Updated Feb 24, 2026 • ~8 min read
POV: Blair
Three weeks of peace. No Sage drama. No major fights. No crises. Just them. Long-distance but manageable. Good even. Blair was cautiously optimistic. Maybe they’d turned a corner. Maybe the worst was behind them.
Cal was coming to Vancouver for his bye week—four days off, the longest stretch they’d had together in months. Blair was nervous-excited. Four days felt like forever and no time at all.
He arrived Wednesday night, exhausted from the drive but smiling. “Hey you.”
“Hey yourself.”
They kissed. Soft. Familiar. Home. This never got old.
First night, they didn’t do anything special. Takeout. Movie. Couch. Normal couple stuff. Cal fell asleep halfway through, head on Blair’s shoulder, snoring softly. She didn’t wake him. Just sat there. Watching him sleep. This man drove four hours after a brutal week just to be with her for four days. Then he’d drive back. Do it all again. Because he loved her. That wasn’t nothing. That was everything.
Thursday, they slept in. No alarms. No obligations. Lazy morning stretching into afternoon. Cal made coffee. Blair made pancakes. They ate in bed, talking about nothing, comfortable silence between topics. Perfect.
“I could do this forever,” Cal said.
“What? Eat pancakes in bed?”
“This. Wake up with you. Every day. No distance. No goodbyes. Just us.”
“Sounds nice.”
“It’s more than nice. It’s everything I want.”
Blair’s heart swelled. “Me too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. This is… this is it for me. You’re it.”
Cal kissed her. Syrup-sweet, literal and figurative. “You’re it for me too. Always have been.”
They spent the day exploring. Blair’s favorite spots. Coffee shop where she worked on reports. Park where she ran. Gym where she did her own PT. Showing him her life—the one she’d built without him.
“You’ve made a real home here,” Cal observed.
“I have. But it’s missing something.”
“What?”
“You.”
He pulled her close and kissed her temple. “Not for long. Trade talks are progressing.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
“I’m not. I’m being realistic. Vancouver wants me. Seattle’s softening. It’s happening.”
“When?”
“After playoffs. Probably summer.”
“That’s three months away.”
“I’ve waited longer. I can wait three more months.”
Friday, they did tourist stuff. Capilano Suspension Bridge. Breathtaking views. Terrifying heights. Blair was nervous, but Cal held her hand.
“I’ve got you.”
“It’s high.”
“It’s safe.”
“It’s swaying.”
“That’s the point. Adventure.”
“I hate adventure.”
“You love me. I’m an adventure.”
She laughed. Couldn’t help it. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously charming.”
“Debatable.”
Halfway across, Cal stopped. “Look at the view.”
“I’m trying not to look down.”
“Not down. Out. Look.”
Blair did. Endless forest. Mountains in distance. Sky stretching forever. Beautiful. Breathtaking.
“Worth the terror?” Cal asked.
“Maybe.”
“Definitely. Best things are scary. Like loving you.”
Blair turned. “Loving me is scary?”
“Terrifying. You could break my heart. Crush me completely. I’ve given you that power.”
“I won’t.”
“I know. But you could. That’s trust. That’s love. Being vulnerable enough to get hurt and doing it anyway.”
“When did you get so philosophical?”
“When I almost lost you. Made me realize what matters.”
That night, they went fancy. Dinner reservation. Nice restaurant. Blair wore a dress. Cal wore a suit. They looked like an actual couple—sophisticated, together, real.
“We clean up nice,” Cal said.
“We do.”
“You’re stunning.”
“You’re biased.”
“Absolutely. And correct.”
Over dessert, Cal got serious. “I need to tell you something.”
Blair’s stomach dropped. “That sounds ominous.”
“It’s not. It’s just… important.”
“Okay.”
He took her hand. “I’ve said I love you before. Multiple times. And I meant it. Every time.”
“I know.”
“But I need to say it differently. More completely.”
“Cal—”
“Let me finish. Please.”
Blair nodded. Heart racing.
“I love you. Not just romantically. Not just physically. But completely. I love your stubbornness. Your dedication. The way you care about your players like they’re family. I love that you call me on my bullshit. That you push me to be better. That you don’t let me hide from hard things.”
He was tearing up. Blair was too.
“I love that you chose me. Repeatedly. Even when it cost everything. Your job. Your reputation. Your plans. You chose me anyway. And I don’t take that lightly. I never have. But I need you to know… you’re not just my girlfriend. You’re my person. The one I want forever with. The one I’ll fight for. Sacrifice for. Build a life with.”
He paused. Breathed.
“I know we’re not engaged. Not even officially living together. But in every way that matters? You’re already my wife. My partner. My everything. And I needed you to know that. Fully. Completely.”
Blair was crying. Full ugly crying in a fancy restaurant. She didn’t care.
“I love you too. So much it terrifies me sometimes. Because if I lost you—”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. Because I’m not going anywhere. Ever. You’re stuck with me.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Forever. However long that is.”
They kissed. Right there. Public. Soft. Sweet. Sealing the promise. People around them clapped. They didn’t notice. Lost in each other. Always.
Walking home, hand in hand, Cal said: “I’m going to marry you someday.”
“Is that a proposal?”
“Not yet. Proposals involve rings and planning. This is a statement of intent.”
“Intent noted.”
“You’re not opposed?”
“To marrying you? No. To rushing into it because we’re feeling romantic after good wine? Maybe.”
“Fair. When I propose for real, you’ll know. It’ll be perfect.”
“I don’t need perfect. I just need you.”
“You have me. Always.”
That night, they made love. Different than before. Slower. Deeper. More intentional. Like they were making promises with their bodies. Forever promises.
After, wrapped together, Cal traced patterns on her skin. “What are you thinking?” Blair asked.
“That I’ve never been this happy. This certain. About anything.”
“Me neither.”
“Scared?”
“Terrified.”
“Me too. But good terrified.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“With you? Absolutely.”
Blair fell asleep first. Cal watched her. This woman had changed everything. Destroyed his perfect plans. Rebuilt him better. He meant what he said. She was his person. His forever. Now he just needed to make it official. Not tonight. Not yet. But soon. After the trade. After they were in the same city. After life settled. Then he’d ask properly. Ring. Plan. Romance. Everything she deserved.
Saturday morning. Their last full day together. Cal had to leave Sunday. Back to Seattle. Back to reality. They stayed in bed late. Savoring. Memorizing.
“I don’t want you to go,” Blair said.
“I don’t want to go.”
“Then don’t. Call in sick. Stay forever.”
“Tempting. But playoffs start in two weeks. Preston would kill me.”
“Worth it though.”
“Almost.”
They were quiet. Dreading tomorrow. Always dreading goodbye.
“This is the last time,” Cal said suddenly.
“Last time what?”
“Last time we do this. The goodbye. The drive. The distance. After playoffs, I’m requesting the trade officially. And if Seattle says no again, I retire. Move here anyway.”
“Cal—”
“I’m serious. No more long-distance. No more missing you. No more half-relationship. We’re doing this for real. Together. Same city. Same life.”
“What if the trade doesn’t happen?”
“Then I walk away from hockey. Find something else. Coach. Train. Whatever. But I do it here. With you.”
“You’d really give it up?”
“Without hesitation. Hockey’s been my life for twenty-five years. But you’re my future. Easy choice.”
Blair kissed him. Hard. Desperate. Grateful. “I love you. The real kind. The forever kind.”
“I love you too. The marry-you-someday kind.”
“Someday soon?”
“Someday very soon.”
They spent Saturday making memories. Photos at the waterfront. Dinner at her favorite restaurant. Long walk talking about the future. Real future. Shared future. Apartment hunting. Wedding ideas. Kids maybe someday. Everything. All of it. Together.
Sunday morning came too fast. Cal packed slowly. Stalling.
“I hate this.”
“I know. Me too.”
“Two more months. Then playoffs end. Then everything changes.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He kissed her goodbye. Long. Thorough. Memorable. “I love you. The real kind.”
“I love you too. The forever kind.”
He left. Blair watched from her window. Car pulling away. Distance growing. But different this time. Because this wasn’t just goodbye. It was see you soon. It was almost over. It was the beginning of forever.
She touched her ring finger. Bare now. Not for long. Cal meant what he said. Someday soon, there’d be a ring. A proposal. A wedding. Forever official. Blair could wait. She was good at waiting now. And this? This was worth waiting for.
Cal texted when he hit Seattle. Made it home. Already missing you.
Miss you too. Two months.
Two months. Then forever.
Forever sounds perfect.
It does. Because it’s with you.
Blair smiled. Set her phone down. Got ready for bed. Tomorrow was Monday. Work. Routine. But everything felt different. Lighter. Because Cal loved her. The real kind. The forever kind. And soon—maybe very soon—forever started. For real. Completely. Together.
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