annoyingly woken by the sun streaming through the windows and directly into her face.

The rest of the house was surely asleep, sleeping off the impending hangovers from Stella and Connor's wedding.

"Like what?" Nico asked, his smile growing wider as he stared down at Lucie. He was lying on his side, propped up on an elbow as his other arm wrapped tightly around Lucie's bare waist.

It was partly to hold her close, desperate for as much contact with her as possible, and partly because this twin bed was only made to fit one person. Nico's athletic frame barely fit in this bed alone, leaving no room for Lucie. He drew her in closer, carefully pulling her away from the edge of the mattress they had nearly tumbled off numerous times throughout the night.

Waking up next to Nico, even in a twin bed much too small for him, felt like heaven. He smelled like heaven, too. Like what she imagined the hero in a romance novel probably smelled like. It was unfair how dreamy he looked first thing in the morning.

Lucie groaned, playfully shoving Nico's face away as he leaned down to pepper kisses across her exposed shoulder and collarbone. She couldn't help the giggle that slipped out as he nipped at the skin at the base of her neck.

Could life get any better than this moment? Waking up in paradise in the arms of the man of her dreams. She didn't want to move or risk getting out of this bed and bursting the bubble they existed in right now. She wasn't sure how things would change when they left this room and the reality of last night's decisions set in.

Nico pressed a soft kiss to soothe the skin he had just bit before peeling his arms away. He hoisted himself up, carefully detangling himself from Lucie before he got out of bed. She watched him grab the first pair of shorts on the top of his open suitcase, slipping them on but foregoing a shirt.

"Where are you going?" she whined, immediately missing his warmth. She clutched the thin sheet closer to her bare chest as she sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbows.

"I promised I'd get us coffee in the morning," he answered.

His raspy morning voice made her stomach flip. She had seen him like this all week, but this morning felt different. It was like last night had flipped a switch, and everything suddenly felt real.

"I'll be right back, Schatz," he laughed lightly when he noticed Lucie's pout. He shook his head as Lucie exaggerated her frown, a few rogue strands of hair falling across his forehead.

He looked like sex personified.

If the marks on his collarbone didn't give them away, his messy bedhead surely would. If Timo or Sophie saw him like this, there was no denying their extracurricular activities after the wedding. Lucie wasn't sure she cared about that at the moment, watching Nico's muscles flex as he ran a hand roughly through his hair to try and tame the mess. As Lucie's eyes traced over the tattoo's outline on his inner bicep, she decided to cross that bridge whenever she got there. Right now, she'd just enjoy the moment.

Nico returned to his bed, leaning down to capture Lucie's lips in a short kiss. Leaning over her, the cool metal of his necklace tickled against her chest as it brushed across her skin. Before he could stand back up to leave, she raised a hand to cup the side of his face, pulling him back down for another kiss.

This time, Nico's hand cradled the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss. When she finally pulled away, she rested her forehead against his. The tips of their noses pressed together as Lucie tried to bite her lip to smother the ridiculous smile that was pulling at the edges of her mouth.

"Right back?" she asked quietly, not caring how clingy her question might have made her sound.

"Right back," he agreed instantly. He gave Lucie one final quick kiss before she dropped her hand, allowing him to stand back up.

Nico gently shut the door behind him as he headed to the kitchen to fetch Lucie the caffeine he had promised her last night. Lucie slowly sat up as she listened to his footsteps fade down the hallways. She rubbed roughly at her eyes, feeling the leftover mascara from last night's wedding makeup flake off onto her cheeks.

She did her best to try and blink to adjust to the daylight streaming through the window, but her vision still felt blurry. She was unsure if she was hungover or still drunk from the night before.

Still exhausted, Lucie contemplated laying back down and curling up in Nico's pillows. He wouldn't be gone long, but she could still rest her eyes for a few minutes, and maybe that would help soothe the dull pounding she could feel beginning to form in her temples. Just as she was about to curl back up in the soft cotton sheets, a phone chimed from the bedside table next to her.

Surprised that she, the girl who never charged her phone, would still have any battery left this morning, Lucie reached to grab the black iPhone from off the table. She assumed it was probably a text from Sophie, teasing her about Nico's noticeable post-sex glow as she ran into him in the shared kitchen.

She flipped over the phone lying facedown on the table, scanning the flurry of notifications on the lock screen. Her eyes squinted as they tried to adjust to the sudden brightness of the screen.

Instead of being greeted by a text from Sophie, sitting at the top of the wall of alerts was a push notification from the app Raya. Her hungover brain took too long to recognize the app name and logo she hadn't seen before and had no recollection of downloading.

And then it clicked.

Wasn't that the invite-only dating app for celebrities and influencers?

The details of the notification were hidden as the phone was still locked. When the screen failed to unlock with Lucie's FaceID, it took a moment for her hazy brain to register what was happening. As the phone chimed with another new Raya notification, she dropped it like it was on fire.

This was Nico's phone, not hers.

And he was using dating apps—all while she was lying naked in his bed.

She thought about picking it back up for a moment and scrolling through the other notifications on the lock screen to see what she could find. But she shook her head to silence the thoughts she knew would only upset her.

They weren't officially dating. Realistically, they weren't anything.

Yes, they had hooked up—more than a few times last night. But that didn't mean anything serious. She couldn't be upset with him for seeing or looking for other people. But she could protect herself.

Lucie's mind immediately went back to Alexander. She had thought she had healed from that and truly moved on from the turmoil of her past relationship after all this time. But the familiarity of discovering unfaithfulness hidden on someone's phone had her spiraling back to last summer all over again.

It was always going to end like this.

There was no alternate ending for Lucie. She felt stupid for allowing herself to get caught up in the romance of Stella and Connor's wedding and to think there would be anything like that in her future.

She had been an outlet for Nico. Maybe he considered it repayment for pretending to be her boyfriend all week. There wasn't anything sincere there.

Lucie replaced the phone facedown on the nightstand where she had found it before kicking off the covers and jumping out of his bed. Her eyes stung with tears as she dug through her suitcase to get dressed. She was now desperate to get out of this room before he returned.

Everything here reminded her of Nico—mocked her as she reflected on last night's events.

Her expensive silk dress still sat pooled on the floor by the door where Nico had slipped it off of her. The pieces of his suit formed a perfect trail from the door to his bed. The lamp on the bedside table was off-center, and Lucie's book and bottles of water were now on the floor from where they had bumped into the table in their drunken haze and knocked everything over.

This room felt suffocating.

This chaos was the exact opposite of the order and organization that Lucie usually operated under. She had let a boy get into her head and temporarily lost her mind.

She hurriedly put on a bikini, whichever was sitting at the top of her suitcase, slipping a simple sundress over it. She still had last night's smudged makeup on, but it was nothing a pair of oversized sunglasses couldn't hide. She was probably minutes away from crying it all off, anyway.

When Nico returned with two cappuccinos in hand, Lucie was up and dressed, slipping her feet into sandals. He paused in the entryway, his hungover and half-asleep brain trying to play catch-up.

When he had left, Lucie had been naked in his bed, and he had no intention of leaving this room at all today. But it seemed Lucie now had other plans.

"Where are you going?"

Lucie jumped as he spoke but kept her gaze focused on anywhere but Nico. "Oh, uh, just down to the beach," she answered shortly. She looked and sounded like she had been caught, as if she was hoping to sneak out of the room before Nico returned.

That stung a bit—to think she was running away from him so soon. He didn't know what had changed so quickly. Maybe she wasn't as into last night as he had been? But the way she had kissed him before he left that morning said otherwise. Had he crossed a line too soon and messed everything up? Was she running to tell Timo everything?

He had promised his teammate he would take care of Lucie. Even the other day, when the two were heatedly discussing how Nico had fallen in too deep over morning coffee, Timo would only focus on Nico taking care of his little sister. And yet here she was, clearly not okay.

Lucie grabbed her book from the floor by the bedside table, unsure if her mind would be quiet enough to read this morning or if it would just be a futile attempt. She shoved it into her beach bag, hoisting the fabric straps over her shoulder as she scrambled to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Okay," Nico nodded, unsure he was following what was happening. "I-"

"I'll take this to go," she abruptly cut him off. "Thanks, Nico."

Her short answer confirmed that he wasn't included in her beach day plans. She was running, and he didn't know if he was supposed to chase her.

His head was spinning, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Maybe this was precisely what Timo had been warning him about. He had unknowingly pressured Lucie into his arms because she craved the romance of a wedding after a long-term relationship. It was why Timo had been so adamant that Nico needed to wait and let Lucie make the first move.

Which he had—physically. Lucie had been the one to kiss him.

After her told her, he liked her.

Nico could feel last night's drinks begin to burn at the back of his throat as he recalled the unmistakable sinking feeling that he had told her he liked her and Lucie had never said it back.

Lucie took the cup from his hand, quickly brushing past him to head down to the water before he could process what had happened.

✈️ Day Seven: SUNDAY Tulum, Mexico

Everything was fine.

Lucie was only a short four-hour flight away from being able to go home and forget this entire week had ever happened. Okay, maybe not the whole week. Looking at the bigger picture, Lucie had fun. She got to escape the freezing temperatures of New Jersey for a few days and watch her best friend in the entire world marry the love of her life.

If she focused on that and blocked out all of the other distractions that had taken place outside of that, this would remain one of the best weeks of her life.

It was going to be fine.

Last night's final goodbye dinner had gone well. Lucie hadn't been rude to Nico; she found no reason to punish him, but she was noticeably keeping her distance. And Nico didn't seem to question it, giving Lucie her space after she had run from their room that morning.

After dinner, Lucie had spent more time than usual locked away in their ensuite bathroom until she saw the light dim that was seeping through from the crack under the door, and she was sure Nico had gone to bed. And then she had been up and out of their room this morning before he woke.

Nico had spent more time than he'd care to admit lying in bed that morning, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to figure out where he had gone wrong. Internally, he was a bit panicked. Nico might have crossed a line, and now Lucie regretted it. He wanted to confront her, ask what had changed and how they could have soured so soon.

But he swore he had heard her sniffling back tears this morning while she quietly packed her suitcase for the airport. The thought of her crying, potentially because of him, made his chest ache. So he kept his back turned toward her, pretending to still be asleep. He didn't want to push and make things worse. He felt stuck.

Lucie was taking her distance to a new level at the airport. Using the excuse of charging her phone, which was uncharacteristically already at 100%, Lucie leaned back against the wall across from their gate's designated waiting area. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor a few feet away from the row of seats Nico, Timo, and Sophie had been sitting and waiting in.

No one batted an eye as she left the group, as it wasn't out of character for Lucie to have a phone that wasn't clinging to life with a single-digit battery percentage. But then again, she had done a lot of things that seemed to be out of character this week.

Even with the physical distance between them, Lucie couldn't help but stare at Nico. He was slumped in the uncomfortable airport seat, typing away on his phone. She felt her stomach flip as his gaze remained glued to the screen. Who was he texting? How many other girls was he talking to? Every tap of his fingers on the screen felt like a punch to Lucie's stomach.

Sophie dropped to the floor beside her, interrupting Lucie's doom spiral before it could really ramp up.

"You good?" she asked, forcing Lucie to pull her eyes away from Nico.

"Yeah, all good," Lucie responded. But when Sophie didn't continue, she knew she was waiting for a bit more. "Just a little sad to be going back to reality," she added.

Sophie nodded but still didn't seem convinced.

After knowing each other for their entire lives, Sophie actually knew when Lucie was lying. Even when she could fool Stella or Timo, Sophie could see through every front she tried to put up.

"Nico was asking about you this morning," Sophie said. She tried to keep her tone neutral, hoping that Lucie might bite if she was nonchalant with the information.

Lucie just nodded, not adding anything else.

Sophie let out a small sigh, realizing Lucie wasn't going to give her anything more. "He was worried he had upset you."

"Ah," Lucie nodded again. Her sudden silence irked Sophie, but she remained patient. She knew the young girl would open up soon enough; she just had to ask the right questions.

"He was asking if you had said anything to me." Sophie raised her eyebrows as she spoke, waiting for Lucie to say something more.

"Okay?" Lucie mumbled.

"So?" Sophie prodded, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave Lucie a stern look.

"I said everything was fine," Lucie repeated.

"Right, and that's why you're sitting all the way over here," Sophie laughed, shaking her head. "You've got to give me something real here, Luce. Timo's freaking out and about to switch into protective big brother mode."

"About to?" Lucie choked out. She rolled her eyes as Sophie shrugged. "He's been like that all week."

"He's just trying to look out for you," Sophie laughed in agreement. "And now that he's caught wind of Nico worrying about you, he's been asking me all day what might have happened."

"So you're over here fishing for information from him?" Lucie asked.

Sophie shrugged again, giving Lucie's arm a gentle nudge with her shoulder. "I figured you'd rather confide in me than be interrogated by Timo."

Sophie wasn't wrong—if Lucie was going to confide in anyone, it was going to be Sophie. But she wasn't ready to open up to anyone about this. If she told Sophie, she knew it would eventually get back to Timo, and Timo couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

Not to mention how Timo would react to finding out what happened between his little sister and his teammate.

"Right, like I'm going to tell Timo I slept with his captain." The sarcastic response was out before Lucie even realized it. She clamped a hand over her mouth to physically stop herself from talking.

"Oh my God," Sophie squeaked. She took a moment to shake her head and collect herself. "Secret's safe with me, but oh my God."

Lucie groaned, feeling the scarlet blush of embarrassment creeping up her neck.

"So, like, was it bad, or..?" Sophie's voice trailed off as she looked at Lucie expectantly.

"No," Lucie whined. She leaned her head back against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut as she groaned. "It was incredible—as expected."

Sophie laughed at the younger girl's response. "So what's the problem then?"

Lucie let out a deep breath as she opened her eyes. She quietly picked at the edges of her manicured nails as she thought. At this point, the secret was out. She didn't really have anything else to lose by being honest here.

Sophie had always been her confidant. She was the safe person everyone could go to for advice or commiseration. Her warm, inviting personality made everyone feel safe the moment they met her.

"Yesterday, after we had already hooked up or whatever, I accidentally saw some notifications on his phone from a dating app," Lucie admitted.

"Ah," Sophie nodded.

She was well aware of how Lucie and Alexander had ended, an eerily similar fate of discovering dating apps hidden on his phone. She knew this had to be bringing up some unresolved feelings for Lucie. But with everything she knew about Nico, she didn't picture him as the kind of guy to hide secrets like that, especially not after how he had been talking about Lucie for the last few months.

"I'm assuming you guys had a big fight over it then?" Sophie gently asked.

Lucie shook her head at the question.

She watched Timo rejoin Nico, sitting beside him as he handed him a to-go coffee cup. The two Swiss men started talking, Nico's dimples on full display as he laughed at whatever Timo had said. After a week of watching Timo glare at and hover over Nico, it was refreshing to see them back to their usual dynamic.

Lucie felt a heavy weight pressing on her chest at the reality of all she had done this week. Her selfish actions' ripple effect on the people around her and their relationships went far beyond what her stupid crush was worth.

"No," Lucie finally admitted. "I didn't say anything."

"Lucie, sweetie," Sophie cooed.

"It wasn't real anyway," Lucie dismissed.

It was the same repeated speech she had recited in her head since she had accidentally picked up Nico's phone. If she continued to recite it enough times, she might start to actually believe it. It could finally overwrite the ache in her chest when she remembered Nico's admission to her, revealing how long he had cared for her and how everyone was in on it but her.

"I should have known better than to let real feelings get involved," Lucie added. "This was all fake. We never should have taken it this far."

"This may have started fake, but I don't think it's ending that way." Sophie kept her voice low as she spoke. Timo and Nico were well out of earshot, however, she still wanted Lucie to feel comfortable and private enough to be honest with her. "Not if you don't want it to."

"It's fine," Lucie shrugged again. But the quiver in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Sophie. "It is what it is, Soph."

"But it's not," Sophie argued. "I can talk to him, and-"

"Sophie," Lucie interrupted. "I really appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary. You can just tell Timo I got my period or something, and that's why I was moody."

Sophie bit her lip to try and smother her laugh, reaching over to gently squeeze Lucie's thigh. "Whatever you want, pretty girl."

After an extended pause, where Lucie thought the conversation was over and they were peacefully moving on, Sophie let out another small giggle.

"I can't believe you slept with Nico," she whispered.

"Oh my God," Lucie groaned, leaning her head back against the wall as she shut her eyes. "Do not tell Timo."

🌨️ The Final Day: MONDAY Jersey City, New Jersey

Lucie had always been a patient person. It came with the territory when you were this hyper-organized.

But even the most patient of people had a breaking point. As she jammed the up arrow to call for the elevator to take her from the lobby back up to Timo and Sophie's apartment, she reached her personal breaking point.

She pressed the button a few more times, impatiently chewing on her lip as she watched the numbers above the elevator rise, telling her she had just missed it. She was exhausted at this point. All she wanted was to get back to the quiet sanctuary that Timo's spare bedroom had become for her and curl up under the warm covers of her bed.

She should have known she was going to be exhausted today. Even if the week-long Tulum affair hadn't ended on such a sour note, she had just spent seven days in the heat and humidity, hydrating on champagne rather than water. Lucie should have accounted for a recovery day like Timo and Sophie had done. Practices didn't resume for Timo until Tuesday, so he and Sophie were still asleep when Lucie left that morning.

But Lucie needed the distraction, desperate for something to focus on other than Nico. So, she foolishly agreed to the early morning meeting with a potential client, which quickly spiraled into an all-day conference.

One of Connor's co-workers had just gotten engaged over the Christmas holidays and wanted to throw a lavish wedding ball. After hearing Connor and Stella rave about Lucie and how incredible she had been at making their dream wedding come to life, they begged Stella to set up a meeting. All had gone well that morning, and they were tentatively planning a spring 2025 wedding.

They had even mentioned some other friends who were due to get engaged soon, asking if Lucie could help with bachelorettes and baby showers, too. As tiring as it all was to think of today, it filled Lucie with a surge of confidence that everything would be okay. She was landing on her feet, slowly building up a portfolio of clients and a stable career for herself. She'd be on her own two feet and maybe could even move out of Timo's apartment into a place of her own sooner than she had thought was ever possible.

Mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted, Lucie pressed the elevator button again. If she pressed it enough, maybe it would arrive faster.

But luck was never on her side, so she watched the elevator return to the ground level and bypass the lobby to pick up someone from the underground parking garage first. She grumbled a few curse words in Swiss German as the doors finally opened, her brain always defaulting back to her native tongue when she was this exhausted. Lucie picked up her tote bag from where it was resting on the floor by her feet, scurrying into the empty elevator.

Except the elevator wasn't empty.

Like some final cruel joke from the universe today, Nico was leaning up against the elevator's back wall, scrolling on his phone as Lucie stepped in.

He glanced up at the movement, automatically shuffling over to the side to make room when he realized who had just joined him. He gave Lucie a nervous smile, one that she didn't return as she settled into the opposite corner, placing as much physical distance between them as the small box offered.

Nico had been thinking of Lucie all day, his finger hovering over her contact in his phone as he tried to talk himself into reaching out and calling her. The longer he had been left alone with his thoughts to try and decipher what was going on in Lucie's head, the more restless he had become.

He had even shown up at Timo's apartment earlier that afternoon, hoping Lucie would be more likely to talk to him in person rather than risk her screening his calls. But Sophie had answered the door, letting him know that Lucie wasn't home and didn't know when she'd return. He had stayed for a bit, Sophie trying to give him some advice to help him better understand how Lucie's mind worked after knowing her for so long.

But all it did was frustrate Nico even more, so he settled for heading to the rink to get in an off-ice workout as an outlet for his jittery energy. No one would think anything of it, disguising the workout as the captain trying to get ahead on his post-break conditioning.

As the elevator doors closed and they began climbing toward Lucie's floor, Nico eyed her nervously. Her body language screamed that she was closed off. Leaning her shoulder against the wall opposite where Nico was standing, she remained facing forward, eyes looking everywhere but in Nico's direction. He watched her shove her hands into the pockets of her puffy winter coat, as if she were trying to shrink herself and curl away from the potential of a confrontation.

Lucie had run, and Nico didn't chase her—something that had been eating away at him for the last couple of days. He thought he was doing the right thing at the time by giving her space. Nico quickly realized she wasn't looking for space to clear her head for a moment; she was making a permanent break. But by that point, she was so far gone that he figured he had lost his one real shot and needed to get a grip and get over it.

And then the universe had forced her into this elevator alone with him.

If he didn't chase her now, he was never going to.

"Lucie, can we-"

Nico was interrupted by the elevator doors chiming, stopping on the fifth-floor gym. Two girls, dressed in gym clothes fresh from a workout, got on and pressed the number for the floor between Lucie and Nico's apartments, squashing any potential alone time. Nico uttered a few curse words under his breath in Swiss German as the two girls' bubbly conversation cut him off.

Lucie let out a breath of relief as the two girls came to stand between them. Seemingly oblivious to Nico and Lucie's presence, their conversation drowned out the tense silence between her and Nico. The two girls continued laughing, chatting about the new running track the building had just opened and how it was so much better than the uneven path they had been forced to run on through the park across the street.

"Plus, there's some real eye candy in the building sometimes," the girl standing closest to Nico giggled.

"Oh, we love a good gym crush!"

They laughed, their comment seemingly innocent and casual in nature. Still, it made the hair on the back of Lucie's neck stand up as she watched Nico fidget out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't like they were talking about Nico or directing their comments at him, but she could recognize that ugly green feeling sneaking into her chest—not that he was even hers to be jealous over.

She had lost that right when she ran. Lucie had been the one to walk away and essentially end whatever whirlwind romance had started to bloom in Mexico.

For good reason, though, she tried to remind herself. She was being smart and protecting herself.

That didn't make listening to the two girls giggle over their story of the cute guys who were always at the track on Sunday mornings any easier to stomach.

Lucie took a moment to look over and steal a glance at Nico, his shoulder leaning against the opposite wall as he mirrored Lucie's position. But as she tried to steal a subtle look, she was met with brown eyes already staring back at her. Lucie instantly recoiled as if she had touched a hot stove, snapping her head back forward to continue staring straight ahead.

Nico looked good.

He was wearing a black hoodie with Snoopy embroidered on the front. How could anyone possibly be mad at a man in a Snoopy sweater? His dark hair was pushed back under a backward white cap, making his freshly tanned skin even more golden in contrast.

Maybe Lucie was hypersensitive to everything about Nico, but the elevator smelled like his cologne. It was subtle, but it still sent her brain spiraling back to the morning after in Tulum, remembering how it felt to wake up with her head resting in the crook of his neck. Slowly tickled back to consciousness by the brush of his stubble against her nose, she was enveloped by the smell of his faded cologne and minty body wash still lingering on his skin.

Oh, how vividly a smell could trigger a memory.

And then there was Lucie. Feeling like she had been run over by a bus after a day of running around the city, bundled under so many layers to battle the bitter February cold. She was sure she looked just as disheveled as she felt.

Despite being tied back in a loose braid to prevent it from tangling in the wind, her hair was now full of frizzy knots at the base of her neck where the shorter layers of hair had escaped from the frayed elastic holding the braid in place. What had once been a full face of makeup to put on her best impression of a put-together event planner now felt like an oily mess, her nose pink and raw from the cold winter wind.

Lucie tried to focus on the rising numbers as the elevator continued to climb, silently wishing for it to move faster. She needed out. She needed to escape from Nico before the tension became too much, and she caved in again.

She didn't know how to survive like this, ignoring Nico for the rest of her life when he was so clearly intertwined in Timo's world. A group setting would be manageable, she assured herself. And maybe she'd just take the stairs to climb the sixteen flights up to her apartment for the remaining time she lived here, never having to risk a one-on-one elevator run-in again.

She tried to remind herself that it was fresh now, but it would get easier in time. It wasn't going to feel like her heart was being ripped out of her chest every time she looked into his sad brown eyes, right?

Finally arriving at Lucie's floor, she politely whispered goodbye to Nico before rushing out. She practically sprinted down the hall to put as much distance between them as she could, refusing the temptation to look back.

Once inside, she rested her forehead against the closed door, breathing a shaky exhale. Lucie couldn't run forever. She didn't have it in her to keep doing this. Fighting back tears, teetering on the edge of a complete emotional breakdown, didn't feel like protecting her peace or whatever delusional excuse she had told herself the morning she first ran.

She slowly turned around, dropping her keys into the colorful glass dish on the entryway table. She expected to find a curious Timo lingering around the corner. He had yet to confront her and ask her what was really going on, but she knew it was driving him mad. He had been in Sophie's ear since Saturday night, trying to figure out what had his little sister so upset, but he was too scared to actually ask her.

Surely, seeing her slumped against the front door with fresh tears in her eyes, he would cave and force her to tell him what had her so sad.

And maybe a tiny part of her wanted him to ask because Lucie would always be too scared to start that conversation first. Perhaps all she needed was some big brother advice—the kind of tough love Timo was so good at giving. Even if it was going to be about his captain.

But instead, there was no one there.

The entire apartment was silent, something impossible to achieve if Timo was home. He was loud, not just in his speaking volume but in everything he did. He couldn't shut a door gently or empty the dishwasher without waking the entire apartment building floor. Not to mention, he always had to have the TV or music playing in the background no matter what he was doing, including taking a pre-game nap.

Lucie toed off her slush-stained Ugg boots before making her way into the kitchen. A post-it note was stuck to the middle of the otherwise clear stainless steel fridge door. Lucie's name stared back at her in Sophie's loopy handwriting. She peeled the sticky note off the fridge to read the small note.

The note let her know Timo and Sophie were out for dinner with Sophie's parents, who were in town for a couple of days to break up the trip back to Switzerland after the wedding. They left the restaurant's name in case Lucie wanted to stop by for drinks when she was done.

There was a small PS at the bottom in Timo's unmistakable all-caps handwriting, saying he was waiting on a delivery, so please please sign for it if it came. Lucie rolled her eyes at Timo's addition, especially the poorly drawn heart at the end.

Lucie pulled her phone out of her coat pocket to text Sophie that she was home but wouldn't make it to dinner when she was met with a black screen. Her phone must have died on her trek home; she was too distracted by her frazzled thoughts to have noticed. That would explain why Sophie had left a physical note rather than a text in the first place. Sophie and Timo were unphased by their messages going undelivered at this point, assuming more often than not that Lucie's phone was dead. Old habits really did die hard.

She shrugged off her coat, leaving it hanging over a barstool in the kitchen before paddling down the hall to find the phone charger she knew she must have had somewhere in her room. She found one shoved into the nightstand drawer, plugging her phone in and leaving it on the bedside table. She was in no rush to check her notifications or respond to anyone once it came back to life, so she left it to charge. She made a mental note to come back later and get it, whenever that might be.

All she wanted right now was to take full advantage of the quiet apartment and rot on the couch in the living room uninterrupted. Maybe she'd even order some food and turn on a true crime documentary that was sure to anxiously keep her up all night. After quickly changing into comfier clothes and combing her hair out of its messy braid, she grabbed her favorite pillow off her bed. She headed back toward the living room, pulling a fluffy throw blanket from the basket under the TV on her way. She tossed the pillow onto the couch, beginning to arrange the throw pillows and blankets into her ideal nest for the night.

A knock at the front door interrupted Lucie before she could get comfortable.

With so much of Sophie and Stella's family staying in New York for a few days after the wedding, she assumed someone must be stopping by to see Sophie or Timo. She wanted to keep quiet and pretend she wasn't home, but then she remembered Timo's plea to sign for his delivery. She could also pretend she wasn't there and Timo would never know that they didn't actually miss her.

But realistically, he was letting her live here rent-free and had gone above and beyond to get her anything she needed. The least she could do was not be a bratty little sister and sign for his package so he didn't have to try and track it down at a post office later this week.

Throwing off the blanket, she reluctantly made her way to the door, pulling it open as she tried to muffle a yawn with the sleeve of her sweater. But rather than a delivery driver or some third cousin twice removed, there stood Nico. His hand rested on the door frame as if he was about to knock again as he looked down at Lucie.

"Timo's not here," she greeted him.

She glanced down at his feet for a moment, hoping Timo's package might have been resting there and she could pretend that was what she was really opening the door for and bid him goodbye. But there was nothing there. She reluctantly looked back up, finding Nico's gaze unwavering.

"I know," he responded gruffly. "I'm here for you."

Lucie held her ground, staring blankly up at Nico, refusing to move or open the door wider to invite him in. Hands hidden in the oversized sleeves of her sweater, she balled them into fists and pressed her fingernails into her palms. Lucie squeezed until she could feel the crescent-shaped indents stinging into her hands. She tried to focus on the stinging sensation to keep her grounded and her emotions impartial.

"We need to talk," he pleaded. "Please."

Annoyingly, that was all it took. Lucie let out a small sigh of frustration but let him in any way. Lucie didn't want to cave this quickly, but there was no way Lucie was going to realistically ignore him forever, especially when he looked at her with those sullen puppy dog eyes. She figured she was better off getting this over with and shutting him down for good as soon as possible.

He followed her into the kitchen, watching as she took up residence, leaning back against the counter at the far side of the room. Her arms folded over her chest as she maintained as much distance as possible. Wanting to respect her space, Nico hovered in the entryway.

"The floor is yours," she spoke, fighting to keep her voice and face as neutral as possible. She could be brave. She had survived more difficult conversations and always came out better on the other side. This would be no different.

"Sophie told me why you're avoiding me."

Lucie opened her mouth to object, but Nico raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't be upset with her. I had to practically beg," Nico said, watching Lucie's brows furrow as she scowled. "And even then, she was still vague."

Lucie rolled her eyes, making a mental note to cuss out Sophie when she got home—so much for being a confidant. Timo probably knew, too. She wouldn't be surprised if every person in Switzerland knew at this point.

"But she did tell me you saw something on my phone, and I'm not okay with this approach you've taken of getting upset and walking away." Nico's voice was stern, as if he had rehearsed this a few times or was calling on his past experience of addressing a locker room after a disappointing game. "I want to talk this out."

Lucie couldn't help but cringe as she listened to him. She felt a bit like she was in trouble, being scolded by an authority figure for being dumb and reckless.

"I didn't mean to," she finally stuttered out.

Mentally, she was suddenly back with Alexander again. Always in trouble, never doing enough, never getting it right. It was impressive how well a body could keep score, reverting to how small her ex's words would make her feel, like some form of emotional muscle memory that would forever be stored deep within her bones. She felt the inherent need to spit out an excuse and downplay the situation.

"I wasn't, like, going through your phone," she started. "It just went off, and I thought it was mine, so I picked it up and-"

"I don't care about that." Nico pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out, taking a few tentative steps across the tile floor toward Lucie. "I have nothing to hide."

When she made no motion to grab or even acknowledge the phone, Nico tapped his thumb on the screen. Swiping up to unlock it, he held it back out towards Lucie.

"Nico," she warned with a roll of her eyes. She gently pushed his outstretched hand down. "I'm not going through your phone."

This was an empty gesture as far as Lucie was concerned. He could have already deleted everything; she knew Alexander did exactly that. He knew he was showing up here intending to show off how empty and innocent his phone notifications were—he had plenty of time to delete anything that didn't paint him as the picture-perfect boyfriend.

He wouldn't earn any brownie points with Lucie for this too-little, too-late plea.

Nico placed his phone on the counter beside her, raking a frustrated hand through his hair before adjusting the backward baseball cap back on his head. She hated how good he looked, even in such a casual outfit. He was still dressed in those black track pants, a black hoodie, and a white backward hat—a contrast to the tropical outfits he had worn all week in Tulum. But even with this many layers on, he looked strong. His brawny muscles easily filled out the team-issued pants and sweater.

Lucie gave her head a shake, trying to refocus. She was turning Nico down, setting a boundary that this would never happen. Lucie wasn't going to let another guy cheat on her or string her along just because his quads looked incredible in Lululemon pants. She needed to get a grip if she was going to survive this conversation.

But Nico took her slight head shake as Lucie having dismissed him and writing off his apologetic gesture before he could even explain himself. So, naturally, Nico began to panic. Words started nervously spilling out of his mouth before his brain could catch up.

"I'm not using any of those apps," he started. "I mean, yeah, I have them, but I'm not on them. And I haven't been for a long time."

Lucie folded her arms across her chest, watching as Nico squirmed under the weight of his gaze. She felt oddly powerful at how viscerally he reacted to her expectant stare.

"But you have to, like, pay for Raya—which is so stupid to admit out loud," Nico continued. "So if you pause or cancel your subscription, you lose your account and would have to go through the whole application process again, which takes forever. So I wasn't using it because I didn't really have time for this online dating thing, but everyone told me not to delete it because I'd change my mind in the off-season."

Every time Lucie opened her mouth to speak up or interrupt, Nico continued, even more panicked words tumbling out of his mouth. He was scared that if he stopped before he got the whole story out, Lucie would shut him down.

If, after everything, she still decided to walk away, he would respect her decision and have to learn to live with it all. But he couldn't stomach the thought of her leaving, giving up on him before they ever got a real chance, because she jumped to conclusions, and he never bothered to take the time to reassure her.

"So the subscription still auto-renews, and I'd get notifications about it occasionally, but I hadn't really thought about it. I'd just dismiss the notifications as they came through," Nico continued to ramble. "Like, the notification that came through on Saturday was just a payment alert that the renewal was coming up."

"And that's not an excuse, but I don't want you thinking I was using it or talking to someone else last week when I was with you." Nico paused to take a deep breath, voice wavering as he tried to blurt out all his thoughts.

"It's fine," Lucie shrugged, finally finding a moment to speak up and dismiss Nico's skittish rant. "You don't owe me-"

"No, I do," he asserted. "And I should have deleted the app before but didn't think of it."

Lucie just nodded her head, unsure what else to say at this point.

"I'm not—fuck." Nico took a deep breath. "There's no one else. It's you, Lucie."

As much as Lucie didn't want his words to have an effect on her, her body had a mind of its own as her breath caught in her throat. It was the admission she had always wanted to hear, but it felt different from every time she had heard those words. Because he was fighting for her. He was communicating with her. He wasn't settling for half-truths or gaslighting her for being concerned.

While she remained quiet, mind reeling, Nico took a timid step forward to slowly close the space between them.

"It's you, Lucie—full stop," he repeated.

"Nico," she began, but he shook his head to stop her.

He needed to get his thoughts out of his head and off his chest. He had made it this far; he needed to get it all out. All of the words he had been rehearsing, the ones Timo had warned him to keep to himself until Lucie made the first move, were at the floodgates, ready to come tumbling out.

"I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you out for months," he admitted. "But Timo's been so strict. He's the first one to remind me every day that if I fuck this up, he'll kill me. He'll say it like he's joking, but I have a sister, so I know he's not."

Lucie let a small laugh slip out, biting her lip to smother it. She could perfectly picture Timo trying to appear intimidating, but she also knew her older brother was all talk. He couldn't hurt a fly.

"But that doesn't scare me because I've been in love with you for years and never thought I'd get a chance, so I was prepared to fight for you. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me to win you over; get myself out of that box labeled your brother's friend so maybe you'd see me as more."

Lucie felt dizzy.

Nico had been in love with her for years.

Stella and Sophie had told her that Nico liked her. He had told her he liked her. But this confession, sober and sincere, felt like it carried more weight.

She could feel her eyes welling up with tears at the weight of his admission. She didn't know how to process his words or let him know that her heart was screaming the same things, but she was just so scared.

Everything about Nico was so confident and real. Despite probably being in love with him from the moment she met him, she was constantly creating a laundry list of reasons why this wouldn't work and why she wasn't good enough for the love he showed her.

"And then Timo volunteered me for the wedding, and it felt like getting his full approval finally. I mean, he reminded me all fucking week that he was watching, but-" Nico's shoulders slumped as he let out a grim laugh. "I fucked it all up anyways."

"You didn't fuck it all up," Lucie finally whispered.

A heavy silence fell over them as Lucie's lip quivered, trying desperately to find the right words amongst the storm in her head.

"I just..." Lucie sighed, blinking to try and hold back the river of tears threatening to spill over. "I panicked. I don't know."

"Lucie, please don't run from me," he begged. He didn't care how pathetic his groveling sounded. She was so close; he would do everything he could to ensure she didn't slip through his fingers again. "If you're scared or think something's wrong, just talk to me. Please."

"Okay."

"Okay?" he repeated, almost hesitant in his question. It was like he wasn't expecting Lucie to agree or reciprocate these feelings. Or if he offered her the time and space to think it over, she'd come to her senses and say she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Yeah," Lucie nodded. "I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions. You just..." Lucie shrugged as her voice trailed off, struggling to find what to say.

Nico stayed quiet, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"You felt too good to be true." Lucie couldn't help the breathy laugh that slipped out as she said it. Hearing how ridiculous that sounded, she had no choice but to laugh.

She had run away, self-sabotaging all of their potential because she liked him too much; therefore, she needed to find a flaw to protect herself. A flaw she could use as an excuse to blame everything falling apart on rather than hearing him out or believing that something good could actually work out for once in her life.

"After years of Sopie and Timo nagging me about my embarrassingly obvious crus on his World Juniors teammate," Lucie covered her face with her hands as she spoke, mortified by the words she was admitting. But Nico gently grabbed her wrists, peeling her hands away from her face so he could look at her as she spoke.

Nothing could stop Nico's face-splitting grin as he listened to her words. He couldn't believe it.

2016.

This was the only year he and Timo had played at the World Juniors together. The same tournament where he had spotted Lucie in the crowd during their first game. Nico had done a double take before a face-off at the beautiful girl in a white Switzerland jersey in the middle of Finland.

He had lost that face-off, unable to focus on anything else for a moment. He was smitten from the get-go and knew he was doomed when that girl appeared in the family suite at the end of the tournament. Timo brought her around, arm slung around her shoulder as he proudly introduced everyone to his little sister.

"After all that time, you couldn't possibly like me in the way that I liked you," Lucie explained. As she spoke, Nico slipped his hands from her wrists to intertwine their fingers, giving her hands a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "I was waiting for reality to set in or the bubble to burst—whatever you want to call it. And I think I just found what I wanted to find."

"I get that," Nico nodded as he closed the final distance between them. He briefly dropped her hands to delicately tuck her hair behind her ears as she stared up at him. His hands cradled either side of her face, thumbs rubbing soothingly along her cheekbones.

This was it. Everything was out in the open. There was no going back now.

There were no more secret crushes or need for stolen looks across a room. All of the subtle actions of want that everyone but them seemed to pick up on. Now, they could be honest with each other. They could take the leap together.

"But you're it for me, Schatz," Nico whispered. Lucie's arms timidly wrapped around his neck, foreheads resting against each other as he kept his voice low. "You're all I'll ever want, if you'll have me."

Lucie couldn't bear to be apart from him for a second longer. She leaned up onto her tiptoes to brush her lips against his. She could feel Nico smile into the kiss as she wound her arms tighter around him.

Coming up for air, Lucie's lips brushed against his as she spoke.

"There's nothing I've ever wanted more."

#oh this was a MASTERPIECE #i felt ever single emotion #fic rec 🏒

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