11. #4 Taylor Hall & #10 Nail Yakupov (Edmonton Oilers) Part 3

Not even a day had passed without you thinking about Nail, Taylor and that huge decision you were shoved into. Taylor was you best friend and Nail...even though you hadn't known him for a long time, you felt like there was something between the two of you, but you couldn't tell for sure what could that be. So you thought it'd be easier to write down pros and cons for dating each of them, but you had been wrong. Even on the paper the decision seemed as far as it was in your head. After few minutes of staring into emptiness, you decided you should call Nail and spend some more time with him, just to get to know him better. He picked up the phone after second ringing, making you imagine he'd been waiting for your call.
"Hi, Nail. I hope I am not bothering you..."
"Hey, Y/N! Not at all. I am glad you called actually. How's your deciding going?"
"Yeah, uhm, so I suspect Tay had told you?"
"He did. And said between the lines to keep my hands away from you," Nail chuckled on the other side of the line.
"I believe I should talk some sense in his head," you chuckled back, only half-joking.
"So, uh, I was wondering, maybe we should go out...I mean I don't know you that well and..."
"I don't think it'd be a good idea. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to spend more time with you, but I think it wouldn't be fair to Taylor. So I suggest you turn off your phone and rethink everything. Trust me, we all want only the best for you."
With those words, he cut the call, leaving you with your thoughts. How to decide?


~~NAIL~~
After another week of careful thinking, you decided, even though you'd known Taylor for ages and had a crush on him, Nail would be the right for you. However, you still worried what would happen with your and Taylor's friendship, so you decided to call him first and meet with him. You met in a park near his house and he immediately noticed something was wrong.
"You alright?"
"Yeah. Listen, Tay, I want to talk to you about... my decision."
His eyes met yours and by the way of his body language you could tell he was waiting for it.
"I love you, but... I consider you as my best friend. And nothing more. I am so sorry, Tay."
Hurt expression flashed across his face and you felt your heart breaking. It was not your intention to hurt him. He'd been you best friend for so long and hurting him was the hardest thing ever.
"What about Nail?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about too. I like him. Like a lot."
"But... you've only just met him. You barely know him!"
"I know, but I feel he is the one."
Talking about your feelings was an odd thing and you were sure it wouldn't happen again anytime soon.
"Are you sure about it?"
"Y-Yes... are we still best friends?"
"I think so. It will be weird seeing you in other guy's arms but... I guess I had my chance and I blew it," Taylor mumbled and looked to the ground. When you looked at him more carefully, you noticed small teardrop slipping down his cheek and you knew. You knew how hurt he was.
"Tay," you sighed and hugged him, hoping he'd calm down, but he didn't say a word.
"I'll call you," he managed to say after few moments of silence and got up. Without another glance he walked away, hands in his trousers' pockets. A part of your heart broke when you were watching his figure walking away and you felt tears gathering in your eyes.
It took few deep breaths to calm down, but your hands were shaky when you dialed Nail's number. He picked up almost immediately: "Hey, Y/N, glad to hear you!"
"Hey, Nail. Glad to hear you too. Listen, uh, I was wondering... does that date invitation...uh..."
"Of course! So, you made up your mind?"
"Yeah. But it was hard."
"It'll be worth it. Where are you?"
You told him your exact location and shortly you were sitting on a bench, your hands intertwined. You told him how Taylor had accepted your decision and how worried you were about your friendship. Nail was a good listener- he was really listening to you and when you finished, he did not say anything. He pulled you closer and leant your head on his shoulder, quietly whispering he'd be by your side and saying Taylor only needed time to calm down, to accept the fact he was not the only boy in your life, at least not anymore.


Few months later Nail organized a small gathering, where Taylor was invited as well. You were afraid of seeing him hurt, but when he showed up with a really pretty girl, who was also really nice and not some jealous brat, you realized Nail was right. Everything was going to be okay at the end of the day. Even though it seemed you'd lost Taylor forever, you two spent almost entire evening chatting and laughing. When you looked at him there was no shadow of hurt or jealousy. He was the same guy you remembered.


~TAYLOR~
You were spending yet another lazy Saturday evening on a couch with a computer on your lap and ESPN on the TV. You were still deciding between Nail and Taylor and whenever it seemed you were close to solution, it slipped away. Lost in your thoughts you nearly missed a tone of your computer that informed you about new mail. It was from your best friend and it was a link to a website. Her comment seemed odd to you, so you decided to ignore it. She wrote something like : "Didn't know Tay has a gf"
But when you opened a website, you were struck. It was Tay, your Tay, your best friend, hugging a random girl and leading her somewhere. Seeing another girl with him made you quickly make up your mind. Nail was really handsome and you got along really well, but Taylor was your other half, your soul mate and, you'd realized that now, the only one you saw yourself with.
You quickly called you friend, but she didn't answer the phone. So it was up to you how to deal with that. First thing was to call Nail and ask him about Taylor. And the other thing was to call Taylor and tell him everything. You knew calling Nail would probably be easier, but you needed to talk to Tay eye-to-eye, so you called his cell phone, hoping he is alone. According to a quick response, he was.
"Hey, Y/N! Didn't expect your call. How you doing?"
"Good. Listen, Tay, I need to talk to you. It's urgent."
"Okay. I'll be there in five."
Five minutes later, Taylor was standing on your door stand, chuckling and surprised.
"So, what's so urgent, Y/N?" he asked, still smiling.
"Uh, I saw that photo of you and your girlfriend..."
That came out wrong. Really, really wrong. But surprisingly, he started laughing: "Y/N, that was not my girlfriend! It was my cousin! But even if she was... would that be wrong?"
"No. Yes. I mean, no. I mean, I don't know."
"Wait...were you jealous?"
"Nooo. Of course not! Why would I be?"
"You were jealous! Is that why you called me in urgency?"
You tried to make up an excuse, but you had empty head, so you just nodded, keeping your gaze at the floor and blushing.
"Y/N," Tay said and held you under your chin, forcing you to look at him.
"I said I'd wait for you. And I will."
"You don't have to. I realized Nail was a great company, but he wasn't...he isn't you."
He stopped you by putting his lips on yours and since that day, since that moment, your best friend became your boyfriend.


Nail, of course, was a bit let down, but since your only male best friend was now officially your boyfriend, you needed someone to talk to. And Nail needed someone to advice him about dating. Even though you claimed you had nothing to do with it, he got a girlfriend. You were happy for him, but you couldn't ignore feeling she was only using him. And you were right, she did not love him. After they broke up, you decided to help him, so you introduced him to your best friend. Putting them together was the best decision in your life, beside dating Taylor. Nail really loved her and the best thing was you and Taylor hanged out with them every day, making your bonds even stronger.
As for Taylor, you two were inseparable. Few months after starting with him, you moved in with him and were already imaging how you'd grow old together, surrounded by children and grandchildren, telling them stories about how you had gotten the best boyfriend in the entire world.


For OvisYellowLaces8 , sorry it took so long to finish it, but i hope you like it :D


Thank you for 2.1K reads, all the comments and votes, they mean a lot to me :D you are the best!^^

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