Chapter 37

Two nights ago, the Sharks finished their last game of the season with a win. The entire arena was going crazy, a sea of blue jerseys and roaring fans, and the energy on the ice was nothing I've ever seen before. Will and Macklin's rookie season had come to an end on a high note and while the boys were relieved to have a break, the victory had left them buzzing with adrenaline, with excitement.

To celebrate, the four of us, Macklin, Will, Gabi, and I, planned a glamping trip. A little getaway before the chaos of real life settled back in. For me, that meant nursing school. For Macklin, that meant off-season training. Now, here we were in my bedroom, surrounded by the mess that was my attempt at packing.

Macklin was currently rummaging through my suitcase  and if his deep, thoughtful frown was anything to go by, he was very confused.

"Lexi," he called, pulling out a pair of my scrunched compression workout shorts, holding them between his fingers like they were some strange artifact. "What... is this?"

I turned from my closet, arms full of oversized sweatshirts. "My gym shorts?"

He held them up higher, stretching the waistband. "These? Are you sure? Because I think you accidentally bought baby clothes."

I laughed, shoving the sweatshirts into my suitcase. "They stretch, Macky."

He still didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? Because I feel like if I blow on these too hard, they'll disappear."

I rolled my eyes, snatching them from his hands. "They're compression shorts. They're supposed to be tight."

Macklin leaned back against my dresser, arms crossed, his usual teasing smirk growing wider. "I get that, but these are barely shorts. More like... fabric strips pretending to be shorts. I've seen hockey stick tapes with more material."

I sighed. "Oh my god, Macklin."

"I'm just saying, Lexi," he continued, tilting his head playfully. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm actually a huge fan. I'm just... a little concerned."

I stared at him, deadpan. "Concerned?"

"Yeah. Like, I didn't realize they made gym clothes for Barbie dolls."

I huffed, shoving them back into my suitcase. "You're literally the worst."

He grinned, reaching for another pair I had folded. "I mean, if you wanna pack them, I won't stop you. I support this decision, actually."

I smirked. "Good to know you're in favor of what I wear during glute days."

Macklin winked. "Biggest supporter."

I was about to throw something at him when my phone started ringing on my nightstand. I glanced at the screen.

Birth giver.

Oh, boy.

I grabbed it, sighing. "Hey, Mom."

Her voice came through immediately, excited and way too enthusiastic. "Sweetheart! So... when exactly were you planning to tell us that you and Macklin are dating?"

I froze.

Macklin, of course, looked very entertained by this turn of events.

"Mom, I—" I started, rubbing my temple. "I meant to, I swear. I've just been so busy with school and the games and—"

"Uh-huh," she cut in, not buying it for a second. "Sweetheart, two months ago, you told us you were just friends. Then your aunt sends me a picture of you two looking all cute at one of his games. Are you shy talking about him?" Her words are literally sparkling with excitement.

Macklin's grin widened. I glared at him, mouthing, "Stop."

He didn't.

Before I could answer, Will's voice cut through the moment.

"Mack! Did you grab the bait for the fishing rods, or am I gonna have to hunt for worms like a caveman?"

Macklin turned toward the door, brows raised. "I thought you were grabbing it?"

"No, I grabbed the cooler. You were bait duty."

Macklin blinked. "Well, that's unfortunate."

Will sighed dramatically, muttering something about fixing the situation before noticing my phone. "Oh, is that Mrs. Carter?"

Mom gasped. "Macklin's there?"

I internally groaned.

"Uh... yeah?"

"Put him on the phone!"

Macklin's eyebrows shot up, looking at me for permission if he could talk to my mom. I sighed, tilting the screen toward him.

He leaned in, flashing his usual adorable grin. "Hi, Mrs. Carter. It's nice to finally meet you."

Mom let out a happy gasp. "Oh my goodness! You are even more handsome than in the pictures!"

Macklin chuckled, sending me a knowing look. "That's really kind of you, ma'am."

"Oh, I like him," Mom said, loudly enough for my soul to leave my body. "Tell me, Macklin, when do we get to meet you properly?"

Macklin's gaze flicked to mine before answering smoothly. "Hopefully soon. I'd love to meet you and Mr. Carter properly."

Mom swooned. "Such a gentleman! You better take good care of my daughter, Macklin."

Macklin grinned, nudging me. "Always."

I almost choked on air.

"Oh, I really like him!"

Suddenly, Will popped into frame, grinning. "Mrs. Carter! Did you miss me?"

Mom laughed. "Of course, Will! We were actually thinking of visiting soon with your parents!"

Will cheered. "Oh, hell yeah! Family reunion time!"

Macklin turned to me, smirking. "You ready for that, Lexi?"

I collapsed onto my bed, groaning into my hands. "I need a drink."

Mom laughed. "Alright, I'll let you go. But Lex, sweetheart, next time, don't make me find out about your boyfriend through a picture on the internet."

I sighed. "Noted."

"Love you, Lex! Be safe on your trip!"

"Love you too, Mom."

The second the call ended, Macklin turned to me, looking far too pleased with himself. "Your mom is awesome."

I groaned. "She's also never letting this go."

Will clapped Macklin on the back. "Congrats, man. You're officially Mrs. Carter approved."

Macklin beamed. "I'm glad" I couldn't stop the smile that's tugging at my lips.——

By the time we were all heading out the door, the energy was high—Will and Macklin were both hyped about the trip, Gabi was double-checking the list of things we still needed, and I was mostly just making sure I didn't forget anything important.

Macklin stood beside me, casually adjusting the strap of his duffel bag. "You got everything, Lexi?"

I glanced around one last time, patting my hoodie pocket for my phone before nodding. "Yeah, I think I'm good."

Will leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "We all ready? Or do you two need another five minutes to do some lovey dovey shit"

"Will hush, you and Gabi are just as down bad" I laughed as we all piled into Macklin's SUV.

⸻

Walking into Bass Pro Shop felt like stepping into an entirely different world. The store was huge, filled with aisles of fishing gear, hunting equipment, and enough camouflage to make me believe anyone could go fully off the grid if he wanted to.

"Alright," Will announced, cracking his knuckles like he was about to enter a battlefield. "Macky and I are getting bait. You two handle... whatever else we need."

Gabi raised an eyebrow. "That's suspiciously vague."

"It's called delegation," Will said smoothly, already leading Macklin toward the back of the store. "Trusting the process."

Macklin glanced over his shoulder at me before following, his signature easy smirk in place. "Don't miss me too much, Lexi."

I huffed a small laugh. "Say that to yourself, Macky."

⸻

Gabi and I did our part, grabbing fire starters, some extra flashlights, and a couple of chairs for the campsite.

But somehow, I still ended up drifting toward Macklin.

He was in the hat section, casually turning a navy blue trucker hat over in his hands. The classic Bass Pro Shop logo was stitched on the front, and when he pulled it on backwards, it looked perfect.

"What do you think?" he asked, giving me a sideways look.

I tilted my head, objectively analyzing. "Looks good."

Macklin smirked, then, without hesitation, he grabbed another one, a pink one.

I blinked. "And that one's for...?"

He tossed it to me like it was obvious. "You."

I stared down at it. "You want us to match?"

Macklin leaned an arm against the shelf, all casual confidence. "Yeah. Problem?"

"No," I said quickly, because there wasn't. If anything, there was something about it that made my stomach flip because he was considering me when looking at the hats.

Still, I needed to give him a hard time. "You do realize we're gonna get roasted for this, right?"

Macklin just grinned. "By who? Will? He's just mad we make matching look good."

I laughed, finally pulling the hat on and okay.. maybe I liked the hat more than I wanted to admit.

Macklin looked at me, expression softening slightly as he admired how I looked. "Yeah," he said, almost to himself. "That was a good call."

I nudged him. "You're so confident, it's actually unfair."

He laughed, bumping my shoulder in return. "That's why you like me."

"Debatable."

"Liar."

I didn't argue, because he wasn't wrong.

⸻

When we met back up with Will and Gabi, they both zeroed in on our matching hats immediately.

Will pointed, horrified. "No. Nope. I refuse."

Gabi just stared. "Lex. I thought we were stronger than this."

I sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. He's persuasive."

Macklin grinned proudly, nudging me like we were in on some inside joke. "She loves it."

Will groaned. "I actually can't believe this. Next thing you know, you're gonna be one of those couples that wears matching pajamas."

Macklin nodded. "Good idea. We should look into that."

Will made a strangled noise. "I hate both of you."

Gabi, meanwhile, shook her head at Will's hands full of random fishing gear. "What is all this? I thought you were just getting bait?"

Will looked genuinely confused at the question. "I was. But then I saw this collapsible tackle box, and then Macklin found this—"

"Lexi, check it out." Macklin held up a hammock, looking way too pleased with himself. "We're setting this up by the lake."

I squinted. "Is that... actually necessary?"

Macklin tilted his head, considering. "Nah but it's going to be relaxing."

Gabi sighed. "We're dating idiots."

I sighed back. "At least they're hot."

Macklin grinned like he won something. "So you admit it."

I rolled my eyes. "Shush and pay for your interesting purchases, Macky."

⸻

Since Bass Pro Shop wasn't exactly a one-stop shop for camping essentials, we made a quick stop at Target for snacks and whatever else we still needed.

Gabi and I took charge of the food, making sure we had the basics—chips, drinks, enough s'mores supplies to last a lifetime.

Meanwhile, the guys disappeared.

"We should be concerned, right?" I asked, loading a case of water into the cart.

Gabi sighed. "Oh, definitely."

Sure enough, ten minutes later, they returned.. Will holding an armful of glow sticks, and Macklin with a fully stocked first aid kit.

I blinked. "Are we expecting extensive injuries?"

Macklin shrugged. "Always good to be prepared."

Will nodded seriously, shaking his glow sticks. "And good to be lit."

I rubbed my temples. "Why do I feel like this trip is going to be absolute chaos?"

Macklin just grinned, dropping an arm over my shoulders. "Because you know us too well."

I exhaled, but leaned into him anyway as I jokingly said, "Unfortunately."

And just like that, we finally had everything we needed.

-=+=-Filler filler filler

Guys I have such a good idea but it's not gon be till like 5 or more chapters 🤭🤭 pls don't hate me for it