If Y/N was being honest, that night had been one of her favourites in a long time. It was so much easier to be civil with Matthew than to constantly bicker with him. For the first time in a while, she felt completely relaxed. Sure Matthew still got on her nerves at certain points, but for the most part, he wasn't too terrible to be around.

She didn't know if it was the victory that made him less of a pest, or if it was the fact that she finally found something that was interesting other than work or her friends. She didn't know Scotty at all, but it was nice to have someone to talk to with no fear of judgment or consequence. After all, even if he did judge her, who cares? He was a stranger online and so was she. They were just two profiles surfing the internet for a distraction.

Messaging Scotty had been the first step in Y/N coming out of her shell socially. She didn't feel as scared or nervous to go up to a random guy in a bar and chat with him, she had no intentions of going home with any of them, but it made the night rather easy. She found herself able to jump into conversations at the dinner table without fear of being awkward and she even found that talking with Matthew became bearable.

It was slightly unnerving to Y/N that she got along with Matthew that night. They talked about hockey mainly, seeing as that was the only thing the either of them were comfortable enough to elaborate on.

They bickered slightly on the fact that Y/N was from Edmonton and that she was a bigger oilers fan than she was of the flames, but it was all in good fun. Something that neither of them had ever exchanged in with the other.

But like all good things, they must come to an end. However, there was no big fight or scandal that ended the night. Everyone simply just went their separate ways and headed home. They didn't talk about the fact that Matthew and Y/N were getting along, they didn't talk about the fact that some of them were more drunk than the others, they just let everything be. It was a rather good way to end the night.

Schedules became busier for the gang after that weekend, the flames took off on a roadie and Y/N was picking up some extra shifts at work. She had been thinking of moving out of her apartment and into something a bit closer to her hotel downtown, but she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to yet.

She had been living in the same apartment ever since she moved to calgary two years ago, and her lease was coming to an end so she had to make a decision soon. Kelly was all for seeing her friend move into something nicer, after all, with her job picking up speed, Y/N deserved to treat herself- especially if it would make her commute a lot easier.

Iris: What do you think about condos?

The message was rather random and at first Y/N thought that it was a mistake to send it. She had been sitting in her apartment staring out the window for the last hour trying to decide whether or not she actually wanted to move. It was no secret that her apartment was cramped. She could use some extra space.

Scotty: I think it's a little soon for us to move in together babe ;)

Y/N's chest fluttered and she rolled her eyes. At least he didn't think it was weird. This could have gone an entirely different way, but it seemed the more she was talking to scotty, the more they could get along as internet friends.

Iris: lmao you wish. I'm thinking i wanna move into something bigger, you know, live my best life

Y/N had the money to afford a condo on her own, but it was like something was holding her back, she didn't know for sure if she wanted to go through the stress of moving. After all, she didn't really have anyone to help her move. Cam had his truck, but she didn't feel like asking him- even if Kelly had already reassured her that it was alright.

Scotty: Well, if the pros outweigh the cons, I say go for it. Sometimes Change can be a good thing.

That was where the conversation ended for the day, Y/N took his words to heart and really thought about what she wanted. It seemed as though there had been a lot of changes in her life recently. But all of them were pointing towards a positive direction.

She had this opportunity to live somewhere new, she was getting even closer to her friends if that was possible, and now it seemed as though she had turned over a new leaf with someone she thought she previously hated. Maybe good things were coming for her and she just needed to take a step forward.

As much as she wanted to, Y/N couldn't dwell on it too much. But as she headed into work that day, there was a slight skip in her step, her mood being set on a positive for the entirety of her shift.

She was more pleasant to the guests that came in than usual, not that she was bitter before, but during her nine-hour shift, she genuinely started to enjoy herself. She was excited to see what changes were ahead of her.

After she finished at the hotel, Y/N was feeling rather energetic. She didn't really want to go out drinking that night considering she did that rather often, so she decided that it might be a good idea to go to the gym. All the hotel staff had access to the gym after hours so it wasn't unusual for Y/N to keep her gym bag in the back of her car.

Changing from her pencil skirt and blouse uniform into a pair of leggings and a sports bra, she tied pushed her hair back out of her face with a headband and grabbed her water bottle. Thankfully her heels weren't blistered from her work shoes, so putting on her sneakers was rather comfortable. It felt good to get out of the tight uniform after a long day.

As the woman headed into the gym, she pushed her headphones into her ears and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She felt good about herself. She looked great and all she wanted to do was own that.

An idea sprang into her head and before she knew it, she was posing in the mirror and snapping a few pictures of herself. She posted them to her snapchat story before cropping her face out of one.

The first photo that Y/N sends to Scotty is nothing too risque. She poses in the mirror slightly to show off her figure but nothing more. Her phone blocks her face but the colour of her hair is still visible.

Iris: Gym Time :)

She sends the picture and steps onto the treadmill, starting at a slow speed to get warmed up, she goes through her phone and sets up some music. She wasn't looking to get a rapid workout, she was just looking to get some cardio in and maybe burn off some energy.

Sitting in his hotel room, Matthew feels the familiar buzz in his pocket. He hadn't heard from 'Iris' all day. Surely it didn't bother him too much considering he had to play a game that night, and he had practice beforehand. But as soon as he saw the notification come in from her, it was like he had electricity running through his veins.

On his side of the screen, he had been growing rather attached to Iris. He didn't know what it was, but she was carefree and genuine. She wasn't like most of the women he talked to online. Not that they were all bad, but usually all they wanted was rough kinky phone sex.

And while to a certain extent he was willing to provide that, it felt good to have conversations with someone about real life things. He looked forward to that more over than any sexual online exchange. What he talked about with Iris felt incredibly intimate.

In such a short time, he had shared so much about himself to this woman. He never exposed who he was or where he was staying other than Canada, but he had told her some of his biggest fears.

They talked one night about responsibilities and pressure, and it was in the moment that Matthew started to find his attachment. He had never talked to someone who genuinely understood what he was going through. Part of that worried him, he didn't want to be so vulnerable with someone. Especially if he didn't know who they were. He hadn't even done that with his past girlfriends. But maybe that was why things with Iris were seeming to work out so well. There was no room for judgment.

As much as he enjoyed their civil and rather calming conversations, Her picture seemed to incite something in him, whether it be the pose her body was in or the detailing along her black sport's bra, Matthew found himself yearning for 'Iris' in a way that he hadn't done so previously.

His jaw clenched and he felt his lower half twitch, He was turned on. Matthew knew that he had to be careful about what he did next, he didn't want to push something onto 'Iris' that she wasn't comfortable with. After all, even though they had talked to each other like friends, he wasn't about to make her feel uneasy because he was horny.

A few moments of contemplation passed before he finally responded.

Scotty: Am I allowed to say that you look hot?

As she jogged along the treadmill Y/N couldn't help but laugh at his message. She grabbed her phone and typed out quickly.

Iris: Absolutely, that was why I sent the picture ;)

Scotty: I was hoping that was why. I'd love to see more of you

Feeling as though things were going well, Y/N decided to take a leap of faith. She stepped of the treadmill and grabbed her towel, drying the sweat from her face. With a sense of tension in her throat, she swallowed harshly.

Iris: If you show me yours, I'll show you mine.

That was the moment's their relationship passed the threshold. No longer were they restricting themselves to innocent and slightly bland messages, from there on the two of them exchanged in some heavy flirting and sexual tension.

If Y/N was being honest, she thought that as soon as she gave him a hint of sexual attention, he would only want to talk to her if that was where their conversation led. But he thankfully proved her wrong. Although that night was filled with some pretty steamy pictures and rather dirty messages, the next day things went back to normal.

The feeling of being wanted and electrified by intimate sex, even if it was through a screen, was all but a memory to Y/N the next morning. She woke up feeling great although thoroughly exhausted. The only evidence of their interaction was the message she received less than an hour ago.

Scotty: Morning, I hope last night was good for you. I enjoyed it but I wanted to make sure you still felt the same about what happened.

Y/N felt her stomach leap. Even though they had only gone through with sexting, Scotty was still taking the time to reach out and see if she was okay. Part of her felt like he didn't usually do that with other women. It made her feel special.

With a giddy smile on her lips, she rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Iris: I still feel good about it, thank you for checking on me. I hope you feel the same too :)

Matthew was sitting on the plane just getting ready to head back to Calgary, the team hadn't done entirely well on their roadie but it was still better than it could have been. He closed the app and decided that he would respond to 'Iris' later.

When they got back to Calgary, Matthew was exhausted, all he wanted to do was go lay down and take a few days for himself. As he settled into his condo, he looked around and felt that it was somewhat cold and barren.

He couldn't deny that he often felt lonely. Sometimes he wished that he had someone to come home to. Whether it be another person, a dog, or literally a goldfish. Although he knew that he could never have a pet, he was far too busy to take care of a living thing. He just wanted to come home and not be alone.

As he settled into his bed that night, he reached for his phone and took a deep breath.

Scotty: Do you want to watch a movie tonight?

Y/N had just sat down on her living room couch, a bowl of popcorn sitting in her lap. She couldn't help but laugh. Taking a picture of her lap with the snacks, she responded.

Iris: Funny you should say that, I was actually just trying to find something to watch

Matthew grinned, he laid back and bent his arm behind his head, His bicep flexed slightly and he was relieved that she was actually interested.

Scotty: Yeah I thought that we could watch something on netflix party? Maybe a show or something like that.

Y/N grabbed her laptop and loaded the netflix website. She scrolled through things she hadn't watched yet and made a list of what her and Scotty could watch.

Iris: Yeah that sounds good, I've been wanting to watch some stand-up lately, does that sound good?

They settled on the first John Mulaney special and after exchanging links, they joined the chatroom. The night was spent cracking jokes about the comedy show and talking about what they did during their day.

If Matthew was being honest, it felt like a first date.

And he wasn't mad about it.