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laurenairay · 2 years

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What You Gonna Do When She Turns Around - T. Jost

Summary: Tyson finally persuades Chloe to go on a date with him.

Words: 1.9k

Warnings: some bad language, a little angst, a little flirting

A/N: Despite having pretty bad writer’s block, I desperately wanted to write the next part in their story, because I have so many ideas still for them. After this they might be posted out of timeline order (but I will organise the series masterlist in timeline order, for my sanity’s sake) so I hope you enjoyed this next step in their relationship!

Title from Take a Chance by The Magic Numbers.

Series Masterlist

“So this is what you do to impress a girl, huh?”

“Considering how long it took you to agree to go out with me, I figured I’d pull out all the stops,” Tyson shrugged, grinning.

Chloe just snorted, tilting her head to acknowledge his words. He wasn’t wrong, after all. Despite his bold statement in the coffee shop when they first met, about taking her out and proving her wrong, something inside her made her make him work for it. Just a little harder anyway. She needed to know that she wasn’t making a mistake in giving him a chance – she wasn’t just going to roll over because of a cute blush and pretty curls – and considering that he’d stepped up to the unspoken challenge without hesitation, she knew she’d made the right decision.

She’d been even more convinced of her conviction when he followed her on Instagram and she’d discovered who he actually was. What was a professional hockey player doing chasing after a girl like her?

Still, Chloe tried not to hold his career against him. Never judge a book by its cover, right? At least, she was trying to get better at that – and she damn well hated it whenever someone did the same to her. Yes, sure, her personality was as intimidating and blunt on the outside as she looked on the outside…but that wasn’t the sum of her. So she’d resolved to give Tyson the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn’t just be a meathead athlete, at least until he proved otherwise. Considering that a good 50% of his text messages and insta messages were about adorable dogs…well, Chloe had a feeling that he wasn’t going to be the stereotype she usually tried to avoid.

She had waited well over a week though, partly to see if he’d slip into being a dick, but mostly to make him sweat a little. It was good for him. And besides, she already knew that he liked it when she teased him. Win-win all round. But she had eventually given in, given up the detached element of their conversations, and agreed to go to dinner with him as he’d asked.

And here they were. Meritage. Filled with matching couples and twinkling lights and Tyson’s nervous smile. What a charming combination.

“Your server will be over shortly. Have a wonderful evening.”

Tyson smiled warmly as the hostess walked away, Chloe just nodding, and she bit her lip slightly as Tyson turn the full warmth of that smile on her.

“I should’ve said earlier, but you look amazing,” Tyson said softly.

“Oh this old thing?” she teased, plucking at her shirt.

He blushed slightly, making her smile a little sharper, but he just laughed, shaking his head.

“I’m not going to stop complimenting you, you know,” he shrugged, warning her in a tease of his own.

Somehow Chloe didn’t think she’d mind that. Not that she’d admit it out loud.

As Tyson looked down at the menu, Chloe took the chance to have a look around the room. Just by his nervous-excited energy as they walked into this restaurant, she could tell there was no way he chose this place by himself – hell, she would put money on him asking a friend teammate for a recommendation. The whole style of the place felt like Date Night (capital letters implied), from the chic décor to the layout of the tables to even the folding of the napkins.

Even with a floaty black blouse and her favourite high-waisted black silk pants, Chloe felt underdressed and overwhelmed. What was she doing here? She didn’t belong in a classy restaurant, surrounded by all this elegance, with a guy that was clearly out of her league. What was the point? Why was she even botheri…

“How am I doing so far?”

Chloe broke out of her harsh thoughts, biting back her instinctive retort to his question, noticing at the last second a glint in his eyes that unsettled something in her, so much so that it overrode the doubts in her mind. He was genuinely nervous. Not like, regular first date nervous – it was way more than that. He really was trying to impress her, wasn’t he? Was he really so invested in the potential between them already? What was running through his mind?

This wasn’t something to be sharp or mean about. No. She could cut him that much slack. And maybe she could cut herself a little slack too. Sure, maybe she didn’t belong here. But Tyson wanted her here, with him. That had to count for something right? So she hummed, tapping at her cheek as she pretended to think, earning soft laughter than got a little more genuine as she laughed too. Good. That was better. She wanted to see what he was really like on a date, not nervous-polite-Tyson. She wanted the real raw honest Tyson – and she knew he was there somewhere.

“So far, so good. I’ve never been here before. It looks nice,” she shrugged.

Sure, her words would come across as fairly cool to most people, but the brilliant smile that crossed Tyson’s face told her he’d read her exactly how she wanted him to.

“I haven’t been here either,” he shrugged back, making her laugh in return because duh, obviously, he was new to town, “But I’m glad I’m here with you.”

Oh that little flirt. Two could play at that game.

“I’m glad I’m here with you too, Tyson. Let’s see if you can prove me wrong,” Chloe said innocently.

Despite her words imitating those she said when they first met, the reaction from Tyson couldn’t have been more different. Rather than a shy blush from before, the flash of heat across Tyson’s face made her breath hitch quietly in her throat, damn it, but she got what she wanted as his tongue darted out subconsciously to wet his bottom lip, nodding like he couldn’t help himself.

Bingo.

“I’m going to try,” he murmured.

Chloe just smiled. She liked a guy who put in effort. And Tyson looked like the kind of guy who would always give 100%. She could appreciate that. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to push him to be his best though.

“Drinks?”

“I’ll have a sparkling water thanks. Chloe?”

She looked up from the menu with a soft smile. As Tyson had picked her up in his car – a nice touch – she was glad he wouldn’t be drinking. She had hoped he wouldn’t, but well, you never know…and that’s what uber is for. Tonight, she wasn’t feeling alcohol either, wanting to stay sharp and alert around the guy that was already inching past her usual barriers. Better not to let her guard down until she felt fully comfortable – she’d made that mistake before.

“I’ll have the same. Thanks,” Chloe nodded.

She bit her bottom lip as the waiter walked away, glancing over the menu again, before she felt Tyson’s eyes burning into her. So she looked back up at him, only to see him looking anxious again.

“What’s wrong?” she sighed.

“You didn’t have to have a non-alcoholic drink because I chose to,” he blurted.

Oh wow. Is that what he really thought? What the hell?

“Yeah that’s not the reason why. Thanks for validating me though,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

His face paled slightly at her blunt words and she winced (internally) slightly. Okay, maybe a little too harsh.

“I didn’t mean…I…”

Shit.

“Tyson, I didn’t mean to snap,” she interrupted, wincing outwardly now, “I just didn’t feel like drinking alcohol tonight, that’s all.”

She tried to smile softly, to reassure him, and it mostly worked as the stiffness left his body. But by his eyes, she could tell he still wasn’t all the way there. Shit.

“I’m sorry, really. I guess I get a little defensive sometimes,” she said softly.

“A little?”

The teasing smile on his face made her relax, tension leaving her body that she didn’t even know was there, and she found herself smiling back at him, relaxing even more as she noticed the hesitance had left him completely.

“Whoever has made you feel like you need to be defensive, whether it’s other people you’ve dated or whatever, I’m not them. I don’t want you to be anyone other than yourself,” Tyson said firmly.

Oh fuck. What a statement. Chloe let out a shaky breath, trying to ignore the concerned look on his face, trying to calm the nasty wasps buzzing in her chest. Her dating history hadn’t exactly been great, he wasn’t wrong there, but it wasn’t like her life had been a picnic before she’d started dating. Dating and her few relationships had only added to her harshness, Chloe could acknowledge that much. She’d learned to be defensive far too early on in her life.

But that wasn’t an avenue to explore right now.

“You’re too nice,” she said, smiling weakly.

“Maybe you deserve nice,” he shrugged, smiling widely.

Hah. What a thought.

But Tyson took one look at her face and let out a soft huff, making something crack in her chest. Why did he care so much? Who was this guy?

“I mean it, you deserve someone who’s nice to you. I may not have known you for very long, but I know that much,” Tyson said firmly, eyes serious as they locked with hers, “I’m just hoping you’ll let me be that guy.”

It was rare that Chloe was speechless. She always had a little cutting line or a teasing remark, but this? Tyson? Well, she couldn’t find the words at all.

“Chloe?”

His hesitant voice broke her out of her freeze, and she forced a quick smile on her face, trying not to let it look as shaky as she felt.

“I don’t know where you’ve come from, Tyson Jost, but I must’ve done something good in a past life,” she said softly.

He just smiled sweetly at her and for once, for once, she didn’t hate the vulnerability filling her body.

“I don’t know about that…but I’m glad you’re in my life right now,” he said simply.

And now they were back. That was enough sappiness to bring back her equilibrium, and she latched onto it desperately.

“I think that’s enough cheesy lines for now,” Chloe snorted.

Tyson just shrugged, grinning, and she tried to ignore the part of her that knew he meant every word.

“For now. I can’t promise I won’t say more later,” he mused.

“You know what? I think I can handle that,” Chloe teased.

Tyson blushed slightly (and oh how she still loved that blush), and his little pleased smile made her traitorous heart flutter.

Before arriving, Chloe had no idea how tonight was going to go. And she didn’t have a clue what was going to happen after this. Did her future hold a place where Tyson was by her side? She wasn’t sure. But one this she did know was that she was going have a hell of a lot of fun finding out.

Tagging: @antoineroussel @jostystyles @starshine-hockey-girl @ilyasorokinn @whatishockey @fallinallincurls @tysonjost-taylorsversion @senditcolton@sorryjustafangirl @youngbeezer @tippedbykreider @broadstbroskis @jostyriggslover96 @thebookofmags @matthewtkachuk

#my writing #tyson jost fic #take a chance series #tyson jost imagine #tyson jost fanfic #tyson jost x oc #hockey fic #hockey imagine #hockey fanfic #nhl fic #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #hwn cloud #hwncloud

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