New York Type of Love: Matt Rempe

The morning of game day arrived faster than I would have liked. My alarm blared at an ungodly hour, and before I could even open my eyes, Copper was already stirring beside my bed, his tail thumping excitedly against the mattress.

Matt was still asleep, sprawled out on his stomach with one arm flung across my waist. I shifted slightly, trying not to wake him, but of course, Copper took that as an invitation to jump onto the bed, licking at my face like an overenthusiastic wake-up call.

I groaned. "Alright, alright, I'm up."

Matt grumbled something into the pillow before rolling onto his side, blinking at me groggily. "What time is it?"

"Too early," I muttered, reaching for my phone to check. "But we need to get moving."

Matt sighed and stretched, then, with far more effort than necessary, pulled himself upright. "Coffee first. Then movement."

I chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before sliding out of bed. "Deal."

By the time we made it to the kitchen, Jack and Luke were already up—well, if you counted Luke slouched over the counter, head resting on his folded arms, as being "up." Jack, on the other hand, was shoveling a ridiculous amount of eggs onto his plate, clearly unbothered by the early hour.

"Morning, lovebirds," Jack greeted with a smirk, barely looking up from his breakfast.

Matt rolled his eyes, making a beeline for the coffee pot. "Don't start."

Luke let out a low groan, lifting his head just enough to glare at us. "I regret waking up."

I grabbed a mug and poured myself a cup before sliding one over to Luke. "Here, caffeine should help."

He took it without a word, eyes still half-shut as he took a long sip.

The morning dragged on lazily, none of us in a rush to get moving. Jack was flipping through channels on the TV, Luke was sprawled out on the couch, still wrapped in the hoodie he'd slept in, and Matt leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

Copper trotted between us, sensing the slow energy but still managing to be the most alert of the bunch. Now and then, Jack would chuck a throw pillow at Luke to see if he'd react, but all he got in return was a muffled groan and an attempted swat in his general direction.

"We should probably get going soon," I finally said, stretching as I stood up.

Jack groaned. "Why? This is nice. We should just cancel the game and stay like this forever."

"Yeah, I'll call Coach and let him know," I teased, rolling my eyes.

Luke sighed dramatically. "Fine, but only because I know you'd miss me too much if I didn't come see you play."

I smirked. "Obviously. Watching you do nothing all day is just the highlight of my life."

Matt chuckled and drained the last of his coffee before setting his mug down. "Alright, let's move, or we'll be late."

Before I left, Jack and Luke stood by the door, waiting with a knowing look on their faces. Jack pulled me into a tight hug first, squeezing just enough to make me groan. "Don't suck tonight."

Luke was next, ruffling my hair before tugging me into a quick embrace. "And don't get into any fights unless they deserve it."

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Matt and I gathered our gear, double-checking that we had everything before heading out ahead of the others. The drive to the arena was mostly quiet, the weight of the game ahead settling over us.