All Chapters of His sisters boyfriend : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

168 Chapters

chapter forty one

Chapter Forty-One :Jay pov The summer after the Stanley Cup win was the best summer of my life.Not because of the money. Not because of the fame. Not because of the parties.Because of Cole.He was different now. Lighter. Happier. Like the weight of the world had finally been lifted off his shoulders.He smiled more. Laughed more. Relaxed more."You're different," I told him one night. We were sitting on the couch in our apartment. The windows were open. The summer breeze was warm."Different how?""Lighter. Like you're not carrying something heavy anymore.""I'm not.""What changed?"Cole took my hand. "I won. I did what I set out to do. Now I can just... be.""Be what?""Be with you."I didn't know what to say.So I said nothing.We went back home for a visit.Maya picked us up from the airport. She was wearing a sundress. Her hair was longer. She looked happy."Detroit looks good on you," she said."Detroit is cold.""You look happy.""I am happy."She hugged me. Tight. "I missed

chapter forty two

Chapter Forty-Two :Cole pov The summer after the Stanley Cup win was everything I'd ever dreamed of.Not because of the trophy. Not because of the parades. Not because of the money.Because of Jay.He was different now. Lighter. Happier. Like he'd finally found something he'd been looking for his whole life.He started drawing again. Every night, after work, he'd sit at the kitchen table with his sketchbook and pencils. He drew me. He drew our apartment. He drew the city skyline from our window."You're getting better," I told him one night. I was standing behind him, watching him work."I'm practicing.""You're improving.""I have time now."I kissed the top of his head. "I'm proud of you.""Don't be. It's just drawing.""It's not just drawing. It's you. It's your dream."Jay put his pencil down. Looked up at me."What do you want to do with it?" I asked."I don't know.""You should think about it.""Why?""Because you're good. And you deserve to be happy."Jay was quiet for a momen

chapter forty three

Chapter Forty-Three : Jay povArt school was harder than I expected.Not the drawing part. That came naturally. The hours of practice. The endless sketches. The feel of charcoal on paper. That was the easy part.The hard part was the criticism.Every week, we had to bring our work to class. Pin it on the wall. Stand in front of everyone while they pointed out everything wrong with it."The proportions are off.""The shading is too dark.""The composition is weak.""Did you even try?"I wanted to quit after the first critique.Cole talked me down."You can't quit," he said."Why not?""Because you're good.""They don't think so.""They're pushing you. That's what teachers do.""It feels like they hate me.""They don't hate you. They're trying to make you better."I didn't believe him. But I didn't quit.The second critique was worse.One of the other students, a guy named Marcus, looked at my drawing and laughed."Is this supposed to be a person?" he asked. "It looks like a potato."Th

chapter forty four

Chapter Forty-Four :Cole pov The second NHL season was harder than the first.Not because of the hockey. The hockey was the same. Fast. Hard. Brutal. But because of the expectations. Last year, I was a rookie. Nobody expected anything from me. This year, I was a Stanley Cup champion. Everyone expected everything.The media was worse. Reporters followed me everywhere. Asked me questions about everything. My training. My diet. My relationship."Is it true you're dating a man?" one reporter asked."Yes.""Is it serious?""Very.""Are you planning to get married?""That's none of your business."The next day, the headline read: "HOCKEY STAR COLE ASHFORD PLANNING TO MARRY MYSTERY BOYFRIEND."Jay laughed when he saw it. "Mystery boyfriend? I'm not a mystery. I'm just a barista.""You're not just a barista. You're an artist.""An artist who works at a coffee shop.""An artist who got into the end-of-year show."Jay smiled. "That's true."The season started in October.The first game was in

chapter forty five

Chapter Forty-Five :Cole pov The Hart Trophy sat on our shelf for exactly one week before Jay made me move it."It's staring at me," he said."It's a trophy. It doesn't have eyes.""It's judging me.""It's silver. It doesn't judge."Jay crossed his arms. "Move it.""Where?""I don't care. The closet. The bedroom. The bathroom. Anywhere but here."I picked up the trophy. Walked to the bedroom. Put it on my nightstand."Now it's staring at me while I sleep," I said."That's your problem."I laughed. "You're ridiculous.""You love it.""I love you."The off-season was short.Training camp started in September. New players. New coaches. New expectations. The rink felt different this year. Louder. Faster. More intense. Everyone was fighting for a spot. Everyone wanted to win.I was named captain during the first week.Coach called me into his office after practice. The room was small. A desk. A computer. Photos on the wall of teams from years past."Close the door," he said.I closed it.

chapter forty six

Chapter Forty-Six : Jay pov The summer after the Stanley Cup win was the quietest summer of my life.No crowds. No cameras. No interviews. Just Cole and me and our small apartment near the rink. The trophy was gone. Sent back to the league for engraving. The Hart Trophy was still on the nightstand, staring at me while I slept."You should move that," I said one morning."Why?""Because it's staring at me.""It's a trophy. It doesn't stare.""Everything stares if you look at it long enough."Cole laughed. "You're weird.""You love it.""I love you."He got out of bed. Walked to the kitchen. Started making coffee. I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened.The accident. The hospital. The recovery.The draft. The move. The new job.The art. The gallery. The sales.The Hart Trophy. The Stanley Cup.Two championships in one year. Cole had done it. He'd actually done it.I got out of bed. Walked to the kitchen. Cole handed me a cup of coff

chapter forty seven

Chapter Forty-Seven: Cole pov The solo show in New York was three weeks away, and Jay was losing his mind.He paced the apartment at night. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't eat. Couldn't stop staring at his drawings, rearranging them, second-guessing every line and shadow."What if they hate it?" he asked for the hundredth time."They won't.""What if no one comes?""People will come.""What if the gallery cancels?""Jay.""What if—"I kissed him. "Stop.""I can't.""Yes, you can."He pulled back. Looked at me. His eyes were wild. His hands were shaking."I'm scared," he said."I know.""This is different. This isn't hockey. This isn't your career. This is mine.""I know.""What if I fail?""Then you fail. And you try again.""I don't want to fail.""No one does. But you won't.""How do you know?"I put my hands on his shoulders. Looked him in the eyes. "Because your work is amazing. Because Elena believes in you. Because I believe in you. Now stop pacing and eat something."He sat down. At

chapter forty eight

Chapter Forty-Eight : Jay povThe weeks after Rivera praised my drawing, something shifted inside me.Not a big shift. Not dramatic. Just a small one. Like a door that had been closed for years had cracked open. Just enough to see light on the other side. I started drawing every day. Not because I had to. Because I wanted to. Because when I wasn't drawing, I was thinking about drawing. Because the blank page felt less like an enemy and more like a friend.Cole noticed. "You're different," he said one night. We were sitting on the couch. The game was on. He wasn't watching it. He was watching me."Different how?""Calmer. Like you're not fighting something anymore.""I'm not.""What changed?"I thought about it. Really thought about it. "I stopped being scared.""Of what?""Of being bad at it. Of being judged. Of failing."Cole took my hand. His fingers were warm. "You were never bad at it. You were just out of practice.""Same thing.""Not the same thing."I didn't argue. He was right

chapter forty nine

Chapter Forty-Nine : Cole povThe playoffs were coming.I could feel it in the air. The way practice got harder. The way Coach yelled louder. The way the guys stopped joking around and started staring at the ice like it was a battlefield.Everyone wanted to win. Everyone wanted the Cup. But only one team would get it.I wanted it to be us."You're tense," Jay said one night. We were sitting on the couch. The game was on. I wasn't watching it."I'm fine.""You're not fine. You're grinding your teeth."I stopped. Started again. Didn't notice."It's the playoffs," I said."They don't start for two weeks.""I know. But I can feel them coming."Jay put his hand on my leg. "You've played in big games before.""Not like this. Not for the Cup.""You've won the Cup.""That was different. I was a rookie. I didn't know what I was doing.""And now?""Now I know. That's worse."Jay was quiet for a moment. "You're going to be great.""You always say that.""Because it's always true."I didn't know

chapter fifty

Chapter Fifty :Jay pov The summer after the Stanley Cup win was everything I'd never known I wanted.Not the parties. Not the attention. Not the interviews or the photos or the people who suddenly wanted to be our friends.The quiet.The mornings when Cole and I woke up with nowhere to go. The afternoons spent walking through the city, holding hands, not caring who saw. The evenings when we cooked dinner together, messed up the recipe, ordered takeout instead.No practices. No games. No deadlines.Just us."You're different," Cole said one morning. We were sitting on the couch. Coffee in our hands. Sunlight through the windows."Different how?""Relaxed. Like you're not waiting for something bad to happen."I thought about that. "Maybe I'm not.""What changed?""I don't know. Everything. Nothing."Cole put his arm around me. "That's not an answer.""It's the only one I have."The art studio was my favorite place.Not the living room anymore. A real studio. Small. Downtown. Big window

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