tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18734815346960549462024-02-20T00:36:01.134-08:00Come Down to Mejuliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-58524417367308938492013-07-28T17:55:00.002-07:002013-07-28T17:55:11.136-07:00twenty-seven<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>Bonus Chapter! As promised to some readers on Mibba, here is
an extended ending for this story. They
busted me for ending it quickly – and I’m guilty. Usually my stories end because I’ve run out
of things to say (and moved on to another story, at least in my head). I am flattered to know that some people
wanted more of Leah and Sid as a couple, and happy to oblige. - J<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
___<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>SECOND EPILOGUE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
(June 17)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Where are you go… oh,” Leah cut herself off with a smile. She and Sidney had just landed in Halifax,
the early June sun setting on the Maritimes.
It seemed like ages since she’d been home but really only a few weeks
had passed since she’d quit her job and made good on her promise to follow
Sidney to Pittsburgh. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The end of the Penguins season had been hard. Sid was devastated and felt, as always, like their
playoff loss was entirely his fault.
Leah had expected it, but still she was heartbroken to see everyone so
down. It also made her unsure of her
place – she figured Sid must have a system for recovery, as he did for
everything else. But she’d been wrong. Usually he just struggled through till it
stopped hurting so much. This time he
looked to her for help. With a few
well-timed kisses, a couple of big talks and some new lingerie, he said it was
the best worst end to a season he’d ever had.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Now they were back in Nova Scotia.
Together. Sidney smiled as he
turned off the road. The atmosphere
wasn’t quite the same as the last time they’d been here: it was forty degrees
warmer and he was slightly less nervous than the night he’d stood out in the
cold hoping the gorgeous girl with the auburn curls would figure out his
note. He parked in front of the rink’s
closed entrance and got out of the car.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah did too, but she leaned against the passenger door and watched
Sidney walk to the very place where he’d waited for her a little over six
months ago. He stood in the same pool of
light, hands still in his pockets. Leah’s
heart was buzzing like a lightning storm.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“You’re not going to do something crazy, are you?” she asked from
fifteen meters away. <i>Like ask me to marry you?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sidney had considered it.
Strongly. In the end he decided
it was too soon. He and Leah needed time
to live as a couple. There were jobs to
find and schedules to get used to, but first there was the summer to
enjoy. They’d be back on this spot
someday and his answer would be yes. He
hoped hers would be too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sidney shrugged. “Since when do
I give you a choice?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah couldn’t resist. She made
her way slowly to the very spot where she’d first found Sidney Crosby – <i>the</i> Sidney Crosby – waiting for her
little old her. Hoping for her. She did now what she’d wanted to do then:
reached her arms around his neck and kissed him, smiles on their faces.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I love you,” he said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I love you too.” Leah rubbed
her nose against his. “Still got that
key? I hear there are bleachers in this
place.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
____<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
(June 18)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah poked her head out from beneath the covers. Sid was sitting up next to her, leaning
against the headboard and reading.
Shirtless. She moaned quietly and
pulled the blanket back up. A moment
later, Sid folded it down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Good morning,” he said with that ridiculously handsome grin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“It’s always going to be like this, isn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Like what?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“You, looking like that when you wake up. And you’re reading? Fuck.”
She buried her face in the pillow.
Three weeks of opening her eyes to the sight of Sidney Crosby every
morning had not dulled the effect. “You’re
perfect. It’s gross.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sid chuckled. Leah was pretty
incredible herself in what barely passed as a tank top, her hair all tousled
from a good night’s sleep that followed a good night’s roll in the hay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“And this book has some big words.
I’m also naked,” he reminded her.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah rolled her eyes. “Why do
you think I wanted to stay under the covers?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
They lay quietly for a while, both trying to delay the coming day. Sidney did read a few pages of the murder
mystery he’d picked up at the airport, while Leah examined his bedroom from the
perspective of being in the bed. It was
still very new to her. The night before
they’d arrived back in Cole Harbour - Sid never said so but he’d planned their
late arrival to give them a night alone, in the place where it all started,
before the rest of their lives caught up with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
He watched Leah from the corner of his eye as she studied her new
surroundings. He’d persuaded her to give
up the lease on her apartment and move in with him. They had until the end of June to empty her
place. Sidney hoped that bringing in her
things would make this house more a home for both of them. It would certainly help that she woke up in
this bed every morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Her blue eyes shifted and she looked right at him. <i>Busted.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I was just thinking,” he said, putting the book aside and reaching for
her, “that we don’t reallllly have to do this today.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah wrapped her arms around Sidney’s waist. He was in fact very naked beneath the sheets,
a truth that had stopped her leaving bed a million times in the last
month. And would again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“We do. I want to,” she
said. “After everything we’ve already
done, this is the only thing left.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sidney sighed and resting his chin on top of her head. “I hope you still love me tonight.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah did her best to distract from his fears by letting her hand slide
lower on his body. “I’ll keep coming
back for the sex anyway.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
It was quick, but then they didn’t need much from each other to find
satisfaction. Sid rolled on top of Leah,
she wrapped her legs around his waist and he was inside her, pushing slowly as
her head fell back, before they were even still. His huge biceps flexed as he pushed her hands
up and held, using only his lower body to stroke as high as he could go. Leah gasped at the incredible feeling of him,
thick and hard, riding deeply from the first thrust. Sidney loved the sounds she made, like she’d
been waiting all night just to have him again.
The hot, tight squeeze of her body always threatened to undo him. He wondered how any guy that wasn’t a professional
athlete with years of pain management and focus training ever managed to last
five minutes with Leah. They’d never
have to worry about that again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah wiggled one hand free and raked it into Sidney’s hair. He’d cut it short after the playoffs, shaving
that terrible beard that she’d endured stoically for the sake of his
superstitions. Even with it he was the
hottest guy on Earth by a mile. Without
it – well, her palm grazed his smooth cheek and strong jaw just before he
kissed her fingers with those scandalous lips.
Leah’s stomach fluttered, Sidney smiled as the feel of it rippled
against his cock.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
There was a breathlessness about the way Leah came that turned Sidney
inside out. This girl who owned him, who
gave him hell and made him earn everything, absolutely fell apart when they
made love. Whether he was winning or she
was giving in, Sidney didn’t care. It
made him feel invincible and desperate and helpless and perfect. It set off his own orgasm every time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“God,” he panted, falling spent across her body.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Later, when I smile at you, <i>that</i>
is what I’m thinking about,” Leah said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
____<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Two hours later Sidney was holding Leah’s hand on his parents’ front
step.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The end of the playoffs had come so quickly, and on the road, that
Sid’s parents had not been there. That
was better for him – the gut-wrenching aftermath of a loss hardly needed anyone
yelling over the din. It was bad enough
that his father had seen the video of Sid jumping on stage at Leah’s
performance before he’d heard about it from his son.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>“Now you are chasing her?!” his
father had shouted down the hone when Sidney finally called. It was after Leah had come to Pittsburgh,
after the Buffalo game. She had been
upstairs in the shower when he called.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>“I love her. We are together. You can either get okay with it or not. I’m sorry Dad, but I don’t care.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
It might not sound like much, but it was the single most defiant thing
Sidney had ever done. He loved his
parents and was endlessly grateful for their support, almost to the point of piety. Even if his father was rough, he was usually
right. This time Troy was wrong. Leah was the first thing Sidney had ever
found that was worth fighting back for.
His father was surprised and that made him even angrier. Sid told himself he would only have to do
this once.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
His mother, ever the peacemaker, threw open the door and hugged Leah
before she even got her name out. Every
woman, no matter how famous her son, wants to see him made honest by a good
woman. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“It’s so nice to meet you.
You’re beautiful,” Trina put a hand to Leah’s cheek. “Sidney said you were.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“MOM, GET OFF!” Taylor barreled down the stairs and threw her arms
around Leah. “Hi! I missed you!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sidney huffed impatiently. “I am
here too!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Taylor, still hugging Leah, made a face. “You left me to the Inquisition here all by
myself! There is a big ass trip to the
mall in your future, brother.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Behind the commotion, someone cleared his throat. They all dropped their stances and saw
Sidney’s father. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Leah, this is my dad, Troy.
Dad, this is Leah. My…,” Sidney
had planned a line; something that brooked no argument. He forgot it, of course. “I love her.
We’re in love.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Troy gave a skeptical eyebrow raise, as if someone incapable of
coherent speech was probably incapable of important decisions. But he offered his hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Nice to meet you,” Leah said. “I’m
sorry I didn’t get to meet you sooner.”
She reminded herself that Troy only had Sid’s best interests at heart,
even if it was hard to give up telling your son what to do when he became a
man. Trina sat them all down in the
living room and Taylor stayed close to Leah, like a bodyguard ready to take a
bullet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“So,” Troy said. He was a
thick-set, gruff man. “You all moved
into Sid’s place?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“<i>Our</i> place, Dad,” Sid
corrected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Not yet,” Leah laughed nervously and Trina joined in. “We have two more weeks, and I will probably
get rid of some things. I, uh, left in a bit of a hurry, so nothing really got
organized.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“How’d you like Pittsburgh?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“It’s beautiful. Bigger than home,
of course. But I liked it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“See yourself there long term?” Troy asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Dad!” Sidney could not help
getting agitated. “We talked about this!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“It’s okay, Sid,” Leah said. At
least his father was asking instead of telling.
“If your son is in Pittsburgh, I’m in Pittsburgh. That’s the way it goes, isn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Troy shrugged. “I think there
are a lot of ways it can go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sid opened his mouth to protest but Leah put a hand high on his leg, like
a flag marking a continent that she claimed as her own and would rule over as
she pleased. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Look, I know this is weird,” Leah admitted. “It’s weird for me too. Sid and I are just going to figure it out as
it comes along. There’s no grand plan
other than where he goes, I go. We’ll
find a way to make that work for both of us.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“After all,” Leah knew this was her ace in hole, “it was his idea.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Troy hmmpphhed like he wasn’t happy about that either. “We <i>all
</i>saw that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I thought it was really romantic,” Trina said. Leah knew she would like Sidney’s mom and
find an ally there. After all, someday
that could be Leah’s family too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah smiled. “Me too.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I had to do something,” Sid said, looking at his father, “after she
dumped me.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Maybe it hadn’t been exactly like that – Sid and Leah were never really
together so they never really split. But
his heart had been broken at the thought of losing her and that was far worse
than having the whole world gossip or facing his father’s wrath. The
real issue here, the core of this debate, was like an elephant in the room:
everyone saw it, everyone was avoiding it.
Sid’s blood pressure was rising.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah saw Sidney struggling with the role of dutiful son. She wanted to jump in and say more, be more
reassuring to everyone, but Sidney needed to stand up for himself. Then she’d make sure he never needed to do it
again. He looked her way and she smiled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sidney remembered Leah’s words from that morning, in bed: <i>“Later, when I smile at you, that is what
I’m thinking about.”</i> It had been funny,
but it was also true. More than sex or
pleasure or anything physical, Leah had been talking being alone together, where
the outside world didn’t matter and they both knew exactly what they had.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
He took a deep breath and said what he needed to say.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Dad, Leah doesn’t want my money and she doesn’t want to be famous. I would have given her those things anyway, but
she refused to have me until I got this right.
You need to realize that she loves me.
She isn’t running a scam or setting me up. I am lucky to have her. This family is lucky.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sid looked his father in the eye, man to man. Troy protected his family fiercely. In return he expected loyalty. Sid had always been on the receiving end of
advice and instruction, but now he knew things from experience. His words carried weight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I know you’re looking out for me, like always. And I appreciate it. But you ever suggest that Leah is a bad
person, or that it’s so impossible a girl might actually love me for anything
other than my hockey sweater, you will never have to worry about me again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A deafening silence fell in the Crosby living room. Sid felt eerily calm. With firm rationality, he’d defended himself
and Leah, and given his father an ultimatum.
He watched for signs of outrage from Troy – red face, clenched
fists. If anything, his father looked
more alarmed. After a moment, the
tightness in the elder man’s jaw began to loosen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I didn’t mean that,” he said. “That
a girl would only love you for…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sid cut his father off. “I
know. And you didn’t mean anything
against Leah either. So we’re good,
right?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
They weren’t, not by a long shot.
There was a lifetime of family drama to look forward to. It would just be a little different now –
more of a conversation among equals than a parent speaking to a child. Sidney felt Leah’s hand squeeze in his. She wasn’t going anywhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
As little sisters often do, Taylor chose the best - or worst - moment
to break the tension.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“So Dad, can I date James Neal?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
____<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
(June 26)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah looked up from her spot on the small dock that jutted into the
lake behind Sidney’s house. He’d offered
to get her a sunchair but she preferred the heat of the wood that soaked up
through her towel. Then Sid admitted he
didn’t have any chairs anyway. Leah knew
he would have driven into to town and bought her one right away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>Honeymoon phase</i>, she thought.
Her reverie was interrupted by a roaring motor and shrieking yell before a wave
of water leapt up and soaked her, like a skater snowing a goalie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Yeah!” Jake shouted. He was on
the jet ski, pretending to drive but really Sidney’s hands were on the
controls. Sid sat behind Jake, both of
them in life vests, laughing. Leah
flipped her wet-again hair back from her face.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Oh yeah?!” Leah shot back. “Guess
we’re having liver and cabbage for dinner.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Jake looked horrified. “You said
pizza!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“You splashed me!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“It was his idea!” Jake jerked his thumb backward. He was so disgusted by the idea of liver and
cabbage he’d give up anyone, even Sidney Crosby.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sid looked up at Leah. She was
perfect – skin just starting to tan, at least any of it not covered by the pink
and white bikini she wore. The dry half
of her hair was curlier than usual. Behind
her the sky was clear, endless blue that he knew matched her eyes. Nothing had ever looked more summery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I just said you looked hot,” Sid said.
“Jake may have misunderstood.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
That night, Leah did order pizza.
She even let Jake pick out the toppings.
Sidney watched her going over the menu with the little boy and thought a
lot of crazy things. Someday maybe she’d
do that with their kids, in this house, during summer break. He tried to picture her among the WAGs and
failed, as always. It only came through
as a vision of Leah and Vero watching the game and whispering, making each
other laugh. Sid knew they were talking
about him. He didn’t care so long as
they were smiling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Anchovies and mustard greens,” Leah said, waving the menu.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sid blinked himself back into the scene at hand. “What?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Is this what you’re like in the off-season?” she asked, sliding her
hands around his waist. “All spaced out
and dreamy?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
He gladly accepted her hug. “I
was kinda spaced out.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“And you’re definitely dreamy.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
From behind Leah came a groan. “Gross!”
Jake rolled his eyes and headed for the living room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Quick!” Sid pushed Leah against the wall, plastering his mouth to
hers. The kiss fell apart to them
laughing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“I bet Jake gets a girlfriend this year, since you have one now. You’re his hero.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>Since I have a girlfriend now</i>,
Sid thought. It still sounded as strange
as if someone said he had a tail. Just
the word though – lots of the guys had girlfriends, so even with no experience
Sid knew that Leah was more than a girlfriend.
She was both his girl and his best friend; few relationships he saw had
both of those elements in equal measure. He was absurdly lucky, and that didn’t sound
strange at all. It just sounded right. Sid tucked a piece of Leah’s hair behind her
ear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“You know, if Jake hadn’t lost his helmet that night I never would have
met you. So he is <i>my </i>hero.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Leah got that now-familiar flutter in her heart. Everything about Sidney that seemed impossibly
perfect from a distance was even better up close. But Leah had no intention of letting that go
to his head.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
She smiled. “You always did need
a lot of help, Crosby.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><i>*END* (Really this time.)<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
_</div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-6294141293351831432013-07-25T11:56:00.002-07:002013-07-28T17:54:53.042-07:00twenty-six<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
4)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wanted to be the first one on the team bus.
She was nervous about everything except the hand holding hers, which was
attached to Sidney, who seemed perfectly at ease. As if it were everyday he took a girl home on
the team plane. Leah was still well
aware of the many rules and guidelines he and everyone had broken for her and
wanted to show them she didn’t intend to make a habit of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Morning,
Coach,” Sid said as they climbed onto the otherwise empty bus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bylsma
looked from Sid to Leah. She gave him a
panicked look and the Penguins coach cracked a smile. He seemed like a nice guy who tried to act the
hardliner for the sake of his players.
After all, he was allowing all this to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
took his usual seat and pulled Leah in next to him. At least with her around it was unlikely the
guys would rag him too badly about getting laid on the road. Or getting laid at all. The moment she was gone, he’d never hear the
end of it. Sid chuckled to himsef – it
was a good problem to have. Most guys
didn’t care where they sat on the bus, so one more body made no difference as
they came aboard. He kept Leah’s hand in
his, making sure she felt like she belonged here as much as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
ride to the airport was quick. As they
walked through the lobby of the private jet facility, Leah whispered,
“Technically this is illegal, you know.
I can’t fly to or within the US without a passport.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
had thought of that already. “Or out. I
guess you’ll have to stay in Pittsburgh.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“FedEx,
babe,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
no shame, Sid grinned back at her. He
was finally able to do and say the things he wanted with Leah and he planned to
take full advantage. “I hope that
package gets lost.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
team plane sat on the tarmac, a set of portable stairs in place before the open
door on the fuselage. Leah had never
been on a private plane. She followed
Sid up the steps; he sat in the first row on the left side of the cabin and
once again she took the seat next to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ooooh,”
Letang said behind her, passing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?”
she asked Sid. He didn’t get a chance to
answer. The next person in line was
Marc-Andre Fleury. Flower took one step
toward them, stopped, then huffed dramatically even as a big smile was breaking
out across his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
in his seat,” Sid shrugged casually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well,
I….” Flustered, Leah started to get
up. This was exactly the kind of thing
she didn’t want to happen and now Sid was just blowing if off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Plenty
of room back here!” Tyler Kennedy called from a few rows behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Flower
made a face. “I’d rather walk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">TK
laughed. “I meant for her!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Now
I’m not good enough for you?!” Flower yelled, making his way toward Tyler’s
row.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ugh,”
TK said, putting the armrest between their seats down emphatically. “French guys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
drove across Pittsburgh, his awareness increasing with every mile they drew
closer to his house. The last time they
made this trip it had been full of promise.
Some of that promise had been realized, but Sid felt strongly the burden
of the mistake he’d made with Leah. He’d
shown her a side of himself and his lifestyle that almost didn’t exist. There was no reason for her to believe in him,
given what she had seen. Yet she did. Leah loved him – she’d said so herself. That was a gift and Sidney would never risk
losing it again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
looked out the window: same view, different circumstances. The city was bigger than home but smaller
than most, it seemed manageable and friendly in a way she’d never really
considered before. Of course it helped
that Sidney was Sidney – but that would also get in the way. Leah knew it.
The prince came with a price and now she was willing to pay it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
tires rolled smoothly up the freshly paved driveway in front of his house. Leah had been so impressed the first time she
saw the red brick façade. This was his <i>other</i> home. It was like seeing Sidney’s own
interpretation of himself – upstanding, stable, traditional. Solid.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Instead
of going for their bags, Sid hurried around and opened Leah’s door. He had done this before and she’d jumped into
his arms. The resulting kiss had been as
delicious as it had been confusing. Now
Sid knew what he wanted and Leah knew it too.
He did not hesitate to pull her in and kiss her, his arms around her
waist and her long hair lifted by the breeze.
Only this time he made sure her feet were on the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Inside
was the same as she remembered – big, gorgeous and a little empty. She took off her coat, trying to place
exactly what the room needed. It was
something about the décor; too put together and lacking a comfortable, familiar
touch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
also remembered how Leah felt about his house.
He left their bags in the entryway and followed to the living room. Maybe the muted colors were a bit boring, not
doing much with the midday light that poured in through the big window. But she didn’t see the room now as he did. Sid stood well back from Leah and saw how
this girl, with her shape and smell and the auburn curls falling over her back,
with the way she put her weight to the left and bent her right knee slightly,
was the addition the room needed. She
was dazzling – a creation colorful and unique enough to make the whole house
sparkle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew Sidney was watching her. She didn’t
want to start changing things, marking her territory with flags and signs. Instead she wanted to enhance his home and
his life. Their life together. Even if this place didn’t quite feel exactly
like home - yet. She turned to face him. Sidney had his big arms crossed over his big chest,
his big lower body anchored him to the floor.
There were lines and muscles everywhere so Leah knew that nothing she
brought into this house would ever look as good as what Sid brought with him
everytime he walked in the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Welcome
home,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt like her heart might burst. Those
girls who lost their minds over Crosby really had no idea how good it could
get. She tried her best to keep a
straight face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where
do I sleep?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
gave her his captain look. “No more
guest rooms for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
6)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah checked
herself in the mirror for the hundreth time: hair curled and styled, makeup as
perfect as her trembling hands would allow.
All around her she could feel the buzz of Consol Engery Center filling
in. It came from the floor and ceiling,
from every side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
door to the ladies’ room swung open and a production staffer appeared. “Ready?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
almost laughed. There was no being ready
for this. In the hallway, people wished
her luck and smiled nicely and she wondered how many really wanted to see her
succeed. Not just tonight, but in general
with her new life. If they cared about
the team and its’ players, she hoped most would support her. Some would not. She reached the top of the Zamboni tunnel
just as the lights went out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The sound
was deafening. Spotlights and graphics whipped
around the ice – names, numbers, logos.
The starting lineup was announced.
Sidney got the biggest cheer.
During warmups there had been a few signs – “Hey Sid, I can sing!” and
“Sure, NOW we’re on SportsCenter.” Leah
had seen them from a suite. Down at ice
level all she saw where people. Finally
the lights came up and the announcer called for attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ladies
and gentlemen, please rise, remove your caps and join us as we salute Canada
and the United States of America with the national anthems.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
camera panned the Penguins bench, showing players with their heads down in
concentration, then panned to capture the numbers on the backs of the Penguins’
starting five. Everyone saw 87 on
screen. Leah saw it too, on the blue line
in front of her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“To
lead us tonight, someone you may have heard before.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She was
ready for the joke, some nod to the very public events of the last few days. Sid had slept deeply overnight while Leah was
plagued by visions of their kiss video running on the Jumobtron or something
equally mortifying. Comparatively, this
was a mild jab. She smiled shyly,
knowing her face was ten feet tall on the scoreboard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
point in being subtle. This time, she
wore a Crosby jersey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
crowd went crazy. Whether a gossip
frenzy or genuine delight at seeing Crosby’s conquest in person, Leah loved
them in that moment. Up ahead, she
thought she saw the shoulders of the 87 jersey shaking with laughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Please
welcome, all the way from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Leah Hanlon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">EPILOGUE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(May
23)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Close
your eyes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled them first. Sidney opened the
front door of his house and led her inside by the hand. He’d picked her up at the airport thirty
minutes ago then driven home at the top possible speed. She’d joked he was in a hurry to get
laid. In fact, he was in a hurry to do a
lot of things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
playoffs had left the Penguins bruised but not broken. The night before they had defeted the
Senators 7-3, and the following night they would eliminate Ottawa from the
contest. James would bust out of his
slump with a hat trick and credit the whole thing to Leah. No one knew that yet. They only knew that school was over and Leah
was in Pittsburgh with a few suitcases full of stuff and nothing to do all
summer but make up for the two and a half months they had been apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
brought her to the middle of the living room.
It had been rearranged to provide a perfect viewing angle of both the TV
and the wall to the left. The picture
window spilled sunshine over what Sidney had placed in the previously empty
space. It was the only change he’d made
since Leah left. The rest she could make
herself. He leaned forward, putting his
lips to her ear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay. Open.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was already smiling. Sidney was
obviously so proud of whatever he’d one that she would have to love it. Every idea went through her mind, from a
Piscasso to a mural to macaroni pictures done by Dupuis’ kids. But she had not expected this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
my God,” she said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
framed panoramic photo six feet in width spanned the wall. It was less than three feet tall but showed,
in perfect scope, the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia. To the left was the rocky shore, tipped by
the iconic white lighthouse. The vista
was surrounded a sunset sky, dusk pushing down on the sea from the inland
side. It glowed as if lit from behind but
Leah could tell that was just the art of the photograph. [<a href="https://www.artbrokerage.com/Peter-Lik/Atlantic-Reflections-54855">Here’s
the picture</a>.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
wrapped his arms around her from behind.
He had wanted to add something to this place, so Leah would feel free to
do the same. Not knowing where to start,
Sid had searched for any art related to Nova Scotia. He bought the photo without seeing it in real
life and from the moment it arrived, it looked even better than expected. Peggy’s Cove was on the far western edge of
Nova Scotia. Only an hour from Cole
Harbour, it was a place visited mostly on family vacations. Sid hadn’t been there forever. He planned to change that over the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
landscape would have been breathtaking regardless, but Leah had been to Peggy’s
Cove many times. It was one of her
parents’ favorite places in Nova Scotia.
She settled back into Sidney’s embrace, surrounded by the warmth and
energy that had buzzed between them since that first night back in the Cole
Harbour rink.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
home,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Until
we get home,” Sid added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
turned her face and gave him a kiss.
“It’s close enough.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>*This was originally the end, but now there is one more chapter.*</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; border-width: 0px; color: #545454; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Thank you all so much for your comments on this story! I really enjoyed writing it, especially since it had been on my mind forever. I really appreciate your feedback (all writers do) and I hope you had fun with this one! - J</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; border-width: 0px; color: #545454; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>_</i></span></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-85682595233902131802013-07-23T10:29:00.003-07:002013-07-23T10:29:36.226-07:00New Story - The Boys 'Round HereSid and Leah aren't done yet, but I've started posting my new story. It's a summertime hockey tale with no hockey at all. Featuring John Tavares, plus James Neal, Steven Stamkos, Michael Del Zotto, eventually Sam Gagner and probably more (entirely non-slash). Only in summer, right? I hope you'll check it out!<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://theboysroundhere.blogspot.com/">The Boys 'Round Here</a></b><br />
_juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-81093966800007939932013-07-16T08:18:00.001-07:002013-07-16T08:18:09.821-07:00twenty-five<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
3) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
morning came way too quickly for Sidney’s liking, though there was something to
be said for waking up with Leah wrapped around him like a blanket. Her dark curls everywhere were a testament to
the wild night they’d had. Sid felt a
little sore in all the right places and a lot happy in his heart. He lay there thinking about the future with
nothing but hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
finally came around from what she was sure was the greatest dream in history. And so real.
It felt like the dream was still in bed with her, warm and strong,
twisting a piece of her hair between its fingers. She picked her head up, already smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi!”
she said like a little kid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi!”
Sid couldn’t stop his own grin from lighting up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
burst out laughing, which turned into tickling, which quickly turned into a
kiss so searing it could have set the curtains on fire across the room. Leah knew the rules – since they’d already
broken every one – and kept her hands at the back of Sidney’s neck even as his
body begged and throbbed for her to turn her attentions lower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“OhmyGodIcan’t,”
Sidney groaned, throwing Leah off of him so she landed a foot away, bouncing
and giggling. That certainly didn’t help
matters. They both looked down at his
full-mast hard-on. Leah sighed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
hardly knew you,” she said to his dick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
shall meet again,” Sidney replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
levered himself out of bed and right into the shower. Leah had no doubt that he’d be taking care of
that himself, but she nicely gave him six minutes to finish before wandering
into the bathroom naked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
God, woman!” Sid said from beneath the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">All
her stuff was in Jake’s room down the hall, so Leah just sat on the counter and
watched through the glass as Sidney washed his hair and body with the hotel
soap. When it started to get really
foggy, she asked, “A little help?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
used his hand to wipe the clear just the section of the door level with his
ass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ahh,
your best side,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
he finished she was still sitting there like a pageant judge. Sidney pretended to ignore her while he
slowly and with a ludicrous amount of flexing, thoroughly dried every inch of
his body. Then he brought his bag of
stuff right in, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, even got dressed in
yesterday’s jeans. Leah <i>tsk</i>ed as he shimmied them up and
buttoned the fly, like she was sad to see a beautiful sight covered up. In another slow motion display of every
muscle he could find, Sidney pulled a white t-shirt over his head and tucked it
in. Then he squeezed into a clean,
bright blue sweater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
hadn’t said a word. She was using every
particle of her brain to remember the sight.
When he was finished, she tipped her head to the side. “You messed up your hair.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
checked the mirror, saw she was right.
“I usually don’t dress with an audience.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
hopped down, again with the bouncing and giggling that made Sid weak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Get
used to it,” she said and sauntered out of the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">By
the time Sidney was done in the bathroom, Leah and her clothes were gone along. He packed up his stuff then lifted the
receiver on the hotel phone and pushed the button for the concierge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
need to rent two cars, please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
was transferred to a rental car company and briefly explained his
situation. Somewhere around telling the
operator he needed to leave both cars in Buffalo, Leah came back. She put her bag next to him on the bed and
made a show of unpacking the one other outfit she’d brought. Then she started stripping off her clothes. Her top went first – up the flat span of her
stomach, over the curve of her breasts and finally through her pile of
hair. It landed on top of her bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Window,”
Sid hissed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
shook her head like she didn’t understand and stepped out of her boots. She popped the button on her fly, slowing
shaking out of the denim. Sid glanced
toward the still-open curtains on the window that looked over the city. He couldn’t see anyone in particular, but
that didn’t mean no one could see them. He pointed toward it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
turned her back, pushed the jeans over her ass and bent forward, all the way, peeling
them off her legs. Sid buried the
receiver in the pillow even as the operator was talking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Babe,”
he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
stuck her tongue out and threw her jeans at him. Next was her bra, then finally her panties,
while Sid sat there mute as the operator droned about the expense of one-way
international car rentals. Good thing it
didn’t matter because he definitely wasn’t listening. Leah performed the same routine getting
dressed, this time into another pair of jeans, a dark green tank top and a
gauzy white shirt over top. Finally she
put on dangly silver earrings, ran her fingers through her hair and got her boots
back on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thanks,
we’ll be there in forty minutes.” Sid
hung up. Leah stood in front of him,
just out of reach, her hands on her hips.
“That was cruel.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Imagine,”
she dragged one finger across her bottom lip, catching it and making it flush,
“what I’m going to do when you’re on the road.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Twenty
minutes and another round of fixing their hair later, Leah and Sid walked into
the lobby. Everyone was already
waiting. Taylor had her ugly airport hat
on, pulled low as if to prove to Sid she’d stayed out too late and not with
James. Neal looked fresh as a daisy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
night?” James asked as awkwardly as possible.
Leah slugged him in the arm and headed out the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two
cabs took them to the rental car place.
Tommy volunteered to drive the SUV, with Kate, Jake, Gina and
Travis. That left Sid, Leah, James and
Taylor for the four-door sedan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oooh,
double date,” Taylor whispered to her brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
woman at the counter asked who would be driving the second car. At first no one answered. Sid looked at James.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Blank
stare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
raised his eyebrows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
on man, I’m tired!” Sid finally said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
laughed, victorious. “Setting a bad
example, Kid, breaking game day rules!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor
spun away. “I’ll be outside vomiting.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
ride was easy, under two hours. Sid
texted his coach and confirmed they would arrive by noon. He used his phone to
make a reservation at the team hotel for everyone else, with early check
in. Then he leaned against Leah and fell
asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
watched Sid’s eyelashes flutter, knowing he was really out. His skin was creamy and clear, his lips
naturally the color of just-kissed.
Between the shaggy curl of his hair and the thick, dark lashes, he
looked like a Disney prince, drawn to make other men pale in comparison. She could not believe that somehow all this
had happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
hand slipped between her knees, the way it had when he fell asleep watching The
Hobbit. Like she had that day, Leah held
onto his arm and closed her eyes too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“America,
y’all,” James said, shaking Sidney awake.
Leah blinked blearily out the window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
thing we flew to Toronto, or Kate wouldn’t have Jake’s birth certificate,” she
said, searching through her purse. The
line wasn’t long so early on a Sunday.
James got into a lane behind Tommy and waited while the border patrol
did the necessaries and waved the first car through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Probably
said, ‘Sidney Crosby’s in the car behind us,’ he’ll vouch,” Taylor said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That
only works coming into Canada, not going out,” James said. He rolled down the window and handed the
officer two IDs and two passports. The
boys had flown internationally to get there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where
you headed?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Buffalo
for a hockey game,” James said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
guard flipped open Sidney’s passport, did a double take then leaned down to
look through the window into the backseat.
Sidney gave him a little wave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
lucky I’m not a Sabres fan,” the man said, giving back the documents. “Good luck boys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
arrived at the car rental drop-off with fifty minutes to spare. Cabs whisked them to the team hotel. Sid checked his watch. “Eleven forty-five. Perfect timing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“…For
lunch,” James added. He paid the driver and
hopped out to unload the trunk. Taylor
slid out curbside, followed by Leah and Sidney.
James handed them all their bags like he was in a hurry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Really
hungry, eh Nealer?” Sid asked. He just
wanted to lay down and stay there, preferably with Leah nearby but not too
close, and sleep for another day.
Instead he followed them into the hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!” A huge cheer erupted the instant he walked
through the door. The entire team was
there, like a misfit surprise party, waiting for them. Already Pascal had Leah in a huge hug. James wheeled around and grabbed Sid like
he’d scored a goal. The rest of the team
followed. Sid got so many face-washes
and hair-musses that he didn’t see who half the hands belonged to. When they finally stepped back, Flower
delivered Leah right to his side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Welcome
back!” TK shouted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
was speechless, still laughing with a face bright red from embarrassment. They’d drawn quite a crowd in the lobby too. “Uh, thanks guys. You all know Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
know she too pretty for you.” Geno said
with a lopsided smile. Leah winked at
him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
kiss though, Creature. We didn’t think
you had it in you,” Pascal said. Sidney
knew no one had expected him to take that kind of risk, forget expecting it to
work. He slipped his fingers between
Leah’s. Someone <i>awwwed</i> loudly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
squeezed his hand. “Neither did I.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
hugged every last Penguin before they went off to take naps and eat carbs and
do whatever they do before games. With
her family and best friends watching, Sidney’s teammates had shown they were
more than just teammates, they were a family of their own. Leah wondered if they understood what that
meant to Sidney, and decided they must.
Those guys had been inside Sidney’s barriers longer than she had, and
Leah knew the feeling was intoxicating.
The way they talked about him, protected him – as if he needed it, as if
they really could. Then they opened
their arms and made Leah part of that family too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
rode with her up to her room. They both
knew he could not come in. Enough
exceptions had been made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Wish
I could stay,” he said anyway, in the hallway with a dizzying carpet pattern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No
hurry now.” She pressed a kiss to his
forehead and another to his lips. “See
you at the game.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
love you,” Sidney told her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
smiled. “Crosby, you sap.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jake
stood so close his breath fogged the glass.
In the 87 t-shirt Leah had bought at him at the Hall of Fame, he fit right
in watching the team skate warm-ups.
There were quite a few Penguins fans – no surprise there. People shouted for Sidney and a few had
signs, but the Kid was pretty well known for keeping his head in the game even
before the game began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was surprised when he stopped at center ice and met her eyes. She smiled shyly, not wanting to be any more
of a distraction. Instead of being cool,
Sid skated right to them, bouncing a puck in one hand. He tossed it over the glass to Jake, gave
Leah a big grin and turned away. She put
a hand on the glass to keep from fainting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mother
of God,” said the girl next to her, awestruck by the close encounter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sighed. “You’re telling me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After
attending the game in Pittsburgh, Leah felt relatively at ease in Buffalo’s
First Niagra Center. The mostly
Sabres-fan audience was as loud and raucous as any game she’d been too and they
had had some very Canadian traditions, like passing the flag over the crowd and
even performing the Canadian anthem before every game. Leah could not help singing along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jake
bounced continuously. They were in the
last row of the lower bowl, backs to a wall so he could climb all over them and
not bother anyone else. It was his first
NHL game – he could hardly be blamed for not sitting still. Just four minutes in, the Penguins scored on
a sneaky play by Malkin. James had an
assist. Leah ruffled Taylor’s hair when Neal’s
name was announced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
know, if everyone keeps teasing me I’m gonna go out with him for real,” she
said, fixing her part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He’s
too old for you!” Leah said. Now she
sounded like Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fine!”
Taylor groaned. “Jack, do you have a
girlfriend?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uhhh,
no,” he answered, eyes still on the ice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you want one?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He shrugged. “Okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
felt like he could fly. Yesterday’s
craziness and last night’s bliss were fuel today and he skated like he was
brand new. He assisted on the Pens
second goal, just before the buzzer sounded to end the first. It was a good thing too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
video of the kiss had gone viral.
Multiple camera angles available.
Sports press who’d questioned Crosby’s absence from practice had a field
day with the reason. It even made
Sportscenter in the US, which covered hockey about as often as Sid climbed on a
stage and kissed a girl. On his way into
the locker room at first intermission, Coach Bylsma gave him the nod. Sid stepped out of line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
talk to your dad?” Coach asked. Sid
shook his head. Once he’d found Leah the
phone stayed off until he’d alerted the team they’d be on time to the hotel. Clearly James had called ahead a little more
widely, which is how the guys ended up surprising them in the lobby. But Sidney had ignored everything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You?”
Sid asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nope. Declined about two hundred calls. Mario?” Bylsma tried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid had
not talked to Lemieux, the Penguins’ part-owner and his mentor, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay.” Coach brushed a hand over his short hair,
something he did whenever he was makiing a
game plan. “Here’s what we’re
gonna do.” Then he turned and walked
into the locker room. The players were
all sitting, changing, chugging water or eating a granola bar. Bylsma clapped to get their attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
period, I like this game. Good
pace. What we need to do in the second
and third is….” Usually this is where
Coach tweaked something minor or introduced a new scheme he wanted to try. Not today.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“…
get Romeo here a goal.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
looked pointedly at his young captain. A couple of the guys cat-called and Sid
blushed like a bride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Maybe
two,” Bylsma went on. “Then there’s a
pretty good chance we can keep our jobs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
didn’t mind getting razzed by his teammates.
It had always made him feel like one of the boys, like he belonged to
the group rather than some rarified list of superstars. Today it felt even better: he’d done
something worth being teased for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Media’s
gonna have a field day when they get in here,” Dan added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid was
well aware. “I’m good, Coach.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
did go out and score a goal. And another asisst, just to be sure. During TV timeouts, when Sid allowed his
concentration to wander, he looked in the general direction of Leah’s
seats. Jack must be having a blast up
there. If Sid had to be away from Leah
at least it was for something like a really good hockey game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
score was 4-1 at the end of the day.
Sidney dropped his soaked jersey and pads into the equipment bin, sat
down and crammed his nasty, lucky, salt-stained Penguins hat over his
hair. Then he leaned back and
waited. When the media were admitted
they came right toward him, as usual. This
time most of them were smiling. Sid gave
them a moment to get their recorders and lights in place. Then he burst out laughing. The reporters did too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
awkaward tension mostly broken, someone asked, “Who is she?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Her
name is Leah,” he wiped a hand across his still sweaty face, wheezing. “She’s from Cole Harbour. Anyone want to talk about the game?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
shook his head. “I didn’t think so.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
went back to the hotel with her family.
They were buzzing from the win.
She had no clue how long the players usually took to return after a
game. It would be plus twenty minutes
for Sid to get interrogated, she imagined.
There was nothing to do – no clothes to change into, no snacks to eat –
so she went to her room and waited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Forty
minutes later, Sidney opened the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
wore a dark suit, double-breasted and a little too long in the arms. Leah shook her head – the guy had custom made
jeans but looked like a low-rent hitman in this getup. She gave him the once-over with a raised
eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
laughed. He’d let Leah pile every one of
his suits in the yard and burn them if she wanted. She could start tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
here!” He threw open his arms; she ran
over and jumped in. If any of his
teammates had seen that, Sid would never live it down. For now he didn’t give a shit. Leah kissed him, sliding down the front of
his body until her feet found the carpet, then she kept on kissing. It was a happy, silly kiss, not a breathless
clothes-ripper. A comfortable kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
game,” she said as she opened the button on his coat, “but this is a terrible
suit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He let
her undress him one piece at a time. The
jacket went over the chair, his button-down on top of it. Leah threw his shirt on the floor and by the
time she was opening his pants, Sidney didn’t care if he never saw them again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
stripped him to boxer briefs. He was
like a layer cake, each one perfect and delicious and left you craving more. Muscles slid beneath her hands. No matter how many times she felt that, Leah
knew she’d never tired of waiting to feel it again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
picked her up, earning a little squeak, and carried her to the bed. She still had all her clothes on but he
needed a minute anyway. Leah did not
complain when he kneeled over her on all fours.
It was easy to forget this Sidney was the same Sidney from before, at
the game. It was easy to forget her own
name when he was naked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Was
the media awful?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No. I think they were impressed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes,
by my singing,” she smiled. “I’m talking
about you. Unless you were wearing this
when you were interviewed.” Her hand
moved over his neck, toward his chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“They’ve
all seen this before.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah’s
fingers dragged across one of his nipples.
“It doesn’t get old, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He pushed
her hand up over her head, holding it down.
“I will have to talk to my dad sooner or later, and my agent. And Mario.
But that one will be okay, because you’ll be with me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
looked down into the blue eyes he had come to trust so much. They crinkled at the corners. Everything he’d done – and done wrong – to
get to this point was worth it just to see Leah smile at the idea of their
future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
can’t stay though. I have to finish this
year at school, Sid.” She had been
thinking about it since she realized Sid was in fact standing with her
backstage, having heard her song, kissed her anyway, and put himself on the
line. She knew without hesitation now
that could do that for him in return.
But like Sid, she was responsible and her commitments mattered - both to
boys and jobs. “School’s over in two and
a half months.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Will
you come as soon as it’s over?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
will get out early on my last day to be there sooner,” she promised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
one knew if Sid’s season would last until the middle of May. That was a hope whereas Leah was now a sure
thing. At some point soon they would be
together – really together. He dropped
onto his elbows, blocking out the entire world from her view, and kissed Leah
deeply. She responded by wrapping her
jean-clad legs around his waist and trying to pull his hips down. All she managed was to lift herself clear off
the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Jesus,
Crosby,” she laughed. He was made of
stone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’ll
have to train harder, babe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
4)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
closed the hotel room door softly behind her.
She probably could have slammed it and Sidney wouldn’t have so much as
rolled over in his sleep. Padding down
the hall, she saw her sister emerge from another room in the same fashion. They rode the elevator down to the lobby and
found coffee brewing in the hotel bar. A
few early rising business travelers were eating, but no sign of any
Penguins. Kate sat with her back to the
window and dumped a sugar into her mug.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
Pittsburgh,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah sipped
her own drink. “For a few days. I’m calling school before I go upstairs, I
think I can get the week off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
sure they’ve seen the video.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was relieved to see a mischevious look on Kate’s face. She had been the first to warn early on that
Leah would fall for Sidney and he would break her heart. Now her sister looked relieved to have been
wrong in the end. Still Kate’s opinion
was important, mostly because she would not hold back to make Leah feel better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you think it’s okay?” Leah asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
do. I didn’t before – it just sounded so
nuts - and I saw the way you looked when you talked about him. But I hadn’t met him. Now that I know he’s….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Crazy?”
Leah suggested.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“…
completely in love with you,” Kate stressed, “you have to go. And you still get to come back home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was scared. Everything had happened so
quickly – meeting Sid, getting caught up and then getting hurt and just when
she thought she was over it, getting it all back again. At the end of the day there was still Sid and
there was still home and those two things were very much a part of Leah, no
matter where she went.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is crazy, Kate,” Leah said softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate smiled. “You running off with Sidney Crosby? Honey, you’re Cinderella.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah went
into the lobby and called the school, asking to speak directly to the principal. He picked up on the first ring. Apparently, her performance – and Sidney’s –
was all over the TV news. Getting the
week off was easy, after multiple promises that she was definitely coming back. Leah returned to where Kate was finishing her
coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
were on the news at home,” she said. “My
boss saw it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
held up her phone, showing Leah the log.
There were six missed calls from their mother. “Guess who else saw it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-15878793833474190972013-07-10T11:43:00.001-07:002013-07-10T11:43:14.788-07:00twenty-four<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
2)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
told Sidney it had been fifty-four days since he left Cole Harbour. He’d been in her bed that last night, and
well into the morning after. So fifty
four days since he’d pushed her up against a door with a kiss before they
tripped their way inside. Sid made it a
little farther this time. He swiped the
key card through the lock, heard the digital beep followed by the thump turn of
the door’s bolt. They were just inside
when it swung shut behind them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
wanted to take Leah to the floor or toss her on the bed of lift her into the
air and stay right there, not moving. The
urge to sprint across the finish line surged through him like a drug. But Sidney needed to do one thing first. He reached for the zipper on Leah’s parka and
slowly drew it down, revealing her soft clothes – bright yellow sweater, thin
t-shirt, snug jeans. He let her open his
winter coat and push it from his shoulders; felt it pool against his
heels. Sidney did the same, freeing
Leah’s shape, then slipped his hands around her waist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
mouth lifted up, expecting a kiss.
Sidney promised himself this was the last time he’d ever make her wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
meant what I said before.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah’s
nose twitched; she couldn’t fight a smile.
Being in Sidney’s arms felt glorious, weightless, like she had all the
time in the world. If he wanted to talk,
she could give him a minute. <i>Well, maybe thirty seconds, </i>she thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That
you love me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That
you missed me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
kept nodding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That
you were going to kiss me in front of all these people, you were just waiting
for someone to recognize you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
tilted his head. “When did I say that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
airport at home, before you left.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
remembered. He’d felt a similar power, a
giddy recklessness at the idea of being normal and doing what he wanted, when
he wanted. That was back when he thought
he could love her and leave her and learn from the whole thing. He’d been so wrong. But in a way, that night had been a gateway
drug for what he did today. Sid knew how
easy to was to get addicted to a feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So
technically I did warn you,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
figured thirty seconds were up. “Yeah, I
was ready,” she answered, and kissed him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney’s
hands quickly moved over the rise of her ass, feeling the edges of jean pockets
beneath his palms. He yanked her in
tight and kissed her with all the want and waiting and worry of fifty-four days
apart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
returned his kiss with her own heat.
There had been anger and frustration with Sidney, disappointment
too. Bust mostly Leah had been mad at
herself for being the girl she said she wouldn’t be; for falling in love with a
guy she said she wouldn’t. For stepping
up to the edge of this cliff and walking right off. Sidney’s life was too big, Cole Harbour was
too small - she was caught in the middle of a hundred things she’d been sure of
a day ago. Yet again, Sidney Crosby was
changing everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
kissed deeply until they both felt his body begin to stir, breaking their
concentration and reminding them of other things that had been neglected too
long. Leah rolled her hip against the
hardening shape in his lap. Sid
abandoned her backside for two handfuls of her shirt, which went flying, then
quickly of her hair, tugging back, exposing her neck. He buried himself in the smell of her skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
tugged Sid’s sweater up the slope of his back, inch by inch as his t-shirt came
with it. Both went overhead, mussing his
already messy hat hair. She leaned back
and watched her fingers move down his chest – it wasn’t something she’s ever
get sick of, the way his wide body tapered toward his waist, all that muscle
just waiting to be put to good use. She
bit her bottom lip, letting every finger lift away except one that dragged over
his belly button and down to the top his jeans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was almost too much for Sidney to see Leah admire him. His own view wasn’t bad either – her breasts
rose up from the cups of her bra, endless soft skin for him to explore. They both watched as her fingernail grazed
the button above his fly, tapping like a knock on the door. Sid’s dick twitched hard; she saw it, felt
it. Her blue eyes found his just as her
finger dipped inside his waistband. Her
other hand helped to pop the button with the tiniest motion. Tugging his now open pants, she backed up
toward the bed taking Sidney with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
bed was huge, a king, but Leah knew Sidney would take up a lot of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Best to be underneath him</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought, <i>or on top</i>. Just to make sure they had room. His body was endless perfection and she’d
have spent all night studying it but for the insisitent throb between her legs. Needs she had and needs to be met quickly, loudly,
so they could hurry up and do it all over again. Her backside bumped the edge of the mattress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
caught her body between the immovable bed and his own immovable lower
body. This time it was his hands on her
button, then her zipper, opening with the sound of wrapping paper being torn
off a gift. He folded the her jeans,
just an inch, and smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Peach,”
he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hmmm?”
Leah was a little distracted by the promising size of his fingers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“These,”
he rubbed the pad of his thumb against the silk of her panties, “are
peach. And your bra. You brought these to Pittsburgh. I saw them in your suitcase.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
remembered. She just didn’t know Sid had
seen them. Of course, he did have to
pack up her stuff and bring it to James’ house after… well, after. But that was before. She could have been mad or sad at the thought
of that night, and those since, all wasted.
But she chose wisely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Now,”
she slowly pushed his zipper down, deliberately pressing his erection, sending
every vibration right back on itself. “I
finally get to wear them for you.” Leah guided her hand inside his pants until
his bulge filled her hand. Sidney
groaned in pleasure at the same time Leah smiled. The size of him had not been a dream, but a
very accurate memory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
heel of her palm pressed along his shaft as Leah reached deep, dragging her
fingers over his balls, just the cotton of his shorts between them. His blood poured south, abandoning all
critical function, rushing to meet her.
For the first time since the last time he’d had Leah, Sid felt
woozy. Leah shoved his pants to the
floor. Sid stepped out of his
sneakers. With his socks still on, he
took Leah down onto the bed. She landed
with a bounce, their mouths connecting.
Her hands twisted into his hair, caressing his ears, tracing his
jaw. She tasted like velvet and
sweetness and the warm, dark slip of everything else her body promised. Sid shimmied her jeans down until she kicked
her feet free. Then he caught her right
foot in his big hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
their time together, Sid had never taken any time. Now tomorrow was a long way off as he pressed
his lips to the insider of her ankle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
gasped as Sidney’s firm, curvy mouth found her skin. The spot was ticklish: he didn’t care. Sid kissed right through it. He licked the hollow between her ankle and
heel, tested at the taut flesh of her lower leg between his teeth. His kiss slid up behind her knee and explored
the spot with the tip of his tongue.
Then he lowered that massive frame, pushing her legs apart and kissing
even higher. Her panties were soaked,
her pussy already fluttering. Sid nipped
at the softest part of her inner thigh before sending a hot breath across her
cleft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
touched one thick finger to her delicate panties, already damp with her desire. Rubbing the smooth fabric against her
feverish skin made Leah’s back arch hard.
He did it again with two fingers.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“OhGod,”
Leah said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
chuckled, hooking that finger into the silk and pulling it aside. Then he took his kiss right to her body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid,”
she gasped. He went hard for her slit,
raking his tongue around the edges before driving it inside. The sweet honey taste was almost as good as
the shaking he was wringing from her body. Sid kissed harder and earned another
soft cry. His cock beat hard, begging
for a turn. He flattened her hips to the
mattress, tilting her toward his mouth, and pulled her panties farther
aside. Then he sucked her clit between
his lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck,”
she breathed. Leah had never felt Sid’s mouth
on another part of her anatomy but this was beyond imagining. The pillowy lips, darting tongue, even a hint
of stubble were raking every nerve ending south of the border into a heap,
ready to be set on fire. He grazed her
clit with his teeth, earning a whimper, just as he pushed two fingers deep into
her pussy. Leah bucked and moaned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was at a rolling boil. Between her body
tossed out before him, his face between her legs, the sounds she was making and
the fingers in his hair, he wanted to stay there all day. Almost as much as he wanted to bury his dick
and the first of many hot, depserate loads of pleasure into that space. Already his heart was racing. Sid levered himself up. Below him, Leah looked like a goddess in her
lingerie with her hair tossed about. She
looked up expectantly through fluttering lashes. Sid took the two fingers he’d penetrated her
with and slipped them into his mouth, sucking them clean. Then he climbed on top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In Sid’s
mind, he was smooth enough to say something romantic at a time like this. In reality, there was not stopping to think
or talk or anything other than paste his mouth to hers and push. His cock found the spot and they moved
together. Leah dug her nails shamelessly
into his shoulders. The hard, thick
pressure spreading her body was almost too good; better than she
remembered. Sidney screwed himself
inside until she felt his thighs under her backside, titling her hips,
thrusting for that last inch. He got it,
lifting her ass off the bed. She sobbed
out a breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
tried to stop. He tried to slow. He gritted his teeth and fought against his
own body, but it was like trying to hold back a tide. Every atom wanted release. As strong as he was, he wasn’t that
strong. Desperate for another flash of
pleasure, he stroked hard. Leah’s mouth
fell away, her neck twisting as she cried out.
Sidney buried his face in that soft skin and the tight sheath around his
cock fluttered. He growled
desperately. Determination alone made
him move again, nearly pulling the orgasm from his body as he dragged out of her
like a cork. Just as he felt the first
drop spill, Sidney shoved back in deep and broke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
gasped. Sid was hot and heavy and she
felt the throb as he came, groaning, his mouth half-dragging across her
skin. It was pure surrender. He hadn’t meant to come so soon and certainly
not to come first, but the release of being together ripped it right out of
him. Sidney had lost control – that was at
least twice today. Leah smiled at the
obvious world record and wondered if anything about Sid would ever be the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
sorry, I…,” he started to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Still the same nice guy</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought. Leah shut him up with a kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was breathless. He was also embarassed that
their third date – if you could call the times they’d been in bed together
dates – had started this way. But Leah
twisted her tounge along his as they shared the feeling of his dick relaxing
inside her. His shoulders sagged, releasing
the half push-up he’d been holding. Leah
wrapped her arms around his back and held tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
love you,” she whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
turned onto his side, taking her with him, twisting their arms and legs
together. His eyes were golden, lighter
than Leah had ever seen them. That meant
he was the happiest yet. With one
finger, she traced the tiny lines and scars that hockey had left all over his
beautiful face; the lines and scars from her song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
love you,” Sidney said, as her touch grazed his bottom lip. “I could’ve told you that the night we met.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Liar,”
she smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay,”
he laughed. “But definitely when I woke
up sprawled all over you at the movies and you didn’t even make me let go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
was holding onto you, remember? That was
a pretty big hint.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
brushed an auburn curl from the side of her face. “Well I’m a pretty big idiot.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
shrugged. “I could have told you on New
Year’s, when you kissed me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
a confused look, Sidney lifted up onto
his elbow. Leah’s eyes dropped to his
chest – she bit her lip, like she found him delicious, and he nearly forgot
what he was going to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Wait,
you were so mad at me for kissing you!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
well… I was mad at myself for falling for you.
I didn’t want everyone and their mother and their blog to know I was
being the predictable idiot,” she admitted.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
are <i>not</i> predictable, Leah. I thought you hated me for that until the
night you said it was a good kiss.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
was a great kiss,” she corrected. “Not
as good as today, though. Or that one,
when the lockout was over….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They both
thought back to the moment Sidney did the most rash, impulsive thing and
climbed into her bed. He didn’t want to
talk. He wanted to stamp his name all
over her body and the delicate thing they’d built. He wanted to take a piece of her with him in
exchange for their piece he would be leaving behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,”
he dipped his head self-consiously. “That
was a great kiss.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
kissed him again. She pulled his face
close, hand along his stong jaw, and carefully touched those perfect lips. They were built for kissing and they
delivered. It seemed like hours passed
as they lay there making out like they had all the time in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
was relaxed and happy like never before.
Maybe the first day of the off-season after winning the Cup, when
everything was right and no one could take it away. It was not his natural state, so it took his
body a little while to respond. When it
did, Leah giggled, her mouth on his. She
wasn’t shy though – she moved one hand to stroke his hardening legnth and kept
right on kissing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
wasn’t long before Sidney’s stong hands were rolling her easily, settling her
onto her stomach. He swung onto her and
Leah sighed. His weight was like an
anchor. Sidney settled along her back,
his erection stiff against her thigh as he nudged her legs farther apart. His arms blocked out the world; just his
mouth at her ear and his body on hers. A
slow, insistent push drove his cock deep into her body once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Baby,”
he whispered. The soft rise of Leah’s ass
and narrow span of her back fit perfectly.
She twisted two handfuls of the blanket overhead and used it for
leverage, working back against him. Her
motion doubled the impact and Sid had to slow his roll.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
gonna make me come,” he warned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
gonna say that a lot,” she looked back with a gleam in her eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Someday
I’ll get you back,” Sid laughed. For now
she was right. He put one hand over her
wrists, holding them far in front of her prone body. The other he snaked under her hip, fingers reaching
for her clit. She flinched as he found
his mark. Another light graze and she
did it again. Her pussy trembled. Sid stroked right through it, the push as
good as the pull in such a tight spot.
Working his fingers in rhythm with his thighs, Sidney quickly had Leah
at his mercy. Each thrust sent her
forward against his hand, just waiting to push that button. She couldn’t turn her head enough, so Sidney
bit her earlobe and whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
dreamed of this. So many times. It was always you, from the first day,” he
told her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid,”
Leah breathed. It was one thing to know
he loved her. It was another thing to feel
him loving her. But to know that he
always had, that they’d been equally crazy and foolish from the first day… it
broke Leah’s heart and put it back together at the same time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Whatever
happens,” he said, “it will always be you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sometime
in the night, when Sidney had lost count of the times they’d been together, he lay
awake with Leah in his arms. It was
fully dark but the curtain was open, the lights of Toronto sparkling
outside. It had been open the whole
time, which made Sidney laugh. They hadn’t
cared about anything but each other all day, no matter who saw. Maybe someone had seen more than they
intended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
stirred against his chest. They’d been
napping just long enough to restore their energy before having another go at
each other. Finally Sidney felt
satified, at least for a few hours. It
would be months, if ever, before he really had enough of Leah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
With her head against his chest, Leah sighed.
“Why didn’t you tell me, back then?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid knew
what she meant: why didn’t you tell me you loved me? He’d been asking himself the same
question. There were moments in Cole Harbour
when it might have worked. There were
other moments he was throwing himself at her, hoping to stick, without the
promise of anything more than one last night together. The truth would have made that night different
– better, perhaps, or maybe stopped it from happening at all. In a time when Sidney thought one night to
remember was all he’d get of Leah, he’d chosen to have it rather than risk it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
was scared you didn’t want me. Didn’t
want my life and all this craziness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
tipped her face up. Even in the darkness
her eyes were blue. “You’re not scared
anymore?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Terrified,”
Sid admitted. “Only now it’s too late,
and I didn’t even give you a choice this time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
traced a finger along the hollow at the center of Sidney’s chest, between his
pecs, over his heart. For all that she’d
tried to be there for him and protect him, in trying to be be a friend, Leah
had failed to do one important thing. “I
should have trusted you before,” she said.
“I was so worried about being left behind, looking stupid. I should have known that you wouldn’t hurt
me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
rubbed his hand across the small of her back, marveling at the smooth skin and
size of her. He would never get tired of
this. Knowing he almost never had it
made him weak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
did, though,” he said. “That girl in
Pittsburgh….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
stopped him. “We don’t have to talk
about that. We weren’t together.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
was with you, though, even if we weren’t a couple. I knew I was in love with you. And I… I just want to tell you that I don’t
remember it. That’s not me, and I would
never do that again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah saw
the concerned crease of Sidney’s brow, the serious look on his face. She let her head fall back. “I trust you, Sid. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll ask James to
keep an eye on you. I can be <i>very</i> persuasive.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
made a gagging noise and Leah laughed, curling around him. They shifted postitins to tangle up together
in a new way. Sid was going in for a kiss
when he stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where
is Taylor?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ummm…
uh oh,” Leah said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
fumbled for the bedside table, throwing an extra pillow aside to find the
clock. It was one in the morning. His pants were a heap on the floor – he nearly
fell out of bed reaching for them. His
ass hung in the air as he awkwardly stretched out. Leah whistled a catcall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
hit the power button and shook the phone, as if that would make it boot up
faster. The moment it came online all
the tones sounded: text, voicemail, missed calls. There would be a hundred of them from his coach,
parents, agent, probably Duper and Flower and everyone else. He ignored them all and hit send on Taylor’s
number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
Sid!” came the answer, shouted over plenty of background noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where
are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Out.
At a bar,” Taylor said. Leah could hear
it from her side of the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
Neal with you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor
laughed. Bless her heart, Leah thought,
she laughed right in rich, famous, overprotective her brother’s ear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He
had curfew two hours ago! Don’t
you?! What are you still doing awake?”
Her tone was so insinuating that Sid blushed, disgusted by the fact his sister
knew he’d been up all night with Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He’s
not with you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
KGB. He went home, alone, before
eleven. Jeez!” There was so muffled talking and the phone
being moved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid,
hey, it’s Gina,” the next voice said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
guys okay?” Sid asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Of
course. James did go home, Taylor wants
me to verify. There was only minimal
kissing, some groping, a little humping against the wall as he licked tequilla
shots off her neck. You know, the
usual. Then he left.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
growled, knowing she was joking but still mad.
“I would kill him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“At
least he’s hot. You should see the guy Taylor’s
making out with now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“GINA!”
Sid shouted. Leah could hear her best
friend cackling as she hung up. He
grumbled, turning the phone off again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
don’t think they really…?” he asked Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No. James isn’t actually crazy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
looked unconvinced. “And he never tried
anything with you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So
James had not told Sidney about the night after they ran from the club. He hadn’t detailed the way Leah walked around
his house wearing nothing but his t-shirt, daring him to make the bad decision
she couldn’t make herself. James had
touched her arm, kissed her forehead and called himself a bad guy. Then he’d done the right thing and walked
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Never,”
Leah told Sidney honestly. “He never
did.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
pressed his mouth into a hard line. It
was the answer he’d expected but it hurt to know that when push came to shove,
Neal was a better man than he had been.
Sidney had taken the low road with a random drunk girl while James
managed to keep his hands off something he wanted very genuinely, something
that would have been good for him – angry captains aside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He’d
love to know we’re talking about him though,” Sid tried a joke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“In
bed,” Leah pointed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
now you’re thinking about him, in bed,” Sid grimaced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
leaned forward until her lips were almost touching Sidney’s. His size and shape in the darkness of their
own private space was intoxicating.
James could never be this, never come close. One locked door between them and the world,
and Sidney was all hers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Care
to distract me?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-29619968482800890722013-07-08T11:01:00.001-07:002013-07-08T11:01:03.620-07:00twenty-three<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
2) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
heard noise. It was the audience, going
ballistic over the unplanned show they had just seen. If anyone even remembered her song, these
cheers were not for it. She could have
out-screamed them but with Sidney in her arms, she figured let them have their
fun. He knitted his fingers into hers,
gave the audience a shy, awkward wave, and ran them both off stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
are you… how did you…?” she started to say but Sidney pressed her to the
closest wall, in full view of everyone behind the scenes, and kissed her
again. He inhaled deeply, the vanilla
nad ruby red scnet of her hitting his sense like a red flag to a bull. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
kiss shot through Leah’s body like a runaway train. She wanted to tear him apart, tear herself
apart to find the single atom that had doubted him and destroy it forever. The boy who couldn’t do anything had done
everything, and he was still doing it.
Leah had to shove him away as the temperature between them spiked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry,”
he laughed weakly, wiping their kiss from his face with the back of one
hand. “I missed you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Before
Leah could get her question out, Gina burst through the stage door at a run and
gave Sidney a flying tackle. He caught
her easily, spinning around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Took
you long enough!” she said, taking a swing.
He dodged it just before something else hit him in the stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sidney!”
Jake shouted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
hugged the kid back, hoping that of everyone Jake was oblivious to the mess Sidney
had made. If they kid had to have a
hero, let it not be one who almost lets a girl like Leah get away. Travis slapped Sid on the shoulder as Jacke
held on tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
must be Leah’s sister,” he said to the woman nearby. She was a few years older but definitely
Leah’s sister, with the same blue eyes and wide smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
you must be the boy in that song,” Kate said.
She introduced her husband Tommy.
Sid wondered if this guy had wanted to kick his ass. On stage, performer number nine began singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Folks,
uh, if we could…,” the stagehand sheepishly interrupted their
conversation. Leah immediately pushed
them all toward the green room. She’d
rather break the ‘one guest’ rule than drown out someone singing on stage. As it was, she knew Sidney would be a tough
act to follow. They piled into the green
room to a sea of staring faces – all the performers before her who had missed the
spectacle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
hey everybody,” Sid did his awkward wave again.
A few jaws dropped. He looked at
Leah, who looked at her family, who had no idea what to do. There was a fuss outside the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
we’re with them!” a male voice said.
James’ head popped through the door.
“Can one of you guys vouch for me?
This dude is <i>not</i> into hockey.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
waved the stagehand away, smirking at Neal.
“He recognized me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
you’re a show-off, that’s why.” James pushed
Taylor through the door in front of him.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
ran right to Leah, who already had her arms open in a hug. Then James scooped Leah up and hugged her
too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
stranger. You left something in
Pittsburgh,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
laughed. “I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
set her down. “Don’t worry, I brought
Sid too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">People
were coming and going so fast Leah felt dizzy.
Or perhaps that was from standing so close to Sidney, who hadn’t moved
more than six inches away. Presently his
arm was around her waist, tucked into her pocket at the far side. In her heels they were the same height and he
leaned in for a kiss every chance he got.
It was clear she wouldn’t get a moment to talk to him until this was
over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
uh, what now?” Gina finally asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
have a game tomorrow. Have to be in
Buffalo at noon or we’re getting benched, Crosby or no Crosby,” James said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
to the game?” Sid offered then changed his tone. “Not a question. You’re all coming to the game. Jake, you wanna come to the game?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah!”
Jake said, turning to his mom. She
shrugged, looking about seventy percent sure she trusted Sidney. He figured that was enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
can go in the morning, fly or drive, you guys pick. I’ll get you all home from there. Probably be Monday morning though,” Sid
pointed out. Everyone was fine with
that. After all that had happened, it
seemed like nothing to be late to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Contestants
to the stage in five please, we’re announcing winners,” a production assistant
called. People pretending not to watch
them got to their feet, lives moving forward again. Leah felt Sid’s embrace tighten. She had nearly forgotten there was a contest
going on. His mouth found her ear with a
soft kiss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
luck,” he said, letting go of her hand for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt three thousand pairs of eyes on her.
At least while performing she’d had something to do and a piano between
them. Now she was in line with twelve
other performers but all the attention was focused on her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well,
that was quite a show,” the emcee joked.
Leah looked at the floor. “A
tough act to follow, for sure, but we’ve still got our first place, ten
thousand dollar prize to award! Thanks
to all the contestants today, we know some of you traveled quite far to be on
this stage today.” He gave the audience
a deadpan look. “Some of you almost
didn’t make it in time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everyone
laughed. Somewhere in the back Leah knew
Sid was trying to melt into a wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Finishing
in third place today, with an overall score of nine-point-two and winning a
prize of three thousand dollars, is Keller Dunn!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One
of the singers Leah had missed stepped forward.
She was glad to see someone after her win something, meaning Sid’s
appearance hadn’t totally thrown the competition into a tizz. Keller got a check and a trophy and a big
round of applause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Today’s
second place winner, taking home five thousand dollars and a final score of
nine-point-four… Leah Hanlon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
almost put a hand over her face, resisting only at the last moment. Already afraid of having disrespected the
event, Leah didn’t want to see like she wasn’t grateful for the prize. If anything she was embarrassed – people must
be thinking she hardly needed the money now, with Crosby climbing stages to get
to her. Still, nine-point-four was a
fantastic score. She had earned
that. The emcee made a joke about her
score beating an eight-point-seven and the audience roared. She accepted the check and trophy, smiled for
a photo and stepped back into place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Today’s
first place winner, winner of the 2013 Soundcast Performance Contest for all of
Canada and our ten thousand dollar grand prize, is Grace Hale!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
girl with the guitar won it all. Leah
was happy for her – she’d put on a great show.
Watching her claim her prize, tears in her eyes, Leah clapped
loudly. The scores had been close. Leah was glad Grace came out on top. The emcee had them all take a bow then the
curtain was closing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Congratulations,”
Grace said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
too, you were great,” Leah replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Grace
nodded toward the wing of the stage behind Leah. “I think I’d rather have your prize.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
turned and there was Sidney. He’d never
left the stage at all, but watched from the side as Leah’s name was
called. That perfect, megawatt smile
seemed permanently attached to his face.
Trophy in hand she went right for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
caught her and squeezed as hard as he could, until she groaned. Sid didn’t think this could be real. He and Leah had been trying so hard to get
over or around each other, refusing to see there was no way but through. Holding her felt beyond right, it felt like
relief. Sid tilted her back far enough
to look in his eyes. “I love you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
smirked. Sid’s heart thumped – Leah wouldn’t
give him an easy time, even now. And he
didn’t want one. “So I heard,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So
did everyone else,” he pointed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
that okay?” For her part, Leah was worried that Sid’s grand gesture might have
come without thought of the consequences.
She wanted him to act and now he finally had; she needed his act of
faith to be worth whatever came next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If
you can handle it, I can handle it,” he said.
“And I know you can handle it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
kissed his softly, knowing a clothes-ripping, furniture-breaking,
mirror-fogging make-out session was boiling to the surface. Not here, obviously. She thought about it though, and pressed
those thoughts to his lips. Sidney
squeezed again, acknowledging the transmission.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
broke free from her mouth and put his lips to her ear. “When I said I’d get everyone home from
Buffalo, I didn’t mean you. You’re
coming with me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
have school,” Leah’s tone wasn’t even remotely serious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry
kids, you’ll have to guide yourselves for a day or two,” he grinned. There was no way Sidney was letting Leah out
of his sight until he had a few days to say and do everything he needed to
prove himself. That started now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
hear Jake wants to go to the Hall of Fame.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
promised to take him,” Leah winced. She
didn’t want to break plans but she didn’t want to leave Sidney, not for a
minute. One of many obstacles to
conquer. Or maybe not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Then
let’s take him,” Sid said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
caught Leah’s sleeve, tugging her out of step with Sidney and to the back of
their little group. The hotel loomed
ahead, where they planned to let Leah chance and hit the Hockey Hall of Fame
before it got too late in the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He
doesn’t have to do this,” Kate said.
“Jake would understand if we went to a movie or something, I don’t….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
reached an arm around Kate’s shoulders and pulled her in for half a hug. All of a sudden, the older sister who had
been worried about Sid breaking her heart was worried about Sid getting in
trouble. It was amazing what family
could do – protect one minute, accept the next.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
not sure how much of it’s for Jake, and how much is for himself,” Leah
replied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
looked back at her a serene expression.
“I think it’s for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
they reached the hotel, Leah shot Sid a quick glance: <i>stay here</i>. Of course, everyone
saw it – Tommy even laughed. If Sid went
upstairs with Leah, they’d be gone for good.
Sid had the grace to blush even as he smiled. Leah grabbed Taylor’s arm and headed up to
the room. They weren’t gone a moment
before Gina was pulling Sid into a corner, away from the group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
was beautiful, Sidney thought. The kind
of girl guys would go crazy for, the way boys had back in Cole Harbour when
they were kids. Gina had a
devil-may-care vibe about her that would appeal to his teammates. He’d already caught Neal looking a little too
long. Gina was used to that – if she or
Travis cared, they hadn’t showed it. Now
she stood across from him, thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I…,”
she stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You…,”
Gina halted again, shifting her weight in frustration. Sid waited.
Finally, Gina sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Sorry I tried to punch you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay,” Sid laughed. “It won’t happen
again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
gave him a level stare, the kind that could turn good or bad in a
heartbeat. “Good, because I don’t miss
twice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
waited until she and Taylor were in the elevator on their way to the 17<sup>th</sup>
floor. The doors closed and she said,
“How did you know?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“My
dad saw it in the paper.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
groaned. “Oh my God, your dad.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He
was impressed,” Taylor said. “Well, for
a second anyway. Wait till he finds out
what Sid did. Then we’re all dead.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt a genuine fear. She knew Troy
Crosby was a crazy sports parent, always pushing, always driving Sidney to
perform. It as local a legend as Cole
Harbour had. They’d always laughed about it but Leah suddenly felt the weight
of it on her chest, the realization that if she and Sidney were a thing, then
his family was kind of her family too.
Good and bad. Except she had all
the good on her side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor,
who’d been drive to no less a degree for being female, read the concern on
Leah’s face. “Don’t worry. Sid got here, he got you, he can get around
my dad.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
lifted her eyebrows in question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Probably.”
Taylor shrugged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
Leah hurried to dress. It wasn’t what
she’d have chosen for a first date but Sidney had seen her in worse. And better.
And less and more. He’d seen so
much now… heard so much. Beyond a
confession, the song was every ounce of love and confusion and waiting and flat
out adoration she felt for Sidney. There
were other feelings: anger and hurt. She
was frustrated that he’d waited so long and put them both through all this only
to arrive back where they started: standing in a pool of light, each surprised
the to see the other waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Only
this time, Sid said he loved her. Maybe
there was nothing else to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Zipping
into soft skinny jeans, Leah pulled on her high black winter boots. Above that she wore a white v-neck tee under
a mustard yellow cardigan and twisted a yellow, blue and gray patterned scarf
around her neck. The same old green
parka and hat she’d been wearing the night she met Sidney went on top. With her makeup and hair done up for the
performance, Leah looked as good as a girl could hope to look when Sidney
Crosby showed up with a surprise ‘I love you.’
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
took the elevator down. The moment Leah
turned toward the lobby her eyes immediately found Sidney. It wasn’t some connection between them, it
was just his size and presence that seemed to draw every eye; the way she’d
found him in another Toronto hotel lobby after the lockout meetings, pulling
attention like a magnet. People with no
idea who Sidney was glanced in his direction.
But he was looking right back at her, and then he was smiling. Leah blushed like a grade schooler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
gave up lurking in a corner and walked right to her. Leah slowed her step; Sid didn’t. In a hotel lobby, no more or less full than
any other time or place, he kissed her softly on the lips. He was also thinking of that last trip to
Toronto and all trouble he could have saved them if he’d had the guts to do
this months ago. Now he took his time,
holding the lid on the pot by keeping his mouth closed against her soft, warm
lips. Sparks trilled down the line where
their bodies pressed together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi,”
he said. The whole group was watching
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi,”
Leah managed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
ready for this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
shook her head no. Sid took her hand and
turned toward the door anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Hockey Hall of Fame was only a few blocks away.
The chilly whip of early March wind gave Leah an excuse to press against
Sidney’s bulky shape. He put an arm around
her shoulders and kept her close, kept their feet moving. Sid was on a roll – already he’d put himself
out there. He was vulnerable like never
before. At least Leah hadn’t slapped his
face and run off stage. Instead, she said
loved him too. Sid felt like he could do
anything and so he would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Before
long the imposing façade of the Hall of Fame loomed along their left side. Housed in a former bank, it was all stone
with soaring, sharply capped windows overhead.
The place looked more like a museum than a modern Hall of Fame, and in
truth it was both. At the front door, he
looked at Leah and pulled off his baseball cap.
A megawatt grin spread across his perfect face and threatened to stop
her heart. He was really going for this,
daring her to come along. Leah didn’t
know what was into Sid today, but she reached up to fix his hair. It was soft between her fingers, a little
longer than she rememebred. Well it had
been a while since she ran her hands through it. The next time she got the chance she would….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Involuntarily
Sidney’s brown eyes darkened with a flash of lust and he leaned forward to kiss
her… until Tommy coughed. Loudly. Leah and Sid both snapped back like they’d
touched something hot, a breath away from making out on the street in front of
hockey’s most public institution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Shaking
it off, Sid counted heads – they were nine total. No, eight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where’s
James?” Sid asked, hating himself for directing the question at Taylor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Talking
your PR department off a ledge.” She
smirked, acknowledging the insinutation.
“No really, he thought you might get through better without both of you
attracting attention. This way if anyone
asks why you’re here, you can say it’s a family thing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
made a face like he was impressed with Neal’s consideration. Taylor took the opening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Imagine
if he were here and you said that.
People would know all about me and him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
swiped his hat at Taylor, biffing her before she could duck. She whacked him with a mitten. He was laughing that high-pitched giggle as
they rolled through the front door and went right for the admission window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ll
get…,” Tommy tried to say, but Sid was too quick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Seven
adults and one child, please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
girl behind the glass stared at him like some kind of reverse zoo exhibit where
the exotic, impossible creature was on the outside. Sid, a little drunk on his tiny rebellion,
gave her a big smile. The girl wobbled. Her chair wobbbled. Canada wobbled in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Seh…
seven? And a child?” She stammered, punching keys at random and
earning a chorus of protesting beeps.
Quickly clearing the transaction, she started again and managed to come
up with a total for eight admissions.
Then she looked back at Sid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I think
you get in free.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ll
pay, it’s okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No, I
mean, you’re, um… okay. Six and a
child. That’s one hundred sixteen
dollars.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
put his credit card on the counter and the girl blinked at it, as if she
expected Phil Pritchard to run out with his white Stanley Cup gloves to handle
it. After a moment, she gingerly picked
it up and swiped it through the reader then passed it back to him, careful not
to touch. The receipt printed noisily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
leaned in behind Leah and Taylor and whispered, “Imagine when he goes to buy
you a ring.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor
snorted, trying to catch the laugh in her throat, and spun away coughing. The joke died for Leah at the word
‘ring.’ Of course that’s what people
would think, and what they would start asking the minute Sidney told anyone
they were together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Well, that minute has passed</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought. Leah closed her eyes, wondering if all of
Cole Harbour had been alerted yet. If
Pittsburgh was sounding alarms. If
Canada’s stock market suddenly rose or crashed on the evidence that Sidney
Crosby has actually kissed a girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
she opened her eyes the world was still there, in this very unnatural state
where Sidney, bare-headed and not trying to hide, was autographing a credit
card receipt. A handful of people had
gathered in the corners of the room, a few other employees. Sid gave them all a smile as he headed right
back toward her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
caught the look on Leah’s face – disblief, melted over the hard part of her
heart that had written that song. He’d
have to ask her for the lyrics later.
After he stopped kissing her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Maybe never</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid smiled to
himself. He’d heard the important words
anyway. Keeping his eyes on Leah, Sid
grabbed Jake around the waist and picked him up under one arm like a
football. The little boy squealed with
delight. Sid made a face at Leah and
turned toward the entrance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is girl porn,” Gina said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Gross,
that is my brother!” Taylor hissed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
she’s right,” Kate said, stepping into line alongside them. They watched as Sidney, on his knees in front
of a small goal, tried to keep Jake from scoring. Jake had a short plastic hockey stick, a
hollow puck and oversized gloves. The
little scoreboard said he’d gotten three past Crosby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jake
took an awkard one-armed swipe and sent the puck rolling into Sidney’s
knee. As Sid leaned to block it, Jake
ran up and threw a second puck over Sid’s shoulder. His glove went with it, both landing in the
back of the net. Sid snared him and
leapt to his feet, Jake’s sneakers dangling in mid-air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“God
my ovaries hurt,” Gina concluded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Next
to her, Travis said, “Mine too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They’d
made it through most of the exhibits, albeit slowly as Sidney stopped for a
picture and autograph with everyone who asked.
And some who didn’t. He had a
friendly, efficient manner about him, paying attention to each person just long
enough before moving on. Leah watched
him work the place like a pro, knowing everyone who met him would go away
glowing. It was especailly impressive
because he seemed to mean it. A few
people asked what he was in Toronto for and, as Taylor suggested, Sid said,
“Family stuff.” No one pressed for
details. Still Sidney had kept his hands
to himself – not touching or kissing Leah.
She was glad for that; this place felt sacred, somehow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
they reached the interactive games part of the museum, Sid went right for the
net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
he was dusting off his knees and setting Jake back down. That gray crewneck sweater did little to hide
the ease of motion in his strong, practiced body. Between that and playing sports games with
kids, Leah knew what Gina meant about a kick to the girlparts. Sid draped his coat over one arm. He’d been looking at her all afternoon, always
with a hint of impatience. She knew what
he meant. The clock couldn’t tick fast
enough until she could get him alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Hall of Fame tour ran out in front of the climactic display: The Stanley
Cup. They all stopped in front of the
silver trophy. Behind it was a Hall of
Fame logo and on either side, a collage of photos printed larger than life and
plastered to the wall: recent winners, lifting the Cup iconically
overhead. Second to the left was Sidney
from 2009. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“God
that mustache is hideous,” Taylor announced without mercy. Everyone laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
giggled, knowing his sister was right.
But the sight of the Cup always made him sigh. This was the Presentation Cup that toured the
country, spending a day with each of the players. It was the Cup he had lifted and drank from and
ridden around the lake with on his Jet Ski.
It wast the Cup he’d famously laid in bed with, only to be photographed
by Jordan Staal. The memory made Sidney
smile – not just of winning, but that team and those friends and that
summer. He hoped it wasn’t a once in a
lifetime thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Cup sat on a table with room for people to gather around for a photo. Without saying a word their group all stayed well
back. Finally Jake asked, “Can you touch
it? ‘Cause you won it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Er,
no,” Sid said. This wasn’t even one of
his crazy personal superstitions, so he wasn’t embarassed to say so. “Only when you win it. Once the next season starts, it’s not yours
anymore. Gotta wait till you win
again.” He guided Jake toward the
table. “You can, though.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
no,” Jake pushed back against Sid’s hand, stopping his progress. “I can wait till you win again too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
They all laughed at the way kids say the darndest things. Travis ruffled Jake’s hair. “You could win it yourself someday, then you
can lift it over your head.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jake
regarded the trophy, which looked about as the size and weight of his own body
from atop it’s perch. He shrugged. “It looks kinda heavy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
had gone the entire tour without touching Leah.
He wanted to give her that much space at least – after all, she hadn’t
asked him to climb on stage and kiss her in front of the world like he was
planting a flag. Even if she wanted it –
which he was relieved to find she did – he still wanted to take it easy in
public. Things would get crazy soon
enough. But standing in front of the Cup,
he knew that wasn’t the only prize he wanted.
And it certainly wasn’t the only one he’d had to chase, messing up and
falling short along the way, embarassing himself with frustrations and false
starts. He stepped closer to Leah and
slid his arm through hers, linking elbows like they were in an old movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">If
she wanted him, it meant she agreed to this crazy hockey life. The Cup was the prize they’d both be chasing
now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
figured there were people behind him and in the wings and probably in the security
office watching on closed circuit TV. He
turned Leah in and kissed her briefly.
Let them see. She looked up at
him in surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Gotta
kiss something. I mean it’s right there!” he whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out.
They had gone to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Sid had his hat back on, sitting next to her
in a chair that seemed far too small for him.
Maybe it was because he’d pulled it so close to her side. His arm bumped hers with every movement of
the fork but neither of them moved away.
James was at her right, having warned Bylsma about Sidney’s kamikaze
mission to the Hall of Fame. Sid still
had his phone off; Leah could feel the outline of it’s shape in the pocket of
his jeans when he shifted his weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jake
chatten happily about the day’s adventures while Leah caught the sidelong
glances of everyone else at the table.
They had decided to drive to Buffalo in two cars, then Sidney and James
would join the team while everyone else drove back to Toronto before return
flights to Cole Harbour. In the Hall of
Fame gift shop, Leah had bought Jake a kids’ size shirt with an 87 on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No
eighteens, eh?” Taylor had asked loudly enough for Sidney to pointedly ignore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
cleared her plate of chicken and pasta in record time. It reminded her of making pre-game meal for
Sidney in Pittsburgh, before the night that had turned out much differently
than either of them planned. That would
not happen again. Leah carbo-loaded
knowing nothing could stop her from burning it off tonight. Judging by the way Sid polished off his steak
and potatoes before mopping the plate with a piece of bread, he had the same
idea. Gina looked wistfully at their plates,
empty before anyone else was halfway done, and kicked Leah under the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
my God, go!” Kate finally said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney’s
chair scraped the floor as he stood up in a rush. He handed Taylor a credit card. With the half-embarassed smile of a man
carrying off his conquest, Sid passed Leah her coat, said goodnight and nearly
ran for the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
dug her heels into the lobby carpet.
Trying to stop Sidney was like trying to stop a runaway train – h e was
partway to the elevators before he realized his hand was empty. He turned; Leah was laughing at him from ten
meters away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
was sharing with Jake. I don’t have my
own room,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh.” Sid had not thought of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where
were you going to stay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ummm….” Sid had not thought of that either. “With you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
Jake?”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I didn’t know, I mean we just flew up here and….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
steered him toward the front desk. “Hope
that wasn’t your only credit card, Kid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
man behind the desk recognized Sidney immediately. His eyes cut to Leah, then back to Sid, then
back to Leah. Tic, Tac, Toe. A practiced look of omission passed across
his features.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi. I need a room for tonight,” Sidney said,
knowing how this must look. Which was exactly
how it was. “Whatever you have.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hooggaahhh,”
Leah coughed. Sid gave her a curious
look as the man tapped his keyboard. She
made a face like he should be understanding something, and coughed again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hooker.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
eyebrows shot up. Okay, <i>that</i> was not how this should be looking. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing
came to mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Babe,”
Leah said the word pointedly, “my family is on seventeen. Maybe we could be on that floor?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
receptionist looked up like a shot, from Leah to Sid. Sid nodded enthusiastically and the man’s
face fell. Leah figured he was back
there posting this to Facebook instead of trying to find them a room. He said something about a suite and zipped
two keys through the magnetic encoder. Sid
signed, head down, and hurried away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
didn’t relax until they were waiting for the elevator. “What kind of hooker wears a parka?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you saying I’m not pretty enough to be a hooker?” Leah made a scandalized face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If
you were naked under that,” he nodded at her enormous jacket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I am
naked under this,” she patted her many layers.
“All of this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
elevator doors dinged open and Sidney felt his blood surge. He was so close. Leah was so close: right against his side, slipping
her hand into his and pressing her thumb in a small circle against his
palm. An older couple followed them into
the elevator. Just as well, Sid could
see the security camera overhead. No one
needed a live feed of what he planned to do next. Each floor passed with a soft ding that
rattled his skittish nerves. Leah traced
another circle, her skin hot on his, as if to calm him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
seventeen, both they and the older couple got off. Sidney’s key was for 1754. They started down a long hallway, aware of
the other couple behind them. It was a
long hallway. At the turn, Sidney knew
they were too close to privacy for him to lose his cool and throw her up
against the wall. A shuffle sounded –
the older couple was still behind them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fifty,
fifty-one,” Leah whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Finally,
they reached their door. For a second
the stood in the hall just looking at it.
It had been a long time since they were alone together, even longer since
being alone had yielded the kind of encounter they both really wanted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Weird,”
Leah said out of nowhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What’s
weird?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
looked at the 54 on the door. “It’s been
54 days since you left Cole Harbour.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-63708912550593342332013-07-01T16:38:00.001-07:002013-07-01T16:38:18.698-07:00twenty-two<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
26)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is a world record,” Sid said as he picked up the phone. He was a little glad Leah wasn’t there to see
how big his smile was when her name popped up on his screen. Of course if she were there she could make
him smile in a million other ways.
Either way, Sid knew he was grinning like an idiot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
Cole Harbour, Leah wandered the grocery store, pushing an empty cart and
considering how many people in the checkout aisle would freak if they knew she
was on the phone with Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ve
talked to you like five times in a week!” she protested.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah
but that was twenty minutes. You never
call back this fast,” he insisted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was true. Leah had a new plan, one that
was working as well as anything else she could think of. She only called Sidney when she was out of
the house. The store, the car, she’d
even gone for a few walks around the neighborhood in the February cold to
return his calls. Anything that kept his
voice, and the power it still held, out of her apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was feeling stronger than ever. She
still could not believe she’d won the Soundcast prize - a chunk of which she’d
spent on travel to the final for Saturday.
She paid for Gina to come too. Travis
joined in, and Kate and Tommy insisted on bringing Jake. Leah promised him a tour of the Hockey Hall
of Fame after the contest. They were all
flying in Saturday morning and making a night of it in Toronto.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had not told Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“How
was practice?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
wished he could see her. He knew that
Leah actually cared what he did in a day, what the team was working on. Sometimes she even suggested things after
watching a game – the coaching staff was already on them, of course, but to Sid
that showed a level of attention he’d never expected from a girl before. Or maybe it was a different kind of
attention. Leah knew most of the guys on
the team, so his stories seemed livelier and he told her all the off-ice stuff
too. Anything to talk to her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ever
since she called in the middle of the night and left a tipsy message saying she
missed him, Leah had been so upbeat.
They talked all the time – proof that she really had missed him. Sid hoped it was also proof that she’d
forgiven his blunder in Pittsburgh and he planned to start making his feelings
more obvious soon. Again. He had to believe Leah knew how he felt, even
if he failed at every opportunity to tell her.
They were almost back to normal with each other and Sid promised himself
the next chance he would not miss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
listened to Sid’s stories and jokes and told a few of her own. He rarely mentioned going out and never
talked about girls. She wondered if
that’s because there weren’t any or if Sid was being polite by leaving them
out. Either way, she appreciated
it. Only a few weeks had passed since
Pittsburgh and she didn’t have anything romantic to report for herself anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
wanted to tell him about Soundcast. She
almost did a hundred times. Leah could
not figure out how to mention it without telling him the song, though, and then
everything would be blown. He’d see
through her like a window. It felt
dishonest to keep something so big a secret but Leah was afraid. She needed Sidney the way he was now – a
million miles away but safe in her mind – to get through Toronto. That was everything to her song. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After Saturday… maybe</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she conceded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
good luck tomorrow night,” she said.
“And tell James I’m still waiting for some goals.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,”
Sid laughed. “He loves to know you talk
about him. I’m not telling him anything anymore.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew she could get Sid on this one.
“Fine, I’ll have Taylor pass along the message.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
27)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah: Do I have to do this?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina: Yes. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah: I don’t want to.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina: You whine more than Crosby. That’s what they’re going to write about you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled her eyes at the computer screen and exited the chat conversation. She was expecting a reporter from The
Chronicle Herald, the biggest Nova Scotia newspaper, any minute. They’d been pitched a story by Soudcast and
Leah didn’t really have an option to turn it down. The reporter told her on the phone that David
Matelem had already been interviewed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
phone buzzed – the school office letting her know a visitor was on the way
up. Leah made a mental note to stop by
and bribe the front desk administrator into not asking why a newspaper was
visiting the school. That would at least
buy her till Friday when the feature ran.
Leah opened her door and waited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
forty-something woman in a gray coat and black slacks turned the corner,
checking numbers. Leah waved her over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hello,
I’m Sophie Garrington. You must be
Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
to meet you.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sophie
helped herself to a chair, tugging it to the corner of Leah’s desk. Sitting opposite always made it feel like the
principal’s office. She laid a recorder
on the desk and pulled out a steno notebook.
“Do you mind if I record? I won’t
take much time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
consented and Sophie began with questions about Cole Harbour and how she’s
started singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Here,
actually,” Leah explained. “I did a few
musicals in high school, we had a great music teacher named Mr. Barnes. My last year, I played Dorothy in The Wizard
of Oz. I also joined an a capella group
at university for two years, which I really enjoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you perform at all now?”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Just
Friday nights at the local country bar.
A girl I knew used to date the lead singer, so I met him that way and I
just do one cover song a week at last call.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sophie
nodded her way through every answer, making occasional notes and ticking off
questions from her list. “Where did you
hear about the Soundcast contest?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Over
at Abrahms Music, the sales guy gave me a flyer. They’re really the only place in town and
very friendly,” Leah plugged. That guy
had been the reason for all this and she didn’t even know his name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
what made you decide to enter? It sounds
like you’re happy singing just one night a week, someone else’s songs, why
enter an original performance contest?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had rehearsed this one and measured her answer carefully. “It always thought about maybe doing one for
fun, and you see them on TV all the time.
I had been playing around with a song for a while, just something that
came to me, and it happened to be ready at the right time. Soundcast probably told you I entered about
half an hour before the deadline, so I wasn’t even sure until the last minute.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
then you won,” Sophie nodded again.
“They are expecting upwards of three thousand people at final this
weekend in Toronto. Will that be the
biggest performance you’ve ever given?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ve
sung the national anthem for a bigger crowd before,” Leah said quickly, hoping
to rush past the fact that she hadn’t said where. There was no way to say Penguins without
revealing the whole Crosby tie and Lord knows the Nova Scotia news would be all
over that. Leah would see herself on the
front page tomorrow. It was bad enough
people in town would read this and probably wonder what she was singing. “But I’ve never done my own song for
thousands of people. I’m sure I’ll be
quite nervous.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What’s
your secret for keeping your nerves in check?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
answer made Leah smile to herself.
“Focus on something that doesn’t move.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ten
thousand dollars is a big prize. If you
win, what will you do with it?” Sophie looked up expectantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If I
win, I’m sure I’ll be asked to buy everyone’s drinks at last call.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor
wandered down the stairs of her parents’ house hoping for breakfast. She was grumpy about spending spring break
from college in Nova Scotia instead of Cancun or somewhere warm. She wasn’t legal to drink in Canada yet,
which to her parents applied all the way to Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Morning,”
she grumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
father was at the table, his plate already empty and the paper up in front of
his face. As Taylor passed, he laid it
down and smoothed it with a giant hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Who
was that girl following Sid around before he left? Lola somebody? Sings at the rink?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah?”
Taylor said sarcastically. If her father
had his way, Sid would live in the world’s only monastery with an ice rink attached
and the glass in the arena would be one-way mirrored like a police station so
he never even saw a girl. “Leah Hanlon. Guidance counselor at the school. They’re friends, Dad - you know, when people
are cool? And she’s my friend too. Why?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
singing in some contest in Toronto tomorrow.
Could win ten grand. Hmmm,” he
shrugged, “guess she’s not sitting around her waiting for him after all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor
grabbed the paper so fast she nearly flipped the table in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey!”
Troy shouted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?!”
Taylor yelled right back. There is was
in black and white: <i>Local Singers Compete for $10,000 National Prize</i>. She skimmed quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah Hanlon, 25, of Cole Harbour, was
selected the winner in the Nova Scotia Soundcast Performance Contest last
Saturday in Halifax. The prize was
$2,000 and with a place in the final round this Saturday in Toronto. Hanlon, along with second place finisher David
Matelem of Bedford, will compete against winners of six other cross-Canada
Soundcast events for the grand prize of $10,000.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
article had a brief interview with Leah – she talked about school, singing at
Madigan’s, things Taylor already knew.
It even mentioned she had one sung the anthem at a major event but
didn’t say what. The next paragraph was
about the second place finisher and Taylor stopped reading. She didn’t even look at her father, just
turned around and ran upstairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Troy’s
voice was bellowing before she reached the top.
“Don’t even think about it, young lady!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
slammed the door as she was diving for her phone. Her dad wouldn’t follow and if he did, it
would take a minute to get up to her room.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
on, come on….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey.
Thanks for calling, leave a message.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“GAAAAHHHH!”
Taylor growled. Why did her brother have
to be the only person on Earth not physically attached to his phone? At the beep, she said, “It’s Taylor. Call me right now.” The she disconnected and dialed another
number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
Taylor!” James answered loudly. Normally
Taylor would have threatened his life but right now, his show-off reaction
meant Neal had exactly what she needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
Sid there? I have to talk to him right
now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yup. He’s here.
Hey Sid, it’s your sister,” James hollered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the background Taylor heard a chorus of voices ooohhhing and uh-oh-ing. She’d never live it down for calling a guy
her brother had forbidden her to speak to, but Taylor didn’t care. There was what sounded like a scuffle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
the <i>fuck</i>, Taylor?!” her brother said
sharply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Shut
up and listen. Did you know about Leah’s
contest?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid? Did you know?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
contest?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor
pushed a hand through her hair. “Fuck.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">_____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
call ended and Sid stared at James’ phone.
His stomach turned like he was on a roller coaster, like gravity had
changed and he was the only one who missed the memo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,
what’s up? She still there?” James asked loudly. He didn’t get much response; most of the
Penguins had already taken the ice for practice at Southpointe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
turned around with a look on his face that made James falter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What,
Sid? Everything okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everything
was not okay. Sid couldn’t speak. He could hardly breathe. Here he thought things were great with Leah,
casual but confident, and they were moving toward each other again – not on the
collision course of the first time but at speed they could handle. They were getting closer to a place where Sid
could start over, start differently, and do things right this time. He had visions of taking Leah on a proper
first date - one they both knew was a date – of holding her hand and kissing
her goodnight. Sid dreamed of being
normal and those dreams always included the one girl who didn’t want superstar
Crosby. He needed her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
thought she needed him too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?!”
Neal demanded, inches away and looking very worried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah
won a contest. A singing contest. She made the final and she’s performing in
Toronto tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James’
face lit up. “That’s great! She’s awesome, she’s gonna win! What’s she singing?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
Sid’s expression stayed blank, James’ celebration faltered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What’s
the… oh,” he said, smile dying. “That
was Taylor. Telling you. Leah didn’t tell you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
was a long period of time in which Sidney got everything he wanted. Forget junior hockey and school, when he’d
been touted as the second coming.
Starting with the first moment he was a Pittsburgh Penguin, things had
gone his way. Number one draft pick. All
Star. Captain. Stanley Cup
Champion. Olympic Gold Medalist. Sure these things didn’t happen every time
out but the first five years of his career had been unparalleled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Then
Sidney got hurt and things changed. His
invincibility was a myth. In fact,
Sidney felt the whole world go dark on him.
Nothing worked. He couldn’t get
well. He couldn’t get back. When he finally did, he couldn’t stay. Then when he managed it again, his team lost
and lost badly, in a bloodbath, in a shameful playoff showing. Then the lockout. Five years of good luck had run out all at
the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Until
Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
was life outside hockey - Sidney knew that, he just had no experience with
it. The frustrations of the lockout and
his required role as mouthpiece for the Player’s Association gave him a rough
ride through the worst of business that also felt personal. Half a season lost, and when he was so ready
to play. Leah had come along at exactly
the moment he needed her most. Things
were turning around – the game came back, his world came back and she was part
of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
Sidney had not come through for her. Not
when it counted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck,”
he said. James was still there, staring
back at him. The two of them were fully
dressed and fully late for practice. On
his skates, Sid ran from the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Coach
Bylsma was at the bench, talking to the goalie coach while the guys did
something at center ice. “Nice of you to
join us,” he said dryly. A Crosby was
only as good as the points it put on the board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry
Coach,” Sid mumbled. James was right
behind him, shoving him in that direction; unsure of what would do now. Sid knew though. Finally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
need a favor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bylsma
raised an eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Someone
I know,” he started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
love of his life,” James said from behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
competing in a contest tomorrow,” Sid went on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Like
American Idol,” from the cheap seats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“In
Toronto. And I need to go,” Sid finished
with a gasp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
caught Coach’s eye and shrugged. Nothing
more to add. Bylsma regarded his young
captain, always the workhorse, always the whipping boy. Crosby had never really asked for anything
for himself before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
anthem girl,” Bylsma made it a statement, not a question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
cute one in your Timbits jersey who you almost kissed in the lounge in front of
everybody?” Coach added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
swallowed hard but couldn’t keep the hot blush from rising in his cheeks. He had no idea his Coach had been paying
attention to that stuff. Perhaps because
he’d never brought a girl around the rink before and didn’t know the protocol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
one who left the club with this jackass?” Coach jutted his chin toward James.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
looked scandalized. “Hey!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes,”
Sid said. At least Coach knew what he
was up against. “Please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Game
tonight. Leave in the morning. Get your asses to Buffalo by noon on
Sunday. Got it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Asses?”
Sid asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bylsma
flicked his eyes toward James. “Take him
with you, in case you fuck up again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sank into a wooden chair, grateful for the armrests keeping her in place. It was the first Friday of the month, which
meant Pop Stars night at Madigan’s. She
wasn’t drinking but she had been dancing up a storm to burn off some nervous
energy. Their flight wasn’t until 10 AM
tomorrow and there was no way she could sleep.
Better here wearing herself out than home making herself crazy. Her break lasted one song, before “Scream
& Shout” came on and she was back out there with Britney, bitch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
night seemed to fly by and Leah still had plenty of verve when the lights in
the bar flashed. Usually that was her
cue but she didn’t sing at Pop Stars because there was no band. So why was someone climbing onstage alone?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
everyone, how ya doing?” the regular country bandleader shouted. “Usually we’re saying goodbye right now but
tonight we have a special announcement.
Our very own Leah Hanlon, queen of last call….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
pointed and everyone turned toward her.
Leah searched the room for Gina’s face – found it and stared
daggers. Gina stuck out her tongue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“… is
competing tomorrow in final round of the Soundcast Performance Contest in
Toronto!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
crowd cheered. A giddy laugh rose up in
Leah’s throat and made her smile, unbidden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
know she’s amazing, now everyone else is going to know it too! And Leah, if you win all that cash and come
back and buy us some drinks, hey? Don’t forget the little people!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
seemed like a thousand people wished her luck as Travis plowed a path toward
the exit. She thanked them and blushed
and ran for the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“GINA!”
she wheeled as soon as they were outside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
come on! It was in the paper, Lee, half
of ‘em knew anyway! This bar needs to
make some money, ya know? Local famous
singer, every Friday night!” She waved her hand like she could see it in
lights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled her eyes and hugged her friend.
“Yeah, and no one tell Crosby!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(March
2)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you there?” Sid asked over the airport public address blaring behind him. He and James had taken the first available
flight to Toronto, which didn’t land until noon. They would be cutting it extremely close. He’d bought Taylor a ticket from Cole Harbour
that arrived two hours earlier. They
were just getting to the Pittsburgh terminal while Taylor was boarding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah’s
on my plane,” Taylor said. “I’m trying
to get on first so I can hide. You owe
me twenty five bucks for the ugly ass hat I had to buy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
heart fluttered. He and Leah were on
their way to the same place again.
Finally. This time is was crucial
that she not know about it. Sid wanted
to surprise her, make as big a gesture as he was capable of making without
becoming a news story. After all, he was
skipping practice and traveling on a game day and the team was covering for
him. He felt a bit like a secret agent,
if not for James rolling behind him, whistling loudly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Whatever
it takes, Taylor. Just don’t let her see
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Her
friend is with her, Gina, and that guy I guess is her boyfriend. An older couple too and a kid, about eight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Jake,
that’s Jake. And her sister.” Sid did some mental math, hoping at least
half the people in Leah’s party would be happy to see him. It depended on how much Leah had told
them. It turned out she could be very
good at keeping secrets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
had nearly called her yesterday to ask why she had kept the contest to
herself. Maybe she was nervous. Maybe she had superstitions like his. So many explanations could have put him at
ease but in the end Sidney didn’t ask was because he feared the other reason:
that she didn’t feel the same way about him anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So he
planned a big surprise. Or a surprise at
least, involving him surprising her.
That’s about as big as he could do.
Neal was happy for the day off and probably half-hoping Leah would slap
Sid across the face and choose another Penguin who’d been there for her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Text
me when you land.” Taylor clicked off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
gave Sid the window seat without asking, and kept his own head down with hat
pulled low. He didn’t want to get into
trouble either - at least not before they got there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt her stomach drop when the plane touched down and it had nothing to do with
landing. Their takeoff had been delayed
once they reached the runway and they were forty minutes late. It didn’t
matter, the show started at one and she wasn’t scheduled until midway through. Still they wanted all contestants there by
eleven thirty and this time Leah wanted to watch the competition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
herded them through the airport with their carry-on bags and Tommy slipped the
cab stand guy forty bucks to skip the line.
By eleven, they were on their way to the venue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
can change there, I’m sure they just want us all signed in and stuff long
before they start,” Leah said. Gina
agreed to go with her while Kate got everyone’s stuff held at the hotel and
checked in early if they could. When
they reached the hotel, each person gave Leah a huge hug. Jake gave her two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
soon as it was just her and Gina in the taxi, Leah exhaled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Holy
shit I am nervous!” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Me
too!” Gina squealed, but excitedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
rolled past Yonge St., past some of the places she’d walked with Taylor and
Sidney when they came for the NHL meeting in January. That was the first time she’d met James, and
also when she’d decided he had nothing on Sidney. Maybe that had been incorrect. They’d seen Sid’s picture in the Hall of Fame
– she’d see it again this trip, with Jake.
At least this time Sidney wouldn’t be sleeping across the hall, tempting
her with every tick of the clock through the darkest hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Finally
they reached the venue, a good sized concert hall with banners and a radio
station truck parked outside. The cab
driver looked from the marquee to the girls and back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
sing?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,”
Leah said. “I’m gonna try.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
driver held out a card. “You win, we
party. Call me. Big good time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
snatched it from his hand. “You got it,
buddy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
venue’s main entrance was crowded.
People were checking in for general seating, others were moving things
around. A table offered keychains and
t-shirts for sale. Gina went straight to
someone wearing a badge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah
Hanlon, contestant.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
guy lead them backstage, through a warren of hallways and doors. At a table, Leah signed her life away and
received a red wristband. Gina got a
blue one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
hope this is for open bar,” she whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They were
deposited in a waiting room where plenty of other nervous looking
twenty-somethings were hanging out, each with one allowed guest. It was just eleven-thirty. Leah wondered if anyone had missed the check-in
deadline and what happened then.
Scanning the room, she tried to smile at everyone. They tried to smile back. The scene made her feel better – no one here
was any more ready than she was. Leah
pulled Gina by the arm back into the hallway and made for the stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
stagehand in a headset was standing near the gap in the curtain. Leah rolled her shoulders back and walked
right up to him, red wristband clearly on display.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi. Any chance I could try the piano?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The guy
looked her up and down once then waved for her to follow. The curtains were closed but the stage
footlights were on. A third of the way
out was a baby grand just like the show in Halifax had. The stagehand went around and unplugged an
amplifier, then touched a key. The note
rang clearly but not too loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Be
quick,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sat on the low bench and took a deep breath.
It was harder to focus here – the flight, the rushing, the audience she
knew would be outside that curtain. So
she pulled her old trick and thought of Sidney’s jersey, his name and number,
the back of his neck. The vision came to
her as easily as the first note of the song.
She played the beginning. It
sounded perfect. That was all she
needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
she turned, Gina was watching with a tight smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you ever gonna tell him?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
waved toward the curtain, the crowd.
“Maybe someone will.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
checked his watch two hundred times during the flight, only to see they were
right on the money landing in Toronto.
The moment the tires were down, his phone was on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor: Hurrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy. It starts at 1. Leah was 9<sup>th</sup> but now 8<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
checked again. It was 12:01. When the plane stopped it was 12:15. At 12:23 he practically sprinted out of first
class, James on his heels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Dude,
someone’s gonna see you if you knock them over,” Neal hissed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
was the only thing that kept Sid from running full tilt. Outside, he gave the first employee he saw a
hundred dollar bill. The guy grinned,
“That’s two tips today!” and waved up a cab.
Sid gave the driver another hundred to hurry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney: In cab.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor: I’m at the back.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
had banked on them doing an introduction and stuff, the way nationally
televised hockey games never started on time.
The driver was buzzing and Sid willed cars out of the way and lights
green. It was 12:55 when the cab
screeched to a halt. Sid was out before
it stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the door, James elbowed past. Sid fell
back, almost forgetting himself. There
was more of a chance James could go unrecognized, so he quickly acknowledged
their lateness, bought two tickets and screened Sid as they made their way
inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
auditorium was pretty full, about two-thirds of the seats taken and those
people were spread out. James slid along
the back wall, heading for the far end.
Taylor leaned off the wall and waved them over. She hugged James, then her brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
have some kind of plan?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
shrugged. “You’re looking at it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Singer
number one was being introduced as they settled back into a corner. Sid scanned the crowd but didn’t see anyone
he knew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Singer
five was a girl with a guitar. She was good
too, sounding like something Leah might hear on the radio before she got
home. So far all the performers had been
very strong. Only one had played the
piano. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had dressed a little differently today, a little more standout-ish than
Halifax. She wore narrow black heels,
skinny jeans and a bright blue two-layer blouse with a fitted camisole underneath
and a loose, transparent layer flowing on the top. It was just sexy enough without begging for
attention. Her hair was pinned up from
her face but long and lose down her back.
Gina inspected the makeup, added some more and pronounced it
approved. Now she stood next to Leah,
tapping her foot to the girl with the guitar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Grace
Hale, ladies and gentlemen,” the emcee announced when she finished. The crowd was enthusiastic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Singer
six was a guy. He stepped up to the
microphone and sang a capella, a ballad that Leah thought was quite
beautiful. She wondered if he’d written
it himself. His voice was a little too
low for the range of the song to be perfect.
He wouldn’t win. He might get a
job writing for someone though, if those were his words. They were more poetic than hers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
singer seven was announced, Leah went back to the green room. She shut herself in the bathroom and hummed
the opening bars of her song – they jumped right to her tongue. The picture of Sidney standing at the blue
line was there too, like a shade she could pull down over her eyes. Leah was as ready as she’d ever be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Knock knock.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Two
minutes,” another person with a walkie-talkie said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
was waiting at the side of the stage with the rest of the performers. She gave Leah a quick hug and kiss and raced
to find her seat. The crowd was
applauding performer number seven. The
emcee thanked him, said something about sponsors as the stagehand who’d let Leah
test the piano now rolled it back out and locked the wheels in place. Leah took a deep breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Please
help me welcome our next performer. From
Cole Harbour Nova Scotia, Leah Hanlon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
saw Gina duck out the door to stage left, just at the bottom of the aisle where
he and James were standing. His heart
seized. Gina ducked low and hurried to
the middle aisle, climbing ten rows. Travis
stood to let his girlfriend by. Next to
her was a woman that must be Leah’s sister, then a kid. Jake. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
leaned over and whispered, “Game time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
emcee stopped babbling. “Please help me
welcome our next performer. From Cole
Harbour Nova Scotia, Leah Hanlon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
stepped on stage and Sidney’s knees almost buckled. James whistled under his breath. Her confident stride showed off slim jeans
and high heels, hinting at the body under that gauzy jewel-toned top. A pile of curls was held impossibly back,
looking like it was ready to tumble free as she gracefully sat on the piano
bench and pulled herself close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Until
that moment, Sid hasn’t wondered what song Leah would sing. The article said it was her own song but the
last he heard she hadn’t written any. A
lot of things had changed since then.
Sid hated adding this to the list of things he didn’t know about Leah
anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I love you</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought as she
reached for the keys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">[Here’s the song – <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzvR9bm1OtE">Come Down to Me</a>, by Saving Jane. Play is as you read for the full effect. ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
started, a simple but beautiful tune that her voice glided right into:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Words fall out of my mouth<br />
And I can’t seem to trace what I’m saying<br />
Everybody wants your time<br />
I’m just dreaming out loud,<br />
I can’t have you for mine and I know it<br />
I just wanna watch you shine.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
chill zipped down Sidney’s back. Leah’s
voice was clear and strong as her fingers moved easily over the piano. He knew she’d be good, but he was listening
to the words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tripping up on my tongue,<br />
It’s all over my face and I’m racing<br />
Got to get away from you<br />
Burning all the way home,<br />
Try to put it to bed but it chases<br />
Every little thing I do<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Was
it possible? Was she singing about
him? Did Leah know that was exactly how
he felt every time he got near her – he couldn’t say anything right, do
anything right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
When the light falls on your face,<br />
Don’t let it change you<br />
When the stars get in your eyes,<br />
Don’t let them blind you.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Or
could Leah be singing about her own feelings?<i><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You’re beautiful<br />
Just the way you are<br />
And I love it all<br />
Every line, and every scar<br />
And I wish that I could make you see<br />
This is where you ought to be,<br />
Come down to me.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
shit,” Sidney and James both said at the same time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
Spell it out in a song,<br />
Bet you never catch on to my weakness<br />
I’m singing every word for you.<br />
Here I’m thinking I’m sly<br />
Then you’re catching my eye, and just maybe<br />
You’re thinking what I’m thinking too<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Before
the verse was over, Sidney was moving. Leah
sang about singing to him without realizing she was doing just that. He went down the aisle along the wall, out of
sight because everyone was mesmerized by the girl on stage. Each word vibrated through him as if he were
reading it in Braille, as if it were being tattooed onto his skin. He made for the corner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
When you see it on my face,<br />
Don’t let it shake you<br />
I know better than to try and<br />
Take you with me.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
one even noticed Sidney’s approach. Leah
was still twenty meters away. This wasn’t a big operation; the show’s producers
certainly didn’t expect anyone to try to climb up there. Before he could round the first row of seats,
Sidney felt his hat pulled of his head.
He glanced back – it was James, of course. If Sidney were going to do this right,
everyone needed to see his face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You’re beautiful<br />
Just the way you are<br />
And I love it all<br />
Every line, and every scar<br />
And I wish that I could make you see<br />
This is where you ought to be,<br />
Come down to me.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid reached the stage as she sang the last word of the
chorus. Leah’s eyes were on her hands,
fingers charming the last few bars from the song she had written about
him. About herself. About them.
Sidney desperately hoped it was one of those three as he hoisted himself
onto the stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Come down to me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she sang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah hummed at the last note, letting both word and
music drift away with the sharpness of her focus. She took a breath and looked out across the
piano.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Right at Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah stood up so fast the piano bench tipped over
behind her. It hit the floor like a
gunshot through the auditorium, the applause for Leah’s performance dying just
as quickly. People in front recognized the
intruder instantly and the people in back were just confused. A murmur ran through the crowd – “Is that
Sidney Crosby?” Leah couldn’t hear it
though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her first thought was hallucination; that she had sung
so hard she’d wished Sidney into existence.
But he was there, real as rain, the only other person on stage. He wore a light grey crewneck sweater – out
of every thought happening at once, she recognized the sweater he’d worn to
dinner at Gina’s, the same day the lockout ended and she’d snuck out of his
bed. Now his hair was mussed, his
perfect lips were parted and he was walking toward her. Quickly. She couldn’t even move. The expected crowd of three thousand people
watched. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Well, three thousand and one if you counted
Sidney. No way anyone had expected this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He didn’t stop at the piano; he didn’t stop at the
keys. Sid walked right up to Leah,
grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.
His mouth came down not like a ton of bricks, though she staggered, but
like a drop of water bursting. Leah
didn’t need to breathe, she just kissed him back. And kissed him and kissed him until her heart
was thundering. They broke apart,
panting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney’s eyes were golden up so close. Leah knew that light color meant he was
happy. His hands cupped her cheeks,
holding her there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m in love with you,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney didn’t feel a thing between his feet hitting the
stage and his kiss on Leah’s lips. He
heard the words from his mouth, felt his chest expand like a binding had been
cut. It was better than seeing her the
first time, or when she showed up at the rink to meet him. It was better than their first kiss or the
first time they made love; it was even better than waking up next to her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah’s eyes were wide in surprise, but they didn’t
waver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I love you too,” she whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nothing was better than that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Author's note: Forgive me for departing from the real-time storyline here. I kept the dates in
sync, but I've obviously omitted the part where Sid breaks his jaw. I just
couldn't do that to the guy after all this and it didn't fit with the story.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I first heard "Come Down to Me" almost two years ago and I
instantly pictured the scene at the performance. I wrote that whole part in my
mind, over and over, for two years, then built this whole story around it.
Finally putting it down for you to read was probably the most fun I've ever had
writing. This isn't the end! - J</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; padding: 0in;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></i></div>
</div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-26168242563560570952013-06-30T16:18:00.001-07:002013-06-30T16:23:00.423-07:00twenty-one<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
14)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
heard her phone chirp. Sidney had texted
twice since she had practically hung up on him, saved by the bell. She was a jerk for not calling back, and she
knew it. But she didn’t know what to say. The flower arrangements stood like judges on
her desk, scowling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re okay</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she had told
him. That was true. They weren’t bad, they weren’t good - they
were right down the middle, in between something and nothing. Friends.
It had been so easy for Leah and Sidney to get there and so damned hard
to stay. Cole Harbour had almost made
them something else then Pittsburgh had nearly taken it all away. She was scared of disrupting their precarious
balance, but it was tipping farther every time she ignored that noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
time the voicemail notification sounded.
Leah closed her eyes, unsure if she could handle the sound of his
voice. Would he be mad? Hurt? With
morbid curiosity she dug the phone out - and saw a Toronto area code she didn’t
recognize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That had better not be James</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought as
she typed in her passcode.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,
my name is Kevin Jefferson with the selection committee for the Soundcast
Performance Contest. We received your
entry and you’ve been selected as a performer for the Nova Scotia contest date,
next Saturday in Halifax. Please give me
a call back to confirm and check your email for the paperwork you’ll need to
submit by Wednesday. Congratulations.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
heart pounded so loudly she missed the last sentence. Suddenly Leah was terrified. Not of the singing; after the anthem in
Pittsburgh she could handle this. Some
of the fear was about playing piano but the song was both simple and shorter. Lyrics she knew so well sprang to mind – it
was the words that scared her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They’re true, they’re right</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she repeated in
her head. The words were everything she
felt and couldn’t say – not to Sidney, hardly even to herself. If she could tell them to strangers it would
make them stronger; maybe strong enough to stand up to her own doubts. Leah forced herself to call Kevin Jefferson
back and accept. Then she called Gina
and spilled the whole thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
my God, you’re gonna win! Two thousand
dollars, Leah!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
not gonna win,” Leah laughed despite her still-racing heart. “But I am going to do it. I have to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
gonna be Carly Rae Jepsen,” Gina insisted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
haven’t even heard the song! It’s not
that kind of song, G.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
best friend in the whole world didn’t care.
“Soon Sidney won’t be famous enough for you, babe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
night, Leah went to her sister’s house and set up in the basement. Her own apartment would not do for real
practice. She plugged in her keyboard
and played, then sang, then did both together.
No microphone. Just her voice and
the individual notes. Kate paced
upstairs – Leah wouldn’t let her listen, not yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
15)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Friday
night came and with it an odd, almost kinetic energy. Leah felt great. She went to Madigan’s with Gina and Travis,
cowboy boots and all. She drank. She even asked Ricky Calvert to dance. Looking around the room, Leah saw people who
thought they knew everything about her. Maybe
they did. Sidney was on her mind, as
always. Between this place and the club
in Pittsburgh was a world of difference.
Sid managed in both – not smoothly, but he managed. Leah was beginning to think that maybe Cole
Harbour was too small for her after all.
That called for a round of shots, then more beers. Before she knew it, last call was calling her
up on stage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
all know Leah,” the band leader said.
People clapped politely. Leah
wondered if they secretly hated her for this tiny slice of spotlight, any more
than some of them hated her for being so close to Sidney. She wondered if they could ever adore her like
that. <i>No way</i>, she knew – he was superhuman, all she could do was
sing. Still it was something, and it was
what she had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Better than nothing.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> She stepped up to the microphone as the song
for the night started to play - Jo Dee Messina’s “Bye Bye.” It was the perfect song for how Leah felt
tonight. A little sad, a little mad, a
little over it - but in a good way. If
that was possible. Also she was a bit
drunk and that always made her stronger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Boy you sure look good there standin' in
the doorway in the sunset light<br />
Maybe I read you wrong thinkin' you could be my Mr. Right<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Let
people think she was singing about Sidney.
At least she wasn’t singing Carrie Underwood’s ‘Before He Cheats’ or
some other country done-me-wrong song. The
only thing for Leah to do was get over Sidney.
It would be hard, if not impossible, but Leah refused to be angry about
it. She could only blame herself for
falling in love with the hometown hero. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I've got pride, I'm takin' it for a ride<br />
Bye bye, bye bye my baby, bye bye<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
wasn’t really goodbye, of course. Like
their parting in the airport, it was a million things left unsaid and a lot of
falling short. But Sidney was Sidney and
Leah would take what she could get. That
meant giving what she could in return – friendship. Which meant returning all
his unanswered phone calls, and soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
smiled as she sang the most obvious line that wasn’t about her and Sidney, but
should have been:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Baby what did you expect me to do<br />
Just sit around and wait on you<br />
Well I'm through watchin' you just skate around the truth<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And I know it sounds trite: I’ve seen the
light.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
crowd was particularly appreciative tonight – whooping and clapping. Even the band leader looked extra impressed. “You’ve been practicing,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">On
the way out, a few other people told her that was her best performance yet,
that she sounded fantastic and confident.
Gina snickered alongside her all the way to the car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
sound ready to win some money, baby!” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt ready – not to win, just to perform.
The adrenaline of a live crowd always helped, but the key was to pick a
song people knew. It excited them. Singing a song no one but her bathroom mirror
had ever heard before would be a whole new experience. Her song would only work if she really sold
it. After tonight, Leah knew she was as
ready as she’d ever be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Speaking
of things she was ready to do, Leah sat down on her bed. It was nearly two in the morning and she’d
had more than enough to drink, but she was on a roll. Sidney was still the most-dialed number in
her phone. Before the jitters could take over, she hit send.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
didn’t even ring. “Hey. Thanks for calling, leave a message.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah always
thought it was funny that Sid didn’t have his name on the recording. The reason was obvious but so was his voice –
anyone calling, even a fan who got his number somehow, would know they had
reached Sidney Crosby. Leah smiled at the
idea of him trying to be stealthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi. It’s Leah.
I, uh, I owe you about a hundred calls.
Sorry it’s so late, I just got home and I figured you’d be sleeping but
I didn’t want to wait. I, um… I miss
you, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Okay stop now</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she told
herself. <i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Call
me tomorrow, okay? And not like me, when
I say okay and then I don’t call. Okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
disconnected, shaking her head. Word
vomit onto voicemail, the classic drunk dial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
16)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
hit his alarm with his whole fist. No
snooze today, there was a game in four hours.
His routine called for getting up and eating right away, so he could eat
again in an hour and feel full for the noon game. Damned national television.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
was his habit, he checked his phone. It
had been days of calls and texts to Leah, days of disappointment when she
didn’t call back. He thought he’d made
progress with Valentine’s Day but had nothing to really show for it. On long nights in quiet hotels in other
cities, he convinced himself it was the road games and scheduling that kept
them from connecting. But home in his
own bed, where she could have been and hadn’t, Sidney felt the ghost of Leah
fading faster the more tightly he tried to hold on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
message icon was blinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Holy
shit,” he said right out loud. If it was
Colby Armstrong or Jack Johnson or some other friend from far away, he’d be
disappointed. If it was Duper or Tanger
or Flower, Sid would kill the guy at practice for getting him this excited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi.
It’s Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
heart stopped. As if she needed to
introduce herself using the voice he heard in his dreams. Now that voice was apologizing for being so
distant, which was a nice way of saying she had ignored him. At least she admitted
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I miss you, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
flopped back onto the pillow like he’d been hit. She wanted him to call. She didn’t say not to call at eight in the
morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“’lo?”
Came the mumble answer over the line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,
hey,” he said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sidney.” Her voice was soft and drowsy, like it had
been twice before – the night he woke her to say the lockout was over and the
morning he woke next to her before he had to leave. Best and worst moments of their short
relationship, really. “I’m sorry, I
never called you back, I….” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay,” he cut in. He wanted to say <i>‘It’s okay, baby’</i> or something, but
figured that was pushing his luck. At
least she was on the phone. Most of the
fault here was his and he wanted Leah to feel just bad enough to never
disappear again. Also if she could
magically teleport into his bed, instead of one twelve hundred miles away, that
would go over well too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
have a game today.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yup,
couple hours.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
also leading the NHL in points too, aren’t you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mmhmmm,”
he nodded. “A lot happens when we don’t
talk for a week.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
heard her roll over. “Yeah, like Neal
drops out of the scoring race.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oooh,
I’m telling him you said that,” Sid joked.
Neal was having a bit of a scoring drought and would not appreciate
anyone noticing, especially anyone named Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
laughed softly, a sound that went through Sidney like a knife. Since their first date at the rink he’d been
trying to make her laugh. Except when he
was trying to make her gasp. It was nice
to hear one of the two again. Sidney
felt like this was a big step in the right direction. If she didn’t hate him, maybe she could still
love him. He would take small steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt the familiar pull of Sidney’s gravity even from so far away. It wanted to drag her out to sea like a rip
tide. The whirlpool was right where her
heart should have been - she closed her eyes against the dizzy feeling rising
in her chest. Traitorous thoughts flashed to mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tell me you love me. Tell me this is everything and I’ll stop
swimming. I will drown for you if you
tell me you’re drowning too. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No no no</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she told herself. <i>Not
again.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
you go tape your stick and sacrifice a unicorn or whatever you do before games,
and I’ll watch later to see if it worked.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay,”
he laughed, “only if you’re watching though.
Unicorns are expensive.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Please. Just write Reebok on it in Sharpie and send
them the bill.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
giggled, that high pitched sound that matched nothing about him. It spread to Leah and she laughed too. That was a relief, even if she felt far from
normal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
luck today,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thanks. And Leah?
I miss you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
miss you too, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
know, you said that in your message,” he reminded her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well,
I was drunk,” she scoffed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You still
meant it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“True.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
also said you really want to come back to Pittsburgh and visit again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah’s
blood went cold: had she said that? No
way she said that. She did, of course,
but it was the bad kind of true that should not be acted upon. If she went back to Pittsburgh, she would
never make it out of Sidney’s house. If
that’s what he wanted - well, Leah had no more illusions about that. He would have to work harder than a phone
call and wait until she could keep herself together in his presence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I can’t just drop my big, important life in Cole Harbour, you know,” she
said. For once that was actually true –
she had things going on. “But someday,
Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid maneuvered
through the door and sat down heavily, the crowd still on its feet. He’d just had his first goal of the
afternoon, to go along with two assists.
Sweat fogged the inside of his visor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
is into you?” Neal cuffed him on the shoulder as they slid down the bench.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
had been saving it for a moment like this.
“Leah said you should score more, you’re getting boring.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James’
eyes went appropriately wide. “You
talked to her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,”
Sid said like it should be obvious. Neal
had been the knight in shining armor for one night, that didn’t give him the
right to know everything. “This
morning. From bed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Neal
stood, ready to jump the boards for his shift.
He looked back at Sid and lifted one eyebrow. “You’re in bed and she’s talking about
me? Guess we know what kind of scoring she
wants me to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
told the numbers on the back of Neal’s jersey to fuck off, but he was out of
earshot. If Leah was thinking of
anything it was Sidney. She thought of
him in the middle of the night when she was drunk, and first thing when he woke
her up. Somewhere at home in front of
her TV, she was thinking of him now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
23)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
ready?” Kate asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
smiled at her sister. Kate and her
husband Tommy, plus Gina and Travis, were the only people in Halifax to see
Leah compete in the performance contest.
They were the only people who knew about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
contest was being held at the local performing arts theater. The judges were seated on a riser in the pit
where the conductor usually stood. Only
about five hundred of the two thousand seats were filled, scattered throughout
the bottom section. Twelve acts had been
selected and Leah would be number eight.
Currently, number seven was guitar soloing his way through a song Leah
had not bothered to hear. She wasn’t
here to win, she didn’t care about the competition. She just wanted to know that she could do
this and do it out loud. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
ready.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
smoothed the front of her dress – a new one, with coral colored overlay against
a nude satin sheath. It was girly and
flirty and appropriately modest for a girl about to sit at a piano. On the stage, the contest had provided a
beautiful baby grand. Three of the first
seven contestants used it so Leah knew it was in tune. She moved her fingers as she thought the
notes in her head, mapping them out in a visualization exercise to help imprint
the pattern on her mind. She’d read that
hockey players used it all the time to see themselves scoring goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
hugged Leah, wishing her luck, and went back to sit in the audience. The guitar guy reached his last note. Leah felt the edges of her perception closing
in, like they always did when she performed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
thought of Sidney. The song was about
him – to him, really – so he had to be there in a way. Leah used her trick from the anthem
performance, picturing the back of his jersey; big name and numbers in white, the
dark curls against his neckline as he lowered his head, waiting for her to
sing. He would be standing still so she
could just focus on him. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Outside
the crowd applauded. The emcee bantered
while the judges made their notes about performer number seven. The few moments of silence were perfect. Leah heard the song’s first note, holding it
in her mind so she’d know just how to start.
The rest would follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
her name was called, she walked right out on stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
held her finger to the key, letting the last note evaporate like a drop of
water. Her song was over. Almost before it had begun, she had finished without
any trouble. Rising applause met the
dying music and only Leah felt the tiny moment of silence in between. In that moment, she let the image of Sidney
fade from her mind’s eye. Then she blinked
toward the judges and crowd and smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
was on her feet, screaming. Kate, Tommy
and Travis quickly followed suit. Leah
loved them so much for that. Around
them, everyone else was also clapping and a few more stood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I guess it was good</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah thought, grin
growing wider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
emcee appeared from between curtains and congratulated her like he had everyone
else. She carefully stood, bobbed a
little bow and made her way off stage like someone else was controlling her
body. It wasn’t until she passed out of
the lighting and into the wings that her self-awareness came rushing back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
job!” someone passing by squeezed her arm.
Performer number nine said it was great.
A production assistant handed her a small bottle of water and Leah
gulped a sip down a throat she hadn’t realized was dry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Suddenly,
a pair of arms seized her from behind. “Oh my God!” Gina said. “That was amazing!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wiggled free to turn around – Gina hugged her again from the front, Travis
wrapped around them both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thank
you. It was so weird, I…,” she
stopped. “What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina had
tears in her eyes. Kate had a look on
her face like someone had stepped on her heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
honey,” Kate pulled her in. She didn’t
say anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
hadn’t told them what the song was about.
She hadn’t told them anything, really, about herself and Sidney. Gina and Travis knew some of the racier details
but Leah had never once said she loved him.
She assumed they could tell. She
had also assumed he felt the same way. Now
Leah knew: like that moment she was stood in the airport waiting for Sidney to
say it, hearing the words out loud changed everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This time,
Leah had changed it for herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay,” she said. “I’m okay. I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Most
of the five hundred spectators had stayed to the end, believing their friend or
family member had a chance at the top spot and prize. Ten minutes after the last singer finished
the emcee announced the votes were all in.
He asked all the contestants to line up on stage in order of performance. Leah stepped in next to number nine, the girl
who’d complimented her coming off stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
going to win,” the girl whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ladies
and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today.
Soundcast is very proud to sponsor this event and six like it across Canada. As you know, Nova Scotia is our last stop and
the finals are next weekend in Toronto.
Today’s winner will receive a two thousand dollar cash prize and be
invited, along with our second place finisher, to perform in those for the
grand prize of ten thousand dollars. Everyone
here today has been fantastic, and we thank you all for coming out to support
them. Now without further ado, judges,
may I please have the names?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
judges were lined up at the corner of the stage. Leah wondered if they had a hard time
choosing – she’d barely heard any of the other songs. Her own performance had been such an out of
body experience, maybe afterward she could ask the judges what they’d thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Today’s
second place finisher, joining us for the finals in Toronto, is… David Matelem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The fourth
performer in line stepped forward, a young guy in a button down who Leah
remembered had also played the piano.
The emcee asked David where he was from, what inspired his song choice
and said he’d see them again in a week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
tonight’s first place prize of two thousand dollars and a chance to sing for
ten thousand in our final event is… Leah Hanlon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
froze. Surely she had imagined
that. Right? Next to her performer nine was whooping and
grabbing her arm. Performer seven patted
her on the back. The emcee motioned for
her to step forward. As Leah put one
foot in front of the other and broke the line, sound came rushing back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was Gina. Screaming at the top of her
lungs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah roused
herself and moved up next to the host.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Surprised,
Leah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uhhh,
yeah,” she admitted with a giggle. “I
am.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
your performance today was no surprise, since we only select the best for Soundcast. Tell us, where are you from?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Cole
Harbour.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ahhhhh,
figures,” he said knowingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Don’t don’t don’t</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">…, Leah thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nova
Scotia’s most famous hometown. You win
the finals next week and you might give that Sidney Crosby guy a run for his
title.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everyone
laughed. Leah tried not to die. Her song didn’t mention Sid by name but
anyone who remembered the lyrics could put it together now. There were reporters here too, people who
could ask around about her. Now she’d be
singing this song to a crowd in Toronto… <i>well,
that will be better</i>, Leah knew. More
people, more possibilities. She’d be
anonymous there, just another girl with a love song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
tell us. That very personal song of
yours, who’s it about?” the emcee asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
gave him a real smile. “No one you know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-70121765895027087772013-06-25T13:43:00.001-07:002013-06-25T13:45:16.462-07:00twenty<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">TWENTY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
10)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
left. Just like that. And Sid didn’t stop her. He watched until she was through the airport
security line and out of sight. Slowly,
he turned around. James was still
standing behind him, far enough that he hadn’t heard what Sidney said. Or didn’t say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
was slack-jawed and wide-eye. He lifted
his arms, palms up, as if asking, <i>What
the fuck did you just do?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
Sid didn’t even know. He was frozen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
a disgusted shake of his head, James turned and walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah stared
straight ahead as she moved robotically through the airport. She didn’t want to see a single Penguins item
or God forbid the name of someone she’d just left standing in the departures
area. She found a seat near the gate and
closed her eyes. When the plane finally
boarded, she took her place and closed her eyes again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
danger of seeing Sidney’s name did not diminish as she deplaned in
Halifax. Keeping her gaze narrow, she
went right to her car. Eyes on the road. But she didn’t go home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
same salesman who’d helped her last time was behind the music store counter
again. Next to him hung the same musical
competition flyer he’d given Leah before.
She’d told him she didn’t really play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
need a microphone,” she said. “One I can
use to record on my computer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
didn’t take much, just a small microphone covered in a sphere of black padding
with an extendable stand. Leah went
home, left her suitcase at the foot of the bed and plugged the USB cable into
her laptop. The software installed
itself. She pulled up her recording
program – also not very fancy – and enabled the microphone drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why
are boys so dumb?” she sang into the mic.
Her voice registered on the screen, showing her pitch and frequency on
the modulation table to confirm the recording.
She played it back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why
are boys so dumb?” it sang. Sounded good
too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
unplugged the microphone – there was much to do before actually recording
anything. Now she needed her keyboard and a notebook and that melody that had
been in her head for weeks. Leah finally
had something to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
sat in his living room that Leah hated.
He got a glass of water from his kitchen that Leah had cooked in. He had come in on driveway where he’d kissed
her like it was all so easy and fun.
Upstairs was the room where he’d seen what she packed to wear for
him. All around him the house was emptier
than ever before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
shook his head. Nothing had felt right
since Cole Harbour, the morning the lockout ended. It wasn’t climbing in next to Leah or even
being with her for the first time that he remembered most – though he
remembered every second. It was the
moment, after he was already in the bed, kissing her, with one handful of her
hair and another of her soft body, that Leah had reached for him in return. The instant that Sidney felt like Leah needed
him too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He’d
gotten carried away, drunk on that feeling, pursuing her in his typical
half-assed fashion. She told him to cool
it, he responded by showing up on her doorstep and taking advantage of their
last night together. Leah had wanted it
too – that made Sid feel like Superman.
Then she’d told him to go away, and stay away, and not look back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That’s
where Sid fell apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
didn’t trust himself because he’d lied to Leah.
He told her he wanted to be friends.
He said he would go, move on and not wait for her. Too bad he’d been doing exactly that since
the night he stood outside the rink, hoping she’d decipher his code and show up
for the worst first date in history. And
she had! What more did he want? Then, even then, Sid had chickened out and not
kissed her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Coming
back to Pittsburgh, he had cowardly tried to hide his feelings for Leah by
burying them in Theresa. He had cowardly
failed to tell Theresa goodbye. And when
Leah turned up, smiling and singing, and taken a big bite out of all the things
he was scared of, Sidney had cowardly failed to tell her the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dragging
himself upstairs, Sid did the only thing he could. He put his phone on the bedside table in
hopes that it would ring in exactly as many minutes as it took to fly from
Pittsburgh to Nova Scotia, and went to sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
phone had not rung. Sidney had slept
much longer than he intended as his body tried to protect his heart. The result of such a long afternoon nap was a
night of tossing and turning, sleeping fitfully and thinking about Leah the
whole time anyway. He typed out a
hundred texts and deleted them all. It
would have been so easy to write what he wanted to say, but Sidney felt he
didn’t deserve the easy way out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Morning
finally came and with it practice. Sid
grumbled a hello at someone as he pushed through the locker room door at
Southpointe. Neal lifted his head, saw
Sid and immediately found some reason to leave the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fine, fuck you</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid thought. The fewer people around who knew he’d been an
asshole, the better. Then he walked
right into Dupuis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So
that went well,” Pascal said in the sarcastic tone he used when his kids tried
to eat crayons or drink from the toilet.
Sid opened his mouth to retort but Pascal was already steering him out
of the team’s earshot. Sid couldn’t
remember who’d been at Diesel on either the first night, with Theresa, or the
second, with Leah – presumably everyone.
They’d probably all watched the scene play out from a mile away, what
Sid could not see from up close. Then
they’d all watched Leah leave with James.
Sid sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, prepared for a lecture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
take it you two didn’t kiss and make up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
shook his head. “She left.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Before
you had a chance?” Dupuis looked
surprised, like he’d expected better from Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
no,” Sid rushed to defend her even now.
“I had a chance. I just… blew
it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
concern on Dupuis face made Sid feel worse.
“She turned you down?” Pascal asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
she... well, I… kind of?” Sidney
stuttered. The conversation in the
airport was like a picture he was too close to see clearly. He remembered colors and smells, the feel of
her in his arms and the way she was too heavy, not right. He remembered feeling sad. “I told her I wanted to be with her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duper
raised his eyebrows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
she said I needed to do something else.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
eyebrows stayed up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
it,” Sid said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pascal
closed his eyes, another habit of a father talking to small people that supposedly
spoke his language but did not always understand. “What do you think she meant, something
else?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
means I need to get a life here. I need
to figure out….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dupuis
cut in. “I didn’t say what does she
mean, I said what <i>did</i> she mean. At the airport. What was the something else she wanted you to
do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Do?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Sid
thought. <i>What? What was I supposed to do
besides tell her I wanted to be with her?</i>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
should’ve told her I love her,” he mumbled, kicking the carpet with one
sneaker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duper
clicked his tongue. “You think too much,
Kid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“WHAT?!”
Sidney cried, probably drawing every ear from the other room. He was grumpy and exhausted, it was no time
for guessing games. “What was I supposed
to do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
hit him. It swung out of thin air and
punched Sidney in the gut before he had time to tense up. The thing he couldn’t do, shouldn’t do, the
thing he never seemed to ever do at the right time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
should’ve kissed her,” he said, almost to himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pascal
flicked his fingers hard against Sidney’s forehead and stormed off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kissed her</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
hadn’t kissed Leah at the rink, when he should have. Instead he kissed her on New Year’s in a room
full of gossiping smalltowners when he shouldn’t have. He’d kissed her when he got scared because
the lockout ended, then again on Leah’s doorstep when he was completely
terrified of leaving without seeing her again.
One last time at the airport, before he left, saying that he’d do it in
public for everyone to see. And he
had. Maybe that one was the right
time. But they were making a joke of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Were we?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
last time Sidney kissed Leah was in his driveway. In the other place he called home, with the one
person who felt more like home than anything in Pittsburgh. That kiss was supposed to be the start of a
whole new everything. It had been the
end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
pictured Leah’s face in the airport, forcing the blurry scene to sharpen in his
mind’s eye. Leah: beautiful, upset, blue
eyes flashing. Sunlight pouring in the
windows from a world outside where things still worked right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“<i>I was the one waiting for you</i>,” she had
said. She was waiting right there in front
of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
an asshole,” Sid said under his breath, just as someone walked by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Yup,” Neal called over his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
hummed all day at school. The tune
sounded happier than it felt, and Leah was glad for the disguise. Every single person in school asked her how
the anthem had gone. Almost all had
watched it. It was on YouTube – they
showed her twenty times. When they
watched, they saw her confidently belting out a song. When Leah watched, she saw her eyes focused
on a point off-camera, never wavering.
Never even looking at the words.
She’d been looking at Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everyone
wanted to know about him, of course. She
told them honestly about the game, his goal, how exciting it had been. A few teachers looked surprised to see her at
all, as if they’d been taking bets on whether or not Crosby could really be
attached to a girl from back home. Leah
thought about demanding a cut of the money from whoever had bet against her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
minute she got home, she pulled her keyboard and notebook out again. Words had poured out of her the night before,
and she’d been crafting them into lyrics, a poem to go along with the
music. Fine tuning the bridge was a
little rough because she wasn’t sure exactly how much to say. Leah figured it was best to put all the words
in then take out what she didn’t want to share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
length bothered her; barely three minutes long but the song felt complete. She tried for another verse but everything
seemed clunky and extraneous. All the
things she felt were there on the paper, nothing else was needed. Leah played it through again, singing quietly
to herself. It wasn’t perfect but she
had to admit it felt good to say some things out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
found the flyer from the music store and logged on to the completion
website. Entries for the Nova Scotia portion
of the contest were due by midnight that night.
It was seven thirty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Four hours</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah told
herself. She took her notebook into the
bathroom. Standing in front of the
mirror, she read the lyrics out loud to herself like a speech, over and over
again until they blended together like batter for a cake. A few words were tweaked, a few erased. One or two were added. By the fortieth read through, she had it
memorized. The notebook went face down
on the counter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
looked herself in the eye and recited the words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
voice cracked. She started again. And again.
Always from the beginning until she could get through the whole thing without
a quiver creeping into her voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They’re going to know.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Everyone in Nova Scotia who heard her song
would know who and what she was singing about.
Leah shook her head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They already know.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She’d
been kidding herself since the day she met Sidney, that anyone in this town
could think she was less than in love with him.
If they’d been surprised to see her stay, or better yet come back, she’d
give them something to be surprised about with this song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
took a few tries. When it was all there, at the tip of her tongue and ready to
deliver with just as much emotion as she wanted to reveal, Leah brought her
computer right into the bathroom. It had
the best acoustics in her apartment. She
plugged in the microphone and settled her eyes on the notebook the way she’d
settled them on Sidney’s back before she performed the Anthem. She didn’t need to see the words. She just needed to sing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
eleven thirty, Leah played the finished song one more time. Two tracks, laid over each other, wove
together through her headphones. They
sounded seemless. It had taken endless
tries, both the music and vocal tracks, to set them together perfectly. Leah had tried doing both at once but
balanced on the edge of her bathtub it was too complicated. Live, she could sit at a real piano and play
this song – she would have to, if she got that far. For now she needed a little technological
help to beat the midnight deadline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s good</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought. The song was a little piece of her heart,
carefully cut out and the ragged edge stitched back together. Now it went in a box and went off, via email,
to some people that had no idea what Leah was singing about. She hoped the song would still work on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Once
the email was sent, she went straight to bed without a glance at her phone, or
the text waiting there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney: How’s home?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
had taken Sid a lot of nerve to send that message. He felt like a prize idiot for many things,
especially if Pascal had been right and he’d been one kiss away from fixing all
of this. Of course, Sidney knew
better. He couldn’t get a girl like Leah
with one kiss – that had always been the problem. But if one kiss could tip the scale, it was
worth trying. He just needed to load a
few other weighty things back on his side first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
didn’t answer. Sid frowned at the phone
in the darkness of his room, in the emptiness of his house. But he didn’t feel so beaten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Try again tomorrow</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he told himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
14)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
smiled as she approached her office at school.
Five or six small envelopes were wedged into the windowframe – Valentine’s
Day cards from students. Mostly they
were senior girls she’d gotten to know quite well, the kind who made things off
Pinterest or sent old fashioned snail mail because they thought it was
cute. Leah agreed. She stood there, reading them for a few
minutes before opening her door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two
bouquets sat in the middle of her desk.
One was roses – six white, six red in a beautiful clear vase with a
wide, bias-cut neck that made them flare out dramatically above a knot of
perfectly tied pink and white gingham ribbon.
The other was one of those chocolate covered pineapple and strawberry
deals, cut to look like flowers, wrapped in plastic. A card was set carefully in front of them, part
of the display.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
closed the door and burst into tears. If
they were from Sidney she might die. If
they weren’t, she might also die.
Whatever happened, no one in the outer office or hallways could
see. It was bad enough someone else had
brought them here. Leah looked at the
arrangements for a long time, wondering if it was better or worse of Sid to do
this. There’s no way it was anyone else. Taking a few deep breaths for emotional
stability, Leah sat carefully in her chair and reached for the car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I don’t always make the best decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Love,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
put her head down on the desk. Fresh
tears welled in her eyes, but this time she was also laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Me
neither, Sid,” she said out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
looked at his phone so many times he thought it might levitate. It was ten in the morning, Leah had been at
school for hours. She’d gotten the gifts
– he’d called Taylor, who still knew teachers there, and faciliated getting the
bouquets put on her desk by someone Taylor swore they could trust not to say
anything. Let Leah wonder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
also let her call. <i>Please let her call.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Pens had beaten Ottawa the night before.
Sid had a goal, James had two. Of
course he did. Sid pictured Leah in her
living room, on that same small couch where she’d sat him down and knelt in
front of him and… had her way, then she climbed into his lap and let him have
his own. Right on that couch where Sid
had lied to her again, saying “I won’t.
I promise.” when he knew full well he already had fallen iredeemably
hard. That’s where Leah would have been
watching the game. He wondered if she
cheered for him, if she guessed he was thinking about her too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
checked his phone again. Nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
hadn’t returned his text from the other night, asking how things were in Cole
Harbour. He hadn’t really expected her
too – she had every right to be upset.
But this Valentine’s gift was the true test. If she didn’t call today, Sidney didn’t want
to think what that meant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
was thinking about it anyway when his phone buzzed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah: They’re beautiful. And delicious.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid: What? I can’t hear you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ten
seconds later, the phone rang. Sid
leaned against the counter in his kitchen and pictured Leah at the stove,
making chicken and pasta. He hadn’t
touched her, hadn’t kissed her for fear of so many things, and so sure he’d
have plenty of other chances. Now it was
time to get some of those chances back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Happy
Valentine’s Day,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt his voice as much as she heard it. It
vibrated across her skin, through every nerve in her body like a tuning fork pinged
at exactly the right pitch. He’d be
leaning against something, she knew, wearing jeans and a t-shirt like he it
wasn’t a sin to hide the body underneath.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thanks,
Sid. For the presents.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the other end of the line, Sid took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for the other night.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
felt smaller and shrinking with every word.
“It’s okay.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
not okay, Leah. I’m so….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> The bell rang outside her office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
gasped, shaky with surprise. She was
sure Sid was about to be sweet and awkward and he might as well have left the
thornes on the roses he sent for how much that would hurt. She loved him. She couldn’t have him. She certainly couldn’t keep doing this… not
anymore than she could tell him to stop calling. Powerless, helpless – Leah took the easy out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
have a meeting Sid, sorry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh,
okay. Well I, um….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We’re
okay, Sid. I promise,” she lied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Alright. Okay.
I, er, I miss you,” he said clumsily.
The only words on his tongue were a carefully practiced apology – this interruption
threw Sid for a loop. He panicked. “Call me later, okay. Please?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay. Bye Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had to push the END button twice, her hands were shaking so hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-2954206864192897532013-06-15T22:00:00.002-07:002013-06-15T22:00:35.921-07:00nineteen(February 10)<br />
<br />
Sidney was surprised to wake up because he was surprised that he slept. It felt like giving in to the truth of his own stupidity. He was supposed to be laying in this very spot, Leah wrapped around him, a trail of their clothes leading from the front door to the foot of his bed. She should be smiling now, or sleeping, while he figured out exactly how to ask her to never leave.<br />
<br />
He couldn’t block out the dreams though. It had been him and Leah, hot and heavy in that very bed, doing all the things he’d been denied since the day he left her standing next to her car in Cole Harbour. She was as perfect as Sid remembered, but he kept morphing from himself into Neal, in glimpses, and Sid would feel like an evil spirit had climbed into his skin and taken over for a moment. Leah, eyelashes fluttering and lip bitten, seemed equally happy with either of them. Sid rubbed his eyes, trying to erase the sight.<br />
<br />
He’d been an asshole. A careless, thoughtless jerk, so excited about Leah’s arrival he’d forgotten about his transgression of the night before. It was just one night, he thought, but it was the wrong night and that meant everything. <br />
<br />
Well, two nights, if Sid counted the one where Theresa showed up at ruined everything. He’d deposited her next to Orpik at the bar, her friend sidling up to Paul Martin. Sid barely noticed Theresa’s hand on his waist, except to carefully remove it before he went in search of Leah. Too late – she was gone. He didn’t even look back on his way to the car. Whatever he’d been so afraid Theresa might do, she was probably doing it now anyway. Served him right. It wasn’t Theresa’s fault either that he was an asshole. <br />
<br />
He hauled himself out of bed. Maybe he could still fix this.<br />
<br />
The guest room was strewn with Leah’s stuff. It didn’t look like she’d intended to sleep in there, at least to his male eye, and Sid’s heart broke a little harder. He reached for one of her shirts and started carefully folding.<br />
<br />
There wasn’t much. A few tops and an extra pair of pants made a small pile. He kneeled down to place them in her suitcase and he saw it – lingerie. Sid delicately extracted a piece of peach colored silk; it unfurled like a flag until a gorgeous, lace-trimmed bra hung from his finger. The tag was still on it.<br />
<br />
Sid sat next to her bag and closed his eyes. She brought that for him. Hell, she bought that for him. There had been a chance for everything to get right, and he could have been making his case right now for why she should stay.<br />
<br />
Running the silky material between his fingers, Sid knew he had to try anyway.<br />
____<br />
<br />
Leah lay with her eyes closed for a long time. She was in James’ guest room, twelve hundred miles from the last guest room she’d slept in and six miles from the one she wished she were in now. If she had to be in a guest room at all. Instead of there, with Sid, she was alone and clothed and last night had really happened. <br />
<br />
Her first though was: I’m those girls again. The ones she’d been thinking of the first morning she woke up next to Sid and left him sleeping there alone. Those girls who couldn’t hold it together when it came to him, the ones he wasn’t friends with after. If anything, she’d seen that last night. He had not stayed with that girl in the club, no matter who she was. He came to James’ house, hoping to find her. That girl had been one night, maybe two. Then she was nothing at all. Just like that.<br />
<br />
I was two nights, Leah thought. Well, almost three.<br />
<br />
Three nights seemed like a big deal when nothing new ever happened in her life, when nothing ever changed. Sid, though, he had this all the time. The games and the clubs and the nights in or out that went any way he wanted them to go. He had options, choices – maybe too many to ever really make one stick.<br />
<br />
Leah thought she had stuck. Apparently not.<br />
<br />
There was a knock on her door.<br />
<br />
“If I made you breakfast, can I come in?” James called from the hallway.<br />
<br />
“Depends, what are you wearing?” she asked.<br />
<br />
“Just a towel. Small one.” James opened the door and stuck his head in. “More of a washcloth really.”<br />
<br />
She waved him in, already feeling better for the smile on her face. In reality James wore jeans and a white v-neck shirt that looked almost as good on him as Leah imagined a towel would. His hair was, of course, perfectly styled. There was also no breakfast, just a mug of coffee.<br />
<br />
She rolled her eyes. “Liar.”<br />
<br />
James shrugged, grinning. “I don’t have any food.”<br />
<br />
Leah took a sip and winced. The coffee was really weak, as if he’d made two cups from what were barely enough grounds for one. <br />
<br />
“Or much in the way of coffee,” he admitted.<br />
<br />
She should have hated the smug look on his face, but his smile disarmed her as well as his honesty. <br />
<br />
“Not a lot of people actually wake up here, Leah,” James explained. “Including me.”<br />
<br />
She handed back the cup. James made a face and put it aside.<br />
<br />
“He was here already.”<br />
<br />
“What?” Leah scrambled up to sitting properly, hugging the blanket to her chest because she wasn’t wearing a bra. She was still wearing James’ t-shirt and no pants. He leaned against the dresser.<br />
<br />
“Ten minutes ago. I told him I’d wake you up, ask if you want to see him.”<br />
<br />
Leah lowered her gaze to the patterned duvet. She couldn’t look at James right now – he was too beautiful to be so caring and none of that made any sense. He was supposed to be a womanizing jerk, like Sidney had warned her about. <br />
<br />
Someone should have warned me about Sidney.<br />
<br />
Yet James was still, in a way, defending his captain. Leah wondered if he and Sidney were friends outside of work, and what it said if they weren’t. She was supposed to pass a test here but felt like she’d missed all the lessons.<br />
<br />
“He has my stuff.”<br />
<br />
James tipped his head. “It’s downstairs. I made him leave it, in case you said no.”<br />
<br />
Leah closed her eyes. “I feel like a fool,” she blurted out.<br />
<br />
James stopped. He wanted to climb into bed and wrap himself around Leah and just hold her, but that wouldn’t be enough. Even if he could do it, he’d be crossing a line. Taking advantage. He wanted Leah but not this way, and not the way she wanted Sidney. He wanted someone like her.<br />
<br />
“Sid’s the fool, Leah. And he knows it.”<br />
____<br />
<br />
She stayed in the bathroom a long time. James had big, fluffy towels and sample toiletries collected from hotels on the road. She finger combed her hair and changed into the only other outfit in her suitcase: a long, cozy gray sweater and leggings. When she finished, James was downstairs making noise. Leah gave into the urge and ducked into his room.<br />
<br />
The walls were gray with white trim. A white comforter was pulled back over rumpled sheets in the exact size of James’ body. One pillow was still dented from his head and another stuck out from beneath the blanket, as if he’d been hugging it in his sleep. The idea made Leah weak in the knees. There was nothing on the walls, no photos on the bookcases. Just the detritus of daily life – watch, phone charger, laptop, baseball caps. It looked a lot like Sidney’s room. Leah wondered if maybe they all paid too high a price for their fast lives. <br />
<br />
James was doing nothing in an empty kitchen, clearly trying to give her time and space. In his jeans and t-shirt he looked young and healthy – she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. <br />
<br />
James squeezed her hand. Fucking Crosby, he thought.<br />
<br />
“Could you give me a ride to the airport?” Leah asked.<br />
<br />
“You’re gonna leave?”<br />
<br />
She shrugged. “I was always leaving today. School tomorrow. You know, real life.”<br />
<br />
James turned in her embrace and wrapped his own arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “You have to see him.”<br />
<br />
“I texted him, told him to meet us there.”<br />
<br />
James looked down met Leah’s eyes. He was surprised at her move, while she wanted his approval. He lightly kissed her forehead.<br />
<br />
“Sid did say you like to give him a hard time.”<br />
<br />
____<br />
<br />
“I’m sorry, I love you, please stay,” Sidney mumbled to himself. He had three coffees in a cardboard tray – he’d been tempted not to get one for Neal, but Sid knew he needed the high road clear right now. His jeans and sweatshirt and baseball cap had done nothing to disguise him at Starbucks. He’d barely acknowledged the excited girl behind the counter.<br />
<br />
Holding the tray with one hand, he paced a corner of the departures terminal. He hated being here, hated being in public when he had no idea what to do or say. But Sid understood why Leah had picked this place: she needed to flex a little of her power here. Sid was the only one who knew she had it all.<br />
<br />
He looked up and there she was, walking toward him with James. They looked like a couple, which made Sidney want to vomit. He was tall and cool, she was smaller and beautiful and perfect. Neal was even wheeling her suitcase.<br />
<br />
“Hi,” she said mildly.<br />
<br />
Sid thought the Earth would open and swallow him. How could he have been so stupid? Her long, dark hair was wet from the shower – in Neal’s house! His brain screamed. Neal had refused to say anything about what happened last night, only saying that he would find out if Leah wanted to talk. If he’d had to wake Leah up out of his own bed, Sid couldn’t blame him.<br />
<br />
“Hi,” Sid said. He held out coffees and James too one, gave Leah a look that said I’ll be right here if you need me and walked away.<br />
<br />
Leah accepted the last coffee. It seemed like the thing to do when a gorgeous, strapping, guilty-looking millionaire offered. But she didn’t invite him to sit, so she wasn’t giving in.<br />
<br />
Sid put the coffee tray on the nearby chair and cleared his throat.<br />
<br />
“I’m sorry about last night.”<br />
<br />
Kiss me if you mean that, Leah thought. There are a hundred people around, none of them give a shit about some guy kissing a girl goodbye. Or hello. Even if it’s you.<br />
<br />
Kiss her so she knows, Sid told himself. Kiss her so all of these people know.<br />
<br />
When he didn’t, Leah noded almost imperceptibly. It was done. It was time to stop fooling herself and do what she had promised them both from the beginning – be friends. In a strange way, the feeling relieved her, untying the knot around her heart that kept it from beating all the way. They never would have worked. Especially not since she’d seen his life here.<br />
<br />
“It’s okay, Sid. I overreacted, it was stupid,” she lied. “I just… misunderstood.”<br />
<br />
“You didn’t,” Sidney insisted. “That girl, I don’t even know her. I just… met her.”<br />
<br />
“I’m glad, Sid. I told you to, remember? Maybe I didn’t really think you could do it,” she was telling the truth now, it flowed in her veins like fresh blood. “But you can do anything.”<br />
<br />
Sid was frozen, suffocating. Back on that first night at the rink, he had admired this girl because she didn’t try to kiss him. She didn’t want anything from him. He’d fallen in love with her for exactly that reason and now he’d have given anything to change it, anything for her to need him the way he needed her, need him enough to forgive him. The girl he couldn’t get with one kiss was still that same girl.<br />
<br />
Sidney felt his chance slipping away. “I don’t want to do anything, Leah. I want to be with you.”<br />
<br />
A minute sooner and those words would have done Leah in. Sid wanted to be with her because she was home and comfortable and predictable, he wanted to be with her because it was like staying the same. In truth, Sid needed to change. He needed to make this life his own and find a way to be happy off the ice, on his own terms. He needed to be able to kiss someone whenever he wanted to kiss her.<br />
<br />
Sidney wanted to be with her, but not enough to do anything about it, Leah knew.<br />
<br />
“You need to do something else, Sid. And so do I.” Leah brushed an invisible piece of lint from his sleeve. The heft and weight of the limb beneath it was a cruel joke now. “I said don’t wait for me, but I need to take my own advice. I was the one waiting for you.”<br />
<br />
She was breaking up with him, basically, and Sid was falling more in love.<br />
<br />
Sid stepped up and wrapped his arms around her. Leah froze, expecting a kiss, heart hammering so hard she would have fainted the instant his lips touched hers. She could have done it herself from so close but she needed to see that Sidney had it in him.<br />
<br />
It could have been a kiss, it should have been a kiss but Sidney panicked and he wasn’t thinking clearly. This had never been part of the plan. Leah was really leaving, he was really losing. Just like when it happened in big games, he was stunned with disbelief that things were actually not going his way. Sidney should have told her he loved her, while all he could say was, “I’m sorry.”<br />
<br />
Leah’s blue eyes were sad and her lovely mouth a pinched line. “Me too, Sid.”<br />
<br />
She grabbed the handle of her suitcase. James was twenty yards away – she gave him a little wave, he waved back. She could not get any closer to him and she couldn’t get far enough away from Sidney at that moment. No resolve could withstand these conditions and she would give in to someone – either let Sidney off easy or make James an offer he couldn’t refuse and either way, she’d just be killing herself. Her eyes were blurred with tears as she showed her ID to the security agent in the boarding line.<br />
<br />
“Rough goodbye?” he asked.<br />
<br />
“Heartbreaking,” she said.<br />
____<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Sorry this is short! A week without internet will do that. There's more coming soon, but I wanted to get to this part in the story.... - J</i></div>
<div>
<i>_</i></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-25389957384795756212013-06-11T21:43:00.001-07:002013-06-11T21:43:00.543-07:00eighteen<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
9)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
thought it might happen in the lounge after the game, but it didn’t. Her hands were so empty leaving Consol that
she put them in her pockets. Circling
around to the passenger seat of his Range Rover, she thought maybe then. Still nothing. She climbed inside and closed the door behind
her, shutting out the sound of 20,000 people, of nosy teammates and new
friends, of curious onlookers and whispers waiting to be spread. In the dark, in the car, it was just her and
Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I love you.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> The words were there, bursting from her heart
but she couldn’t say them. They seemed
too small in the face of all she’d seen that night: the lights, the crowd, the
pressure – that’s who Sidney was here.
To know he faced that every day and was still the same Sidney she knew only
impressed Leah more. It also terrified
her. If he was a wall, she was nothing
but a little flag waving from the top, the first thing to be shot down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
didn’t want to buckle his seat belt, he didn’t want to go to Diesel or share
Leah with anyone. He wanted to go home
and lock them away from the daily madness she’d handled with such ease and show
her that life here – his life – was more than hockey. And it was also so much less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I love you.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> But if he’d had the guts for that he’d have
said it a long time ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
drove to the club, telling himself that the guys could help win Leah over. Look how many great friends he had in
Pittsburgh, look how much fun. Wouldn’t
she want that? After a hundred Friday
nights at the same Cole Harbour bar, Sid hoped she might see a glimpse of home in
a sea of new here. At least she’d see
him being normal – after all she was the one who had told him not to hide away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the passenger seat, she was doing something with her arms and her long-sleeved
sweater. Sid turned and saw bare stomach
and a flash of black bra against her white skin. He instantly looked forward, guilty – then
remembered he had seen all that before.
And it was his car. So he watched
from the corner of his eye as Leah struggled into a new top and finally pulled
the black sweater away. Now she wore
gold, the exact shade of Penguins gold, in a gauzy sleeveless top with sparkles
sewn in. It draped against her slender
torso so suggestively that Sid coughed, sputtering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
move,” he said, trying to cover. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed. “I’ve changed on a lot of co-ed
sports buses.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ve
seen you naked, remember?” Sid
remembered. His tongue stuck to the roof
of his mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
but the rest of Pittsburgh hasn’t.” She
gestured out the window at passing cars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Rolling
up in front of the club on a Saturday night was the high point for some of his
teammates, but it made Sid feel like a jackass.
He politely handed his keys to the valet and made it three steps onto
the curb before someone shouted his name.
A bouncer already had the door open – Sid kept one hand on Leah’s back
as they dashed inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was smiling. All those people wondering
why Crosby was with that girl, when she barely knew herself. Still his palm was warm through her shirt,
strongly steering toward what she assumed was the VIP section. Otherwise he’d be swallowed up by this crowd
in minutes. Luckily the VIP bouncer saw
them coming; the velvet rope was up and then it was closed behind them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So many people</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought. Inside the club, inside VIP. Big guys in dark suits, tiny girls in smaller
dresses and shoes so high they qualified as Cirque du Soleil acts. Leah checked her own standard jeans and heels,
boring by comparison. Then Sidney was at
her side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Right.
I brought this instead</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
leaned in much closer than necessary, his voice passing across her skin. “Drink?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
nodded and followed him to the bar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“There
she is!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">An
arm slipped around Leah’s waist, turning her from Sid’s path and curling her in
to another broad, solid body. Of course
it was James, looking like he had before the game, only a hundred times sexier
because his dress shirt was open at the collar and shoved up over his
forearms. Leah took a small step
backward – imperceptible, except James noticed.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He moved
back in, really close. “Where’s your
boyfriend?” Leah rolled her eyes. James’ hand squeezed her side once before
falling away. “I’d never leave you alone
with these animals,” he purred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt
Niskanen stepped in, rescuing her with his dorky smile and Midwestern manners. He introduced his girlfriend. Tyler Kennedy arrived with a well-timed dirty
remark and soon they were laughing together.
Matt finished his drink, and saw Leah’s empty hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
“Can I get you something?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
tapped his foot impatiently. <i>Who do you have to be to get a drink around
here, Sidney Crosby?</i> Too bad a pack
of his teammates were bellied up to the bar and they’d beaten him there. Smiling apologetically at a girl in a tight
striped dress, Sid shouldered his way in next to Paul Martin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,”
Paul glanced back, looking for his captain’s companion. “Am I hallucinating or are you in a club with
a date?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
made a guilty face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Who
is she?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Friend
from home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Paul
nodded wisely, his glasses completing the effect. “Friend.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yup,”
Sid said because that’s what it was right now.
Give him till tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Paul
took a beer from the bartender and stepped back, allowing Sid more room to
order. With a grin, Paul said, “So she’s
fair game?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
didn’t even react. The guys would
never. Certainly not Paul of all
people. Wherever Leah was in the pack of
bodies now, Sid hoped that Nisky was near her, or Duper. Equal or less distance that Neal, but even
that tool wouldn’t try anything. He knew
better. Sid ordered a vodka tonic and a
Newcastle, watched the bartender hurry to provide. Where was this guy five minutes ago? When the
drinks were done, Sid tipped the bartender a twenty. Last time he’d have to wait for drinks all
night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
wove between people, saying hello, holding Leah’s cocktail as if it were a
clear sign that he had someone where to be.
The VIP area wasn’t that big, and in the center a space had
cleared. Sid spotted Leah talking to
Nisky’s girlfriend and Kunitz, Neal hovering a few feet away like her
bodyguard. Time to tell him he’s off
duty for the night. Sid saw Kuni nod in
his direction, and they all turned to look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
body first: small, strangely familiar.
Then a mouth. On his. It happened all at once – he was walking
right toward Leah then someone was kissing him. A full second passed before he realized it
wasn’t Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,”
said a voice in front of him. Sid, still
holding a drink in each hand, looked right down into the eyes of the girl whose
bed he’d woken up in the day before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">SHIT.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
memory punched the panic button in his brain, setting his internal alarm to
DEFCON ONE. Sid swore he saw red lights
flashing. This girl, she was here. He’d told her to come here, to meet him. How could he forget that?! That was before the anthem and inviting Leah
and bringing her here and… and kissing someone else right in front of her. Too late Sidney realized the girl was
talking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Great
game! I’m so glad you wanted to meet up
tonight, we can really celebrate.” She
slunk in close, oblivious to the extra drink Sidney carried, and rubbed up
against him. Her face tilted up for
another kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fight
or flight scenarios whipped through Sidney’s mind. He could say he didn’t know her – but there
was a blurry memory of his friends pulling them apart, of telling them to go to
hell just before he took her home. One
look at her tight, slinky dress, rack pouring out the top, dark blond hair
salon-finished and there was no question what they’d done once they got there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Tuh…
Theresa. Hi. Hey.”
He backpedaled. “How, uh, how are
you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
flicker in her eye was all Sidney needed to see. He’d been borderline rude to this girl in her
bedroom, in his birthday suit, and played the PR card to smooth it over. Only to end up in a much more compromising
position. In front of everyone he knew,
and a few hundred he didn’t, Sid was staring at a duel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good,”
she said, playing coy. “Better now, you
got here kinda late tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Because I was trying to tell the girl of my
dreams I’m in love with her and chickening out in front of all the same people
watching us now. Including her.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
Sid’s eyes flicked up to Leah – she was completely still, like the eye
of a hurricane – flashing lights didn’t touch her, he bet it was even silent
where she stood looking at him like she’d never seen something so small. Almost imperceptibly, she moved toward James.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is my friend Amber,” Theresa said, pulling over another blond in an equally
risqué dress. “You said some of your
friends might want to hang out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My friends</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he
remembered. The plan was to pawn this
girl off on one of his teammates so she’d leave happy and with someone
else. Now the guys most likely to accept
a charitable donation were watching him like it was an episode of <i>1000 Ways to Die</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was in a state of suspended animation. Sid
had taken a long time at the bar but he was striding toward her, suit jacket
open like he was Clark Kent with a drink in his hand and some really tight
underwear underneath. Then out of
nowhere, a tiny octopus of a Wet Seal dress was hanging off his chest. Off his mouth – the mouth that had just been
whispering to her. That she’d wanted to
kiss. Now Miss Bebe Outlet Store was
copping a feel while her friend watched nervously, as if waiting to meet her
arranged marriage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was a mistake, right? This kind of
psycho girl shit happened to famous guys all the time. Hell, Leah could have kissed Sid on first
sight too, except it would have been in a cap and parka instead of cage sandals
and AquaNet. But her gut told her
otherwise – guys only knew a girl like this for one reason. Leah felt James move closer behind her. James was either going to have to catch her
when she fainted or hold her earrings while she kicked somebody’s ass. The tension in his posture seemed ready for
either one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
looked up and it was all over his face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
stared back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Send her off and I’ll never ask</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she tried to tell
him without speaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
got the message. He knew the right thing
to do – and knew it was the wrong thing.
Not here. Not in front of
everyone. Not with this girl; he
couldn’t trust her, couldn’t risk what she might do. Leah would never, ever do something to
publicly hurt or humiliate him, Sidney was sure of that. He loved her for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And
he used her for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why
don’t, uh, you both come meet some people?” Sidney herded the girls toward the
bar, where maybe a few of his teammates had missed the spectacle. Or they didn’t care. He just needed a minute to deposit Theresa
safely somewhere. Sid glanced at Leah,
but she had already turned her back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
steeled herself for the taunting look in James’ eyes, but to her surprise it
wasn’t there. He just looked worried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Take
me home?” she said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
left immediately. Matt squeezed her arm
and TK shook his head. Their sympathy
made it worse – why were they being nice to her? They didn’t even know her. Sidney was supposed to be nice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James’
Mercedes arrived from the valet in record time, as if the universe knew she
could only hold it together for a minute.
Dropping into the low, sleek car, Leah put her head back and breathed
slowly through her nose. James regarded
her quietly for a moment then put the car into drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She’s
gone,” Duper said. Sid was wild-eyed,
searching every corner of the VIP area.
He hadn’t seen Leah, and he hadn’t seen James.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Neal?”
he demanded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Drove
her,” Pascal nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If
he so much as…,” Sid growled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?” Pascal challenged. It wasn’t like him to push the captain’s
buttons but he said older, more responsible things when they were needed. “If he so much as takes a girl home from this
club, fucks her and forgets entirely about it, you’ll what? Tell him to meet you here tomorrow?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
pushed a hand through his once-carefully styled hair. There was no sympathy from Dupuis, and
judging from the sideways looks all around, Sidney wouldn’t be hearing it from
anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“FUCK.” His shoulders slumped and his voice got
smaller. “What do I do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
thanked God for the suburbs as he blew the last two stop signs on the way to
Neal’s. It was taking way too long –
anything could be happening in that house.
His tires crunched to a stop outside and Sid was up the walk before his
door even closed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ring.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ring. Riiiiiiiiiiing. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Footsteps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was James. “She doesn’t want to see
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
she doesn’t want to fucking sleep with you so I don’t know what the fuck you’re
thinking bringing her here!” Sid stomped his foot for effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
gave him a look like he could eat shit and die, but crossed onto the porch and
shut the door behind him. Sidney might
have been a bull but James had four inches of reach on his captain and a lot
more practice fighting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
you expect her to go home with you? And
that girl? For fuck’s sake, Sid, did you
tell that girl to meet you tonight? She
looked like you were picking her up at the prom, she couldn’t wait to suck your
dick in the limo.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I…,”
Sid’s rage was random, misfiring. “I
forgot, okay? I was gonna dump her one
of you guys so she’d be fine with it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Any
trace of bro-sympathy left James’ face. “<i>Dump
her</i> on one of us? What are we, your
trash heap? You are the dumbest asshole
I’ve ever met. If it’s not hockey, you
don’t know what the fuck to do with your life.
Get out of here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
stepped into the doorway then paused. “Oh,
and don’t forget where you dumped Leah tonight.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
slammed the door in Sid’s face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Upstairs
at the window, standing in the dark, Leah heard every word. Part of her was happy that it was a mistake; Sid
hadn’t meant for that girl to be there tonight.
The rest of her said that was pathetic and sick. Just because that girl wasn’t there tonight
didn’t mean she, or her friend, or someone else with their babymaker flashing
and their tits on display wasn’t there every other night of Sidney’s life. Leah had no illusions about his
opportunities. Yet she’d somehow fooled
herself into thinking he didn’t take them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
she stood in the middle of James’ guest room, scowling at the bed. She had not intended to be sleeping in a
hockey player’s guest bedroom tonight. The
heat of her own anger surprised her – she had no claim to Sidney, no matter
what she thought she’d felt. He hadn’t
done anything but what she told him: Go out.
Get a life. Have fun. Oh, and call me sometime, eh? But he’d only called her because of the
anthem. Otherwise, Sidney’s life here
wasn’t empty at all, he’d just been filling it with the kind you don’t usually
show to company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah told
herself that if only Sid had mentioned Theresa, she wouldn’t feel so
betrayed. It rang false in her head, but
she clung to it. Any port in a
storm. Speaking of which…. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Knock knock.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
opened his bedroom door, freshly changed into dark sweatpants and a thin v-neck
shirt that looked worn soft. His five
o’clock shadow was well past six, and darker for the shadow thrown by the light
behind him. He was so much taller than
Sid. There was sadness in his blue-green
eyes that Leah could not handle right then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Can
I borrow a t-shirt?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
chuckled. “You were planning on sleeping
naked at Sid’s?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
glared at him. “If I slept at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One
of James’ eyebrows popped up in surprise, or maybe he was impressed. Either way he disappeared for a moment and
came back with a black tee emblazoned with a 412 logo. She took it without a word. James closed his door and leaned against
it. Leah shouldn’t have been in his
house. He hoped that was the last he’d
have to see of her until daylight, when he could always think a little more
clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
such luck. He walked into the kitchen a
few minutes later to find her pouring a glass of water. Wearing only his t-shirt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And hopefully something underneath</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought. The irony of wishing more clothes onto a
beautiful girl was not lost on him. He
felt bad about what just happened, both at the bar and on his doorstep. James had no doubt Leah heard every word –
Sid’s feeble excuse, James’ possessive response. Had he meant it? Was it meant for her, or just to piss off his
captain? She didn’t turn around, but
lifted one foot and rubbed it slowly along the back of her other calf,
caressing the soft skin of her leg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,
don’t,” James said gruffly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
smiled. She was fired up and it needed
out. If Sid was with some other girl,
moving on and showing off, shouldn’t she do the same? Prove to them all that Sidney Crosby was the
past? James was watching her carefully
from ten feet away. She turned toward
him and leaned back against the counter, elongating her body. “Don’t what?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Definitely no bra. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James scratched at his hair. “Don’t make me do something we’ll all
regret.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">BAM</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, her scowl was back. “So you would regret me too?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No!”
James could not explain why his feet were moving toward her, this was not the
time to be getting closer. “That’s not
what I mean. And Sid doesn’t either, you
know that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
I?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes,”
James exhaled. He would not fight Crosby’s battles for him. But James was losing patience as quickly as
resistance – he didn’t want to be a bad guy here either. “Leah, whatever warning Sid gave you about
me, it’s true.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Bullshit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“When
I do the wrong thing, it’s usually on purpose.
Sid, he just doesn’t know any better.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I was the wrong girl tonight!” Leah
shook her head. Sid was with another
girl, James was defending him: clearly hell had frozen over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
felt as if his chest was churning cement.
“You were the right girl. And
he’s fucking furious that you’re here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
took a slow step toward him, like a cat stalking prey. A turn of her head spilled that long, wavy
auburn hair over one shoulder, baring the side of her throat. Those big blue eyes didn’t even blink. “Why?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
wonder Sid was crazy about her – that fool could never withstand something like
this. Her breasts lifted beneath the
thin cotton shirt and James’ body twitched in response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Involuntarily,
he licked his lips. “Because I am not a
nice guy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sighed, almost sadly. She knew Sid was
mad because he was scared – she felt the same way. Maybe even mad enough to do something about
it. It was exactly the worst time for
James to grow a conscience – she couldn’t even throw herself at someone
properly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Liar,”
Leah said softly. “You’re just like
him. Heart of fucking gold.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
promised himself it would be the only time he touched her. His hand wrapped around her upper arm and
slipped beneath the oversized sleeve. It
hurt knowing something of his was all over her.
Friction prickled between them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If I
were him, no way in hell would I ever let someone else take you home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed sarcastically, but the tension in her face eased. She ached to rest against James’ chest, to
have his arms fold around her and block out the world so she would forget there
was really somewhere else she wanted to be - somewhere so close. With someone else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
leaned in quickly and kissed her forehead.
“Goodnight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
body silently rioted at walking away from an easy mark, but his heart knew Leah
was more than that. Crosby was messed up
with good reason. James was now staring
off that same cliff. He backed up into
the doorway, a safe distance. Still her
vulnerability was tantalizing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
Leah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
met his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If
you still want to have rough, angry revenge sex, you know which door is mine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
smile shot across her face, the first in hours.
It was beautiful and uncontrolled and James liked it as much as Leah
hated it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
not tired,” he said, hands up like he was keeping her at bay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
laughed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
continued moving away. “Like at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
lost sight of her behind a wall. “I can
go all night!” he called.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">_____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
stormed through the front door of his house, slamming it hard. No one cared – no one even heard. He looked for something to throw - there were
only sunglasses, a magazine, two remotes.
Hardly adequate when he felt like flipping a car. The big empty house mocked him all the way to
his room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
had no missed calls or texts, so he messaged Leah:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m sorry.
Let me explain. Call me.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
stared at the phone, telling himself he was an arrogant bastard though all the
while he expected it to ring. Or at
least buzz. The longer it was silent the
heavier the stone in Sidney’s chest grew.
He sent another text.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Please, Leah. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Still
nothing. He brushed his teeth and
changed, turned off every single light and considered leaving the door open in
case she decided to return in the middle of the night. He stood with his hand on the alarm pad for a
good minute, thinking. Then he left the
system unarmed, went back to his room and crawled into bed before sending one
last text.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Please come home.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-73220493641846971682013-06-04T14:03:00.001-07:002013-06-04T14:25:20.283-07:00seventeen<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>Sorry this took so long - I get superstitious about the playoffs and I don't want to mess anything up! - J</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">___</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(February 9)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
stood in the doorway of his bedroom, considering what a lifetime worth of
discipline had earned him. A number one
draft pick, Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal, team captaincy, face of the NHL,
brand ambassador… was he forgetting anything?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Oh
yeah. A lot of chances not taken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was across the hall, her suitcase open on a bed he had no intention of letting
her sleep in tonight. But as always,
there were things he had to do before he could do the things he wanted. It was time for his pre-game nap. Sidney was beyond superstitious: he was
devout in his routine. It calmed him and
blocked out the world of distractions.
The biggest distraction in ages was so close and he didn’t want to block
out anything at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“How’s
this?” She came into the hall displaying
a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black sweater. Sid was sure he’d seen her wear it before,
and loved it. It would have the same
effect on twenty thousand people tonight.
Leah glanced at her outfit unsurely then gave him a hopeful smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Perfect,”
he said. Her smile widened. The sparkle
in her eyes was a fuse burning right down to his crotch. His arms ached to hold her but Sid told
himself: <i>Later.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was hardly listening. There wasn’t much to like or dislike about the outfit,
but it didn’t matter because she wouldn’t be wearing it to sing. She had a surprise up her sleeve. Right now she was preoccupied with the way
Sid’s shirt stretched across his broad chest as he leaned against the door
jamb. In contrast the narrowest part of
his body, his waist, drew her eye right down to the top of his jeans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
could not mess this up. Sid’s OCD was
legendary and Leah was terrified to alter even the slightest detail of his game
day schedule. She would not have him
regret bringing her here. The idea of
him sleeping in that big, cozy bed, wearing that thin t-shirt and his long
eyelashes closed against those cheekbones – no door would stop her. So Leah held out her open palm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Keys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Keys?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
eyes were the color of hot fudge and something of the same decadence. Leah steeled herself. “Don’t you need to nap?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Not more than I need to….</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Yeah. I do,” Sid hated the words as they rolled off
his tongue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
won’t sleep well if I’m here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I can think of a million ways you can keep
me awake….</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
“Probably not,” he admitted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Then
I’ll go get lost in Pittsburgh for a few hours while you rest. I’m expecting big things out of you tonight,
Crosby.” Leah tried not to smile at the
innuendo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
luck for Sid – his pillowy lips twitched into a smile. “Don’t get too lost.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Was
it her imagination, or did Sid look a little disappointed? Leah shook the keys. “Sweet dreams, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
slept without dreaming, thanks to years of hockey programming. He was surprised to wake automatically two
hours later, well rested. The moment he
woke he was listening for footsteps in the house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
could still be out, probably singing along with the radio in his car. Or she could be downstairs, watching TV on
the couch, little feet tucked up under her legs. Sid remembered the night she fell asleep on
his couch, how he practically begged her to stay over. It was finally the beginning of something…
only to end a few hours later when the lockout did. That’s when he and Leah had really started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Instead
of footsteps, he heard music. And he
smelled food. Sid got up, checked his
reflection in the mirror and did what he could with his messy hair. Leah had seen worse. His t-shirt and shorts might give her some
ideas, so he didn’t bother getting dressed before going to the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had her back to the door, stirring a pot on the stove. She’d plugged her iPod into the speaker dock
and put City and Color on low. It
stopped Sid in his tracks – but for the view out the window, he could have been
at home. He’d maybe never felt so at
home anywhere else. Humming along, Leah
didn’t hear him coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,”
he came right up behind, all warm from bed, and looked over her shoulder. Leah waited a moment for Sid’s arms to slide
around her waist but they didn’t.
Instead his hands reached the counter on either side, effectively
trapping her without really touching.
She smiled – just enough, that was a Sid move for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
found the grocery store.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
dish of marinara sauce was simmering next to a boiling pot of pasta and a
smaller one with a lid on that smelled like broccoli. Sid breathed in deep and put his chin against
her shoulder, close enough to breath in that subtle, intoxicating scent of
vanilla and ruby red. He wanted to hold
her and the moment was screaming for it.
But then he would kiss her and he would take her upstairs and sometime
right before breaking every ritual in his book, he would say he loved her. He could not do one without the others and
the others were not right, not right now.
The domino effect would take them all down with it. So he kept his hands at bay and an inch or
two between their bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Perfect
pre-game meal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“There’s
chicken too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Amazing,”
he said quietly, without specifying what.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
wasn’t the heat from the cook top or Sid’s body that made Leah blush. She picked up a piece of paper from the side
of the range. “Well I thought this might
be a hint.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was a list of pre-game meal options, published by the Penguins’ Director of
Sports Performance. Sid kept it on the
fridge so he didn’t have to think about options when he called somewhere for
delivery. Never once had someone cooked
a meal from that list in this kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ha!
It wasn’t, but I’m glad it worked.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
gave Sid the task of setting the table, if only to get him away. It had been bad enough to know he was
sleeping upstairs when she came back.
The urge to slide in next to him the way he’d once done to her was so
palpable she could taste it. The food
had been something to do instead. Now
she drained and plated and sliced and carried two dishes to the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
had set the two corner spots on the dining room table – another space he never
used. This way he could sit near Leah
and look at her without being so obvious.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
had been times at home, like after the New Year’s kiss, when Sid just wanted to
be with Leah and know that everything felt normal. Of course it also felt crazy – the racing
pulse, accidentally touch her on purpose, trying to make her laugh. But it was comfortable crazy. She took the seat next to him and Sid felt it
was right where she belonged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
dug into her pasta. It was a good meal –
basic, easy – but she got the impression Sid appreciated the small gesture very
much. He always had. It was tough to reconcile a guy who had
everything from a nice car and this big house with someone that thought she was
great for boiling water.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dinner
was a topic of conversation both Sid and Leah needed it. It took the edge off the pressure of trying
not to say – what are we really doing here? Instead they talked about restaurants they’d
been to, what Leah liked to cook, if Sid was allowed to eat junk food during the
season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
burn like ten thousand calories a day. I
can have an Oreo,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
made a face. “Who eats <i>one</i> Oreo?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
still felt weird going into a guest room at Sid’s house, but Leah had her
clothes strewn across the bed. She knew
what she was going to wear on the outside.
Now she was staring at a pile of underwear Gina had picked out and
wondering what to wear inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nothing’s going to happen</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she told
herself. Sid had been… Sid. Perfect.
Charming. That kiss hello had
curled her toes but since then, he’d given no indication this trip was more
than a friendly visit. The lingerie
before her was more for a roundtrip booty call.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Or he’s going to bust through that door any
second and find me naked, then I won’t need any of these underwear.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> The idea made her a little faint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the end, Leah went for fun and flirty, not slutty. She chose a pair of cheeky bright blue
panties with hot pink stripes across the backside and a matching hot pink
bra. They weren’t even a set, but looked
enough like one that a guy would never notice.
If he got to see them. If they
lasted long enough once he did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Stop</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah laughed at herself. She pulled on jeans, boots and her
long-sleeved sweater. In the bottom
corner of her bag was a surprise she’d packed that was even better than the
sexy underthings. It went into her
oversized purse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
his room across the hall, Sid straightened his tie. His hair was gelled, his belt was fastened,
his wallet, watch, phone and keys were all in their assigned game day places. He know the superstitions were crazy but they
worked even more today – he felt calmer just going through the motions, not
having to think. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">All
night and day his thoughts had led to Leah.
Now she was really here, everything was confirmed. He had not imagined the way she bossed him
around, or the way she smiled or the way she smelled. He certainly had not embellished the spark
between them when they kissed. He still felt
it in his belly, burning like an ember that could suddenly ignite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m ready!”
she called from the hallway and her footsteps bounced down the stairs. Sid buttoned his suit coat and followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Wow,”
she said from the bottom of the stairs, taking in his dark gray pinstripe suit
with blue shirt and tie. It was a little
too long on him – designer but not tailored, if she had to guess. Sidney Crosby did not have an off-the-rack
body. Still he looked all shiny and
polished, like he was ready for a date.
“So handsome.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
kind of a waste, since we change at the rink right away.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled her eyes. “A hot guy in a suit is
never wasted.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
closer they got to the arena, the more nervous Leah felt. The anthem here would make her entire
performance history look like singing in the shower, but she was ready for that. In a way, having only one day to prepare was
better because she couldn’t psych herself out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Preparing
to see Sidney this way was different.
She knew about the famous, on-ice, super human version of his as well as
anyone but it was so different from the version currently driving them across
town. This one had a stray curl of hair
sticking out by his ear and squinted because he’d forgotten his
sunglasses. Superheroes didn’t squint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
Penguins banner hung from the front of the building. Leah saw a sixty foot tall Sid as they passed,
and closed her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
was early. Sid wanted to show Leah
around, maybe catch a few of his teammates before the crowd really arrived. By
five o’clock he’d have to be in game mode.
He parked in the mostly empty player and staff lot and took Leah in the
side door. She was quieter than
usual. He walked her through a warren of
hallways, right past the locker room and down the Zamboni tunnel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
it was. Ten times the size, a hundred
times brighter, and almost as empty as the rink in Cole Harbour where they’d
stood on the night they first met. Sid considered that night their first
date. By that count this would be about
their twentieth. Leah’s face was turned
up to where every single seat would be filled tonight. He slipped his hand into hers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah smiled
at the feel of his fingers knitting between her own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck,
this place is <i>huge</i>,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yup. Good news is they are putting the words on
the dasher screens, around the arena.
Turns out they plan on that for new people, just in case.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
they have a plan for when I throw up?” she laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
squeezed her hand. “You’re going to be
perfect. Like every other time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is nothing like any other time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was so used to the size, the noise and the crowd that he could block it all
out. Standing down here in the quiet, he
knew that seemed impossible. Leah just
needed something to focus on. “I’ll be
here. Right out there,” he pointed
toward the blue line, roughly 65 feet from where she’d be standing. “You can just sing to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
wanted to kiss him so badly, just crash her lips onto his and stop him from
always saying something that made him more perfect. If they were alone, she might have. Leah understood that even holding her hand in
this place was a really big risk for Sid, and the most he could do for her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“They
always show you during the anthem and you’re never listening,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
gave her that heart-stopping grin. “Then
I won’t know if you mess up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Duper!”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
called to his teammate from far down the hall.
He could tell each Penguin by their walk, since he was that used to
identifying them on the ice by their skating stride. Leah had just gotten the VIP tour of Consol
Energy Center and they were headed for the last stop: the locker room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pascal
completely ignored Sid on his approach.
“You must be Leah. I’ve heard a
lot about you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah’s
heart did a combination of pirouette and swan dive. Sid was telling people about her. Dupuis seemed like a nice, upstanding Penguin
but she knew this was a boys club. Sid
could have told him anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
remembered telling Pascal that he was in love with Leah. So, the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“All
good things, I hope.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pascal
smiled. “Well, I can see why Sid was so
grumpy coming back from the lockout.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
headed for the locker room. Voices rang inside
and Sid knew he was walking Leah into a potential minefield of horny, entitled
manwhores, but what could he do? This
was his life. They entered and Sid
counted maybe six bodies moving around:
Nisknanen, Orpik, Engellend, Kuntiz, Cooke….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“LEAH!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And
Neal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“James!”
Leah squeaked as he ran over and scooped her up in his arms. He was stronger than that long, tall body
looked. He was also scruffier than when
they’d met in Toronto and it suited him even more in real life than on TV. So close to his face, with his body all over
hers, Leah briefly recalled the moment she’d turned down his offer to go out,
just the two of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
missed me so much you couldn’t stay away,” James put her down but didn’t let
go. “Don’t be ashamed, it happens a
lot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
did not doubt that at all. She put her
palm against his two-day beard. “I
wanted to see this up close. Very nice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
leaned down and rubbed his face against her cheek, making her giggle. Sid growled internally and felt his hands
curl into fists. Neal was so….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Effective</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought sarcastically. If not for Sid, James would have Leah face
down and screaming his name his minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Skeezy</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, the other side of Sid’s brain shot
back. The lame lines and the arrogance –
did girls really go for that stuff?
Judging from how close he was to kissing Leah right now in front of
everyone, apparently it did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
pawed James away and then gave him an extra shove for good measure, still
giggling. He was just trying to get a
rise out of Sidney; anyone could see it.
A quick glance told Leah it had worked – Sid’s jaw was set hard and his
glare extra-dark. She reached out a hand
to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Will
you please introduce me to a teammate with some manners?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Niskanen
swooped in and introduced himself. Sid
had mentioned a girl from home, Matt must have figured this was the one. It gave him a second to bring his jealousy
under control, for now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Guys,
this is Leah, my friend from home. She’s
singing the anthem tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you need a jersey to wear?” Neal called from his locker. Sid opened his mouth to say no, Leah could
hear one of his but she beat him to an answer.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
all set, thanks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew all the guys’ names and recognized their faces, so it was easy to make
fast friends. She noticed a few not-sly
looks going Sidney’s way, just confirming what she already knew: he never
brought girls here and he didn’t really have a lot of friends outside this
room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Before
long, Leah could tell Sidney was getting antsy.
She excused herself from everyone and they promised to listen when she
sang. “Okay,” she told Sid, “get me out
of here so you can do your left sock, left elbow, right sock, right elbow
thing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
winced. “That’s not how it goes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I don’t want to be around when that lucky old jock strap comes out, so point me
to wherever I’m supposed to go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
walked her toward the events office, where she could hang out for a few hours
before game time. He tried to give her
his keys, but she said at most she’d walk to someplace nearby and get
dinner. They turned the corner into a
hallway that was empty for the moment.
Instinct slowed both of their feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
nervous,” she said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
gave in to his ache and to the jealousy that had flared while watching his
teammates all vie for Leah’s attention.
He put his hands to her cheeks and held her face so she looked right
into his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
nervous to play in front of you,” he said.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed, a sound so perfect it was sure to draw attention. Sid had to be quick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Just
look for me out there and you’ll be great.” He kissed her gently, briefly on
the lips. It zinged all the way to his
toes, hot enough to set the carpet on fire.
“I know where you’re sitting, so I’ll look for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Stunned
from the kiss, Leah forced just enough air into her lungs to say, “Good luck,
Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Love you</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
he said, “You too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
wasn’t back in the locker room two minutes before it started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“WHO
IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND?!” Tyler Kennedy shouted, upset that he’d missed meeting
Leah and seeing what everyone else was talking about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
my girlfriend!” Sid sang back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Then
can I have her? She’s foxy,” Orpik said
with a lopsided grin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She’s
a friend from home, someone dropped out of the anthem and she’s really good.” Sid wasn’t technically lying, even though
Nisky was shaking his head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Never
one to pull a punch, Neal said, “The anthem’s the only way Sid can make her
sing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Swallowing
a mouthful of curses and insults that would only reveal how right James was,
Sid went to his locker and started changing.
He hung his suit carefully, intending to wear it out after the game to
celebrate with Leah. After the reaction
of his teammates to meeting her, they’d probably want to come along too. Sid needed a win tonight, he needed her to
see this wasn’t all hype or hyperbole, and so he needed this team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She’s
nice,” Duper said in a low voice, taking the seat next to him. Guys carried on at a volume that made their
conversation almost private.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,”
Sid said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“But
not that nice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
turned just his head. “What do you
mean?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
mean,” Pascal said, taping on a sock.
“That she’s not so nice she couldn’t handle this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
glanced around the room at his teammates roughhousing and chirping, all kids on
a big playground. Leah would let them
run until they needed to be put in their place.
“I’m not worried about this, in here.
I’m worried about that, out there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Out
there were twenty thousand people who all wanted Sid’s best, every minute of
every day. Beyond the arena walls were
hundreds of thousands more – all with Twitter accounts and blogs, some with
radio shows and newspaper columns. The
pressure on him was enough already – even if he was used to carrying it, the
thing was still heavy. Being with Leah
would mean putting that pressure on her too.
Sid wanted to think of it as a burden to share, to lighten the load, but
he couldn’t. He was only more afraid
he’d drop it and crush them both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
wouldn’t want to be with me, Dupes.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She’s
not you,” Pascal said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
arena was full. Leah had been in bigger
stadiums but never had one seemed so packed to the rafters. Of course she’d never been about to step in
front of them all and sing, either. At
her side, a girl from the events office was listening to her radio headset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Two
minutes,” she patted Leah’s shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
teams had just taken the ice. Lights
were flashing and swirling, music blaring.
A montage played on the Jumbotron.
Her eyes watched as players whisked by the Zamboni door, white numbers
on black sweaters. She saw 87 once then
he was gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Glancing
down at her own outfit she knew she’d made the right choice. It felt like a suit of armor now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
starting lineups were announced: Fleury, Letang, Orpik, Kunitz, Dupuis and Crosby,
all bodies that would be on the ice with her.
The crowd screamed and the video faded and the events office girl was
ushering her to the threshold where the ice met the boards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ladies
and gentlemen, please rise, remove your caps and join us as we salute the
United States of America with our national anthem. To lead us tonight please welcome, all the
way from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Leah Hanlon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
mention of Cole Harbour nearly brought the house down. Leah barely heard her own name – she was sure
no one else had. The lights came up all
at once: thousands of people, row upon row from large to small, as far as the
eye could see. Most of the crowd roared
again when they saw what she was wearing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
pint-sized hockey jersey actually fit her pretty well. It was mustard yellow with TIM HORTONS
scripted across the front. The back said
TIMBITS above a number 8. Sid’s name was
nowhere on it, nor was the infamous 87, but everyone here had seen the TV
commercial and print ads and knew it was his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
could see the real 87 now, big as a billboard on his back, up at the blue line
as promised. Sid had his head down but
she knew he was listening. She focused
on the name across his shoulders, took a deep breath, and sang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
kept his eyes closed until the last word was out of her mouth. He’d been singing along in his head, willing
her to get every word and note and of course she had. She didn’t need him for that. Leah nailed the anthem like a pro and the
Pens fans showed their appreciation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She did it</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought. <i>She
came here and the sky didn’t fall and the Earth didn’t quake and she walked out
onto this ice – my ice – and she took part of it for herself.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
soon as was acceptable, Sid spun around toward where she’d been. It was just in time to see TIMBITS 8 walking
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
second later, Dupuis brushed past him.
“I told you so.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
stowed the borrowed Jersey back in her bag and took the elevator up to the main
concourse. The events office girl lead
her to an usher who led her to an empty seat next to a bright-eyed girl with
long brown hair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Allo!” Leah got a big hug before she got a name.
“That was magnifique! And we do not use
that word lightly around here! I am
Vero, Mac-Andre’s wife. And I am…,” she
gestured to her round belly, “pregnant.
Obviously. Sit, sit, they are
starting!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was hauled into her seat by her new friend just as the puck dropped to start
the game. Vero’s hand was on her
arm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I am
so glad to meet you. Sidney told me you
came only today, to sing? I wish you
could come yesterday, we could have met sooner!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He,
uh, didn’t know till yesterday. I was
still at work when he called – good thing it’s Saturday, so I’m off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Vero
started to speak, then leaned in and lowered her voice. There were still a lot of exclamation marks,
only quieter. “He is so happy you are
here! And he is nervous, I never see that he is nervous for a game!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
body crunched boards on the ice and a whistle blew. Leah looked up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He’s
just saying that because I was nervous to sing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
you did it perfectly and so now we wait for Sidney to do the same. Okay?
You need a drink, I think, or maybe I do but I cannot so you will have
it for me.” Vero waved to a vendor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
seats were about twelve rows up, behind the Penguins bench and one section
over. Pit was the perfect view… of a
zillion Crosby jerseys. Every other
person was wearing one, maybe more. Leah
ran her eyes along the bench, checking names, looking for the real Sid. He was one in from the end, having just come
off a shift. The curls at the back of
his neck poked out from under his helmet and he practically glowed with energy. For Leah it was like watching TV, only in 3D. Around him the game swirled, faster than the
eye could keep up. James went whizzing
by with the puck, Niskanen got hit at the blue line, the Hurricanes came back,
were turned around, got possession again.
Leah felt it when Sidney stepped onto the ice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
skated beautifully. Everyone said
so. He was fast but even more powerful,
stopping on a dime, turning like a figure skater, always with momentum and
intention. His focus was palpable, as if
he were moving not my muscle and sinew but by sheer force of will. Everything else faded around the edges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had been to a zillion hockey games, professional included, but it was a good
ten minutes before her head was in this one.
The Penguins were playing well, getting good changes. With four minutes left in the first, Neal got
lose in the slot and wristed one over the Canes goalie. Leah was close enough to see his face light
up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">During
intermission, she and Vero did a lap around the concourse level. More than a few eyes landed on the goalie’s
wife, recognizing both her and her condition.
Vero was practiced at pretending not to notice, chatting happily. Leah’s eyes lingered on every single image of
Sidney they passed, from the silent auction table to the gift shop to the
montage celebrating Penguins history.
There he was, sketchy mustache and all, lifting the Cup over his
head. She thought back to the Hockey
Hall of Fame, standing in front of a ten foot tall picture of Sid. Taylor said he hated it because he hadn’t
earned a place there yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Well he’s certainly earned it here</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought. He’d earned all of this – including a part of
the team, their success and even this shiny new arena.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sidney
wanted to put us in a suite, but I told him this was more fun. You can get a feel for it here. The suites, they are stuffy. And up there,” Vero touched Leah’s arm,
“people ask more questions.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
mean people will ask who I am?” Leah prompted.
She couldn’t resist curiosity and everything she knew about Sid’s life
here was an educated guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oui,
of course.” Vero shrugged. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
did the last girl say?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Vero
laughed unexpectedly. “Leah, there was
no last girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That
can’t be, Vero. Honestly. I’m not his girlfriend, I’m not…
anything. Please tell me the truth. I worry about him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
pretty French girl’s smile was almost sad.
“Me too, ma chere.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
felt good. He’d spotted Leah before the
first faceoff, talking with Vero and not looking at all like she wanted to
throw up or run for the hills. Considering he’d seen his own face staring back
from a screen or sign a thousand times already tonight, that was a positive
result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
was relieved when James scored, even if it had to be James. They were leading. Now Sid could concentrate on getting one of
his own, or he – and Leah – would be hearing it from Nealer all night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
didn’t happen till the third period, and Sid saw it coming from a mile
away. Orpik had the puck behind the Pens
net, both their forwards and the Canes defense were changing. Sid was in the prime spot, closer to the
opposing goal. Brooks’ head came up, Sid
felt the eye contact. He came over the
boards high, just short of the blue line and the puck hit his stick just as his
skates hit the ice. The Carolina defense
tried to catch up but not luck. Sid was
gone, streaking down the right, cutting across the slot. A little flick, lift and the puck was in the
net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
skated past the bench, glove up for a high five. Nealer leaned over with a grin and shouted,
“Asshole!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Canes stayed in the game, sneaking one past Flower at the ten minute mark and
getting within a goal. Chances came
often but the Pens couldn’t get one to drop.
Coach was trying everything looking for an insurance goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid,
you go with 18, 71!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
didn’t even need that much info – he hopped the boards and went north. Carolina failed to clear, Niskanen held it in
at the point. Sid charged right to the
crease in time to retrieve Matt’s rink-around pass. Geno was out front, Sid put it on his
tape. Ellis made a stop, rebound landing
right back on Geno’s stick. With the
goalie down in front of him, Geno looked wide to where Sid had stepped outside
the paint. Pass, wrist, goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
fucking hate you!” Neal shouted, whooping and laughing, as he grabbed Sid in a
bear hug. Geno was right behind with his
octopus arms. The crowd went crazy and
somewhere in that mess, Leah was screaming his name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the final buzzer, Leah collapsed into her seat.
Vero stayed on her feet, still clapping over the perfect bubble of her
belly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Exciting,
no?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Too
exciting!” Leah said. It had been
perfect, not really a nail-biter but close enough to require every ounce of her
attention. A goal for James and two for
Sid - she imagined that was a little game of showoff between the two guys, for
her benefit. How flattering. Now there was nothing to do but change her shirt
again and celebrate. Vero lead her back
down to the bottom of the arena, into a family lounge. Some wives and girlfriends were there, a few
kinds running about. It didn’t seem that
every player’s family came to every game – they had their own lives, she
knew. It still seemed a little sad. Leah wouldn’t ever want to miss one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Unlike
in the standss, where Leah had been on the Jumbotron one minute and anonymous
the next, every woman in the lounge recognized her. She’d been announced as from Sidney’s
hometown and walked onto the ice wearing one of his childhood jerseys. Surely that meant something that might
matter. Which is precisely why Leah hadn’t
worn the jersey during the game. As Vero
had said, certain people asked more questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
you’re Sid’s friend from home?” a blond woman with bangs and the biggest
diamond ring Leah had ever seen asked.
She introduced herself as Melissa Engelland. Vero joined the conversation, so Leah assumed
it was safe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
I’m from Cole Harbour. But we just met,
over Christmas. We didn’t know each
other back then.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He left
so young,” Vero added, as if he obviously would have met and been friends – or more
– with Leah if only he’d stayed in Nova Scotia long enough to be interested in
girls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
had no idea you’d be singing. You were
great, by the way. Some of the other girls
will be sorry they missed it,” Melissa said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sorry they missed me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah read between
the lines. Crosby brought a girl to a
game and they didn’t get to gawk. It was
a little unfair, but the Crosby microscope obviously wasn’t limited to the
public areas of Consol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Melissa
patted her arm, “Next time you visit, maybe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Maybe,”
Leah nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
door opened and the first of the players arrived – Chris Kunitz, hair dripping
water, scooped up a little blond boy in one arm and a sandy-haired girl in
another. Leah helped herself to a cookie
and tried to blend, but caught a few people glancing her way. Vero was a good lead – she had clearly
steered a few new girls around this crowd before. For the most part, Leah thought everyone was
politely curious as if she were a new but reasonably cute animal at the
zoo. She did notice that while people
came into the lounge, no one left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
was almost relieved when it was James, not Sid, who arrived first. He moved like a high school quarterback, confidently
strutting and a head taller than even most of his teammates. There was no lucky lady waiting for Neal in
the lounge, so he zeroed in on Leah and made a beeline right for her. She gave him a sarcastic look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Instead
of another big, showy hug, James stalked right up to her and stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Alone
at last.” His eyes were sparkling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled her eyes toward the room full of people all pretending not to watch. “With an audience.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
smirked like that’s exactly what he had meant.
“Welcome to Pittsburgh.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Vero
brought Tyler Kennedy over, then Niskanen joined them. As a group they seemed a lot like the guys
she knew at home, which made sense. Boys
were pretty much the same everywhere, even if these boys had a lot more
money. They talked about going out like
it was a done deal and Leah assumed that Sid was in on that plan too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey.” Sid’s voice was behind her, surprisingly
close. Leah had been busy talking and
missed his approach. That struck her as
a shame – he walked so nicely in that suit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
turned and he was right there. His hair
was freshly gelled and his tie secured like he was brand new, but Leah saw tiny
clues of the game on his face. The plump
curve of his lower lip had been scraped – she wanted to smooth the rough spot
with her thumb. Sidney’s skin glowed the
way only a good hard workout could provide.
His eyes were golden, not brown tonight, and he looked pretty damned proud
of himself. Leah felt a hundred eyes
watching her, watching him. She locked
her arms at her sides, hands in fists, to keep from jumping on him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What,
no hug?” he said, breaking into the biggest Sid smile she’d ever seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Eeeeeeeeeep!” Or something like that. Leah gave him a flying tackle and he didn’t
budge. Just caught her and held her, arms
around her waist and his face buried in her hair. For a long second they were the only people
in the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
were awesome,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
were awesome! Way more awesome than Neal!”
She shot James a look and he cackled, midway
through eating a cookie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where
did you get that Timbits jersey?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
it might be, er, missing from a display… at the Post Office?” she made a face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
felt dizzy. Not concussion dizzy, but a
sensation he specifically associated with her: Leah dizzy. He’d felt it when he first met her, and when
he first kissed her and the first time in his guest room bed when she reached
her arms around his neck and give him silent permission to make them into
something unforgettable. He’d felt it
when he came inside her and when he woke beside her and when he left her
standing outside the airport on the freezing winter day he thought would be the
last time he was ever allowed to love her.
Now she was here, in his life and she wasn’t scared. She was brave and beautiful and possibly
wanted for a felony robbery of a government facility just to get her hands on
something that had once been his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kiss her</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kiss me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she almost said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
whole room – hell, the whole world – was waiting for it. Sid took a deep breath, leaned in… and hugged
her again. His lips brushed her cheek: a
fraction of what he wanted but the best he could do. She folded into his chest, warm and small and
aching to be told she was as important as hockey or money or scoring or any of
the things she’d seen tonight. Sidney
pressed his face into her hair, that incredible smell reaching down into his body
and strangling his heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thank
you,” he whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-23331469276603907142013-05-25T19:32:00.001-07:002013-05-25T19:32:14.354-07:00sixteen<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(February 8)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hey, it’s me. Just saying hi. Feel like I
haven’t talked to you in forever and, you know, really exciting things happen
all the time here. There’s a lot to tell. So give me a
call, if you can. Oh, and Sid? Good luck
tomorrow.” Leah disconnected. It was their fourth or
fifth message traded, but she seemed to be in the shower or a meeting whenever
Sidney called back. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He always calls back, though.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid watched his phone light up, saw Leah’s name on the
screen. It was within reach of where he lay sprawled across his bed
with just a towel wrapped around his waist. He couldn’t even lift an
arm to pull the blanket over himself, forget answer the phone.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">His head hurt. His body hurt. Combined they
hurt only about half as much as his heart.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">So, so stupid</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, he told himself countless times. Risk was not Sidney’s style
off the ice. He was more than the heart of his team, he was the
poster boy for a League that really needed all the help it could
get. During the lockout he’d held everything together, seemingly for
both sides, and he had just managed to let it go when the whole thing ended
anyway. Now he was back to being the captain of his team and the
face of hockey, not to mention the pride of his city and meal ticket for more
people than he cared to count. One stupid night could ruin a whole
perfect life.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He groaned. That was his father’s voice in his head,
the drill sergeant conscience Sidney had always carried with
him. Some of it made sense, the rest was melodrama. It
was just hockey. Nothing from last night could affect his ability to
score goals and lead his team. At the end of the day, that’s what
mattered. Sid hated himself for believing in his own hype.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There was nothing to lose. Except Leah.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">How can you lose what you never had?</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> he thought
despondently. A message icon appeared. Sid pushed it away
and closed his eyes.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The same ringing noise woke him again hours later.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Sidney.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mario Lemieux’s voice scared the shit out of a very disoriented
Sid. What time was it? Why was he sleeping face down in
just a towel? Worse: Did Mario know about last night?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Sid?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yeah, hi.” He sat up and rubbed his
eyes. Fast asleep to hating himself in two seconds flat, Sid thought
of Theresa and worst case scenarios ran through his mind: tabloid, police,
pregnant. “What’s up?” </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Did you ask about someone singing the anthem?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Uh, yeah.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Okay. The in-game entertainment office didn’t have
your cell so they called me. Someone just cancelled for
tomorrow. We have a backup, but they wanted to offer it to you
because it could be April before another chance opens up.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“T… tomorrow?” Sid tried to remember what day it
was. “Oh Saturday. Against Carolina, right.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mario’s voice took on that fatherly tone. “Are you
alright?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Fine. Groggy. Let me ask – it’s a friend
from home, she’d have to fly down but it’s Saturday so maybe….”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Their deadline is five o’clock today.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When the call was done, Sidney flopped to the mattress and lay on
his back, looking at the
ceiling. Tomorrow. Saturday. Leah. The
cold, foul memory of the night before crept in around the edges of his
happiness, like vines growing over the only door that led to
escape. Sidney shook his head. He could wipe that
away. Leah could not arrive at a better time. He’d
charter a jet or rent out the space shuttle if he needed
to. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Swiping to unlock his phone, he saw there was a message from the
night before. Leah had called while he was with that other girl.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gross</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, he knew. <i>I am gross</i>. But there was
no time for a pity party. Her message was bright and happy, just the
thing he needed to erase the mistake from his mind. Leah would never
know, he would compartmentalize it with other horrible things like last year’s
Round One loss to the Flyer. Once Leah arrived, whatever happened,
happened. Even if it was nothing Sid knew it would be better that
what he’d done.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Oh, and Sid? Good luck tomorrow,”</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> her voice said
on the message.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You’ll be here to see it,” he told the empty room.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A phone buzzed. The vibration gave it
away. Leah ignored it once, but the second time she looked
displeased at the student across her desk. School had a strict
policy about cell phones being off during class hours.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“It’s not mine,” the girl said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Oh for fuck’s sake.</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Leah reached into the
drawer by her leg, into her purse, and squeezed both sides to quiet the
vibrating phone. “Sorry.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When the meeting was over, Leah retrieved the
phone. Four missed calls in an hour, all from
Sidney. There was one text.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid: Call me nowwwwwwww pls!</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah’s disgust for poor text grammar did not outweigh her
curiosity. She closed her office door before dialing. Sid
picked up on the first ring.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Say you’re not busy tomorrow.” His voice was
breathless.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m not busy tomorrow?” Leah said, unsure of how to match his
tone.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Would you, Leah Hanlon, like to sing the National Anthem as the
Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes at the Consol Energy
Center? In front of twenty thousand people?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A bus could not have hit Leah
harder. Tomorrow. Twenty thousand
people. Sidney. Tomorrow. Sidney.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Leah?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Ohmygod,” she said quietly.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid was still in his bed, where the whisper of her voice went
right through him like a knife. It was the kind of thing she said in
bed, full of surprise and almost reverence. Short of saying ‘I love
you,’ it was about the best thing she could have done at that
moment. Sidney needed this – needed her, needed absolution for his
sin – more than he imagined.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Please,” he added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yes. I, wow. Yes. Of course,
Sid.” The words tumbled out in rush. “How?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’ll find you a flight. Or a
plane. Reindeer, maybe? I think it’s their
off-season.” He joked as nervous energy filled his
veins. This was really happening.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She giggled. “Is that okay? I don’t want to
put you out….”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid cut her off. “I can’t wait to see you.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah looked skeptically around the store. She had not
done a lick of work after Sid’s call besides print out the American anthem and
read it ten thousand times. At final bell rang she sprinted for her
car, raced to the mall and nearly ran over Gina waiting in front.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m going to wear jeans and a… jersey or something to sing,” she
said, looking around the store they were in.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina pulled her head out from a rack of clothing. “His
jersey?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Uh, I don’t know. A blank jersey,
maybe? I’m sure I can borrow one down there.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You should wear his jersey. A big, authentic one that
looks like he just took it off so everyone will know.” Gina
brandished a hanger. “And this underneath it.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah rolled her eyes. She did not need a peach colored
satin push-up bra with darker peach lace overlay, the matching barely-there
thong laid on the table or the thigh high stockings that Gina had picked out.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“It’s a hockey game, not a strip club.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina smiled broadly. “Not until you get to his house.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Truth be told, Leah already felt fluttery. She
rationally told herself that Sid was her friend, even though they’d hooked up,
and visiting each other was something friends did. If it lead to
more, that was fine too. She wasn’t counting on it and that’s
certainly not why she was going all the way to Pittsburgh. Gina’s
expression said <i>are you shitting me?</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You’re not flying halfway across America on a day’s notice to see
one of <i>Hello! Canada’s</i> most beautiful people in old underwear
from Target! I am not running a second rate escort service,
Leah. That is final.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah laughed and gave Gina her credit card. They
discussed post-game activities, which Gina insisted would involved a bar or
club, and what to wear.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What if they lose? No one will want to go out,” Leah said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“A) They’re not going to lose. B) If they do, that’s
what the underwear is for. C) If they win, you need a dress to go
over the underwear. It’s like a cake. The better they do,
the more layers he gets to enjoy.” Gina dragged Leah toward another
department.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“He’s seen me out here in jeans so many times. I’ll be
fine!” Leah protested.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina marched right to a display and pulled down a metallic, light
gold colored dress. It wasn’t too tight, too short or too low cut,
but it was definitely a big night dress. She held it up between
them. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Jeans are fine for Madigan’s and boys you went to school
with. You know Sid likes you that way. But jeans are not
fine in a club full of catty bitches who want to get knocked up by your
man. And jeans in a club will not go over well on Twitter, Tumblr,
Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, 25 Stanley or the blog I am starting for this
occasion. You have to think about this stuff now, babe.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You are demented.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina yanked the dress away. “Remember New Year’s Eve,
when you wore that blue dress?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yes,” Leah kicked a spot on the ground.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Remember when Sidney almost punched your ex-boyfriend that
night? When he couldn’t resist kissing you then chased you into the
freezing cold night to beg your forgiveness?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yes.” Sigh.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina nodded. “A dress it is, then.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sidney circled the airport for the fourth time. He was
nervous, and early. He was early when he was
nervous. Parking and going inside was not an option. Sid
didn’t know what he’d do when he saw Leah but it couldn’t happen in front of
people. He needed time to adjust.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’ll hug her.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’m not going to kiss her.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">What if she kisses me?</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’m going to throw her into this backseat and park on the median
then climb back there with her and…</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">His phone rang. Sidney jumped so hard he nearly
rear-ended the airport taxi in front of him. Hitting the Bluetooth
button, he angled around the traffic.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m here!” Leah sang. In fact she’d been on the ground
in Pittsburgh for a few minutes. After wheeling her carry-on from
the plane, she went into the first bathroom, closed herself in a stall and
freaked out for a good thirty seconds. It was only the second time
she’d done that today, and the airplane bathroom had been too small for a
proper spaz attack. Then she finger-combed her hair, checked her
makeup and tried not to be sick.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Which door are you near? I’ll pull up.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid peered ahead, watching the airline names
overhead. He found United – she wasn’t at the first
sign. Or the second. Then suddenly there was Leah, in the
same bright green parks and high black winter boots she’d been wearing the
night they met at the rink. Her hair was redder than he remembered,
curlier too, as if the shiniest its of her had been worn down by
memory. She spotted him and smiled, Sid’s heart nearly stopped.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Jesus,” Leah said under her breath. Even from ten
yards away behind the windshield of a car, Sidney had the most intense gaze
she’d ever seen. His face lit up with a huge, goofy grin, all awk
shucks and white teeth. The ground swayed like an
earthquake. His black Range Rover rolled to a stop and she opened
the passenger door.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hi.” She stood there, staring.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hi.” He started back.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">…</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Oh, right, sorry.” She snapped to attention and
fumbled her suitcase, reaching for the back door. The small wheelie
laid easily on the backseat. Leah climbed into the front and closed
herself in, sneaking a deep breath before turning to look at Sid.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It was the night sky. The ocean. Something
else you could look at for a hundred years and never see it all, something you
could memorize but never accurately describe to another
person. Sidney tried to take in every detail of Leah at once to
reconfirm the picture he’d kept all this time in his head. It turned
out he was a bad artist, he hadn’t been doing her justice.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hi,” she said again.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He pulled away from the curb, into the left lane and made for the
highway ramp. Once he was on it, Sid got up to speed before he let
go of the gearshift and reached for Leah’s hand.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She wrapped her slender fingers between his thick ones, freshly
nicked and bruised as they were despite his hockey gloves. Without a
thought in her head, she lifted his hand and kissed the back of
it. His skin was as warm as she remembered. Sid pulled
their hands to his lips and brushed them across her knuckles, sending a shiver
down her spine.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They barely said a word the whole way home.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
as surprised when the red brick front of his house came into view. He couldn’t have said how he got them
home. All he remembered was holding her
hand and having no idea what else to do.
Auto pilot had brought them home before he could figure it out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Wow,
look at this place,” Leah said, leaning to see out the window as they pulled
into the drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s yours</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he wanted to
say. <i>It’s
new, I had it built and it’s yours if you’ll have it. Along with everything inside, including me.</i> He bit his lip instead. Now that Leah was here, Sid could not imagine
ever letting her leave. They weren’t
even to the front door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew Sid was rich. She even had an idea
of the amount of money he might have but seeing the house was something
else. It wasn’t opulent, wasn’t a
palace. A mansion, maybe, but she’d seen
bigger and shinier. What struck her was
that this house was his, bought and paid for at the age of twenty-five. He could have ten houses and twenty cars in
theory, but the reality of this one brought her own life into sharp
contrast. It made her feel like a child
despite her own accomplishments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
disappeared the minute Sid opened her door.
She’d been daydreaming while he got out and went around the car. Suddenly he was standing there, one arm out
to the door handle like he was half-ready for a hug. But he got a whole one. Leah jumped out of the SUV and into his arms
without her feet ever touching the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
caught her, wrapped around her and held both Leah and his breath for a long
moment. When he did risk it, the scent
he remembered from all their time together came rushing in like a tidal
wave. Vanilla and ruby red. He felt it down to his toes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
missed you,” she said into the front of his coat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I need you</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
missed you too,” he said, thinking, <i>I
love you. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was afraid to pull back. She would be
inches from his mouth, defenseless and senseless. The size and weight and warmth of him was
enough to sink her, so she clung to him like a raft. Eventually Sid realized she wasn’t letting
go. Not that he minded, but it did make
him chuckle softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you want to come inside?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes,”
came the voice from near his neck. Her
face was tucked in there, hidden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you want to come inside today?” he tried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Probably.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
are you waiting for?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nothing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
laughed and started to let go. “So, if
I….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
cinched her arms tight, trying to pull him back in. It worked – sort off. Sid leaned left, dipping her toward the
ground. She held on but her head tipped
back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
hadn’t planned to kiss her. But then
nothing with Leah had ever gone according to plan. Their lips touched and stuck, closed but
still very much a kiss that could mean anything at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s
a good thing Sid was holding her up, it meant he couldn’t let go. Otherwise he’d have dropped them both to the
floor. Leah felt lightheaded,
upside-down, spinning. She wrapped a
hand around the back of Sid’s neck and pulled herself up with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
inside,” he said. Leah could barely hear
over the sight of his gorgeous mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay.” She smiled shakily, her hand still clutching
the nape of his neck. Sid wanted her to
never be any farther away than she was right then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
reached for her suitcase, unlocked the door and held it open for her. Light and heat beckoned like sparkles from
inside. Leah crossed the threshold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Absolutely
nothing was settled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
took Leah’s bag from her hand and placed it against the wall in the entryway,
then nearly snapped the handle of when he saw her peeling off her coat. That puffy, soft green jacket gave way to her
true shape, one he remembered as well as if he’d designed her himself. A simple white sweater had never looked
better. It ended just above the design
stitched into the back pockets of her jeans.
Her hair seemed longer, well past her shoulder blades. Sid clenched the suitcase handle to keep from
reaching out and touching her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
kiss had been unavoidable, but now that it was done that might be it. Sid wasn’t sure he had anything more to look
forward to than twenty four hours of proximity torture and the inevitable loss
of this dream. But first, a tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
living room is this way,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">From
room to room – big living room with a bigger TV, kitchen with a gleaming marble
counter, den full of Penguins memorabilia – Leah saw hints of Sidney scattered
around. A messy stack of papers sat on
the desk. An appointment card stuck to
the fridge, a pair of sunglasses next to the phone, an issue of GQ on the
coffee table. It wasn’t much, but after weeks of seeing hints of Sidney in
every place she went, Leah was accustomed to finding them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
rest of the place was straight out of a catalog. It was a beautiful space, more home-y than its
size suggested, but it was not lived in.
Sidney could not occupy all this space himself and he clearly had no
help. It made Leah a little sad – the matching
throw pillows, the area rug that perfectly matched the accent wall. She might have chosen the same things,
because they looked great, but in this house Leah thought they felt empty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
life felt empty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
don’t like it.” Sid had been watching
her face carefully as she surveyed his house like she was looking for
something. Should he have had a photo of
her? Of them? He didn’t have any photos at all, except
hockey. It was spotless too - he wasn’t
in most of the rooms enough to make a mess, but the housekeeper came once a
week anyway. So why was she frowning?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No.”
A flash of fear crossed her face, Leah did not want him to misunderstand. “It’s beautiful, Sid. It’s just… so big. For you.
Alone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I won’t be alone forever,” he said defensively, then added, “I hope.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
was at his side, hand on his arm.
Through the sleeve she could have burned his skin. “I didn’t mean that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He still
bristled a little. “It’s okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,”
she repeated. Being close to him made it
hard for Leah to speak – she was looking at his mouth, not thinking about her
own. Right now, his was tight. “I’m sorry.
I….” She took a deep breath to sync up her brain with her words. “I worry about you, Sid. Down here in this big place by yourself, I
know you want to hide away. Or you used
to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
dark brown doe eyes were glued to hers.
Sid listened with his entire body, intensely, searching for a word in
what she said that was the key he needed.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
tried a little smile. “Maybe not
anymore.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No, not anymore</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought as she
stood in the place he wanted her to stay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
squeezed Sid’s arm, breaking the tension.
She’d have to be more careful with her words and more comfortable in Sid’s
space. To start, she walked over to the
couch, picked up two patterned accent pillows from their carefully angled spots
and dropped them both onto the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid stopped
at the top of the stairs. There were
four bedrooms, three baths and a hallway.
The last and largest was his. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Which
one’s mine?” Leah asked as if reading his mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Any
one you want,” Sid said. <i>Including mine.</i> But he had things to do, rituals to observe
that could not be messed with even because Leah was there. Especially not because he intended to play
the best game of his life in front of her tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I do
need to take a nap soon,” he looked at the closed doors. Some host, bringing a friend down for a day
and spending part of the perfectly good day sleeping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had expected nothing less. “Oh I know
all about your superstitions. Show me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
opened the door to each guest room as they passed. The one closest to his was the second-largest
with an en suite bath. He put her suitcase
outside that doorway, between that room and his own. Leah smiled at the gesture but said nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This is more like it.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> His bedroom had light gray walls with white
moulding. A dark headboard anchored a
king size bed that made her mouth dry.
The white and charcoal striped duvet was slightly rumpled, the pillows
heaped atop it. Leah saw a million signs
of life. Half a glass of water rested on
the bedside table, next to a phone charger and a Chapstick she would have sworn
was cherry flavored. He’d cleaned this
room himself – a stock stuck out of the closed top drawer, the watches on a
velvet-lined tray where in a pile. It
even smelled like him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
glanced sideways, afraid his face would give away every crazy thing he was
thinking. Mad ideas like maybe he could
go without his pre-game nap, maybe he could break the no sex on game day rule,
maybe he could call in sick to the game and just keep her here until she missed
her flight tomorrow. The corner of her
lip curled enticingly, like she was thinking something good too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
looks like home,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
saw his room, but more importantly Leah in his room. “Yeah, it does.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-11770997127953194662013-05-23T05:53:00.001-07:002013-05-23T05:53:34.969-07:00fifteen<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
26)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
woke to the sound of her phone ringing.
Only two people would ever call her before ten on a Saturday morning, so
she answered without looking at the screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Morning
Crosby,” she said groggily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Aw
crap. Are you still in bed?” He’d slept in, then seen her racy text and
felt the urge to, well, do a lot of things.
So he got up and dressed, into the car and on the way to practice. That should have kept him from getting…
distracted at the sound of her voice. Or
so he hoped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Awake
now in her own room, Leah smiled. “That
depends. Are you outside stretching on my lawn again?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
remembered the day he’d turned up like a stalker and convinced her to go
running. He wished today were that day,
or any other day at home. The sassy tone
of her voice said it would be well worth the trip back in time. “What if I were?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Then
yes I am in bed, and there’s a key under the flower pot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Tease,”
Sid groaned. Just like that he’d have
trouble putting his cup on at practice.
She laughed, making him even more feverish. He pictured her wrapped in a sheet, auburn
curls tossed against a white pillowcase, wearing nothing but that grin that
went right over his castle walls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry
about the game last night,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay,” Sid was surprised to find he meant it.
“Like you said, we’ll get there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“My
my, you are all sunshine and light this morning. What have you done with gloomy hockey
Sidney?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Meh. That guy was lame. What are you going to do all day without me
there to keep you in bed?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There it is</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought as
she drew him into flirting. His brain
wasn’t entirely committed to practice yet.
“Hmmmm, I might stay in bed all day with just that idea. I mean, there are a lot of Sidney Crosby
workout videos on the internet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
voice dropped a note. “Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mwahahahaha.” Leah joked, but the power of twisting Sidney
so easily was intoxicating. No blind
date Facebook girl had taken her place, not yet. It meant she was, in fact, hard to
forget. “If you insist on ruining my
plans, I supposed I will get up and go to the gym. Maybe wear something tight, get all sweaty and
breathing hard. I hear that really turns
some people on.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
pulled into the player’s parking lot. “You’re
evil.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
you wouldn’t want me to be boring.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What
he didn’t want was to be hard walking into practice, but Sid was pretty far
past that. He glanced around – most of
the cars were there, maybe he could get away with… no. At home at night was one thing, Sid was not
about to have phone sex with Leah while in his car. He couldn’t just expect her to get him off
every time they spoke, even if she started it.
He might be crazy but that was depravity. And he would be late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
have to go,” he said with a frown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
clicked her tongue. “Oh well, maybe next
time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
put his head down on the steering wheel.
Just when he was feeling a little normal – the date with Brooke, the
picture on Facebook, even sleeping in – it all came apart talking to Leah. She was too good to give up. Every option he tried failed. Every word she said was like a hand on his
skin - a soft, firm hand that knew what he liked and wanted to please. His cock twitched in sympathy. The only hand around here was his: a poor
substitution and not even enough time for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
realized he hadn’t asked what she sang at Madigan’s the night before. He realized he hadn’t thought about her
singing in a week – maybe since coming back to Pittsburgh. An idea fell from the sky and landed in his
lap, landing on top of his other thought about Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
brought the keyboard up into bed with her, making music in in an effort to
distract herself after the conversation with Sid. He always sounded so close, like his voice
was inside her head. Playing the notes
of her song over and over did nothing to drown him out. The temptation became too much; Leah switched to
her laptop and found a video of Sidney doing… did it matter what? First he was running: resistance band around
his waist while a muscle-bound guy tried to hold him back. Then he was climbing a rope, doing pushups,
hitting something with a sledgehammer that might as well have been her heart for
the way she felt it right through the screen.
There was even a video of him making a sandwich that managed to look
like porn. Surrender didn’t take long after that. Maybe she was wrong to use Sid that way but
he never seemed to say no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Afterward
Leah lay still, waiting for her heart rate slow. Waiting to forget. That’s what Saturday mornings were for: orgasms
and guilt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
had expected the desire to fade. Sidney
would always be Sidney – he’d always look like that, skate like that, be
inescapable in the media. Leah thought
his absence would make it easier but that wasn’t happening. Since his Facebook photo debut, Leah had been
fighting the sinking feeling that Sid was moving on and she was not. Perhaps that was her biggest mistake –
thinking there was something in Cole Harbour to move on to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Still,
he called her to flirt. He called her at
all. She just hoped it meant as much to
her as it did to him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
same tune had been bouncing around in her mind for days. She played it again, her hand flowing more
naturally along the rhythm. Leah began
testing out verse and bridge melodies, though she knew they would only come
when the words did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">_____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
is no wonder that you need blind dates.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Pardon?”
Sid hadn’t been expecting his call to get picked up so quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
spoke very slowly. “You’re. Not. Very.
Good. With. Girls. Are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
did I do now?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
taken you five days to call me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
leaned heavily against the counter in his kitchen. “After the first date where you told me there
would not be a second date?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
laughed. “Yes, that one. But I thought we were gonna be friends! I got a hundred thousand comments on that
photo of us and I had to talk my mom off a ledge when someone printed it and
brought it to her house.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
God,” Sid groaned. “I’m sorry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ha!
I’m not. I think it’s on her fridge
now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was glad to hear Brooke laugh. He’d felt
very comfortable on their date, if he could call it that after she’d turned him
down. Part of Sidney’s plan for a normal
life in Pittsburgh included having more friends and there was no rule saying
those couldn’t be girls. After all, he and Leah had started out that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you busy today? I was thinking about
going to a movie or something,” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Another
date?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
I mean, not as a… you have a boyfriend.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
have a crush, Sid. It’s not the same.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“But,
I…,” Sid stuttered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Let’s
have dinner first. I’ll explain it to
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
was pretty. Really pretty, in fact. Sometimes Sid’s attention drifted while she
was speaking, taking in her soft-looking hair and the green of her eyes. It wasn’t often he let himself really look at
a girl up close, in case she thought he was hitting on her. In this case, Sid had already tried and
failed so there was nothing to lose. The
twinge of guilt he’d felt on his blind dates was gone and he was comfortable in
her company. Funny how that only
happened with girls he knew he couldn’t have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
tilted her head and smiled, breaking his daydream. “You’re hopeless. I am giving you pearls of wisdom and you’re
staring at my boobs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
wasn’t!” Sid flushed purple. He’d been looking
at her curvy lips… to keep from looking at the v-neck in her sweater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
at least you’re doing something right.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
Sid was thoroughly confused. “I am?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Girls
don’t like it when you give up so easily, Sid.
Be a little persistent. Make them
feel like you’re really trying.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you saying, with you?” Sid was pretty
sure that when Brooke said no, she meant no.
But if she meant maybe... except that he just admitted he wasn’t doing
that right thing at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No. You should stop trying with me. Even if my boobs are great. I mean in general. If a girl says ‘no thanks,’ sometimes she
means ‘try harder.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh.” This was news. Effort was not a requirement for someone with
his skill set – fame, money and a face that girls seemed to like. Attention came too easily if anything. “Okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
rolled her eyes. “Not that you ever have
to try.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sometimes,”
Sid admitted, “I really do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
31)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ring. Voicemail.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
hung up without leaving another message.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">During
the season, time moved quickly. The
post-lockout schedule was more hectic than ever and Sidney felt as if the
Penguins had a game every other night.
He and Leah had been playing phone tag for a few days so he hadn’t told
her about his idea and plan. He hadn’t
had a chance to, as Brooke said, try harder.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
plan was shaky, at best, which seemed to fit their situation. Sid had not yet figured out the ebb and flow
of his relationship with Leah. He wanted
to talk to her every day but not act like he was waiting for it. He wanted desperately to see her without
seeming desperate. Even a phone call
held promise and danger for them, sliding toward the physical though they were a
thousand of miles apart. That part was
getting worse – he didn’t want to use her, but he wasn’t getting any from
anywhere else and he wanted release so badly he could taste it. Like a flame, Sidney kept reaching toward their
spark just to be sure it was still hot.
This idea would stick his whole hand in the fire – even if he was afraid
of burning the whole place down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
texted Leah: <i>Don’t go to sleep yet.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Pens finally landed in Pittsburgh after a one game trip to New York City and a
shutout of the Rangers. He zipped home,
changed and got into bed. Just in
case. It was almost midnight when he
finally called.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Six
shots, not bad,” Leah said on the first ring. It was past her bedtime but she
reminded herself that it wasn’t every day Sidney Crosby called. Or any boy, for that matter. It also highlighted just how much she missed
him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Didn’t
score though,” Sid replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
that why you wanted me to wait up?” She half-hoped
he’d been thinking of her that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
laughed to stamp out the roar in his chest.
Yes, he wanted that too. “I actually
have a surprise for you. “I asked about
having you sing the national anthem at a game.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh. Wow.”
She’d almost forgotten about that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“They
book pretty far out, especially in the short season, but I know people,” he
joked stiffly. He was nervous. “It might be a few weeks before I know the
date. Then, uh, you could visit. Me.
Visit here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
her room in Cole Harbour, all at once, Leah’s heart swooped right out of her
chest. She’d been avoiding the topic
since he left. It had only been three
weeks but felt like a lifetime. They
could barely talk on the phone without getting all flustered. The idea of a visit thrilled and scared her. Would they be like they had at home? Should she expect that? After all, she was the one who said friends
first, the one who told him not to wait.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Then
she spent the whole time hoping he was waiting anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Maybe the date did it.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Maybe Sid went out with one girl and realized
that he wanted no one but her, Leah thought hysterically. But that had been ten days ago. What was taking him so long? What took him that long to invite her in the
first place? None of these answers would
solve their biggest problem - the space time continuum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was quietly freaking out. “Okay,” she
said quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
want to, right?” He was talking about the singing but really asking about the
visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
of course.” Leah was talking about the
visit too. “Thanks, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
said I’d do it, didn’t I?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Actually
he hadn’t. Sidney had never suggested
Leah visit him in Pittsburgh, a fact they were both painfully, silently aware
of at this moment. He had left or she
had sent him away, but not once had he asked her to come with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Really
it was James’ idea,” she tried to smooth it over with a joke. “But I’m glad you asked. He’s, like, not that important anyway. It’d be next year before I got a spot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
genuine excitement in Leah’s voice made Sid feel incredible. He hoped some of that was for him, not just
the chance to sing on such a big stage. “You’re
going to perfect,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Instead
Leah felt shaky already. “Hope I
remember all the words.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
fragile silence fell between them as they were each afraid to say the same
things. What would happen? Would that be friends or more? What were they now? Sidney wished he could claim to have the
situation under control, but he didn’t.
Even if they couldn’t be together, even if Leah’s visit would lead to
another month of missing her like a hole in his heart, Sidney wanted it now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wasn’t so sure. She saw Sidney every
day, on TV or in pictures. It kept every
feeling alive in a kind of suspended reality, like her heart was holding its
breath. Visiting him would either kick
start it or stop it for good. Her body
ached for him, right up to her eyes that ached to see his smile. The first moment would be the best hug she’d
ever had, no matter what happened after that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
should sleep,” Sidney told her in a quiet voice. “Thanks for waiting up for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Word
spilled out from the cracks in Leah’s composure. “I miss you,” she said in a
near-whisper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
miss you too,” Sidney said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the same time, in their own homes, Leah and Sid both thought: <i>I miss you more.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
7)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
week went by and no word came from the front office about an open date for Leah
to sing the anthem. The fizz of Sidney’s
initial excitement was turning to frustration, souring his stomach by day and
waking him in tangled, sweaty sheets at night.
He had barely spoken to Leah since sharing the idea because he wanted to
give her good news, earn a big smile and maybe a little something extra. Leah was waiting for the word. Waiting for him, maybe. Or maybe not.
But waiting on the Pittsburgh end was killing Sidney and he needed a
distraction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid. You come,” Malkin said in his lumbering
voice. He’d had a goal and two assists
in that night’s win against Washington, same as Sid. Virtually the whole damned team had a point
in the 5 goal second period and the Penguins rolled to a 5-2 win. It was also their fifth win in a row – just
enough to stir Sid’s superstitious streak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
I’m coming.” Sid rubbed a towel through
his wet hair and reached for his dress shirt.
All around him guys were reassembling their game day outfits. It promised a big night when the boys went
straight out in their suits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They chose
Diesel. Sid hated the place – it was
always packed, always made a big deal over them. That’s why his teammates loved it. Walking up was practically red carpet
treatment while half-drunk co-eds in line outside threw panties and phone
numbers at them. Okay, not quite. It just felt that way. Sid joined the press of bodies making their
way toward the VIP lounge. <i>This place is nothing like Madigan’s</i>, he
thought, surprised at how comfortable that seemed compared to this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But Madigan’s
was a world away. This was Pittsburgh. These were his friends. Normal people did this all the time and Sid
wanted to be normal, even if it meant being here. Tonight he might even have fun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just enough</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he’d told himself
that night he spent dancing with Leah.
And it had been enough, for a little while, until Sid had needed and
taken and gotten more. Now that was all gone
and he had nothing. At a table, Neal was
pouring a glass already – Sid took it and tossed it down his throat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Alright,
alright!” James refilled the drink and moved on to his own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
club was full, loud, warm. Sid stuffed
his tie in a jacket pocket and hung the coat from a chair. He wondered what Thursday night meant for
people with regular jobs, if it was a jump on the weekend or they just couldn’t
go one more day without letting off steam.
He thought of Leah, Gina and Travis doing this every weekend in Cole
Harbour. People were everywhere,
drinking and dancing, though it was just eleven o’clock. Tomorrow night Leah would be doing the same,
probably with some other guy. Some fucking
chump who didn’t realize how lucky he was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
moved toward the back of the VIP area, next to Duper and Kunitz standing at a
high table, and half-listened, half-watched the scene around him. Geno and TK were doing shots, sleeves rolled
up, egged on by a waitress who’d make enough to buy a car tonight. He saw Niskanen and Kelly, who waved to
him. Sid waved back. Maybe he should call Brooke. Then he spotted Neal and Paul Martin,
partners in crime, pointing out to the bouncer which girls he should let into
VIP and decided that Brooke should stay a safe distance away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everything
was in slow motion. It was taking too
long for Sid to start enjoying this or at least get drunk, so he ordered
another round. Sutter did too, followed
by Dupuis. Sid unbuttoned his collar and
pushed up his sleeves. People arrived
and disappeared; he didn’t count them. Nor
did he count the drinks that he finished; just the endless minutes of every day
that stood between him and Leah’s visit.
And what would happen then? She would
run into his arms and into his bed? His
blood pulsed at the idea - she might, Sid felt confident they still had that
connection. He also knew when they were
done, Leah would leave. And they –
whatever they had been - would be over for good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
long, bare arm appeared in front of him, bearing a shot glass in hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi.” She was short even in her nude colored,
patent leather fuck-me heels. Sidney’s
gaze moved up her body, more slowly than he meant to but he was drunk and there
was a lot of leg to take in. When he finally
got to the hem of her dress, somewhere just south of her ass, it was bright and
tight. The coral color worked up her
body up to a lace halter with a very deep v-neck, which he was looking right
down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She replaced
his empty drink with the shot glass and clinked her own against it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Cheers.” Her head tipped back, elongating her neck and
spilling dark blond hair over her shoulders.
The round, perfect rise of her breasts strained the top of her
dress. Sidney drained his own shot just
to tear his eyes away. If he hadn’t just
been thinking about sex….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
liquid exploded in his chest like a grenade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
didn’t said a word. He suddenly didn’t
trust his tongue to move as directed anyway.
This girl – this full dose of hair and body and dress squeezed into a
tiny bottle – didn’t seem to care. She
had dark eyes, full makeup and even fuller lips. His blood pulsed again, turning traitor. Neal must’ve let her into VIP. Sidney briefly wondered if she catwalked
right past James to get over here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
Theresa.” She picked up his cocktail and
took a small sip to chase the shot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
dumbly did the same. It helped – he
cleared his throat. “Sidney.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Right,”
she said. “Let’s dance.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid tried
to protest but by then he was on the dancefloor. Things were happening at different speeds
inside and outside his body. People were
everywhere – he didn’t notice them noticing him, but he didn’t notice Theresa
either until her ass was against his thighs.
Apparently he was dancing. Had
been for some time. She spun around,
hair flying, and moved right up against his chest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
Sidney rememered. Only the girl had
changed. He didn’t fit quite right with
this new one but the idea was the same – he moved against her, his strength
easily steering them both. He could dance and then stop, he’d done it
before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just enough</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought again,
reaching for Theresa. Just enough to
scratch the itch, to remember what he was missing. Just enough to prove he didn’t need Leah, not
really. The music sloshed around inside
his head. First the Theresa’s waist was
in his hands, so small it was barely worth holding, then her hips instead. Those offered more purchase. Lights spun overhead. She hitched the hem of her dress up an inch
and got that much closer. Sidney’s hand
on her ass certainly helped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hmmm,”
she laughed, mouth to his ear, then on his throat. Right at the pulse point where liquor flowed
to his brain, fogging his decisions. Her
lips, tongue and even teeth worked the spot until Sid had to pull away. That was more than enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
looked up through dark lashes, her smirk like a Dare. Sid hated that game, he always picked
Truth. But tonight the truth was long
gone – almost two thousand kilometres away, to be exact. And it wasn’t thinking about him or waiting
for him. It wasn’t trying to think of
any excuse to get here and see him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
leaned down and kissed the look right off this girl’s face. Her lips parted and a silky tongue slid
across his, twisting like the best part of a roller coaster ride. That tight little dress lost another inch as
he pushed his thigh between her legs.
Sid’s body roared like an animal escaping the zoo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Woah,
woah, okay Captain, I think you need a break!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
opened his eyes, right into the face of a very surprised Matt Cooke. Flinching, Sid blinked it away. He looked down – there she was. The dress with the hair and the lips. What was her name again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
on, Kid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
turned to follow Matt and found a hand in his.
The girl. Good, he wanted her to
come too. Before they could reach the
bar, Matt was leading the girl and Sid was being pulled in the other direction.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Drunk
much?” Pascal asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,”
Sidney glared, a little cross-eyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
take it easy in full view of everyone, okay?
At least take her home before you fuck her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">From
the opposite side, someone laughed. Sid
had to turn ninety degrees to bring the person into focus – it was James, of
course. “What?” he barked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
glanced over his shoulder at the girl.
“You. You do nothing when you
should do something, and something when you should really stop.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
hated being treated like a child just because he didn’t make every bad decision
that came his way. Sidney wanted respect
for being perfect, not derision. But the
guys thought it made him boring. He’d
show them boring. This girl was hot and
Neal was just jealous he wouldn’t be taking her home tonight – just like had
with Leah. He got right in James’ face
but Neal stayed casual, as if Sid were no threat at all. That really made Crosby mad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
know what I’m doing,” Sid hissed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Then
you know it’s wrong.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid glared
at his teammate. What was it Neal had
said in Toronto, about taking advtange of opportunity with Leah? <i>All the more reason to make tonight count.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Well
Sid hadn’t done it that night, but he could do it now. “Don’t be such a buzzkill, Neal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
just shook his shaggy head. “Don’t be
me, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(February
8)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pain. Light.
Darkness again. Thirst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
tried to lift his head but it was far too heavy, like someone had replaced his
brain with a sack of coins. He cracked
one eyelid and got a razorful of sunshine for it. That didn’t last long. He lay there, throat parched until he
gathered his wits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And
sat straight up in bed. Not his bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
one else in the bed either. The room was
light blue, the offending window revealing clothes strewn around the
floor. His pants were pooled directly on
top of his shoes like a fireman’s uniform ready for use. The jacket hung off a nearby chair – he
wondered who’d cared enough to do that.
Just inside the door, balled to the size of a t-shirt, was that lacy
coral dress. Sid moved his foot, feeling
texture, and came up with a tiny black thong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Which
he was holding when she walked into the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Morning,”
she said. He remembered the dark blond
hair, the lips. Without her stilettos
she really was short, maybe 5’ 1”.
Pretty, but still trying hard.
She wore a thin white tank top over a hot pink bra with her cleavage
impressively displayed and low slung sweatpants rolled even farther, exposing a
strip of her tiny waist. The effect was
Victoria’s Secret catalog and the makeup she wore was freshly applied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
morning.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
produced a glass of water and two Advil.
Sid tried not to touch her hand, but when he leaned back to drink, the
girl climbed onto the bed and started rubbing his shoulders. It felt devastatingly good; Sid nearly
choked. Before the glass was empty, she
was kneeling behind him, legs spread to get close to his back. She put his glass aside, angled his head forward
and pushed her fingers into his neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
moaned quietly. He was in no position to
defend himself. Instead he sat there,
accepting her massage as friction heated the skin where she touched. Blood began thumping in his ears as if it
suddenly remembered its job was to bring thoughts to his brain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
thanks,” he said, moving toward the edge of the mattress. She made to follow and Sid quickly hopped to
his feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Naked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
God.” He grabbed a pillow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
arched one perfect eyebrow, looking him over appreciatively. “You’re shy all of a sudden.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
just stared at his feet and blushed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Probably
shouldn’t have had sex in the taxi on the way here then.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
gasped, locking eyes with her. She
smiled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Kidding. You tried though, and you’re really strong. You don’t remember anything?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
shook his head. He couldn’t lie. The expression on her face darkened – this
was not what she expected. She’d gotten
up and gotten ready again, like waking up in her room would be a proper first
date after a very improper all nighter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
should be offended,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
PR machine in Sidney’s head whirred to life.
He hadn’t gotten to be the unscandalized face of the NHL without plenty
of media training and he wasn’t about to let some girl whose name he didn’t
know mess that up. Any of his teammates
would have just climbed out the window but damage control mode kicked in – time
for Saint Sidney to make an appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
sorry. I didn’t realize how drunk I
was. I hope I didn’t embarrass
you.” As if he could have done anything
more humiliating than stand here like the star in a raunchy teen comedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
face stayed stormy. “No.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
remember you being beautiful. And your
dress,” he tried. That got a quarter of
a smile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
was why Sidney could never be like some of his teammates. Forget the risk of ruining his reputation,
Sid genuinely felt bad. If they’d both
been sober it could have been casual but for all he knew, this girl was a huge
Penguins fan. Judging by the state he’d
woken up in, there could be compromising photos or hell, even a sex tape. Even if she was just some slutty chick
looking to get laid by an NHL player, she should at least get the respect of
having that guy remember her name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
only way out was to keep her happy until he could let her down easy. And easy usually wore clothes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Could
I see you again? When I’m, uh… when I
can be more fun?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
worked like a charm. She beamed, still
kneeling suggestively on the bed in her tight, low-cut clothing. Sid wondered if that was the most respectful
thing a guy had ever said to her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
you were fun,” she cooed, leaning forward for an even fuller display of her
wares. “Lots of fun.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
bile rising in Sid’s throat was not all alcohol. He forced it back with a tight grin. “I’m paying the price for it now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Instantly
she was up. “Do you want breakfast? I could make eggs or some toast if you’re….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay, but thank you,” Sid shuffled toward the pile of his pants. “I’ll just rest up at home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
looked vaguely unconvinced and there was no hint she’d be giving him any
privacy. Like it mattered anyway; no way
last night left anything to the imagination.
He found his shorts and ditched the pillow, feeling her eyes on his cock
at the same moment he realized it sore.
The bile rose again. He pulled
the rest of his clothes on haphazardly and only looked at her when he was
finished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
you give me your number?” he asked. She
nodded. “Good. How about Saturday? I’ll be out with some of my friends from last
night, you could meet us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
face stayed blank. She’d been expecting
more, like a real date. Or tickets to
the game first. Sid pushed the
issue. “I’m sure the guys would love to
see you again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m sure one of them will want to take you
off my hands</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">,
he said to himself. The guys didn’t
care. They’d share a girl in real time,
it didn’t matter if she’d been with someone else already. Especially not Crosby. It was only two days away and with any luck
he could steer her into the arms of a teammate who would keep her so busy she’d
forget about last night the way he had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“After
that, we’re on a road trip for a while, so….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bingo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Cool. Saturday’s good. Just, uh, call me when you know where you’re
going.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
moved toward the door. She met him
there, awkwardly passing between his body and the wall like she hoped he would
push her up against it. Sid did his best
to look ill. He didn’t see anything but
the front door in tunnel vision as she lead him through the house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Let’s
say Diesel again. Same time. Bring some
friends, then you can have fun even if the game runs late. See you Saturday,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
lifted onto her toes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“See
you Saturday, <i>Theresa</i>,” she
corrected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
walked around the music store a few times.
There were fewer stores like it every year, but the ones that lasted
seemed full to the brim. The guitar
section was enormous, complete with soundproof room for testing out solos
without deafening everyone else. Drums
had the same. Amplifiers and microphones
and sheet music –everything. She stopped
at a baby grand, spreading her fingers over the perfect width of the flawless
ivory keys. Instinctively she tapped out
the melody of her song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
pretty,” a salesman said as he approached.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thanks. I’ve never heard it on a real piano, just a
keyboard.” Leah played it again,
surprised by the way the notes resonated largely, each with its own weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
you write it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
shrugged. “Yeah. It’s just a single run.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
man walked over near the register and came back with a piece of paper. “Well you never know, it could win you some
money.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
flyer was for a musical competition sponsored by the chain stores. It called for any songwriter on any
instrument to perform an original piece.
The local Halifax date was in two weeks.
Three winners from that would compete in Toronto at the beginning of
March.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh,
I don’t really play,” Leah said, trying to hand it back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Keep
it,” he said. “Maybe you’ll start.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-26922418132793783402013-05-19T07:25:00.001-07:002013-05-19T07:25:34.622-07:00fourteen<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
23)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
flexed her hand, stretching the stiff tendons. It had been a long time since
she played the piano. Her keyboard was
high-end a few years ago but hadn’t seen much use; now it played in perfect
tune from the press of the first key.
Leah had been at it for over an hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The song
had come into her head sometime the day before, between seeing the photo of
Sidney on a date and leaving school. By
dinner it was embedded in her brain.
Now, as she waited to head over to her sister’s for Sidney’s game, she
was testing and scribbling it out in real measures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ba bum ba bum badummm…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dumb:
that’s how Leah felt. It could have been
every note in the song. She had told
Sidney not to wait for her, to find a girl and forget about them. Now it appeared he was following orders and
Leah wished she could bite off her own traitorous tongue. Instead she just played the melody again,
clearly a chorus, and waited for words to attach themselves to sound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“LEAH!”
Jack dive-bombed her in the entryway, wearing Sidney’s enormous sweatshirt and
a Penguins cap. He led her to the place
of honor on the couch and tucked himself in next to her, practically bouncing
with excitement. It was almost
infectious enough to cover up the image burned into Leah’s mind of Sid and that
girl. The TV coverage cut to recorded
shots of the pre-game skate and just like that, Leah’s stomach turned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
camera loved Sid. Despite the harsh glare reflected by the ice, his skin was
flawless; Leah remembered what it felt like against her face. Silky dark hair grown just a little long
stuck out under the back of his helmet; she knew what it felt like between her
fingers. He shouted something to a
teammate and the movement of his mouth nearly sent Leah sliding to the
floor. Even under all the bright lights,
he was still the guy she knew so well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
watched like she was on the wrong side of a telescope. Everything seemed extra far away instead of
magnified: twenty two players on his team, twenty thousand people in the
building, millions more watching on TV no closer than she was now. It was the furthest she’d ever felt from
Sidney though the camera never seemed to leave him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just
before the first period ended, Malkin scored. Sid leapt into a hug with a mile-wide smile on
his face and Leah knew that was where Sidney Crosby really belonged. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Toronto
notched two early in the second then Sidney swooped in like a superhero
again. He got loose on a breakaway,
skated down and put it behind the Leafs’ goalie. This time he wasn’t smiling when his
teammates surrounded him, just that serious game face. There was work to be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
face didn’t change as Toronto scored again in the second, or twice in the
third. Leah felt hollow and powerless as
the Penguins lost 5-2. She roused a
sleeping Jack, put him to bed and found her sister in the kitchen. From the look on Kate’s face, she knew some
of what Leah was feeling. To her credit,
Kate just hugged her goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wondered if Sid might call and had no idea what she might say. <i>Sorry
you lost but your date looked fun?</i>
With a frustrated sigh she left her phone out just in case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
fingers twitched. His phone was in the
pocket of his suit pants, then on the console in his car before it was on the
kitchen counter and bedside table. He
touched it ten times, each one like holding a live wire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
hated losing, especially big games like home openers in front of fans who’d
paid a heavy price during the lockout.
Knowing Leah was watching added another element of disappointment, one
that could surely be soothed by talking to her now. He made a fist instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
would not use her like that. He wouldn’t
call after losses seeking comfort though he knew Leah would gladly give
it. It was too bratty and he hated admitting
that hockey rattled him so badly. It was
just one game, after they’d already won two.
If Sid wanted to be normal he needed to compartmentalize these things
and get over them quickly on his own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
if she called…. He left his phone out
just in case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ten
minutes a text chimed as he was brushing his teeth. He sprinted from the ensuite bathroom and
nearly vaulted the bed, feeling like a fool as he dropped toothpaste on the
blanket from where the toothbrush was still in his mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke: You’ll get ‘em next time.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
sat down in a heap, suddenly to tired too hold himself up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah was waving at him from behind the
glass. Sidney was skating in full gear,
a puck on his stick but the ice otherwise empty. There was no one else in the stands, no goals
to shoot at. He and Leah had the entire
arena to themselves. He stopped in front
of her.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come play,” he called. She couldn’t hear him.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He moved closer. “I’ll teach you.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah shook her head, still unable to make
out the words. Sid went right up the the
glass and yelled, “Come inside.” The
words didn’t reach. Leah put her lips to
the glass just opposite his with a quick, intangible kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
woke up sweating. The angry red of the
bedside clock said 4:32 AM. Sure that
something had disturbed him, Sid reached for his phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No
messages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">_____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
24)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
wasn’t at his locker two minutes before Matt showed up, nor did he see the
perky defenseman in time to have a private conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So?”
Nisky asked, nice and loud for everyone to hear. Sid shrugged.
“That’s it, dude? You’re killing
me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
tried to shake him off, but Nisky was a bit of a puppy when it came to
something he was sure he’d done right.
Guys were busy getting into their gear, chriping each other and horsing
around. One bad game couldn’t shake the
confidence of this crew. Sid tried to
keep his voice down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
was cool, but….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“SHE?!”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fucking
James Neal had to have supersonic hearing.
The lanky forward had clearly been eavesdropping and spun around at the
first mention of a girl. Sid grimaced as
the entire locker room looked his way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck
off, Nealer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
rolled his eyes. “Guess she wasn’t that
cool, you obviously didn’t get laid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey!”
Matt to the supposed rescue. “She is
cool. She’s a friend of Kelly’s.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
knew the next question out of James’ mouth would be if it was a set up, and
why, and how come he couldn’t get set up with Kelly’s friends. As if guys would give Neal something worth
having. Sid felt the hot coil tighten in
his stomach at the idea of James with Leah, or worse, his sister. At least Leah was an adult who could take
care of herself. Sid still felt the need
to defend Taylor at every turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
she’s got a boyfriend,” Sid cut in. “Or
a guy… something. Whatever. She’s not interested.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
brought the room to a dead stop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
“Oh.” Matt’s face went white.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Woah,”
James said quietly. It wasn’t everyday
the Penguins heard about their captain being turned down by a girl. Most days they couldn’t get him to even talk
to a girl, forget go out with one. And
those girls never, ever said no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry
man. Kelly saw your picture on Facebook
and thought…,” Matt fumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
fine,” Sid snapped. He rolled his neck,
trying to get his tone under control. “I
mean, Brooke was great. I think we might
even be friends – she was the <i>only</i>
text I got last night after the loss.”
The emphasis was directed at Matt, James and Pascal, the only teammates
who knew Sid might have expected to hear from a certain other girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Girl
say no?” Geno asked, as if he might have mistranslated the English conversation
in his head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
happens,” Sid said, a little edge creeping back into his voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
often enough!” Dupuis moved in and smacked Sid on the arm, effectively breaking
up the audience. “You’re fucking ugly
and you suck at hockey.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
the topic dismissed, Sid dressed in a hurry and jogged toward the ice. A few solo laps on a fresh sheet usually did
wonders to clear his head, but when he stepped out into Southpointe’s rink, it
only brought back his dream from the night before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It didn’t
take a psychologist to figure out what it meant that Sid saw Leah on the other
side of the glass. Or maybe that’s how
she saw him. Either way, the divide
between them was hard and impenetrable, even though they could see each other
clear as day. The spot in his chest
where Sid often felt his heart pounding after a big shift was aching now. He put his head down and sprinted the length
of the ice, trying to replace this new pressure with the old, familiar one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">All the world’s a stage</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. He’d always remembered that from reading
Shakespeare in high school and wondered if Shakespeare could possibly have
imagined what that stage would look like four hundred years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
heard the shusshing of another pair of skates behind him and turned, displeased
to see James headed his way. Neal would
only want to give him shit about getting turned down and he really wasn’t in
the mood. Sid crouched, ready to take
off again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
Matt say Facebook?” James stopped angrily, showering Sid with snow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
Matt. Just say. That he saw a picture of your date on
Facebook?” James enunciated like Sid
might be slow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
bristled. “He said Kelly saw it,
actually.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Have
you seen it?” Neal had his shoulders and arms puffed out, making himself
larger. Sid wondered if James even knew he did that when he meant to be
intimidating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Like
I Facebook. But I saw it when she took
it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
now the whole world has probably seen it,” James prompted. “Including Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid closed
his eyes; it did nothing to soften the blow of reality. Of course the photo would get cut and pasted
and Twittered and Tumblered and molested by all sorts of other media Sid didn’t
bother acknowledging. Every photo ever
taken of him had been shared and shopped until it was barely recognizable. Anyone who cared would see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
hadn’t considered that Leah would see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Or
that she would care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck
my life,” Sid muttered. Is that why she
hadn’t called after the loss?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
pushed a hand through his thick thatch of spiky hair and relaxed. A part of Sid’s brain found that odd – Neal
had been ready for a fight, only the stand down when he realized Sid hadn’t
meant to hurt Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m in bad shape if Neal is protecting her
from me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">,
he thought. But James’ eyes were
darkening, as if overwhelmed by the sheer stupidity of his captain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you ever get tired,” James asked in a measured voice, “of hockey being the only
thing you know how to do?” He turned and
started to skate away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
wanted to die. He wanted the ice to
swallow and drown him. He wanted to fly
into the locker room, call Leah and apologize… for what? For doing exactly what she told him to do? For not being a completely shut-in loser with
no prospects? Sure he’d gotten turned
down but that happened to normal guys all the time – Sid had read about
it. Sometimes it even happened to his
teammates and he saw it. He wanted to be
normal and surely there was nothing more normal on Earth than a guy striking
out with a pretty girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just
maybe not on Facebook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’M
TRYING!” Sidney shouted at James’ back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was in her office, reading the same sheet of grades for the hundredth
time. One of her jobs was tallying class
rankings; they became like games of RISK for juniors and seniors. She should have calculated the first semester
numbers over Christmas break as a dry run, but she’d been a little busy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
idea of Sidney rolled over in her mind again.
It was always there; she was the princess and it was the pea under her
mattress. Before it had been comforting,
triggering an image of his smiling face or his sweet kiss. Now it flashed the picture of him with that
other girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I told him to</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah reminded
herself. It wasn’t her fault that Sid
was better at moving on or that he had more options. What had she expected, getting involved with
a superstar?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
hated that word: superstar. It defined
everything about Sidney except what she knew, behind closed doors and away from
the game. Maybe all superstars were
secret dorks who couldn’t dance or identify kitchen appliances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No, most of them can dance.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
told herself it only hurt because he’d made it public so quickly. Leah had been careful never to take advantage
of his celebrity – not that she needed to, her entire world was in tiny Cole
Harbour and the gossip train outpaced even Facebook. In Pittsburgh, there would be a lot more
people to tell and what more effective way?
Short of announcing his personal life to reporters after a big game, the
internet was it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But even if he met that girl on his flight
from Halifax, fresh from kissing me on the curb, he’s only known her for two
weeks! </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah wanted to
scream. Instead she pinched to fingers to
the bridge between her eyebrows as if she could hold back the truth by force. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two
weeks had been plenty for her and Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid checked
his phone every ten minutes, waiting for the clock to say four. That’s when Leah was home from school, if she
went home, assuming she had nowhere else to go.
Or anyone else to go with. Sid
hoped she didn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
was also running out of time to figure out what to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yo,”
James said before the call rang a second time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
voice was a growl. “So what do I tell
her?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Look,”
James sat down noisily, wherever he was, “I know you think I’m an asshole when
it comes to chicks so you must be pretty hard up if you’re asking me for
advice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duh</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid thought but stayed silent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“But
I know what I’m talking about, Cap. I usually
know what the right thing is even if I don’t do it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Okay, fucking full of yourself</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid didn’t say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Call
her and tell her your date didn’t work out,” James said simply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
blinked. That sounded so… easy. “That’s it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah. Hell, tell her the girl didn’t want you. Then you tried <i>and</i> you’re sad. As Geno
would say, ‘Girls love.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
thought James might ask what he wanted from Leah in return. Why bother explaining himself for nothing? Then Sid would have to say that he wanted
what he couldn’t have – her - and that anything else was set up to fail. He would have to admit his whole quest for
normalcy was based on an idea even he couldn’t support. Sid was no better than the mooney teen girls
who daydreamed about him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“But
I don’t want her to think I’m pathetic,” he said, feeling exactly that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
made a noise between scoffing and barfing.
“You’re a bag of milk is what you are.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Asshole,
I knew I shouldn’t have called you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Slow
down, Sid. You’re over-thinking this,
okay? Holding the stick too tight. You probably pissed Leah off by showing up
all of a sudden in a photo with some stranger – I saw it, by the way. She was cute.
Sure she’s got a boyfriend?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Neal,
I almost always want to kill you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
laughed evilly. “I haven’t even begun to
give you reasons, Kid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
disconnected from James and considered the phone in his hand. Now that he knew what to say, what <i>did</i> he want out of it? Leah to volunteer to move to Pittsburgh? His heart thrummed at the idea. If she just showed up on his doorstep….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Stop.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
Sid knew what he really wanted, and it wasn’t anything so heroic as
that. It was simply to be sure Leah
wasn’t mad at him and that when he finally made normal happen he didn’t lose
her in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
considered wishing for a lottery win. It
certainly worked when she wished for Sid to call. “Hi,” she said. The smile slid into her voice on its own, she
couldn’t stop it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey.” Sidney heard the corners of her mouth turn
up, his stomach took to the high wire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry
about last night’s game.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ugh,
you watched.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
knew I was. Jack too. You guys put him right to sleep.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Did I put you to sleep?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Sid wondered. <i>While
Brooke was texting me, were you already dreaming about something else?</i> He couldn’t give in to that line of thought,
so he bit the bullet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I,
uh, went on a date the other night,” he said tentatively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt the appropriate kick to the heart.
“I, uh, saw the picture,” she replied in the same cadence, just a little
more tart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
didn’t like me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
dropped her phone. It hit the coffee
table with a crack and clattered to the floor.
If phones still had buttons it would have been beeping like an ambulance;
instead it sounded like a hundred baseball bats hitting homeruns in quick
succession. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry!”
she scooped it up, checking for damage.
“I thought you said she didn’t like you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
did,” Sid laughed. The binding that had
bound around his chest had snapped, letting in expand and restoring his
breathing. “She said I was nice but she
into someone else.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I told her I know the feeling</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he wished he
could claim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THAT GIRL’S AN IDOIT!</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah thought,
followed quickly by <i>YOU LIKED HER, YOU
ASSHOLE</i>. <i>YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO LIKE ME.</i>
Her mind was a riot: stunned, eleated and demolished all at the same
time. The opposite forces made her
dizzy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wanted to cry. She wanted Sidney to like
her even though she couldn’t have him; it was greedy and selfish. She hated wanting him to fail with other
girls because that’s what it would take for him to be happy – someone to march
into his life and make it so. Someone
like her. Only not her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh. I’m sorry, Sid,” she managed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay. I went, didn’t I? I even let her take that picture which, in
hindsight, maybe wasn’t such a good idea but I was still there. On a date.”
He sounded pretty proud of himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good
for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
took careful aim. “It wasn’t as fun as
hanging out with you, though.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
arrow went right through Leah’s heart.
“But you asked her out again anyway.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,
it’s your fault,” Sid said. “Looks like
I’m going to have to lower my standards.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed. “You and me both.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
the ice broken between them, Sid and Leah talked for a while. He told her about returning to play, the
team, what he loved and what was tough.
Sid often felt there were things he couldn’t share, even with teammates
because of his role as captain. He didn’t
want to be negative or angry to them and he certainly couldn’t act that way in
public. Now it wasn’t anger he shared
with Leah, but honesty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
slow going. Some of the guys… I don’t
know what they were doing for six months but it wasn’t working out. Getting down on them doesn’t help – it’s not
my job anyway. Coaches do that. Then I feel like I need to stick up for them
even if I agree.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
imagined he was talking about James.
Neal had probably had more fun than exercise during the break, but some
exercise could be fun. And some fun
could be really great exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’ll
come, just cut them a little slack. At
least until week two. Not everyone is
you, Sid,” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
sighed, thinking: <i>And no one is you,
Leah.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
25)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Another
Friday night, another night at Madigan’s.
Leah had her phone on her again, and when midnight came and went without
a call she knew the Penguins had lost their game against the Jets. She stepped aside and checked the score: 4 –
2. It wasn’t until she clicked the box
score tab that she sighed heavily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
had scored both goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">All at
once she knew he’d gone to sleep frustrated and feeling like 100% of the scoring
was somehow not enough. He was alone in
a big bed in an empty house with nothing to remind him there was more to life
than a single hockey game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A joking
comment came to her mind; one she knew would make him feel better. There was no danger of waking him so Leah
thumbed the touchscreen. Maybe her role
in his life would be the narrator, omniscient and calm, always coming in with a
word when the story got a little stuck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah: Slacker. I know from experience you can score more
than twice in one night.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
26)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid lay
in bed for a while, half-awake in the morning light and refusing to look at the
clock. If it was early, he’d feel
compelled to go to practice early. If it
was late… it wasn’t late. He was never
late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Last
night had been Friday. A night like that
normal people were out with their friends, having fun and shaking off the week. His teammates did the same after wins. Sidney
wondered if he might have joined them last night, if they’d won. He probably would have. There would have been laughing, a few beers,
maybe even talking to a girl if he could manage it without the entire team
watching him like tourists watching a mime struggle to get out of an invisible
box. The thought made him smile, and the
smile made him laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m now the kind of person who smiles after
a loss. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The beside
clock said 8 AM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And stays in bed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
resisted the urge to check his phone. Nothing
could be that important before breakfast. He rolled over and went back to sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-58861096247977218132013-05-12T19:06:00.000-07:002013-05-12T19:06:34.047-07:00thirteen<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I've been so caught up in playoffs! Here's a chapter to celebrate moving on to the second round. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">___</span></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
18)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
growled to himself. The Penguins were on
the road, finally ready to begin the delayed season with an opening game in
Philadelphia. After the end of last
season, both regular and playoffs, it would have been a high profile game even
if they hadn’t all waited an extra three months for it. The Penguins had traveled to Philly at
mid-day then had a light practice, a team meeting and a team dinner. By the time Sid finally closed himself inside
a hotel room – his own, thanks to the new CBA – it was after ten o’clock. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Too late.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
But he called anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Pick
a song!” Leah shouted. She didn’t usually keep her phone on her in a
bar, nor did she normally answer it.
This was anything but normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was surprised to hear her voice. He knew
she’d be at Madigan’s like every Friday night, and by the sound of loud music
in the background he was right. “Ummm,”
he stuttered, unprepared, “Uhhhh….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
that’s helpful,” Leah laughed, the noise behind her dying as she stepped out
the front door. It was freezing and she
wore only short sleeves, but that didn’t matter right now. She hadn’t spoken to Sid since the night
they’d left each other panting and sticky on the phone. A few messages and texts, but there wouldn’t
a chance to speak to him before tomorrow’s game. “Are you excited?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah.” Sid knew he was smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you ready?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Better
be,” he said. “The Flyers would love to
tear us apart.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had been thinking the same thing. “Be
careful, okay? I mean, be awesome, but,
you know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
worried about me?” Sid was surprised and
flattered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,”
she said as if it were obvious. “It’s
going to be harder for me to watch now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“But
you’ll watch, right?” Sid didn’t bother
being shy with the girl who’d gotten him off on the phone just a few nights ago. He needed to know she was watching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
have a date with Jack. He’ll be wearing
the sweatshirt you left in my car.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh,
um, I could send you jerseys,” Sid gushed all at once. What an idiot! He never once thought of giving Jack
something, or even Leah. Further proof
he’d forgotten who he was to the world around her. Knowing she was wearing his name would
definitely fuel his performance on the ice, and probably send him right back to
phoning her the minute they got home.
Speaking of which…, “Hey, uh, about the other night.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the frigid air outside Madigan’s, Leah’s blood ran hot remembering how quickly
their last phone conversation had turned into something much more than words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
not why I called, you know that right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew. Sidney Crosby didn’t have to ask
for it, nor did he have to turn to the phone and twelve hundred miles of
distance to get laid. But if she’d made
him feel better for a minute than it was a minute more than she should probably
expect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Like
that’s not why you can to my house the night before you left?” she asked with a
smile in her voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
didn’t,” Sid was blushing furiously, alone in his hotel room, knowing Leah must
think him such a loser for being turning back so quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So
you didn’t want me to take off my clothes?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
temperature shot up a hundred degrees and his hands balled into fists. “No, I did, I just….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Power
coursed through Leah’s veins – she liked it more than she wanted to. She didn’t want Sid to forget about her
easily, though she knew he eventually would.
The same way she would forget about him and move on. Someday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
know, Sid,” she gave in. “You are the
only one of us who forgets you’re Sidney Crosby.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And
there it was, that divide Sid felt would always exist between him and a girl,
but not Leah. She was already on his
side of that wall and he would not let her see herself out just because he’d
gone back to Pittsburgh. “It’s not
that,” he shot back, suddenly serious. “I
just missed you. I still do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
knees wobbled a little. “I miss you too,
Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
long quiet moment stretched between them.
Sid wondered how he could ever get past something like Leah. Leah wondered how long it would take Sid to
forget about her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“At
least I get to see you tomorrow,” she finally said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
felt pouty. “It’s not the same.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well,
here.” Leah held the phone out and
snapped a photo of herself. She waited a
moment until the screen said it had been viewed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Opening
the photo was an onslaught of desire for Sidney. There was Leah, all dolled up with her makeup
and hair done, trying to impress a hundred people who weren’t worthy of her in
a place that couldn’t contain her.
Sidney lay back on his strange bed in a strange city and missed home
fiercely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
beautiful,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the Nova Scotia cold, Leah smiled. “Now
we’re even. I’ll say the same thing to my TV tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t a great sign
for the night before the first game of a season that promised to be faster and
more furious than any before. At
midnight, he gave up and took the stairs down, intending to do a lap of the
hotel to wear himself out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the lobby, he ran into Pascal Dupuis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Can’t
sleep without me, I see,” Duper said.
He’d been Sid’s roommate since his rookie year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
either.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
worried about you.” Pascal was in his
early thirties with a wife and kids, he always tried to steer the younger
Penguins out of trouble and into a stable life despite their money and
fame. “You gonna tell me who she is?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Of course he knows</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid thought. Pascal had endured the best and worst of
Sidney’s NHL growing pains and could read his young captain’s face like a
book. Right now, every line of text was
about Leah and Sidney was tired of hiding it from sight. They walked toward the longest ground floor
hallway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
met a girl at home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duper
nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Her name
is Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Another
nod.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
pretty sure I’m in love with her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
words came out in a rush, bright red like blood from a wound. They slipped the skin and poured free,
slapping wetly off the ground between the two men. Sidney had never, ever said anything like
that out loud. He’d barely even thought
it. But saying something had a way of
showing it was true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
doesn’t feel the same?” Duper asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She,
uh… she likes me.” Even that was hard
for Sid to admit. “But what can I
do? Things were great for a while, then
the lockout ended and all of a sudden I’m gone.
I can’t control it. I just left
her there like nothing ever happened, disappeared like that.” He snapped his fingers. It was how quickly his entire time with Leah
had passed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
she won’t wait?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
stopped walking. “Wait for what? For an entire season to end before I get back
to Cole Harbour? To be invaded by the
media and eviscerated by everyone else?
She’s so… she’s perfect, Duper.
She’s such a spitfire she’d be telling all these people to fuck
themselves and they would never, ever forgive her for being with me. They would never leave her alone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Like
you did.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
closed his eyes. That was it. He’d left Leah alone, abandoned her in fact,
for hockey. For something so inevitable
she knew about it before she knew about him.
Before Leah ever took him into her life, she knew she would always come
last in his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
deserves better.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dupuis
stopped walking. “What do you deserve? You give your whole life to this game and you
never ask for anything you don’t earn.
All you do is work hard and get shit on for it. Don’t you think it’s time you got something
for yourself?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
can’t ask her go through all this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
older man looked at Sidney with much more than the wisdom of seven years in his
eyes. He was a husband, a father, a
partner. He might not be a famous name
but Pascal knew what was on the line.
“You’re afraid she’ll say yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
shook his head. He was truly terrified
that Leah would say no, even though she did care for him. Sid could not handle someone as strong and
caring as Leah turning him down, it meant he’d never find anyone to say yes. “It’s not that easy. She’s not like that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
not some kind of weakness, Sid. No matter
how many girls act that way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
don’t want her to give up her whole life for me, because I couldn’t give up
mine for her. That’s not fair.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dupuis
shrugged. “Love’s never fair, Sid. Even for regular people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
were back at the elevators, riding up.
Pascal clapped Sidney on the shoulder at the door to his room, and Sid
continued down the hall. It was late -
half past midnight - but still well before last call. He dug out his iPod and paged through the
song list before dialing the phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey!”
Leah shouted against the blasting music in the background. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Need
you now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was like the noise behind Leah died all at once, replaced by her heartbeat
thumping like a helicopter. She pressed
phone closer to her ear. “What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
song: Need You Now. It’s a duet, like
the first night,” Sid said. The first
night they were out together, his first night in public with a girl even if she
wasn’t his. Leah had surprised the heck
out of him singing a Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson duet. She’d be perfect for another one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh,”
Leah’s heart skipped out across the nearby lake like a stone. “Yeah.
I know it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
what you should sing.” The song lyrics
would be as true as the first night too, when she’d sang about wanting to stay
there a little while, wanting to fall asleep with her at night. If Sid wasn’t there to hear them, would some
other guy think she was singing to him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Okay.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“’Night,
Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“’Night
Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
looked out over the packed dance floor at Madigan’s, the happy couples moving
to the opening notes of the song played by the band. They didn’t wait for her voice. They knew the words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Picture perfect memories, scattered all around
the floor<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Reaching for the phone ‘cause I can’t fight
it anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And I wonder if I ever cross your mind<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For me it happens all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
sang, knowing every word was true right down to the time of night in the song. Wondering if Sidney knew when he picked the it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s a quarter after one, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m all alone and I need you now<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Said I wouldn’t call <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But I’ve lost all control and I need you
now<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And I don’t know how to I can do without, I
just need you now.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
his hotel room, Sidney allowed himself exactly three minutes and fifty seven
seconds to wallow. He was aware it was
slightly longer than he’d let himself lay in the ruined guest room, smelling
Leah on the sheets, the morning after she’d left him alone in bed. But things were not getting better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I don’t know how I can do without<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I just need you now.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
20)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two
nights later, Sidney waited until he was closed inside his house, his hockey
bag and suitcase emptied and a load of laundry in the wash before he called
Leah. He had nothing to personally show
for the Penguins season opener, even though he’d won. Try as he might, he couldn’t score during the
second game in New York. Nor could he
wait any longer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Let
me get this straight,” she said by way of greeting. Sid loved how she never said hello. It was always right to the heart of a
conversation with Leah. “Neal has three goals. You have none.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He
also has better hair,” Sid laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
true. Though his beard is surprisingly
ginger, and that’s pretty devastating,” Leah admitted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
could grow a beard.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
both winced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
cover up your face? What a sin.” Leah curled up on the very couch where she
and Sidney had made a stop during their sex tour of her apartment on his last night
in Cole Harbour. She wondered if he
thought of that when he thought of home, if he ever thought of home at
all. Clearly he was thinking about her
though. “Just wait till you play at
home,” she said. “Girls’ll be throwing
their panties on the ice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
wanted to ask her to be there, as if she could drop everything and fly to Pittsburgh
on a Wednesday. As if he were the kind
of guy that expected a girl to be at his beck and call like that. Still, having her there would be the icing on
the post-lockout, return-to-hockey cake.
Sid wasn’t ready to let Leah see his life in action yet – not until he
had one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That
doesn’t happen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
better not,” she laughed. “How will I
explain it to Jack?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was sure it happened though, if not literally than in a thousand figurative
ways that added up to it. Sidney Crosby
in Pittsburgh must be like Magic Mike, live and in 3D. Everywhere he went, everything he did… no
wonder he didn’t go out much. Leah hoped
he would side-step it and manage some kind of life anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t
let Neal have all the fun, okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Somewhere
in Pittsburgh, on a Sunday night after a two-goal game, James was probably
having the time of his – and at least one girl’s – life, while Sid was home in
his house alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ll
try,” Sid said.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
21)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
checked his tie in the mirror, thinking it was a bad idea to be going out so
close to the home opener. What would the
press think when they inevitably found out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There’s no game for two days</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sidney told
himself. He pretended not to hear the
rest of the thought: <i>The only date that
takes two days to get over is one with Leah.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt
Niskanen and his girlfriend Kelly had insisted on setting Sid up a second
time. This new girl did not know the
last girl. She was “completely
different,” Kelly said, as if there were tangible things about the previous
date Sid had not liked. It had been so
much less exact than that. Still Sid was
dressed and ready twenty minutes before he was supposed to meet them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
scene repeated itself as he walked into the restaurant, scared the hostess
shitless and was shown to a table where Matt, Kelly and a new girl were
sitting. She stood to introduce herself –
Brooke, with shoulder-length straight brown hair and side-swept bangs. Her makeup was much more subdued, just a
swish of purple highlighting very green eyes. She had a slight tan and glossy lips. Silver hoop earrings grazed her slender neck
as she tossed her hair back and grinned at him.
Another great smile. This one
wore a little black dress with a halter top and a v-neck deep enough to catch
him checking out her cleavage before they even sat down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Smooth</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid grimaced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
was funny. She steered the conversation
away from hockey, as if the subject had already been exhausted. Sidney found himself offering a funny story
or two when the topic came close enough to something he had experienced. Otherwise he just laughed a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Better</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he admitted to himself before they
were done with entrees. Brooke hadn’t
tried to touch him all night – in fact it was like she was out with three friends
instead of two friends and a blind date.
Sidney wasn’t actively trying to impress her and she wasn’t acting
impressed by nothing. Just nice. And pretty – Brooke had full lips that pursed
sexily just before she laughed. Her
sunshaded skin all but sparkled in the low dining room light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Where’d
you get so tan?” Sid asked, expecting a trip to the Caribbean or Hawaii.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
hiked the Inca Trail in Peru with some friends over Christmas. It was incredible, and probably the toughest
thing I’ve ever done. Meanwhile the
local porters are running up the side of this mountain in flip flops carrying
all my stuff while I have first world problems like altitude sickness. It was very humbling.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
he was impressed and definitely intrigued.
When Kelly made fun of Matt for yawning before dessert menus arrived,
Sid took a deep breath and bit the bullet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t
bring your tired ass to the game Wednesday,” he told Matt, then turned to Brooke
and asked, “Would you want to get coffee somewhere?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the door, Kelly gave Sidney a ‘go get ‘em, tiger!’ look. Sid wasn’t sure he was up for anything of the
sort but this was definitely going more easily than his setup with
Rebecca. He showed Brooke to his car,
opening her door like a gentleman. Five
minutes later he pulled into a small cafe where he’d been on a previous date in
a brief and failed relationship attempt.
He remembered their coffee more than he remembered that girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They chose
a spot in the back, just two seats across from each other over a very small
table. Sidney’s nerves had risen slightly,
but the place was nearly empty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
would you like?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’ll
go,” Brooke offered. She pointed to the
seat with its back to the room. “You sit
there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
watched over his shoulder as she ordered at the counter, admiring the way her
simple dress hugged shapely curves. The
male barista flirted with her, never once glancing toward the table she’d come
from. Sidney wondered how he’d react if
he’d seen her date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This is a date</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he knew. Honest to goodness, he was on a date. And he was having fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yours,”
Brooke said as she passed him a tall regular coffee. She’d gotten something with whipped cream
accompanied by a thin slice of chocolate cake on a glass plate. Once everything was set between them like a
little wall, Brooke leveled her green eyes at Sidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So. Blind date.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is the first one I’ve ever been on.” She
clipped the edge off the cake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
my second,” he admitted, carefully watching the fork slide between her lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Can
I be honest with you about something?” Brooke asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sure.” Sid braced himself for the compliments, the
disbelief that she’d been set up with Pittsburgh’s most eligible bachelor. Maybe she felt like she was cheating because
she already knew all about him. He
prepared his standard statement to put that down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“There’s
someone else.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?”
he asked stupidly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
laid her fork down carefully. Her bangs
slipped toward her face and she pushed them behind one ear. “I’m flattered that you wanted to hang out –
Kelly said that didn’t happen last time.
And I should be flipping because you’re Sidney Crosby but honestly,
there’s this guy who I… can’t shake.
Even now. Even for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh.” That was a first. Usually women were offering to leave their
boyfriends and husbands for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brooke
frowned. “I can’t really believe it
myself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well,
should we….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Stay,”
she said and pushed the plate of cake toward him. “Share this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
didn’t eat sweets, but her fork was in his hand and a bite of chocolate decadence
on his tongue before he could say anything stupid to further embarrass himself. He had assumed that she was into it just
because he was. It stung to be wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Who
is he?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We work
together. I’m really trying not to do
the office romance, so I asked Kelly if she knew any guys. And boy did she ever.” Brooke let her eyes go wide. “This guy better turn out to be my future
husband now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
took another big bite of cake, feeling reckless in the face of this small
rejection. “Want me to call him?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Haha,
he’d just ask for his own date. He’s a
huge Pens fans.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was a bad idea and Sid knew it, but right then he didn’t care. If he wasn’t good enough for anyone then what
the hell reputation was he so desperate to protect? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Take
a picture. I’ll look all sad ‘cause you
turned me down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hell
no, look happy like it was the best date of your life!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
slid his chair around to Brooke’s side of the table, nice and close, and smiled
as she held her phone out in front of them.
He didn’t like a photo and made her take another. They were giggling for real by the time the
third photo snapped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
good. Put it on Facebook.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
don’t mind?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nope,”
Sid said with conviction. “Not at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
21)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The instant
message from Gina said: <i>Don’t click this
link.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So
Leah clicked it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
she was staring a photo of Sid with another girl – cute too – laughing and
smiling while taking a selfie in fancy dress with darkness outside the window
behind them. It was a date if she’d ever
seen one. Not that she needed to guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
caption read: <i>Is it a blind date if it
turns out to be this guy?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-63624374075858636142013-05-05T18:11:00.002-07:002013-05-05T18:11:17.573-07:00twelve<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
don't know what the hell happened in today's terrible Game 3 win vs the Islanders, but maybe
a little action for Sid in this story can get the Pens on the right track. – J<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">_<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
13)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
strolled into the locker room, hands half-stuffed into his pockets, trying to
look casual. It was well after practice
and some the guys had been seeing the trainers or working on equipment. He’d passed by twice but too many people were
around. Now there was just one guy left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
Nisky.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt
Niskanen waved with the hockey glove he was trying to break in. “Hey Sid.
You with a trainer today?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nope,
just on my way out. I, uh…,” Sid sat
down on the bench. Nisky was a good guy,
a low maintenance teammate and solid hockey player. They’d even fought once, when Matt played in
Dallas, and now it was a joke between them. Matt was also very committed to his
girlfriend and never, that Sid had seen, did anything to jeopardize that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He’d
had planned to approach this in a smooth way, but the words were already
failing. Sid took a deep breath and let
his shoulders drop. “Do you think Kelly
has any friends she might introduce me to?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Friends?
Um…” A look of understanding crossed Matt’s face. “Oh. You
mean girls. Like, for a date?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sure.
She’s got friends who are probably free.
When’s the event?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No
event,” Sid said. As if he would take a
girl to an event anyway. “Just, you
know, social.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt’s
eyebrows lifted so high the disappeared into his hair but he didn’t laugh, or
even smile. He just shrugged. “Yeah.
She should.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Cool. I, uh, I can ask her myself, if you want. If she’s around, or….” Sid was really
struggling now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt
put up a hand to stop him. “I got
you. But, uh, what’s up, Sid? Kel’s gonna ask. It’s not like you really need help finding a
date.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
knew he would have to tell someone and in truth he wanted to. He was proud of what happened with Leah, at
least most of it, and it was the kind of thing friends talked about. Sid wanted to have more close friends. Plus Neal knew, which meant everyone would
know soon. Better if they heard it from
him first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
met a girl at home, and it went… okay, actually. It was really fun. I think maybe it’s time to try to find that
here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nisky
nodded, impressed. This was pretty big
news coming from his captain. “What
happened to her?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
was just the last two weeks.” Sid almost
winced at the words. It had felt longer,
like two weeks in the playoffs instead of the regular season, when the whole
world could change overnight. Matt
didn’t look surprised though, just curious.
“And we’re friends. It’s not like
she’s going to wait for me to come back.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
Matt made a face. “Isn’t that what
everyone in Cole Harbour does every day?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
took a big sip of frozen strawberry margarita and closed her eyes. She’d been playing with brain freeze for a
few minutes now, debating if it was worse than her fingers going numb around
the huge glass. Across the table, Gina
and Travis laughed at something. Behind
them, TVs played over the bar in the faux-Mexican restaurant. She hated this bar. She hated every bar right now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,”
Travis was suddenly waving a hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She’s
not listening. Again,” Gina said with a
smile. “Her mind is a Pennsylvania mile
away.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
is not!” Leah put the beverage down just
as the last throb in her head subsided.
“I’m just thinking about school.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
leaned forward. “Well you’d better think
about what you’re going to say when Ricky Calvert asks you out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“He’s
been behind you for twenty minutes trying to work up the nerve to come over here,”
Travis agreed, looking around casually like he was checking their
perimeter. “He can’t quite figure out
how to do it, but he’s on his third beer so it’ll be any second now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
was already getting to her feet. “Honey,
can you help me carry more drinks?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t!”
Leah slapped the table. She’d made a big
joke out of Sid leaving by singing that Miranda Lambert song at Madigan’s the
night before, but Leah really had no idea what to say if people asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
yeah, they’re so heavy babe.” Travis was
up now too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
will fucking kill you!” Leah whispered sharply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Cold
too,” Gina smiled. “And those frozen
ones take so long to make!” They were
gone. Leah growled and slugged back
another artic gulp of frozen berry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
Leah.” Ricky appeared as if he were
reading from the same script. “How’s it
going?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
took serious effort to force a smile to her face, but Leah managed. She liked Ricky. Some of his friends were too persistent and
cheesy, but he was a nice guy. Also,
he’d never actually asked her out and there was no reason to expect he’d do it
now. Gina didn’t really know everything
about guys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
good., Ricky You?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Awkward
small talk ensued, and the longer it lasted the more sure Leah became that Gina
had guessed correctly. Waiting for Ricky
to get to the point was worse than brain freeze. At the bar, Travis was already halfway
through the drink he’d ordered when Leah decided to force the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid
told me say hi, if I saw you,” she lied, knowing Sid would approve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh, cool. Uh, tell him hey,” Ricky said. “You guys are pretty tight now, eh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was Leah’s chance to define herself in relation to Sidney, which was her entire
definition as far as Cole Harbour was concerned. Singing at Madigan’s just made them more curious. Whatever she told Ricky would make its way
around town because inquiring minds wanted to know. Was she Sid’s girlfriend or a woman
scorned? Was she staying in Canada or
going to Pittsburgh or even still in touch with Sid, the prodigal son who’d returned
to the limelight?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Or
worse, was she another silly girl deluding herself that Sidney Crosby was her
Prince Charming? Was she waiting around
for a guy who wasn’t coming back?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Friends.” The word dropped off Leah’s tongue like she’d
given the order to pull the plug. “We’re
just friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Then
he’s an asshole.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sat bolt upright, squeaking her chair against the floor. “What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ricky
sighed like he was truly disappointed.
His fingers picked at the edge of the beer label. “He’s an asshole. I mean, he said you were just friends but I
thought he was digging, you know? It
seemed like he was going to go for it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah’s
mouth hung wide open, but only Gina and Travis were looking at her from the bar
and wondering what the hell was going on.
Ricky stopped peeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
sorry, Lee. Maybe you don’t want
him. I was just assuming that… you
know. He’s Crosby and you’re you, and….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
barked a laugh, short and sharp. “You
say that like being Crosby and being me are the same thing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
shrugged. “Well you’re both too big for
this town. Either way… don’t tell him I
said anything, okay? It kinda makes the
rest of us feel better. If you don’t go
out with Crosby, explains why you don’t get out with any of the guys here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had no idea at all what to say. Ricky
took her silence as agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Anyway,
I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
I’m fine,” Leah managed. Ricky got up,
gave her a nod, and walked back to his friends.
She mumbled goodbye, thinking for the first time ever that maybe she
should be going out with Ricky Calvert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
15)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
had only taken Niskanen and his girlfriend Kelly three days to set something
up. Now Sid was on his way to meet them,
wishing he’d never asked for help.
Wishing he’d at least asked for a picture of the girl first. Sid could have used a hint of what he was
walking into, unlike the way he’d walked into Leah that first night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Part
of him wanted this girl to have the same life-altering effect. The part that did not was bigger than Sid
cared to admit. He had the urge to call
Leah and confess what he was doing.
She’d probably say it was great and wish him luck and then Sid would be
forced to drive right home and hate his life all night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
restaurant was a casual, café-type place and as he walked in, Sid knew his
black sweater and jeans outfit was a good choice. The hostess caught his eye and gasped,
fumbling her pen so it bounced off the podium and clattered to her feet. She blushed fiercely. Sid was barely through the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Eeerrrrright
this way,” she stammered. Matt and Kelly
and the new girl, Rebecca, were already there.
Sid pictured Matt telling the hostess who was joining them - she’d
probably lost a lot of pens tonight. He
followed her along a wall of booths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,”
Nisky waved sitting on the outside facing the door. Sid smiled in relief, glad to have asked for
a double date. Seeing Matt made him feel
instantly better – he wouldn’t have to carry the conversation all night, could
hopefully avoid the inevitable and awkward admission that he didn’t really like
or do anything outside of hockey. Girls
always made Sid feel like he had nothing to talk about. Matt got to his feet, shaking Sid’s hand
while nearly pushing him into the other bench at the same time. The fewer people who noticed Sid’s arrival
the more smoothly this would go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid,
this is Rebecca.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
were already close together. The seat
was not big and Sid was not small. Rebecca
turned toward him, blond hair falling forward over the shoulders of her blue
silk dress. Automatically Sid guessed
her size to be around 5’ 5” and a hundred and twenty pounds. Her face was heart
shaped, making her look younger than her makeup suggested. Heavy around the eyes, going for the smoky
look, she batted considerably mascaraed lashes as she smiled a pageant queen
smile framed by perfectly stained lips. Already
half of his teammates would be trying to fuck her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
to meet you,” she cooed. Sid reached for
her hand. Rebecca gave it not as a
shake, but like he might want to kiss it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
too,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nisky
started talking right away. Sid made a
mental note to get Matt more ice time or an extra off day. He needed a moment to process
everything. Rebecca was very pretty and
had obviously spent considerable time an energy getting ready for this dinner –
her nails were freshly manicured, her hair so expertly waved it belonged on a
mermaid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So
why was he already thinking about Leah?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Rebecca’s
dress was the exact color of Leah’s eyes.
That sapphire blue had been so surprised to see him at the rink, so
furious after the New Year’s kiss. That color
had admired him with every light on as he and Leah made love. The same blue had watched him walk away at
the airport, and basically told him not to come back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt
kicked him under the table.
“Sorry?” Sid realized everyone
was waiting for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“How’s
practice going?” Kelly asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
talked. He listened and even laughed as
the conversation exhausted hockey and moved on to other things. They ordered wine. Kelly was funny and Rebecca relaxed
noticeably by the time the first course arrived. She was a dental hygienist, from somewhere
near the Ohio border. That sparked
discussion of small hometowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
must be weird when you go home, you’re such a big deal,” Rebecca repeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
to everyone,” Sid said. He glanced at
Matt, who nodded encouragingly. More was
needed to keep this evening moving and it was Sid who’d asked for a favor. “But I did go out dancing a few times, so
they’re probably embarrassed by me now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
Matt or Kelly spoke, Sid could almost forget he was on a date. Rebecca was perfectly nice and friendly, but
every time Sid looked at her he was evaluating something, recording and
comparing it. No one could stand up to
that kind of scrutiny. Sid even casually
touched Rebecca’s arm – no spark. The
whole evening was zipping by without Sid hardly noticing at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was clear that she was into him, though.
As the meal went on, Rebecca tried getting a little cozier. That made Sid stiffen up again. Kelly watched them carefully, trying to read
the situation. At the end of the meal,
Sid insisted on paying. He figured Kelly
had told Rebecca it was his idea anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
they stood up to leave the table, Kelly excused herself to the bathroom. She
tugged Matt along so hard he was halfway across the room before he said he had
to go too. It left Sid and Rebecca
standing inside the front door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Moment of truth.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Sid didn’t really feel anything – no
chemistry, and no real need to bring her home just to get off on a warm body. He also didn’t want to give up after just one
try. Matt might not go to bat for him
again or if word got around the Kelly’s friends that Sid was a cold fish, it
wouldn’t matter anyway. If Sid asked for
Rebecca’s number, he would have to use it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
surprised it was you,” Rebecca suddenly said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
you were?<br />
<br />
“Yeah,” she smiled, perhaps the most genuine thing she’d done all night. “Kel said she wanted me to meet one of Matt’s
teammates – I thought it would be Brandon Sutter or something.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Suttsy’s
engaged,” Sid said needlessly. “Uh, I
don’t really get a chance to… meet people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
bet.” Rebecca shifted her weight from
one high heel to the other. Sid was
taking too long to make a move and she was preparing to go into
self-preservation mode. “I can’t imagine
what it’s like to have people watching you all the time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Last chance</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he knew. Attention from other people was exactly what
Sid needed to get over, not hide behind, but it served a dual purpose. Rebecca could almost say it had been her idea
not to see him again. She could play it
off like she didn’t want to get involved in his kind of life. Her brown eyes watched him expectantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
guys ready?” Kelly appeared alongside, Matt hanging back a few steps in case
they were interrupting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Rebecca
broke eye contact first, but her voice sounded content. “Yeah.
We were just saying goodnight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
felt like a jerk walking to his car, waving to Matt, Kelly and Rebecca as they
parted ways. That was all he felt
though, so he’d done the right thing by not asking to see Rebeca again. Maybe asking for setups wasn’t a great
idea. He hoped they weren’t mad at him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s not my responsibility to ask out every
girl who wants me to ask her out</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he told himself. So why did Sid feel like he was disappointing
them? He hated not living up to
expectations. He hated the pressure to
charm, marry and fuck the brains out of every woman he met just to live up to
the decisions they’d already made about him.
He hated people always wanting something from him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid also
hated driving to his lonely house to sleep in his empty bed and wake up alone
tomorrow to do it again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Maybe it’s not worth is</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought
cowardly. In truth he knew now, more
than ever, that it was worth anything to find that spark. Sid knew how good it could feel – emotionally
and physically - and how much he didn’t want to live without it. Not another minute. He hit the Bluetooth button on the console.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
stranger.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
sound of Leah’s voice was a considerable whomp between his legs – more than he’d
expected. Images of her flashed through
his mind, and not all of them explicit. Sid
squeezed the wheel in his fists as his blood rioted. “Hi Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
had been three days since they’d spoken – not that Leah had been counting.
She’d spent that time trying not to add the hours together and wonder if this
was the future of her relationship with Sid: the occasional call, the gradual
drop-off. That was to be expected. Still her hormones whirled at the sight of
Sid’s name on her screen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
ready for Saturday?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So
ready,” Sid said, and Leah could hear the note of desperation in his
voice. The return of hockey was just a
few days away. He told her about practice
and training, she told him a story about school. They were still talking when he arrived home
and clicked off the speaker function.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
better,” he said, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
voice was suddenly so close that Leah’s heart fluttered. She felt it right down the side of her neck,
like his kiss so many times that one night.
The sound was as warm as his breath had been on her skin. Leah felt woozy, until Ricky’s word flashed
in her mind: <i>Asshole</i>. Sid was nothing of the sort, but she was
starting to wonder if maybe he’d given up too easily. If a simple call could melt her down, perhaps
she needed to be a little harder for him to forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
wanted to tell Leah about the date. He
wanted her to be proud of him for trying while at the same time know that he
compared everyone to her. It was too sad
to admit that. Leah wanted Sid to find
someone in Pittsburgh and she was too important person for him to disappoint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Again
he’d spaced out, twice in one night.
“Sorry. I’m here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Everything
okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He let
himself inside, threw his keys and sat down heavily on the couch. Everything was not okay when just a few words
from Leah had him this unraveled. “Yeah,
just tired. Sorry.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
okay, as long as you’re awesome on Saturday.
Jack is really excited to watch you play.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Just
Jack?” Sid said it teasingly, but he was
really hoping for a little validation after thinking about her all night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sat on the floor of her room, rubbing the hem of her t-shirt between two
fingers. It couldn’t hurt to tease him a
little – after all that was one of the reasons he’d liked her to begin with. Plus
she was really, really horny. Going from
Sidney Crosby to nothing was a cruel and unusual punishment. Flirting could burn off a little of her
energy at the same time. “Okay, maybe me
too. But you’ll be all sweaty and
breathing hard….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
eyes went wide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
voice dropped to a purr. “… and I might have a tough time following the game.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
was a moment of silence while the idea, and the flashbacks that came with it,
made their way through Sidney’s mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“When
I see you like that, I can’t help but think of other things.” That was true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,”
he said weakly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
throaty giggle was another kick to the front of his pants. Sid lost his composure and groaned. Leah felt a surge of triumph to be able to
twist him so effectively, even from so far away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
not my fault you look so good out there,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
heart raced. If there was even a chance
that Leah might be into phone sex then his entire plan would change. He would never talk to another girl if he
could have the best of both worlds – Pittsburgh and hockey here, Leah and her
frisky mind on the other end of the line.
All of a sudden he felt like they were back in Madigan’s, dancing
closely but trying not to touch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t
torture me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
should see what I’m wearing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
should take off what you’re wearing,” he said sharply. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
surprised them both. Leah held her
breath a moment, debating. Were they
really going there? Were there any lines
left between them, after all they’d crossed?
Once again, her mouth got the better of her mind. She put the phone down, whipped off her jeans
and t-shirt and walked through the house naked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Done,”
she said. Sid’s cock pulsed angrily – it
had been let out those two nights with Leah, now it wanted to run like a race
horse. He pushed a hand down over the
fly on his jeans as if he could stop it from stirring. There was no way this was happening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
don’t believe you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
voice was so husky that Leah almost came.
If he wanted to play rough then she could too. He didn’t get to tell her what to do. Leah went right into the bathroom. She turned her back to the mirror, twisting
so just the edge of her backside to the curved underside of her breast was
visible. Careful not to get her face,
she snapped a photo and sent it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
beep was harsh in Sid’s ear. He’d spaced
out again, stroking himself through two layers of clothes. When he opened the attachment, he gulped
loudly. It was undoubtedly her – Sid
would not forget that body. She was
strong and lithe and he could almost mark the spots where his fingers had held
on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck,
Leah,” he said almost under his breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Your
turn,” she repeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Oh fuck this. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney Crosby didn’t send racy photos. He didn’t have adult conversations. But he did pull off his sweater and
undershirt and lay back down, holding the camera over his chest. <i>Snap.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
stared at the phone, willing a message to pop up. When it did she nearly bit through her
lip. That’s why she’d kept the lights on
all the time, because seeing him was almost as good as feeling him. Sidney’s slab of a chest was fair and smooth,
tapering slightly toward his waist. Even
in repose the muscles beneath his skin were visible down to his waistband. Her vision swam. This was way beyond teasing but already she
was halfway to an orgasm. She lay down
on the same bed he’d slept in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Pants,”
she said quietly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Lee,
I….” Sid really couldn’t get caught sending someone a picture of his junk,
especially not in the state it was right now.
No matter how badly he wanted to keep this going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
remember what you look like, Sid. Just
open them.” She heard the zipper, popping like a machine gun. He exhaled deeply – she imagined his fingers
reaching his shaft just as her own slipped between her legs. “Feel good?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
dick was hot in his hand but nowhere near as hot as Leah’s body had been. Sid pulled along the length, creating more
friction. “Yes,” he whispered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mmmm,
me too.” Leah’s fingers drew a slick
smear across her clit. Whatever she was
going to say next was lost in the shower of sparks that zipped through her
body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
made a noise and Sid squeezed hard to keep from coming. He didn’t need her to talk, just lay there
and want this and be as scared as he was.
Flicking his wrist, Sidney drew himself out before sliding back down
hard. It drew a grunt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
whimpered as if Sid had bottomed out inside her. She wished he were there, heavy and warm,
over top of her. Her arms begged to go
around his broad shoulders, her fingers to rake through his curling hair. More than anything her body ached to be
penetrated and pleasured the way he’d done so well. Working her fingers more quickly, Leah rolled
her hips into her hand and felt her pussy flutter. Just like that, he already had her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
gonna come,” she murmured.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Thank God</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid thought. It was a land speed record even if he took
into account being hard since she picked up the phone. All the testosterone in his body swirled down
into his lap like a whirlpool. “I wish I
could feel you,” he said. “I remember too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid,”
she gasped and he almost did feel it, just from the catch in her voice. Leah sobbed out a breath that turned into a
low, quiet moan; a sound meant only for someone this close to hear, even if
that person was twelve hundred miles away.
It rippled through her body, arching her back and curling her toes. Wetness spilled between her thighs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
a last hard pump, Sidney blew his load into his hand. If only he could have drained himself into
her body where he belonged. Still it
beat out hard and hot and a little guilty.
This was not what he’d wanted. Sid’s
head dropped back, mouth gaping. His
heart thumped like a helicopter that just landed. Leah breathed hard on the other end,
trembling from the force of her orgasm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
finally he’d caught enough breath, Sid whispered, “I miss you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Far
away in Cole Harbour, Leah smiled weakly.
“Just making sure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-72868614265760756222013-04-30T19:38:00.003-07:002013-04-30T19:38:35.285-07:00eleven<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In breathless anticipation of the playoffs and Sid's impending return...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
10)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
are you so happy about?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
looked up from the counter in the lounge, where he was making a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich for his first practice of the new season. This was a careful ritual, not to be
disturbed, and his teammates knew that.
Who would interrupt? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pascal
Dupuis was looking back at him. “You’re
humming, Creature.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
was?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Taylor
Swift,” his older linemate said, eyebrow raised in suspicion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid’s
dating Taylor Swift?” James Neal rounded
the corner. Sid hadn’t seen him since
Toronto but the look on the forward’s face said he remembered everything about
their surprise meeting. “That’s weird,
since his sister’s name is Taylor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
set his jaw. “I swear to God, Nealer, if
you so much as….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Neal
barked a laugh, slapped Dupuis on the shoulder and ambled out of the room. Pascal gave Sidney another questioning look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t
ask,” Sid said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“But
I must, mon ami. Who is she?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“My
sister is not dating Neal and if he starts that fucking rumor I swear to God
I’ll have him traded to the KHL.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
his girl,” Duper chuckled in his fatherly way.
“That sack of shit couldn’t get a date with the guy who drives the Zamboni. I’m talking about your girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
no one,” Sid slammed the top slice of bread down a little too roughly, sending
a glob of jelly flying. “I don’t know
what you’re talking about.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pascal
shrugged. “Alright, Kid. Taylor Swift it is.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuck
you. I heard that on the radio
before. Can’t I just be happy to have
hockey back?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duper
picked up half Sid’s sandwich and shook it in his face. “This is you happy. This,” he took a bite, “is about hockey. But if you’re blushing and Nealer knows about
it, it’s gotta be a piece.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid ripped
the half sandwich from Duper’s hand, stuffed it into his mouth and walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
blushing,” he mumbled with his mouth full.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was so glad to be back. Coming into the
locker room was, for Sid, the equivalent of walking outside on a brilliantly
sunny day. It was the chance to start
over, for this to be the day he did something great. The blood, sweat and tears of it all had been
the compass for his entire life – he knew where he fit here, and how to
perform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Outside
the rink, it was still far too soon to tell how Sidney’s new outlook would fare
in the free world. He’d come back to his
Pittsburgh house, so brand new it practically still had the price tag on and
busied himself unpacking, then had dinner with the guys. Then drinks.
Then he fell asleep, all without calling Leah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
First night accomplished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
yesterday, his first full off-day in Pittsburgh, had seemed about 12 hours too
long. Sid went to the rink, sat in some
meetings, worked out and was home before lunch.
Except that he had no food. With
a hat pulled down so low he could barely see, Sid ventured to the grocery store
and carefully walked each aisle, loading a cart while keeping one eye over his
shoulder. In the middle of a weekday,
the place was mostly empty. He was
feeling more confident by the time he reached the dairy aisle, letting his
guard down a bit by the yogurt, and didn’t realize someone had come up beside
him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh,
hey. You’re Sidney Crosby!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
was just a shade over five feet tall, with a blond ponytail and side-swept
bangs. Her brown eyes dropped closed as
she smiled, covering her pretty face in embarrassment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry,
that was awkward.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
She had a nice laugh. No ring on her
finger either. In fact, from her jeans
tucked into winter boots and the expensive North Face jacket she wore, Sid
thought everything about her was nice enough – nice enough that he was staring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi,”
he stuttered. “Uh, I am. Sid.
Hi.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Loser</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he cursed internally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Miranda,”
she stuck out her hand. Bangs slipped
into her face and she brushed them back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
hand disappeared inside his, like he was shaking hands with a puppy showing off
a trick. Warm skin on warm skin and Sid
felt… nothing. No spark. No zip.
No stab of desire through the parts of his body that still rang with the
idea of Leah. His heart dropped harder
than he cared to admit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nice
to meet you,” Sid said. Miranda waited a
moment before she let her hand fall from his grasp. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
you’re back in town. Must be exciting,”
she prompted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Uh,
yeah. It is. I’m relieved,” he knew that sounded right,
added a little laugh for authenticity.
“Took long enough, you know?
Getting pretty bored sitting home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,”
Miranda laughed a little too loudly and shifted her weight. Waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She thinks I’m going to ask her out</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid
realized. <i>One fucking joke and she assumes I’m… wait. Should I ask her out?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
quick review of Miranda told Sid there was no reason not to – she was pretty
and friendly and she knew who he was, three big things in her favor. She’d look good at a WAG bake sale, could
probably stomach a children’s hospital visit.
That smile would go over big in photos online.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
you, uh….” he started to say. Her whole
face brightened another degree. Her grin
got a little wider. Sid could have sworn
she sucked in a breath, as if waiting for the big drop on a roller coaster ride
or the finale in a fireworks show. As if
him asking her out were already the best thing that had ever happened to her –
would ever happen to her - and it hadn’t even happened yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“…
watch a lot of hockey?” Sid asked. He
couldn’t do it. He couldn’t be so much
to someone already – even a nice person.
Miranda probably didn’t want to get knocked up and drain his bank
account on designer bags but she definitely wanted to tell everyone she knew
that she was going out with Sidney Crosby.
Even this encounter by the ricotta display would be on Twitter before
she got out of the store. Sid felt his
shoulders drop at the same time he saw hers’ fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Lots. I love it.”
Now she was lying, pressing to hold his interest. If he asked what number Malkin wore, she’d
probably have no idea. There were
upsides to that in a girlfriend, but Sid had already let the ship sale. Miranda however was still trying. “I go all the time with my brother and….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Awesome,”
Sid smiled to cover up the sound of asshole in his voice. “Thanks.
We’ll, uh, try to start winning right away. Sorry it took so long.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
had to apologize for something – anything – since he couldn’t explain
himself. <i>Sorry, I just got out of a relationship. Sorry, I just had the night of my life. Sorry, I’m fucking terrified.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
little cloud crossed Miranda’s sunny face.
It could have rained on his sneakers right there in the aisle nine. She quickly tossed her blond hair, shaking it
off. Re-writing the Facebook post in her
head. “Nice to meet you, Sidney,” she
said, and walked off swinging her hips like it was his last chance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
just watched her go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
night, alone in his house, Sidney worked out a plan of attack. Flying solo wasn’t the best way for him to
get out there – too vulnerable. So he
resolved to go out with the guys more.
To get them to invite him at all, which they rarely did after so many
years of him saying no. Also their
girlfriends might have friends who could be vetted beforehand, maybe they could
set him up. He made a list of teammates
both nice enough and quiet enough to do something like that without
broadcasting on Radio CONSOL that Sidney Crosby was trying to find himself a
date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
list was really short.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,
Leah!” Ricky Calvert waved from his
usual spot in the bleachers, surrounded by the people she’d sat with the last
time Jake had a game. They were all
looking at her even before Ricky called her name. She’d just come up from singing the anthem,
maybe that was it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
shook her head, kidding herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
had been a weird day and a half. School
was as normal as school ever was – the students were so self-absorbed that her
brush with celebrity made her cool for life.
They had no time to think about what Sid’s leaving meant, other than the
hometown hero would be back on TV soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
comparison, the rink could have been a different planet. The whole place felt like Sid – from their
first meeting to the moment he’d put his arm casually around her in the
bleachers and said to let people see what they want – this was their
place. Only now she was very conspicuously
alone. It seemed like every person was
watching her. Maybe they hoped she’d
give them some secret NHL news straight from Sidney or wanted to see her moping
around like she’d been dumped by the brightest star in the sky. A few looked genuinely surprised to see her at
all, as if they’d expected her to ditch this place with Sid the first chance
she got.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">No chance</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
had been that way at the store too, where she’d stopped on the way home from
dropping Sidney at the airport. She knew
everyone in town, so they all felt free to ask about the lockout ending and him
leaving. Leah just said, “Go Penguins”
and bought three bottles of wine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just
as she waved back to Ricky and started in that direction, her sister
materialized at her elbow. “Sit with
us,” Kate said. “See them later.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
steered into a row and plopped Leah down between herself and her husband. Tommy’s arm went around Leah’s shoulders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“How
you holding up, bean?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fine,
I’m fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“See? I told you.
She’s fine,” Tommy said over her head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
squeezed Leah’s leg. “Okay, I believe
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
didn’t bring it up again during the game.
Kids skated and shot and fell down just like always. Jake had an assist. As the kids bunched around the puck and
followed across the ice like a single living organism, Leah’s mind
wandered. She was going to have to take
up knitting or scorekeeping or something during these games. The looks tapered off by the second period,
but when she went to the bathroom she swore it sparked a conversation in
everyone she passed. When the game was
over, Jake’s team had won by two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Let’s
go eat,” Kate said, still with the tone like she was taking care of
someone. Leah knew it wasn’t Jake. Dodging Ricky on the concourse, Leah got in
her car and followed but Kate passed the usual Chinese food place. She passed a second one before finally
pulling in at the third. Jake was off
like a shot, Tommy jogging behind him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What’s
up?” Leah asked, getting out of the car.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
rubbed her hands together against the January chill. “Maybe you’re used to everyone looking at you
now, but I’m not. Not while we eat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
groaned. “Ugh. They think I’m going to burst into tears like
I didn’t get a rose on <i>The Bachelor</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are
you okay, though?” Kate asked, putting her hand on Leah’s arm. “Really okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
smiled sadly, not quite able to get the corners of her mouth raised all the
way. The more she asked herself the
same, the more unconvincing the answer became.
“I’m fine, Kate. I miss him, of
course. I’d miss you if you left.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah,
but I don’t look like that in jeans,” Kate snickered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Stop
it!” Leah smacked her sister’s puffy jacket.
“I’m telling Tommy you said that!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
twisted away. “I told him myself! I’m married, Leah, not dead!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled her eyes and hugged herself against the cold. It felt good to admit even a little bit about
the effect Sidney had on her. Kate came
back to her side, her face a little more serious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
you sleep with him?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Kate,”
Leah said flatly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,”
she returned the tone, “don’t tell me you let that boy follow you around for
two weeks like a puppy and you didn’t once pet him!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt her cheeks turn hot pink despite the indignant look she was trying to
maintain. All those people staring at
the game, all those gossiping tongues thought they were seeing a little girl
with an impossible crush. If they knew
what had really happened….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kate
knew. “Oh thank God,” she moaned. “If you’d missed out on that I’d have to
disown you. No offense but holy fuck. Good for you.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
serious expression slid right off Leah’s face.
“Kate, you have no idea.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah drove
home from dinner feeling full and a little more settled. Kate made some insinuating comments that
their discussion of Sidney was not over, but Leah didn’t mind. She needed to talk to someone, even if she
only said half the things she was thinking.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I should talk to Sid</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she told
herself. A day and a half was longer
than they’d gone since meeting. She was
dying to know how things were in Pittsburgh and, if she was honest, find out if
he missed her at all, now that he was almost back to his superstar life. Once games and road trips started, Leah thought
he might disappear completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As if
on cue, her phone rang. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
superstar,” she said, hearing the smile in her own voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">On
the other end, leaning against his kitchen counter in a big empty Pittsburgh
house, Sid almost choked at the sound of her voice. “Hey there… sunshine,” he said awkwardly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed. “I see you’ve gotten all smooth
with girls since returning to America.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was so glad she couldn’t see his beet red face.
“There’s a test at customs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do
they let you take it again if you fail?
Like driving?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
just smile at the lady and she gives me a pass,” he tried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Should
show her your jeans. A-plus, baby.” Leah took a deep breath, surprised to feel
nervous. “Really though, how is it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
good. The same, you know? Time kind of stops here, we just come back
and start again.” He picked up some
unused kitchen appliance and turned it over in his hand. “How are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“The
same, you know,” she teased. “Jake’s
team won their game tonight. He wanted
you to know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Did
you sing?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yup.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Remember
all the words?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yup,”
she giggled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
leaned his head back against a cabinet.
“That’s my girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I wish</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Almost was</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Leah said to
herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
asked about the team, practice and if they’d be ready for the season
opener. He told her about all the work
they still had to do. A lot of his
teammates had not played overseas during the lockout which could give opposing
teams a leg up. It was his job to make
sure their conditioning kicked up before the grind began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“This
is boring, sorry,” Sid pushed a hand through his hair. He was brain-dumping forty eight hours worth
of hockey over the phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
drove right past her house and kept going down the block. “It’s not.
I’m going to sound so smart watching on TV. Guess I’d better find someone to watch with,
so I can amaze them with my knowledge.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Maybe
Travis?” Sid suggested. He didn’t want
to hear she had plans for watching his game with Ricky Calvert or any of those
cut rate guys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Probably
just Jake,” Leah lied. She would watch
the game at home, alone, glued to the TV in a mix of awe and terror. She suspected hockey was going to be very
different for her now. Along with
everything else. Finally she pulled into
her driveway, while Sid was telling her about the multiple things in his
kitchen he didn’t know how to use. The
decorator had gone all out, even putting a Kitchen Aid mixer on the granite
countertop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
do I do with it?” he asked skeptically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Make
cookies.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
silence answered for him. He didn’t eat
cookies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Birthday
cake?” Leah tried. Nothing. “Muffins, then. Wheat germ muffins with bran and soy and
sprouts or whatever you are allowed to have.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
peered inside the shiny silver bowl set beneath the mixing wands, as if it were
posing for a photo shoot in someone else’s kitchen. “It looks like it’s going to come alive and
attack me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Not
if you feed it cookies!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
laughed though the pang in his heart that told him he wouldn’t find this, the
casual safety of Leah. It was purse ease
talking with her. He thought of Miranda
from the grocery store, his stuttering and struggling over nothing at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
miss you,” he said honestly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
bit her lip, tears suddenly burning behind her eyes. Now she really was a girl from <i>The Bachelor</i>, crying over someone she
never really had. With a deep slow
breath, she managed to say, “I miss you too, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
long quiet moment passed in which they were both convinced the other didn’t
want to hear anything closer to the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Practice
tomorrow?” Leah finally asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah. Ten o’clock sharp.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Tell
Neal I said hi, eh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
threw his arm in the air. “Not you
too! Taylor is winding me up about
him. Hey, nothing happened in Toronto
right? With them?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why
don’t you ask him?” she joked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
would punch him first.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
could give me his number and I’ll ask….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
growled. Leah felt it right down her
spine, prickling every inch of her skin.
She could picture his eyes narrowing, that piercing glare. If he’d done
that within arm’s reach – she shook her whole body, still belted into her
driver’s seat, to get rid of the feeling.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fine,”
she said, “I’ll just get his number from Taylor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,
don’t.” His voice was a real warning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
smiled at herself in the rear view mirror.
If she couldn’t have Sid, she could still be the only one who gave him a
hard time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
won’t,” she teased. “I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sleep
had not come easily for Sid and he was pissed about it. The sound of Leah’s laugh had stayed with him
all night, even more than the revolting idea of her calling James. Sid knew she wouldn’t do that. Still Sid hated that he didn’t want her too,
as if he had some right to keep her from a guy.
As if he were going to do something about it besides go to bed alone and
think of her in the darkness, a ghost in the empty space next to him. Now he sat in front of his locker, elbows on
his knees, staring at the stop between his skates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
how is she?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
knew it was Neal, and looked up to find the shit-eating grin he expected. Sid sneered back. “Fuck you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
come on, Sid. Don’t be such a grouch. I’m
only kidding about your sister.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’d
better be.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
it wasn’t her I was asking about,” Neal sat down in front of his own
stall. “I meant how is Leah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fine,”
Sid snapped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
lifted his eyebrows sarcastically.
“Dude, relax. I’m not trying to
steal your girl, okay? I mean, I would
but she made it pretty clear in Toronto that she’s all yours.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She’s
not mine,” Sid ripped a piece of tape off hard.
“We are not together.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
you’re not in love with her, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
head snapped up, ready to fly into a rage at the sight of James’ grin. His own teeth were bared as a declaration of
war. Instead the lanky forward was
sitting back, hands resting in his lap. He
wasn’t smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">James
just nodded. “Thought so.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
yanked the last top in her closet off the hanger and shoved it down over her
head. At this point she didn’t care what
it looked like, it couldn’t be worse than any of the thirty she’d already
thrown on the floor. It was blousy silk
in a bright orange color with tropical looking flowers running up one
side. With jeans and a pair of brown
boots, it looked the way it always had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tonight
that wasn’t good enough. Leah dropped
back onto her bed. Not even ten o’clock
and not even out of her house – she was already exhausted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Can
I wear sweatpants?” she asked by way of greeting when the phone rang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t
make me come up there and dress you. You
won’t like it,” Gina said. That was
true. Leah knew any wardrobe foray with
Gina meant tight, short and see-through in as many places as possible. The exact opposite of what Leah was going for
tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Still
she hauled herself to standing, checked the mirror and saw an impersonation of
herself that would pass muster at Madigan’s.
By the time she’d have to sing everyone would be too drunk to care what
she looked like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Remember:
it’s not for you, it’s for them,” Gina said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
grabbed her purse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
bar was filling in, same was always, with the same people who always filled it
on a Friday night. A few ambitious souls
were already kicking up their heels to the band’s first set. Travis handed Leah a beer almost as soon as
she was in the door and guided them to a table he’d commandeered. Leah noticed it was toward the back, as
opposed to the front where they usually sat.
Walking through the room still drew enough looks for Leah to toss her
head back and smile in defiance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They think I’m gutted</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. Well she wouldn’t give anyone the
satisfaction of seeing the former not-Mrs. Sidney Crosby looking all sad that
her boyfriend’s real life had resumed, even if it did sting more than she cared
to admit. Leah took a long sip from the
bottle of beer. She had known Sid
leaving would hurt - regardless of how far they let things go, it was the
letting go itself that would sting. So
far, so right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What
she hadn’t really counted on was sharing every single place with the memory of
him. Sidney Crosby owned Cole Harbour,
while at the same time he’d been so anonymous.
Leah had become immune to his name, number and picture from ten years of
seeing it waved around town like a flag.
Now that flagpole was planted firmly in her way and she kept walking
right into it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
is where she and Sidney had first been in public together – he came through the
door, stopped the world and walked right toward her. Leah wondered if it had been scarier for him
than for her, and decided she took that one.
But the last time… a shudder ran through her body, Leah fought to keep
it down. Just a week ago they’d been
drunk and daring, recklessly pushing the boundary they’re built between
themselves. No wonder it had come
crashing down. The way he’d touched her
that night, using his whole body, was barely a hint of what he could do yet
even that glimmer left her heart pounding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fuck</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought as she set the now-empty beer
down. Her eyes drifted up and to the
left, where Canada and Pittsburgh jerseys were displayed above the stage. Even at a party, Sidney was literally hanging
over her head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
hand on her shoulder broke up Leah’s pity party. Gina slipped a hand under each arm and all
but lifted Leah out of her seat. Half
the guys in the place groaned – they’d been hoping since high school for Gina
to grope them like that. She turned Leah
to face her, looking very serious in perfect makeup and a scoop neck full of
cleavage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Up,”
she said. “And dance. You can miss him later.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
tumbled into bed, exhausted. He’d spent
every ounce of physical energy at practice then every ounce of mental energy
thinking about hockey for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow he would get up and do it all again. The grind had begun. It was all he could do to pick up his phone
and hit send.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
rang and rang, then voicemail. At the
sound of the tone, Sidney realized it was Friday night and Leah had Friday
night plans. Every Friday night, with or
without him. He wondered if right now
she was dancing with someone else. Sid
wondered if, in just twelve days, he’d even left a dent in Leah’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,
it’s Leah. Leave a message.” <i>Beeeeep.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
closed his eyes. He was so tired. “Night, Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(very
early, January 12)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
lead singer laughed when Leah leaned in to shout her song choice over the
music. It was new, but the meaning was
clear. Everyone seemed to be expecting
something special out of her anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
would,” Ben, the band leader, said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Might
as well give ‘em something,” Leah agreed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">People
hadn’t stopped looking at her all night.
She’d walked into the bathroom and dead-stopped every chattering mouth
at the mirror. Something between jealous
and pity was in a lot of their eyes – all guesses, of course. Every woman in the place figured Leah had
gotten Sidney, which they wanted, and lost him, which they wouldn’t. They had no idea that she’d been in on the
whole thing from the beginning. There
was a little power in that knowledge, a little self-determination. Now Leah was about to make some more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
song had been out about a week. Leah was
a little surprised the band knew it, simple as it was. Half the people hearing would probably think
she wrote it herself, about Sidney. Leah
stepped up to the microphone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I cut my bangs with some rusty kitchen
scissors<br />
I screamed his name ‘til the neighbors called the cops<br />
I numbed the pain at the expense of my liver<br />
Don’t know what I did next all I know, I couldn’t stop.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A few
people looked at each other, mostly girls Leah’s age, recognizing the song and
its significance. They weren’t sure she
was kidding and she kept singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Word got around to the barflies and the Baptists<br />
My mama’s phone started ringin’ off the hook<br />
I can hear her now sayin’ she ain’t gonna have it<br />
Don’t matter how you feel, it only matters how you look.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">From
the back of the room, Gina whistled so loudly that a cab stopped in New
York. That’s how Leah knew she looked
okay, even if she didn’t feel that way. If
spending time with Sidney had taught her anything, it was that people believed
what they saw. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
Go and fix your make up, girl, it’s just a break up<br />
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady<br />
'Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together<br />
Even when you fall apart<br />
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
were laughs and scattered hollers. Leah
belted out of the rest of Miranda Lambert’s song so even those who missed the
joke were cheering by the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was half past too late when she got home, peeled off the outfit she’d hated all
night and slid between her sheets. Plugging
in her mostly dead phone was an afterthought.
It beeped as the power supply registered, then quickly beeped again to
remind her of a voicemail. She snatched
the phone from the nightstand. The
missed call notification said: Sidney.
Leah let her head fall back and sighed. A second later his voice was in her ear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Night,
Leah,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
flopped back against her pillow in the dark.
“Night, Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-52302827807541741142013-04-26T08:41:00.001-07:002013-04-26T08:41:07.051-07:00ten<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(January
8)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I won’t miss you, I won’t think about you
when you’re not here. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> The words
tumbled around in Leah’s mind, all square edged and bouncing like lies would
be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I won’t let this break my heart</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she promised
herself. The rolling stopped – squares
settled onto one side or the other, lies but at least lying still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
arched her back as Sidney’s thumb brushed her clit. She was still forced wide over his thighs as
he worked his fingers deep. He stroked
again, buzzing her hot button, feeling her pussy twitch around the bulk of his
fingers. Leah sobbed out a breath. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
watched her face carefully for clues to what she was thinking. He knew what she was feeling – it was all
over his hand. Her desperation matched
his own and they were way past the point of stopping. It was only a question now of…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
grunted as Sid flicked his thumb. Her
whole body shuddered, the start of an orgasm she thought might be the death of
her. She grabbed Sidney’s hair and
smashed her lips to his. In one motion
he lifted her off his thighs and put her right down on his cock. She moaned into the kiss. Sid had gotten off over her mouth and she’d
almost come for his hand but there was nothing like being taken from
inside. He filled her up, sliding deep
on the first stroke then packed another inch into her body until her ass rested
against his thighs. Every nerve ending
fired at once – she rolled her hips against the pressure, only to double it
back on herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“OhhhhGod,”
she panted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
had been on his list of fantasies: Leah is his lap, bouncing against his
thighs, coming down harder each time until she fell apart in his arms. He was always smoother in his mind. Now Sid ground his teeth together against the
tight squeeze of her pussy. It wasn’t
enough. Her body swiveled and his vision
started to lose focus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
gonna…,” he gasped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It’s
o…,” Leah started but Sid cut her off.
He used a foot to push the coffee table away from the couch. With one arm around Leah’s waist he pushed
through his legs, still buried inside her, and twisted them down onto the
floor. Leah was on her back underneath
him and he was getting that last inch against before she knew what happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“…kay,”
she giggled until it turned into a moan.
Her hips tilted, but it didn’t matter. Sid used all his weight, all his
leverage, against the immobile surface to get deeper than ever. There was no more room unless Sidney made
room: either he was going through her or she was going through the floor. Her body was like a bow string ready to
snap. He lifted her ass off the carpet,
held her steady and thrust again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
buried her face in Sidney’s neck as she came.
It ripped from her body, one wave followed by another and another, as
she clung to him. Her toes and fingers
curled, her stomach bowed and she whispered his name against his skin as it
took her breath away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
pounded home one last time and stopped fighting. He collapsed on top of Leah with his own
incoherent mumble, flooding her with heat.
It rocked through him again and again until the orgasm beat itself
dead. Until they were a tangled mess of
impossible circumstances on her living room floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah,”
he said, breath catching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her
lips were close to his ear. “Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
should,” he said. Somewhere halfway down
his chest, he felt her giggling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
that what you’re into?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
lifted his head. Leah was on her back,
her head against his ribcage like a pillow.
They’d made it to her bedroom and Sid had made it through an entire
round with Leah in his lap, her legs around his waist. Now she drew his arm across her stomach and tickled
the sensitive inside of his wrist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
into it,” he insisted. As with the
living room, Leah had turned on every light before consenting to be ravished in
bed. She rolled onto her stomach and propped
her chin just below his nipple. His hand
fell lazily into the hollow of her back, fingertips grazing the rise of her
ass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Who
wouldn’t want to look at you?” she asked.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
knew he was attractive, or so girls said.
It didn’t mean much in hockey, because he wouldn’t get endorsements
unless he played well. Plenty of other
guys got deals, even if he didn’t think they were handsome. “Everyone must be sick of looking at me by
now.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed and it vibrated through him, a warm purring noise that settled like
liquid between his hips. He’d be ready
again so soon it was embarrassing. It
would also be embarrassing if she turned down the only fantasy request he’d
been able to say out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Which
mirror?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
shrugged, as if suddenly he didn’t care.
“Doesn’t matter.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
rolled her eyes. For someone so famous
and talented, Sid had a surprisingly fragile ego. For someone so naked and willing, she had a
surprising amount of power. She hoisted
herself on top of Sid, sore body struggling to straddle his thighs. She let her hair swing low and pressed her
front all along his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
know what that means?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
had a pouty look on his face. “What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We
try all of them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I love you</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, Sid thought. He could have reached forward and written it
in the fog along the side of the mirror, but he was busy holding Leah up on the
edge of the bathroom counter. Her knees
were bent high and he watched in their reflection as his cock disappeared into
her body again. She leaned back, breasts
bouncing, like he was in his own private movie.
The sound of their coming together was louder in the small space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
do like to watch,” she said drowsily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
thrust so hard her ass squeaked along the tile.
“Only you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
pulled a towel from the bar behind the door and shoved it under her, into the
sink. Then she lay down, Sid standing
between her legs. He lifted her feet onto
each of his shoulders. Leah reached for
his hand and guided it between her legs, but instead Sid held her hand down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Touch
yourself,” he said. Leah flicked her
clit, just above where Sid was losing himself inside her. Every stroke game out glistening. Her fingers worked quickly, the pleasure so
obvious Sid could feel it quickening along his shaft. He tweaked her nipples till they rolled like
pebbles beneath his palm. She made a small
noise, deep in her throat that sounded like he felt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
moved her hand faster. Sid clenched his
jaw and the tendon along his neck strained, one of so many muscles only he
would have. Her fingers were
unnecessary, but Sid said he wanted to watch.
If he wanted to see her come hard – again – he’d get his wish. Leah matched her stroke to his, letting both
pleasures add to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
had seen girls put on a show. He’d seen
them work hard to impress him, to be like whatever they thought guys
wanted. So he could tell that Leah
wasn’t pretending. She was getting off
on him the good old-fashioned way, the way he had to earn and deliver. She grunted softly as her fingers hit a mark
and Sid got so hard his eye bulged. The
pressure made her pussy flutter. The
squeeze made him woozy. Like dominoes
falling in a row, they quickly took each other down till they were racing for
the finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
wasn’t like before, when she almost blacked out. When the orgasm was so strong she couldn’t
feel anything else. This time Leah felt
release like a sigh and then the pulse of Sidney bursting inside her. His soft moan confirmed the story. She pushed up to sitting and reached for him
just as he ran dry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
opened one eye, just enough to see the reflection of Leah wrapped around him in
the mirror. On a night of wonders, it
was the single best thing he’d seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Should
we talk about this?” he finally asked.
The room was dim – Leah had turned off two lights and they lay in
semi-darkness, resting but refusing to sleep.
Giving in meant giving up the last few hours before tomorrow would force
them apart. Sid lay on his back, Leah
naked and curled against his side. He
was in no hurry to go anywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Probably,”
she said without moving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
experience with relationships was limited.
If his actions spoke louder than words, Leah would know a whole lot more
than he planned to tell her. Still there
were things he’d intended to say and they were still important. “I didn’t come over here for this tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
laughed softly. “You didn’t even make it
in the front door.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
know!” he pinched her side, tickling her.
“You weren’t supposed to be wearing that dress.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
it? The Great Sidney Crosby defeated by
a single garment from Topshop? Canada
will not be impressed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Har
har,” he said. “I came over to tell you
that these last two weeks have been incredible, and that I’m really glad I met
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah put
her head in her hand. The sight of
Sidney Crosby in bed was enough to kill a girl, but in her own bed in her own
house – Leah would have to live with this every night from now on. Thank God he was smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
glad I met you too, Sid. Like I said
that first night, you’re different than I expected.” She stroked the indent along his
ribcage. “And uh… I’m glad you came over
tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
broke into an enormous goober smile: he’d gotten away with it again. He pulled Leah up to eye level then he kissed
her as gently as he could manage in such a compromising position. It quieted his thumping heart. When he broke away, just barely, he looked
Leah right in the eyes. “I’m sorry I
have to leave.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
smiled sadly. “Will we still be
friends?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Of
course!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
not going to forget about me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
couldn’t forget about you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
gulped, one last question stuck in her throat.
“You’re not gonna wait for me though, right? You’re not going to hide yourself away down
there, holed up in your house and only coming out for hockey, pretending it’s
for some good reason?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Are you asking me to wait?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> he almost
said. <i>Is that option on the table?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The waiting would kill us both,</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Leah knew. “You need something besides hockey, Sid. Someone to make you happy. I hope you find it in Pittsburgh.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
sighed. Talking with a real, current
girl about a hypothetical future girl seemed like a set up for failure. “Me too,” he said honestly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
kissed him, as softly as he’d kissed her.
For a moment it felt like goodbye, like writing “the end” on their
story. But like everything about them, it
quickly deepened, growing hungry and urgent.
They had said all they could safely say – maybe even a little more. Anything else would have to be implied. Leah turned, facing away, and Sid worked his
growing erection along the groove of her ass.
He held her close with a massive arm around her chest and his lips never
left her skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
loved his strength – she didn’t have to do anything except let him do
everything. She felt almost guilty for
how badly he wanted her. Even when she
was saying yes, it was really code for another no: No this could not last, no
it would not happen again. She bent her
top knee and Sid caught her leg - holding it up, opening her. He drove inside her without pause and Leah
just said ‘yes’ again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
took his time. Every curve of Leah’s body
was built to fit this way. Her thigh was
slender in his hand, he watched his fingers dent her flesh. She turned her head and kissed him,
off-center and messy, like she couldn’t wait a second longer. When he was closer – damn her, it always
happened too quickly – Sid dipped his hand between Leah’s legs and touched her
the way she had touched herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
fuck,” she panted, unable to see his victorious smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
couldn’t think under these conditions.
She couldn’t be smart and have resolve when Sid made it look so
easy. He manhandled her like she’d never
known – he paid attention while fucking her!
How was that even possible? His
mouth came down against her ear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
feel so good,” he growled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
turned her face away, his mouth sliding along her neck, just to hide the tears
in her eyes. All she could do was
whisper, “Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
some point they fell asleep. The whole
thing had been a dream, except that Sid woke tangled in sheets and still
sticky. Leah lay with one hand behind
her head, the way she’d been when he barged into his guest room that morning. Only now he was beside her. He leaned over and kissed her lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Morning,”
he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
opened one eye. She closed it and tried
the other one. At least she was crazy on
both sides of her brain, it looked like she’d woken up next to Sidney Crosby. She blinked and tried again – he was still
there. Dark hair stuck up all over the
place, flawless skin disappeared into bedding at every horizon. The bulk of his bicep pressed to her side was
like sleeping against a submarine. Those
caramel-colored eyes watched her carefully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Jesus
you’re beautiful,” she said. Sid laughed
and smiled all at once, perfect white teeth flashing. He ducked his head, shy despite the
setting. “That is not helping!” She
pulled a pillow over her head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
think I’m hot,” he giggled, which made him sound like a girl. It set Leah off laughing and she swung her
pillow, catching his square in the face.
Sid fell back dramatically, pulling Leah on top of his chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Weak
winter sun made the room glow with a pale, bleached light. Colors were not as sharp. Leah’s eyes looked the washed blue of sea
glass instead of their normal pop of turquoise.
Her curls were a tangled mess, falling around them. The swell of her breasts was enough reminder
that the rest of her naked body was hiding just below, waiting to absorb and
obsess him again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was certain, in that moment, that no one else ever got to see her like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I love you</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. Sid thought the words so hard that he had to
fight to keep them in, like every orgasm he’d battled overnight. She had to go first. But she wouldn’t – he knew that. Leah loved him in her way but it wasn’t
this. It wasn’t something to give up a
life over, for someone that couldn’t even offer her a new life in return. Pittsburgh and hockey were not the place for
anything else he cared so much about. Sid was scared that there wouldn’t be enough
of him to go around, and Leah would always get the bad end of the deal. So he bit his lip and swallowed three little
words that tasted like medicine going down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew two things: she was in love and she was in trouble. Funny how things had a way of going exactly
opposite of the plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
staring…,” she started to joke, for lack of anything more comfortable to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
was past that. He’d never been so
comfortable with anyone in his whole life.
He brought Leah’s lips to his, paused for a second until she was looking
right at him, then kissed her with his eyes wide open. He kissed her until her eyelashes fluttered
shut in pleasure, then he chased his own feeling of euphoria. Leah swung a leg over his waist, sat up and worked
against his lap until the need became solid between them. Sid helped himself to her breasts, her hips,
her hair. When Leah leaned forward to
kiss him, she slipped back right onto the tip of his dick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mmmmm,”
she purred because she’d never felt anything so good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
made love the way they had the first time, only better. This was what they’d each been hoping for
after the morning in his guest room – a chance to tell the truth without any
words getting in the way. Leah ran her
fingers through Sid’s hair, listened to the noises he made. She gave him what he wanted, which was
exactly what she wanted too. Nothing
more than minds and bodies, together, for as long as they could both last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Come
with me,” he said, then gasped softly when he realized the words he’d
used. A damp curl stuck to his forehead,
his eyes wide with the reflex of fear.
His heart beat itself bloody inside his chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I… I
mean….” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Come home with me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he wanted to say,
but this was home. Her home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
words didn’t register with Leah until she saw Sid’s face. Her reaction was an instant laugh. “I know, Sid.
And you’d better come quick,” she teased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
barely had time to be relieved – his body seized and Leah held on tighter till
it rode through both of them, leaving ruin in every direction. Sid pulled her down into his arms and rolled
them onto their sides, still joined together.
He kissed her lips softly and closed his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Come with me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought over
and over until he drifted off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
knew Sid slept like the dead. Only this
time, instead of sneaking out she reached for her phone. A quick text made for a lame sick day, but
then she pulled the comforter over them and passed out in his arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
didn’t know how they’d gotten out of bed.
He did remember the shower, where he’d made Leah sing to him. Getting dressed had taken a few tries because
he kept losing his cool at the sight of Leah pulling little bikini panties up
over her ass. The last few hours had been
blissful, but now he was riding shotgun in her car with two hockey bags
blocking the rear window and an ache in his stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah watched
the furrow in Sid’s brow deepen. She
wanted to tell him it was just nerves, that he’d feel better once he got to
Pittsburgh. She certainly hoped he would. But misery loves company and Leah knew where
she was headed as soon as she dropped Sid off.
She flipped on the radio to cover the silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Where there is desire there is gonna be a
flame<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Where there is a flame someone’s bound to
get burned<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But just because you’re burned doesn’t mean
you’re gonna die<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You’ve gotta get up and try, try, try…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
slapped the dial, cutting Pink off in mid-chorus. Sid snickered weakly. A minute later, the car tires bumped against
the airport sidewalk curb. Sid was
already out of the car. Before she could
unbuckle her seat belt, he was at her side tapping on the window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
don’t get a goodbye?” he said loudly enough to be heard through the window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
scrambled out. Next to the car – next to
anything normal sized and standing up – Sid looked larger than life again. With a ball cap pulled down low and the
collar of his jacket up he was even more imposing, except for the look on his
face. His eyes twinkled and the corner
of his scandalous mouth curled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?”
she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Wait
for it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
didn’t last a second, but smacked him on the chest. “What?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
going to kiss you in front of all these people. I’m hoping someone recognizes
me first.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
wasn’t kidding about kissing her or caring if anyone saw. Sid felt scared and reckless, the
sex-and-death reflex activated by fear.
This was it. He’d get on that
plane and get into Pittsburgh, into the locker room and his life and there
would be no more time for this. No room
to pine over a girl twelve hundred miles away.
He’d gotten more than he ever could have dreamed out of Leah and now he
needed a clean break, or he’d be living off that same supply all year. That meant leaving it here on the asphalt in
the winter air outside the Halifax airport on a Tuesday afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sid….”
The blood drained from Leah’s face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
told their favorite lie. “I won’t. I promise.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
second their lips touched, his arms easily lifted her off the ground. Leah held the back of his neck. She did everything but wrap her legs around
his waist, and then only because their winter coats were in the way. She poured every second of the last twelve
days into that kiss – the good moments, the bad ones, the ones that were
themselves closer than kisses. It was sex
in a kiss, goodbye in a kiss. It lasted
so long that cars started honking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
broke apart laughing and smiling, both thinking that’s the way they wanted to
remember each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the airport, Sid treated himself to a soda and sat down facing the
windows. The same light that had shown him
Leah that morning now poured into the terminal, illuminating every messy bit of
leaving going on around him. A sip of sugary
bubbles zipped through his system like new energy. Like Leah’s kiss. Sid took a deep breath and resigned to move
on. He’d gotten Leah in the end – that
counted for something. Judging from the
way she’d responded, it wasn’t the only thing he knew how to do. Sid felt confident a way that fit tightly,
like a new pair of hockey gloves. It
would need to be broken in before it could be played. It needed a little time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Then his
phone buzzed. Sid nearly dropped his
drink scrambling for it. <i>If she came back I will run out of this
terminal and…. </i>It was a text from
his sister.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor: You’re an fool.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
know,” he said out loud. It buzzed
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Taylor: Say hi to Nealer for me.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-55659698815273453312013-04-18T11:43:00.006-07:002013-04-18T11:51:39.272-07:00nine<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(January 7)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sid sat on the
couch in his living room. Tomorrow he
would pack the place into a bags and boxes – or he could leave everything in
it’s place. Either way, it would almost
look as if no one had ever lived there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That’s not fair</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, he told himself. Just the
night before, Leah had fallen asleep on that couch. They’d eaten dinner at that table. Upstairs, they’d done more than have sex – he
and Leah had made love, something Sid had never done with anyone else. He pushed a hand roughly through his hair,
exhaling to force away the tightness in his chest. He was relieved to have made up with Leah and
parted friends, but he would have preferred not to part at all, and instead
test their friendship one – or maybe five – more times. Now relief had turned to frustration: why
couldn’t she want him the way he wanted her?
Or at least want him in the superficial, fleeting way every other girl
did? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He patted his
pocket, keys jingling. He should drive
to her house. He should climb in a fucking
window if that’s what it took. They’d
been together and the world hadn’t ended.
Sid wouldn’t want to be anywhere else if it did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Except for Pittsburgh.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He let his hand
fall. For ten days, the Cole Harbour house had been more than just a place to
live. Now it was time to go home. Sidney looked around the room again – a
reminder that when he left, there were things he couldn’t take with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It had been
eighteen hours since Leah snuck out of Sidney’s house. In that time, he’d called and texted nearly
fifty times. She had ignored them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After the dinner
party she lay in bed, hoping the phone would ring just one more time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I’m stupid</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">,
she thought. <i>I should have gone over there. I
should have fucked him senseless and limped into work. I should have let him have what he wants –
because he wants me. Sidney Crosby wants
me.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Leah closed her
eyes, guilty and sad, and let her hands go where Sid’s should have been.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(January 8)</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
did not dream that night, or his body couldn’t handle remembering. In the morning, he rolled out of bed at the
first beep of his alarm like a solider to a battle cry. He pulled on sweatpants and sneakers, a heavy
fleece and cap. Outisde he could see his
breath before he even started running.
He gave himself one mile to think of Leah – one mile to get it under
control. She had changed a lot of things
for Sid, but failed to alter the one inevitable consequence of their
friendship: he was still leaving, and leaving her behind. No memory – no matter how strong or soft or
how good it smelled - could fill that hole.
He’d gotten through the night without her, now Sid just had to get
through one more day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the mile mark, he told himself it was time for a fresh start. Leah was back at school and he should get
back to his life too. <i>Worst part first.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey,”
he called, walking through his parents front door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“About
time you came over,” Troy said. “Left
you five messages.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
saw,” Sidney replied. He loved his
family but the burden of his father’s expectations never got lighter. Surely they knew about Leah, though they
hadn’t said a word. Or Sid hadn’t
allowed it – he’d been completely absent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
packed?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No.”
Sid helped himself to a glass of juice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
did you do all of yesterday?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Slept with Leah, called her a thousand
times, went to dinner, got shot down, tried to take her home, got shot down
again…</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
Sidney listed the highlights in his head.
“Worked out.” It was always the
safe answer. “Talked to some of the
guys. Had a dinner last night with
friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
father’s brow gathered in the middle, the way it always did before he launched free
advice. Surprisingly, Troy’s words were
short. “Hope you told them goodbye.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sid
rolled his eyes. Troy would never
consider his son’s dalliances with the opposite sex anything more than
inconvenient. Troy started talking about
conditioning and coaches and getting on the ice with the team right away, as if
Sid had been stuffing his face with PopTarts all winter only to be surprised by
the end of the lockout. Sidney tuned out
the monologue, gave his mother a kiss and sat down in front of an omelette – egg
whites, which meant his mom was in on it too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“What
time’s your flight?” she asked politely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Two
o’clock tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is
Leah driving you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
almost choked. The words – her name –
fell to the table like a bomb dropping to Earth. He could only imagine what his parents had
heard. With his eyes glued to his plate,
Sid refused to look up at either of them.
It took an extra moment but he collected his words and swallowed his
food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,
she has school.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Troy
shrugged, as if he’d already told everyone this new girl was nothing. Sid was sure he had actually told everyone,
except of course his son. Only if Sid
brought it up would Troy come down on the topic, like smiting a man for
swearing in church. It was a tired dance
and Sid let it go without comment. He
felt like he was letting the whole thing go without a word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Troy
started talking about something else, but Sid didn’t hear it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One
thing he’d learned during his concussion was that no one could tell him how he
felt. Diagnoses were just educated
guesses. In the end it was up to what
Sid felt in himself. No piece of paper,
no frustrated coach or scared parent could help. It was a burden Sidney railed against in the
worst of his injury – he wanted to be told when he would be better and that it
would never, ever happen again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Except
no one could promise that. Just like no
one could promise that he’d meet a girl like Leah in Pittsburgh. Maybe they didn’t want him to. No one could guarantee that Sid’s life from
this point on would be any different than it had been before. Only he was responsible for change and the
first thing he had to change were his priorities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One more day</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. But Sid could not avoid her, now did he want
to. He had to be as good to her as she
was to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Maybe
Leah can take me,” he interrupted his father.
“I’ll ask.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
not necessary,” Troy interjected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
shrugged. “I want to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
want to put that poor girl through the wringer for another day?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
laughed, nearly choking again. His
father’s face darkened as he did appreciate insubordination. Sid put down his knife and fork. “Now you’re worried about <i>her</i>?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
worried about her getting the wrong idea and waiting around like you’re coming
back for her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pushing
away the last few bites of his omelette, Sid stayed calm. His father was as predictable as he was a
bully. Rising to the argument only
suited Troy’s purpose. Sid had learned
long before his injury that he could not win fights by being the loudest or the
meanest. He had to be the smartest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“She
wouldn’t wait.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Bullshit.” His father, ever stubborn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
tilted his head like it was of no consequence that he might come home next
summer to find Leah shacked up with Ricky Calvert or another of Cole Harbor’s
perfectly ordinary, permanent young men.
As if that idea didn’t churn the food in his stomach like so much
concrete. He forced a smile to his face
and used his favorite words to say to his father:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
wrong.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
first day back from vacation always seemed endless. The bell was shrill, the
kids one-upping each other with new possessions. Teachers were grumpy, seniors had senioritis
and the juniors – her primary concern – were at maximum stress levels from
answering two weeks of family questions about where they were going to
college. Leah had been prepared for the
onslaught.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
not for this. She walked down the hall
and every single person stared. Some
stopped what they were doing – kids, on sugar, most with some
technology-induced form of ADD – and watched her. She got halfway down the crowded upperclass
hallway, when one of the most popular senior boys called out, “Hey Miss
Hanlon. Good vacation?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
laughed. He and his friends
laughed. Two cheerleaders told her she
looked “really cool” in her new red dress.
One of the hockey players asked if she was singing at their next
game. Leah made it to her office, closed
the door and put her head against it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
Crosby was their hero, their heartthrob.
And they all thought she was his girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
drove straight home. Arguing with his
father always got him fired up, but not arguing was worse. He felt pathetic for not exploding at his
father, even though such a display never worked. Sid stormed through the living room - site of the previous night’s weakness - and
set to packing. Clothes either stayed or
went, books and papers and junk followed.
Everything was jammed into bags - what he didn’t take he could buy new. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Find new</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he told himself. <i>Find
someone new. </i>This place would wait
for him, even if Leah would not. He
shoved things into drawers and ripped zippers closed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
made good progress until the guest room.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
it was Leah’s room, still rumpled from their encounter – pillows askew,
blankets twisted. Someone had a good
time there. The memories flooded back:
detailed, desperate. Even the parts he’d
rushed and been clumsy with her, embarrassingly eager. An ache stabbed into his crotch so hard he
wobbled and sat on the edge of the mattress.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah said
the sex had been good - Sid desperately wanted to believe her. It had been more than good for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">If only she’d stayed</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought. He’d have shown her how much better it could
be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
didn’t often allow himself to wallow.
Two years of serious, untreatable injury had worn that right out of
him. But after failing to defend Leah to
his father, after seeing where she way and knowing she would not return, Sid couldn’t
make himself stand back up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had proven to be different from anyone he’d ever known. Maybe normal guys got to know girls like her
all the time – he’d envy them, then.
Mostly he would just miss Leah.
Their crazy outburst of lust had been one thing, but her apology and
forgiveness and ability to laugh about it was more special. After giving her the one thing every girl
seemed to want – Leah didn’t want more.
She just wanted him in her life, without the draw of the fame, money or sex. Even Sid wasn’t quite sure who he was without
all that. Leah seemed to know him
though, she saw what he needed and what he could handle. People fell all over themselves to give Sid
what he wanted. Leah had refused, and
for his own good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
rolled onto his side, head on her pillow.
One breath confirmed his hope and fear: it still smelled like her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For
all his practical, efficient nature, for his years of hard work and focus, Sid
lay there a while thinking about what he did really want now. That list had changed a lot in two years. Winning was still at the top. Things like more close friends, life outside
hockey and more free time were knew. He
wanted a relationship too, with someone he could trust and who would trust him
in return. Hockey was not the ideal life
to fall in love with – some teammates forgot about home when they were on the
road. Sid would not be like that, he was
too scared. And that scared him. He wanted something worth being terrified to
lose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I want her</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he let himself
think for just a moment. For an idea so visceral,
it felt cold and hard in his mind. Sid
had told his father the truth. Leah was
not the kind of girl who would wait. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“One
more day.” Sid stripped the bed and
carried the sheets to the wash. He
doubled up on the soap, pushed the wad of fabric low into the machine and set
it for the hottest water. The lid
clanged shut like a kick to the stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
left the rest of the house looking as if he could walk back in at any
moment. It was the set of a play where
he acted like a regular guy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
checked his watch: five-thirty in the afternoon. Leah would be home from school by now but she
had not called or texted. Sid had not
said when he was leaving – it was too sad to expose exactly how much longer
he’d do nothing about it. Now his house
was silent. He moved into the kitchen,
it’s wide granite countertops and stainless steel sinks looking as new as they
day they were installed. Sid emptied
every cabinet and examined the half-empty ones.
It would do. He systematically
cut every last vegetable, dumped pasta from the bottom of a box, and stretched
the end of some sauce with olive oil. It
all went on the stove, into a bowl and down his throat. He barely tasted it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Six
o’clock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the shower, Sid put his head under the spray and let the water block his
ears. Sound was drowned out until he
could hear only his heart thumping at that trusty, rhythmic speed. With nothing to distract him, details about the
night with Leah resurfaced: the way she reached for him, the way she’d given
herself up without pretending she didn’t want it. It had been honest and scary and sexy as
hell. Sliding into her was heaven. Making her breath hitch was even better. Losing himself, spilling inside her when she
wanted it so badly had been beyond compare.
Sid’s right hand wrapped his erection.
The other pushed hard against the tile wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One more day</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. He gave in and pleasured himself to her
memory: her thighs spread beneath him, the way he slammed home the first time
and nearly knocked them both out. Her
skin and feet and her blue, blue eyes that stayed open, right through the kiss,
as he screwed his cock into her body. He
jerked his length roughly in frustration and anger, then came hard, a low growl
ripping from his throat and his load splashing the wall. The coursing water quickly washed his
weakness down the drain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One more day</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he repeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
hung the towel carefully over the top of the glass stall and wiped a big hand
through the fog on the mirror. Six
twenty-five. He shaved and brushed his
teeth, rubbed a little gel through his hair.
In his room, Sid put on dark jeans and a soft, dark green pullover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
grabbed his keys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After school,
Leah went to the gym. She stopped for dinner. She ran an errand. She made up something else to do but
eventually it was six-thirty and she was home, scattered and skittish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He’ll call, right? He’s the
one leaving. Or should I call? Should I have called him last night? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The phone was
safe. Sidney’s voice softened her
resolve, but was nothing compared to his face or size or the sight of that
mouth. Leah had used up all her strength
saying goodbye at dinner. Her body ached
from every side – the memory of him plus the way she’d gone at herself, fantasizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Still, he hadn’t
called. Is this what happened to every
girl he slept with, and every girl who turned him down? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
wiped his palms on his jeans and rang Leah’s doorbell with an unsteady hand. Twice he’d nearly turned the car around,
doubting his ability to behave in her presence.
He could have called. But there
were things she deserved to hear from him – she deserved his respect. To leave Cole Harbour without thanking her
would make him a bad friend and he couldn’t mess up his first time out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Inside,
Leah heard the chime. She froze. Then she ran.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
heard the patter of feet, beating as quickly as his heart. The door whipped open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
mouth went dry. It was just a dress –
albeit a red one that wrapped around Leah’s body like a hug and cinched at her
waist right where he’d like to put his hands.
It was conservative enough for school and suggestive enough to make sure
all the boys learned nothing in her presence.
Her hair was down, dented from an updo, and she’d ditched her shoes. The ground rolled under his feet. Leah held the door wide, but like a vampire
Sid couldn’t enter without being invited.
Because his intentions had just changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fuck this</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought. <i>I have
one more day.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
arm fit so well around Leah’s waist. He
pulled her in and kissed her, pushed right again her front door for the whole
damned world to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
could have burst into tears. All day she
tried to work, all day she thought of Sid. She thought of the coming days that would hold
nothing memories while he was long gone back to his glamorous life. <i>And now
back to your regularly scheduled programming, where Sidney Crosby is a
superstar and Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia was the middle of fucking nowhere. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Except
that he was still there, for now, like a flare left burning long after a crash. Like a guy with as much desire and confusion
as Leah had herself. She grabbed the
back of Sid’s neck and kissed him for all she was worth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They
staggered inside, the front door slammed.
Sid backed Leah up to the wall, pulling and untying as he went. She pawed at his shirt, breaking their kiss
only to whip it over his head. It raked
his dark curly hair into a mess. Sid looked
down at her, a big smile breaking across his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Shut
up,” she smiled back and kissed him again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
gave up on her dress and shoved his hands up her thighs, lifting her off her
feet. A thin, delicate piece of lace
snapped easily around two of his thick fingers.
Then those same fingers pushed right up into her pussy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ohhhhgod,”
Leah knocked her head against the wall.
She twisted against the penetration, accidentally rubbing her thigh
along his crotch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
saw stars. Leah was as hot and wet as if
she’d been thinking of him all day, dreaming of him busting in here and having
his way with her. Well he would not
disappoint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
always run to your door like that?” he asked in a low voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
alwaysssaahhh,” she moaned as pumped his hand again, “come over uninvited?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
went palm-deep inside her soaked core and said, “I plan to come a lot of ways
tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
fingers pulled free with a wet pop and Leah slid down the wall. Only Sid’s grip kept her from crumpling to the
floor. His eyes were black, his lips
flushed, his chest bare; Sid looked like a werewolf fresh from a full moon
party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
held Leah’s gaze. Her chest heaved,
breasts swelling where he’d pulled at the top of her dress. Those auburn curls were barely out of place –
he’d have to work harder. She put her
hand against his chest, right over his heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
was going to say something, Sid didn’t know what. It could have been ‘get out’ or ‘don’t go’ or
‘fuck me.’ All he knew is what he would
say in return: <i>I love you.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
kissed her instead. Her torn panties
under his heel, her juices slick on his skin, Sidney leaned down and kissed
Leah the way he wished he’d kissed her on New Year’s Eve. Slow and strong, his tongue trying a new way
to communicate everything he couldn’t say.
And this time - just like in his daydreams, just like in that bed - Leah
kissed him back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
followed as he pulled her to the couch, but refused to sit down. Instead she stood in front of Sidney and ran
her hands over his heavy arms, wide chest and hard abs, feeling the muscle
coiled beneath every inch of his skin.
Dark jeans hung on his hips, as if they’d like to slip off, but couldn’t
get over his ass. Neither could
Leah. She pushed both hands into his
back pockets, the dragged them back along his stomach. </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One thumb slipped inside his waistband, stroking across his
directional muscle. The other reached
for the table lamp behind him and clicked it on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Don’t be shy,”
she smirked, moving to his fly. Sid let
his head fall back. The zipper fired off
like a round of bullets as it opened, each one close enough to make him jump. Then Leah had a handful of his cock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Fuck,” he
groaned. She pulled him out to full
length, wrapped around his shaft and pushed back down until her fingers raked
his balls. Sid rolled his head forward
just as she was pushing his pants away and following them to the floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Leah didn’t stop
to appreciate the scenery – on her knees in front of Sidney Crosby’s lower body
was no time to be a good Canadian. She
peeled the soft cotton of his boxer briefs away like unwrapping a present. He was more than she remembered – hot and
smooth and throbbing in her hand. As she
had in bed, Leah looked Sidney right in the eye. She slipped his cock between her lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sid never had a
dizzy spell like this, not even in the worst days of his concussion. The room wobbled as Leah pushed her mouth
down his length. Then she pursed her
lips, sucked hard and drew slowly back, right off the end until he popped free,
bouncing like a diving board. He
gathered up her hair, held it at the back of her head and Leah took him deeper
still, his tip brushing the back of her throat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Fuck me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, she wanted him
to say. Not ‘make love,’ as it seemed
they were dangerously close to doing again.
It was just sex, friends with benefits, screaming each others’ names,
whatever. He was leaving, she was
staying. It was goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sid flinched on
impact. Leah would have smiled had her
mouth not been so full. Instead she dug
her fingernails into his thigh and deep throated him again. He grunted loudly. She worked him over, two hands and her mouth,
until he was making that noise on every stroke.
Then she went faster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Godyes,” Sid
breathed. He’d been trying not to talk,
not to beg or command her to swallow his load.
But Leah was giving as good as he’d ever gotten and Sid was
forgetting his manners. With a
fistful of her auburn curls, he pushed her face into his lap. Leah squirmed, but when he eased up she just
went back for more. Sid ran his dick
down her throat again and again until he saw stars, then again until she
gagged. The sudden gasp slapped at his
cock and Sid came with a roar, bursting hot and pouring his frustration and
fear across her tongue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Leah licked her
way free of his salty mess and he fell back onto the couch. She got to her feet, stripped off her dress
and climbed right into his lap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sid wanted to
sleep. He wanted to cry. Mostly he wanted make sure that Leah never
looked at another guy again, never got wet for one or sucked one off or let one
do the things that he wanted to do tonight.
Just as she managed to straddle his thighs, Sid parted his knees: her
legs spread even wider. She gasped. He slipped a hand into the open space and
lightly traced the outline of her pussy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Soaked. As Sidney’s slightly coarse fingertip tugged
at the sensitive skin, trembling. Leah forced
herself to look at him. From so close
up, Sidney was even more perfect. His
eyes had a softness to them now – the post-pleasure glow. That look was trouble. It wasn’t the hungry desire of someone
desperate to break the rules. It was the
surrender of a man already condemned who figures he might as well go all the
way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Sid,” she said,
voice as feather-light as his touch. He
half-smiled at the sound of his name.
That such a small display of affection, even now, could earn that grin
made her heart splinter like glass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sid might have
been embarrassed by how little it took to light him up. Maybe if he were still standing at her front
door - but this was the party at the end of the world. He used the he said at Madigan’s, the night
they’d danced so close. It was obvious then
they wanted this enough to fight it so hard.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I won’t,” he said, not elaborating on what exactly he was
resisting. “I promise.”</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">____</span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-23115541834538085212013-04-12T08:03:00.001-07:002013-04-12T08:03:24.725-07:00eight<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(January 6)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What?” Sid sat straight up
in bed. From zero to awake in under one
second.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Deal’s done, they’re signing now.
Announcing in twenty minutes.
Terms are consistent with….” Pat went on but Sid could only hear the
blood rushing in his ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I, uh, I’ll call you back.
Later.” Sid disconnected and
stared at the phone in his hand - it immediately rang again. His thumb slid the sound to silence. “Hey.”
Now that he was conscious, he was coherent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You heard,” Mario Lemieux said.
He was Sid’s mentor, stand-in father and for the last four months, oddly
balanced enemy and friend. This was the
first time since summer their relationship was back to normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yeah. Just now. It’s done?
They’re sure?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m calling from the owners to tell you it’s officially done.
Everything’s over, we can finally get started.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid mumbled something and ended the call. If he was rude, let them chalk it up to
waking him. Let them take blame for
ruining a full season and their relationship with fans. For the first time in months, raw anger took
the place of Sidney’s frustration. He’d
finally gotten healthy and they’d taken hockey away. Now he’d finally gotten happy and they were
taking that away too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“No,” he said out loud to his empty room. He was different now. He had learned things about himself over two
years of injuries and lockouts and time to think. If he didn’t put those things into action
right away, he’d lose them to the life he used to lead. He was Sidney Crosby, and he was in
control. The first thing he was going to
do was shove his phone under a pillow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The second thing was across the hall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid didn’t knock. He turned
the guest room knob and let himself in.
Leah lay on her back, hair strewn around and one hand tucked behind her
head. There was just enough light that
he would never forget the sight of her asleep in his t-shirt. Without losing a step, Sid lifted the blanket
and got right in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sleeping through a door opening is one thing. Sleeping through two hundred pounds of Sidney
Crosby climbing into bed is something else entirely. Leah instinctively reached out – her palm landed
on his bare chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Sid?” She opened her eyes, but it was too dark for anything more
than shape and heat. Neither of which
could be mistaken. Her hand was close
enough to his heart that she could feel it racing. His arm slid underneath her neck, turning her
toward him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Lockout’s over,” he said softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah gasped. Sid followed
it right to her mouth with his own. His fingers
pushed up into her hair, his other arm closed over and drew her in tight. The element of surprise carried him right
into the kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah’s whole world dropped like a roller coaster car. She wasn’t even sure she was awake, and now
this part couldn’t be real. But the
velvet brush of Sid’s tongue sent goosebumps down her spine, and she felt every
single one beneath the searing press of his hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Over</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, she
said to herself. <i>It’s over.</i> The lockout. Their time together. Them, essentially, the way she’d come to know
it. In ten days he’d taken over her
life, and he would take part of it with him when he left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Without making any kind of decision, Leah wrapped her arms around
Sidney and kissed him back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It was better than he’d imagined, when he let himself
imagine. The shape of Leah’s body, both
familiar and forbidden, came against his as it had when they were dancing, only
now his strength and size were advantages.
He squeezed tighter, afraid she might disappear. This time she clung back just as
desperately. They kissed until Sid was
lightheaded and panting. Up so close, he
could still tell her eyes were blue even in darkness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah didn’t wait for Sid to speak.
She took her mouth to his neck and at the same brazen moment slipped her
hands inside the back of his sweatpants.
Of course he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. It was all smooth skin and rock hard muscle,
like a statue that could move. And move
he did, rolling slightly and pinning her to the bed. Leah’s hands had never been so full.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid had already run a red light to get here. Now her hurry to get inside his clothes was a
green light screaming: <i>Go!</i> He pawed at her borrowed old t-shirt until it
was gone. All but lifting her onto the
pillow, Sid brought his mouth to her breast and Leah’s entire body rocked as he
twisted his tongue around one nipple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He wanted to take hours and learn every curve of her body, but
already his hands were roaming. Those
yoga pants felt even better than they looked; still he tugged and kicked till
her feet were free. He felt his way up
the soft length of her leg until the lace edge of her panties grazed his
fingertips. For once, Sid didn’t care
about anything but right there and then.
It was like being on the ice – everything else could wait. Leah was not a game, but Sidney had never
treated hockey as a game either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah felt him pause. She
was scared too – scared of doing this, of not doing it, of missing the one last
chance to be more than friends. Either
way, she would lose him. At least after
this she’d have something more to remember him by. Leah lifted one knee and let Sid’s hand graze
to her inner thigh; he did the rest.
Those thick fingers rubbed at the wisp of fabric stretched across her
cleft and Leah moaned softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid felt her, hot and wet, beneath his touch. On the return he tugged her panties aside and
stroked her bare skin. With one finger,
he parted her slit just enough to feel like it was pulling all the blood from
his own body. Her underwear didn’t last
another minute. Sid tore at his own
sweatpants, careless of his erection that throbbed against her thigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I can’t do this</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, he argued
in his head. <i> But I have to do it. She wants it.
I want it enough for both of us.
She will because I want to, she’d do it for me. Even if I just asked. She would never make me ask.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah saw a thousand thoughts cross his gorgeous features. He was in no position to be diplomatic –
there was no game face here. Sidney was
fighting with himself, over her. She
couldn’t lose. Wrapping one hand around
his shaft, Leah knew his eyes would open.
Black, or darker, they were beyond the point of wishing now that everything
was happening. She stroked his length,
thick in her hand, and watched his lashes flutter closed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I shouldn’t do this. I should have done it before. We can’t ever take this back. Two weeks ago I didn’t even know him</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, her
mind raced. <i>Two weeks ago, this was a dream.</i>
Still not entirely sure she wasn’t just a sweaty tangle of sheets alone
in his guest room, Leah caught Sidney’s mouth again and let her body take over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He was on top of her in a flash, muscling her thighs apart with
his own. Clumsy, desperate, they moved
as quickly as they could toward what they’d been avoiding. Sid pushed his hands under the small of
Leah’s back, holding her tight. One of
her hands was on his neck, fingers on his cheek. He lined himself up to the spot as her hips
titled, brushing the tip of his cock against her secret spot. They both flinched, unready for the contact
even now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah bought his face to hers, Sid looked her right in the
eye. The corner of her mouth crinkled –
almost a smile. Better than a
smile. He pressed their foreheads together
and held her gaze as he slowly screwed himself into her body. Her frame got small in his arms as the
sensation shuddered through them both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Ohgod,” Leah said so quietly that it might have been Sid’s voice
instead. He pushed steadily, supplying more
as Leah’s body struggled to keep up with the demand. He’d been big in her hand but this was
something else. The tension in her body,
wound like a spring, didn’t help. Leah
told herself to relax and felt his cock slip another inch deeper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Leah,” Sid panted. He groaned,
worried he would lose it right then, halfway into her tight, hot core. Sid lifted her higher to turn her hips down –
the move made a fraction more space and he slipped, driving in right up to the
hilt. He bottomed out so hard that a drop
of desire spilled before he clenched every muscle in his body and barely
stemmed the tide. A curse escaped his
lips as Leah cried out. Sid bit down on
her throat and started to move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah didn’t need to race – there was way too much of him to enjoy
– but her body had other ideas. Sid was
bigger than any guy she’d been with.
Previously unknown places reported for duty as he stroked that thick
erection right through her. She shifted
to get it all, exposing even more sensitive spots. Sid pushed upward, she bent her knees farther
and they crashed together again. She
felt his body recoil for another run, then snap back on her with twice the
force. The spot between her hips was
turning to jelly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There were so many things Sid wanted to do, so many ways he wanted
to do them. They popped into his head
like his life flashing before his eyes: Leah on top, barely able to straddle
his thighs, curls and breasts bouncing.
Leah in his lap, wrapped around him like she was climbing a tree. Himself on Leah’s back, words whispered from
his lips in perfect rhythm with her ass smacking his legs. Sid twitched again, barely reigning in his
release, then plowed her right into the bed.
He kissed her had to keep from begging, her tongue replying
eagerly. Leah wrapped her legs around
his waist, hooked her feet together and pushed against him – giving what she
got, asking for more. He delivered. She was sobbing out ragged breaths in no
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah thought the first press of his cock had been good. She liked the feel of him going slowly. Those were nothing compared to what his body
could really do. He stroked home, thrust
after thrust, like a machine designed to make her blood boil. Leah bucked against him and he rode harder,
right up to and through the finish line.
She came silently, head back and biting her lip to keep from screaming
his name. His own sound started as a
growl and grew to low roar, the predatory kind, as he broke wide open inside
her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid came so hard he almost fainted. His face was buried in her hair, chest
heaving, fingers pressed deep into her soft spots. He fell across Leah and she held him there,
still buried inside her body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Relief was not the word. It
was more like a victory he’d worked for.
A different kind of lockout ending.
Mentally, physically and emotionally, Sidney was wiped out. He closed his eyes and fell asleep in the
arms of his prize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
slept like the dead. Leah knew that
well. She could only guess that after
the experience they’d just shared, he might be out for a week. They’d drained all their desire, frustration
and fear into each other, leaving her wrecked and wracked, but awake in his
arms, in his bed, in his house. In his
life. Because this was no longer her
life at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Lockout’s
over” was the only thing he’d said besides her name and the sounds of
surrender. Now that their outburst was
also over, Leah wondered if this was it.
If giving themselves to each other had been the same as giving up their
friendship and giving into a world that said nothing about them could ever
work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A wry
smile crossed her face. She’d once been
the first girl in ages to turn Sidney down.
She was definitely the first to lay post-sex and wonder if she should
regret it. But it had been too much, too
good, too strong. Almost scary. And incredible, definitely incredible. The
last ten days had been a flame, boiling them down as they tried to add things
to cool the temperature. Eventually, the
burn had gotten them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
moved his head, nuzzling against her neck.
He was hot to the touch and beyond heavy. Her body still throbbed deeply
around his softening erection. They’d
done it just once: not enough to ruin her body but plenty to ruin everything
else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m those girls again</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought. <i>Those
girls who can’t keep it together; those girls he’s not friends with after.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
had fought hard not to be here. Now she
knew for sure that Sid had been fighting it too. They’d both battled to make this friendship
happen, then she’d practically invited herself to spend the night. But he had asked. She jumped at the chance. He came into her room. He kissed her first. God damn, she’d been waiting for that to
happen. The worst part was that she
didn’t want it to be over. She wanted
this and their friendship, she wanted him to stay in Cole Harbour and have
nothing to do but spend time with her.
Leah wanted Sid to turn up at her door for morning runs, to watch TV
marathons and cook dinner and sit with her at Jack’s games until those other
guys went away for good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I really am those girls, falling in love
with him.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
rolled to face him, legs sliding together into another new, perfectly
comfortable position. There were Sidney
smiles that few people got to see – real ones, honest and candid. Leah bet no girl ever got to watch him sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
lips moved when she kissed them, returning the favor even as he dreamed. Leah pressed another kiss to his forehead and
climbed out of bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
woke with a start, everything coming back to him at once. The lockout was
over. He had… <i>thump. Thump, thump. </i> He rolled.
This part had been real too – he’d been with Leah, and now he
wasn’t. His hand hit the mattress again,
though he could see it was empty. She
was gone. He sat up half-frantic, hoping
to see the bathroom light on or hear her banging around in downstairs. But the house was dark and silent, the clock
said 5:34 AM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
piece of paper on the other pillow – her pillow – caught his eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m really happy for you. Love.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
crumpled the note. “Fuck.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
slid into her own bed without showering, still wearing the clothes she’d picked
up of the floor in Sid’s guestroom. The
sheets were cold, the mattress hard – it seemed fitting. Life would be less comfortable once Sid was
gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
couldn’t wake up at his house. She
couldn’t let him wake up next to her, as if she had some right to expect such a
thing. Like he’d had the right to do
what he did in the middle of the night.
Leah was glad he had though, it wrapped their relationship up in a nice
little bow before tossing it off a boat and watching it sink to the bottom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He really wanted me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she knew. <i>And I
really wanted him</i>. They hadn’t done
anything wrong, just something they couldn’t repeat. Like the New Year’s kiss, once was a
survivable number. Twice was an epidemic
that killed everything in its path. Her
twisted, hormone-soaked logic said that once could be put behind them and
remembered fondly, something to joke about a few years down the line. If she kept it to one time, perhaps she could
keep Sid too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
ringer on her phone cut through the darkness.
5:35 AM. She hit DECLINE, shoved
the phone under a pillow and closed her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
threw the phone hard onto the mattress.
It bounced mockingly, reminding him that despite his renewed health and
the apparent return of hockey, he could still be powerless and scared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re
coming tonight, right?” Gina asked. She’d called three times before Leah even
looked at the phone. It hurt, actually,
to see Sid had called three fewer times than she’d thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Tonight?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Dinner! Don’t tell me you forgot, I’ve been cooking
all day! Well, watching Travis
cook. He’s quite good. I just wear an apron and lean over the
counter a lot.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh.” <i>Shitfuckcrapdamn</i>. “I remember.
Last hurrah, eh? I’ll uh… I’ll be
there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
had planned a dinner party for the last day of everyone’s work and school
vacations, a Holiday Last Hurrah. Leah
hadn’t thought about it in ten days.
Today she’d run every errand, cleaned every square inch of her house and
wasted the hours in between painting her toenails, doing her hair and getting
everything ready for school in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
one thing Leah had not done was talk to Sid.
She wanted desperately to pick up any one of his hundred calls, but she
didn’t know what to say. Or she didn’t
trust herself - bursting into tears
while begging him not to leave would not work.
Leah gave herself the day to get a grip, then she would tell Sidney
Crosby, “Thanks, it was fun, I’ll miss you, call me sometime.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’ve
got an hour. Bring wine because I
already drank everything we bought.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
pulled black jeans and a soft blue v-neck sweater from her closet. She wanted to wrap herself up and hide, so
she chose knee high suede boots and left her hair down. After dinner, she would call Sid. That was a promise to herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Welcome,
welcome,” Gina pushed Sidney down the hallway toward the kitchen. He steeled himself for the sight of Leah but
it was just Travis and another guy, tasting something on the stove. Gina took the bottle of wine from his hands
and gave him a full glass. Sid glanced
over his shoulder – no Leah in the living room either. He was beyond anxious to see her - equal
parts angry and afraid – and to corner her about why she’d run out and then
ignored him all day. It also felt weird
to be without her in public. Sid didn’t
like depending on other people, especially ones who would not be around in
Pittsburgh in a few days, and these were his friends too now. So he turned to the guys and joined their
conversation, like any normal guy who’d just slept with his best friend would
do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Five
minutes later the doorbell rang. Adrenaline
shot cold through his veins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
guys… hey,” Leah stopped short. Her eyes
flashed wide – she hadn’t expected him to be there. The sight of him kicked her like a horse and
Leah took a step backward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey
Leah!” Travis called, and the other guys whose name Sid had already
forgotten. The doorbell rang again, Gina
went after it. Sid stood there, staring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
wore a light gray crewneck sweater and charcoal corduroy pants. Nothing about him was safe to look at now
that Leah knew what it felt like – the muscles at the base of his neck that had
flexed beneath her fingers; the thickness of his thighs that had pushed hers
apart. Leah’s knees wobbled a little.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi,”
Sid said carefully. All the blood in his
body raced inward, like a tidal wave, and swamped his heart. He was everything at once – ecstatic,
furious, terrified. Leah looked as
beautiful as he’d ever seen her: warm and happy and gorgeous, this girl who’d
snuck out of his bed in the middle of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hi,”
Leah replied. Her own heart was
pounding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
bowled into the kitchen with another two girls in tow; they piled into each
other like derailed train cars at the sight of Sid. Tearing his eyes from Leah to meet them was
tough, and when he looked back she wasn’t there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
retreated where she could hide for a moment.
Had she known Sid was coming?
Should she have assumed it, because she’d made him friends with her
friends? She’d invited him into her life
and here he was, in <i>her</i> life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“DINNER!” Gina called.
People and platters funneled toward the dining area before Sid could get
ahead to find Leah. She was already
seated at the far corner, the new guy next to her. Sid dove into the seat across – he had to be
near her. One of the new girls sat next
to him but didn’t scoot close. He
figured she’d heard around town he had a girl now… even if that girl wasn’t
sitting next to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
wanted to die. There was a shadow over
Sid’s perfect face, a little storm cloud accusing her of making him unhappy in
a voice surely everyone could hear. He
looked across the table, his chocolate brown eyes saying, <i>How could you leave?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“So,
Sid, big day huh? Lockout’s over? What’s the latest?” Travis asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As he
had a million times, Sid turned on the autopilot. He said what he knew and what he thought in a
measured, perfectly reasonable way that could be quoted but not misquoted. He felt a little bad using that trick on his
friends, but his brain was in no position to think critically. Leah had signed her note “Love” but now she
sat there looking like she wished that morning had never happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
was easy – they talked hockey until it was talked out, then moved on to other
topics. Sid was no longer responsible
for carrying the conversation. <i>This must be what it’s like with regular
people, not hockey all the time.</i> He
would normally find it refreshing, today it felt like abandonment. Half-listening, he ate and nodded and tried
not to stare at Leah, wondering how he could really have come this far and have
only one sure thing in his life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt his gaze anyway, all through the meal.
She threw in a remark or two and laughed when other people did, so no
one would notice anything wrong. Aside
from the fact she wasn’t eating because her stomach was a knot. A whole day figuring out what to say to
Sidney had been wasted. The phone would
have been safe. To his face, she was
lost. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dinner
was over before she had any kind of backup plan in place. Dessert and coffee too. She scooped up some dirty plates and ran for
the kitchen, but Sid was right behind her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">His
voice was so soft she wanted to cry.
Whatever happened between them was hard on Sidney too – after all, he
was the one leaving. She suddenly felt
awful for leaving him that morning, when he’d finally let himself be
vulnerable. She’d taken advantage of
something that wasn’t a weakness, but a gift.
She tossed the dishes on the counter, grabbed his arm and dragged him into
the guest bedroom. Then she turned and
buried her face in his chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
arms were around her before she stopped moving.
The smell of her, vanilla and ruby red, calmed him instantly. “Hey, hey.
It’s okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
sorry,” she said quietly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid had
to lean back to see her face. Her blue
eyes were clear, no tears, but creased at the sides like she hadn’t slept all
night. Or most of the night – he hadn’t let her. The sense memory shuddered through his body,
once again pressed to her’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
left.” It was a simple statement of
fact, but it wasn’t simple at all. Sid
was upset, he wanted answers and at the same time he didn’t want to upset Leah
anymore. He wanted her to give in and…
he had no idea what. But not hate him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">On the
ice, getting mad was okay. Even
encouraged. Off the ice, with teammates
or his dad, Sid got mad and then got over it.
Leah was another story – another situation he knew nothing about. Leah looked away, but Sid used one hand to
turn her face back to his. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
didn’t know what to do,” she admitted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And you
didn’t know I would be here.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
glanced down, but it only gave her a view of the shape of his broad chest, cut
and sculpted like a superhero out of costume.
“I should’ve guessed,” she said, “these are your friends too now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
would’ve known if you took any of my hundred calls today.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
sighed, still half-wrapped in his arms. The
instinct to touch him had been purely for comfort, to know that she still had
the right to do something he let few other people do. Only Sid was not letting go. He was not going to let her off easily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
panicked, Sid. It’s not exactly easy to
be friends with you, okay? There are a
lot of rules and I kinda broke them all at the same time. I didn’t want to make it worse.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Worse for myself</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought, <i>when I know I can’t have you.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid took
a risk – he closed his eyes and put his forehead to Leah’s, so close they could
easily have kissed. Half of him wished
they would, the other half wish he would disappear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
scared me, Leah. I thought you hated me
for what I did.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She slid
her hands up behind his neck and for a moment, Sid thought she might lose
control like he had and continue what he’d started. Standing with her, even as worried as he’d
been, was more intimate than anything Sid had in his normal life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
didn’t do it by yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I did climb into your bed,” he admitted nervously. That was the worst part – what if Leah really
hadn’t wanted him?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Half
naked,” Leah added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
let me!” Sid couldn’t help but protest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Right,
like I could have stopped you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
pressed his lips together – the best he could do to hide a smile was a
smirk. “You stayed over.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
asked me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
said yes before the question was out of my mouth!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
laughed weakly. “Can we please not talk
about your mouth right now?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It
felt so good to talk, like letting the air out of a balloon just before it
could pop. He leaned heavily against
her, holding her tight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
was good though, right? That wasn’t just
me?” he asked quietly. Always the
competitor, Sid wanted to be her best if only for one time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“It
was better than good, Sid.” Leah’s heart
was banging like a screen door in a hurricane.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Better than good</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she thought
sarcastically. <i>Better than anything.</i> Which
was precisely why he deserved more explanation, as much as she could give
without giving herself away. “I left because
I thought I was saving us, Sid. I want
to still be your friend.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
don’t call people I’m not friends with.”
His voice was as stern as he could manage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
I don’t usually sleep with people who are leaving town either, so we’re both
out the window here, okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We are
not that fragile, Leah. I know I’m knew
to this <i>friends</i> thing,” he made a
face, “but give me some credit. I’m not
gonna break.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
was the heart of it, Leah’s fear that it was all or nothing with them. She was unsure of her place in his life and
so tried to cling to the spot that seemed more permanent. “Forgive me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid’s
heart did a flip. Forgive her, marry
her, whatever she wanted as long as it wasn’t: <i>never call me again</i>. “Maybe,”
he joked, then turned serious. “Will you
forgive me? I wish I’d….” He was going to say done things differently,
but that revealed that he’d wanted to do them all along. Intent was the difference between an accident
and a crime. “I panicked because of the
lockout ending. You deserve better than
that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
don’t know - it was pretty romantic,” she dipped her head, blushing, “And, you
know, hot guys don’t climb into my bed all the time, I probably shouldn’t freak
out when it happens.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
think I’m hot?” he smiled, ecstatic over the way this had turned. Leah didn’t regret the morning. Maybe she hadn’t pulled him in here to have
another go, but she was very much in his arms and smiling and telling him it
wasn’t over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
will now even admit that you’re a good kisser.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Wow. I should’ve started making friends sooner.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
that wasn’t me being friendly. I can be
selfish too,” Leah smirked in a way that made his groin ache. He raised one eyebrow. Leah shook her head, shutting him down before
he could even flirt. Her expression got
a little serious. “We didn’t do anything
wrong, Sid. And I really am happy for
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
know you are,” he pulled her back into a full hug, focusing his mind on the way
it felt to have someone care without wanting anything in more. “You could have stayed, you know. You didn’t have to leave.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
wish I could say the same for you,” Leah said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
ate dessert. Two pieces of apple pie on
of the new girls had baked from scratch.
When he was done, he slid his plate underneath Leah’s as if to hide the
evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I’m
doing all kinds of things I shouldn’t today,” he grinned at her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Well
this is the Last Hurrah,” she sassed back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
felt a hundred pounds lighter. It made
her, she supposed, the appropriate weight for dodging bullets. As Sid sipped a steaming mug of coffee and
leaned back contentedly in his chair, she made a silent wish that he could find
this in his life in Pittsburgh. If she
couldn’t be there for her, let there be people who could.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He deserves it</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, she said as a
kind of amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid was
the last one up from the table. He
didn’t want the night to end, but everyone had a big day tomorrow. When the table was clear and everything put
away, he couldn’t drag it out any longer.
He hugged Gina, shook Travis’ hand and opened the door for Leah to
leave. They went together down the hall,
quiet but smiling. When they reached the
street, he walked Leah to her car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
looked up at him. It was the most
awkward moment: a make-up date after big sex, instead of make-up sex after a
big fight. Sid’s full, soft lower lip
was flushed red where he’d been biting it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sidney
thought it felt like goodbye, when he wasn’t even leaving yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Oh hell</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, he thought. “Do you want to come over?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Leah
almost laughed. She really, really
wanted to come over – and over and over.
Her skin was tingling with the idea.
But she knew enough to know a bad idea, even one that would feel so
good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“We’re
just gonna…,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sid
sighed. “I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">She
put one hand on his chest, where it had fallen that morning as he slipped into
bed beside her. His heartbeat pounded
just the same. Leah leaned in and this
time, she kissed Sid gently, quickly, on that legendary mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“’Night,
Sid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“YOU
WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT?” Gina screamed at Defcon One. Leah pulled the phone from her ear to avoid
permanent damage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“OHMYGODIKNEWIT!
Didn’t I, Travis?! Didn’t I say something was weird at dinner?! What?”
The volume dropped as Gina turned her face from the receiver. “Leah slept with Sid. This morning!
I KNEW IT!” Back to full shriek. “Oh my God.
Was it amazing? What
happened? Did he tell you he loves you? Because he fucking loves you, and I will tell
you that. Didn’t stop looking at you
once all night – he tried to drink out of the salt shaker, just picking shit up
off the table at random in those big, strong hangs… oh God,” Gina moaned and it
sounded like she fell to the floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey!”
Travis said in the background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sorry
baby, you’re the one for me. But I
thought our crappy IKEA chairs were gonna give out under the size of his
ass. So now what?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Now
he leaves. Probably Tuesday, I
guess. Maybe Wednesday.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
it?” Gina banged something down on her end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“That’s
it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh
honey, I’m sorry. I thought… I don’t
know. I thought I was in a movie there
for a second. Are you okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
am,” Leah said, hoping it was true.
“I’ve known all along he would leave.
I even almost made it that far, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gina
could be brash, but her excitement held a lot of empathy. “Honey, nobody would have made it farther
than you. You were a really good friend
to him – and he was to you. I could tell
tonight he really liked just being a regular guy, and you gave him that. I think you made home really feel like home
for him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thanks,
Gina.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A
pause and Leah knew what was coming.
Gina cleared her throat, “So you’re home. And he’d home. Alone.
And he leaves in a day… so you’re not gonna….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“No,”
Leah laughed. She was not going to go
from bad to worse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
know he wants to, right? The way he was
watching you….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Maybe,”
Leah tried to be nonchalant, but a giggle rose up in her throat. “Okay, probably. But we can’t, Gina! We have to stop ourselves before his leaving
stops us. It’s easier this way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Damn,
L. That is some tough love. Good thing I’m a girl, because being your guy
best friend sucks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-27538507631184342592013-04-08T12:32:00.000-07:002013-04-08T12:32:08.772-07:00seven<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(January 4)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This is a bad idea.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah looked in the Madigan’s bathroom mirror and repeated the line
over and over. Outside, the dance floor
was filling up for the first Friday of every month: Pop Stars night. The country music went off and the Top 40
came on. Usually it was Leah’s favorite
night out. Then she’d found Sid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If they’d ridden together, she could’ve prepared herself. Instead she walked into an ambush of tight
t-shirt and visible biceps, of dark hair and dark eyes set to the soundtrack of
a hundred stripper songs. He was at a
table with Travis and when he stood up, Leah’s eyes went right down the shape
of his torso from wide as a bull to narrow as a country road. A thin layer of cotton struggled to cover it all. As if her vision were x-ray, she could see
the definition of his pecs, the outline of his tight abs and the flat run of
his waist where it disappeared beneath his pants. He reached out to hug her; a flash of skin
along the top of his jeans nearly made her faint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hi. Wow. I should’ve dressed up.” He looked so happy to see her, so genuine in
his compliment that she was almost sorry she’d worn this outfit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina took one look at Sid and flagged down a waitress with a full
tray. She bought five shots of tequila,
gave everybody one and set two down in front of Leah. “You’re gonna need it.” Then she looked at Sid again. “Maybe I should give it to Travis, black him
out then I can sleep with Crosby.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah tossed back both shots in short order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hey, you okay?” Sid leaned
in close. Leah was wearing a very low
cut black sleeveless top with a dangly, multiple rope silver necklace that
moved freely and drew the eye right to her breasts. Paired with slim cropped jeans and some black
heels, she was working it. She wanted to
look good and make up for last night, she wanted to be the one Sid wanted even
if she couldn’t have him. She wanted
those guys from the game to think Sid was so lucky, since they’d never know the
truth. In some twisted way she had worn
this for him, though she wasn’t supposed to be for him at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Either he’d done the same thing by looking impossibly fuckhot, or
he hadn’t tried at all and achieved exactly the same result anyway. Some things could not be denied. It made Leah a little suicidal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m good,” she finally managed to say. “I’m good.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Now she was in the bathroom, wondering why every song was about
sex or money or sex and money, and why she fit so well against Sidney’s body if
she wasn’t supposed to be dancing there. Overnight her mind had raced through the scene
in the car a hundred times, unable to stop until she rewrote the ending with a
kiss. But all day Leah had been fine,
reminding herself to be cool. She always
went dancing with her friends, and now she was dancing with her friends. Dancing with Sidney. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This is a bad idea.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The door flew open and there was Gina, looking her own brand of
insanely good. “You’d better get back
out there before you have to cut your way through the women with a corkscrew!” She
leaned against the wall. “God. He looks amazing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I know,” Leah said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You do too, babe. Those
pants love your ass and even I’m looking down your shirt. This is no time to get all shy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What am I supposed to do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gina pulled her away from the sink. “What every woman in this bar wants to do. Fuck him and worry about everything else
later.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah did in fact have to shove her way through an encroaching
crowd of Crosby admirers. Pop Stars
brought out a younger, rowdier crowd. It
was also more female, though Leah had never seen so many girls in Cole Harbour
history. Somewhere Ricky Calvert and his
boys might even get some action. They
should be thanking her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid reached out and pulled her into a chair. “Please don’t leave
again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This was why he didn’t hit the bars with his teammates often. It felt like he was in the zoo with everyone
watching, only they all wanted to eat him.
Thank God tonight Leah looked like she’d stepped out of a magazine, it
might intimidate a few other women. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It should</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, Sid
thought. It was an outfit worthy of a WAG
who’d bought and paid for everything Leah got naturally. Not indecent, but mouth-watering in the way he
wanted to both take home and wake up with.
Of course, he’d be doing nothing of the sort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He forced himself to look around. <i> I have to get used to this.</i> This was how his teammates met girls. This was how most people under forty spent
their nights off. If he wanted to be
normal and start dating, Sid would be expected to operate in this
environment. He just needed
practice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And sometimes practice hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Diamonds” by Rihanna came on and Sid bit the bullet. At least on the dance floor he wouldn’t be
expected to talk to everyone who passed by.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Let’s dance,” he said, draining his drink. Leah shook her head. “What?
Come on, I can dance to this too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She looked up at him, eyes rolling up the broad frame towering
over her seat like a statue. He could
have at least worn a shirt his size.
Then he smiled that ridiculous, blinding smile and like a brainwashed
drone she’d follow him anywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The dance floor was just crowded enough for them to
disappear. They stayed close together without
touching, but as soon as they started dancing Sid knew he was in more trouble
here than with a hundred women around. This
kind of hip-rolling music accentuated every move Leah made, dipping and shaking
in perfect time. Flat-footed with his
mouth hanging open, there was nothing else for Sid to do. He reached for Leah’s waist. Her eyes flicked up, full of surprise, and
flashed as his thigh slipped between hers.
Those heels made her the perfect height to be hip to hip and face to
face. Sid didn’t stop - he ground
against her like he paid for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah grabbed his shoulders to keep from falling. And then just because she liked it. His body pushed, daring her to keep up. Her arms came together behind Sidney’s neck
and Leah hung on while they moved. Every
nerve ending in her body rang like a siren, but Sidney couldn’t hear them over
his own blood rushing. He buried his
face her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin and preparing to battle his
own body all night. It felt too good to
hurt so badly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A few songs later, Gina interrupted them. Leah had to peel herself off Sid like a
sticker and struggle to keep her feet.
They made for the bar: Sid got right up to the front without asking what
she wanted, then came back with two shots.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I think we need these,” he said. His eyes were black, that hungry
look was piercing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I think we don’t,” Leah replied, then tossed it back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Just enough</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, Sid
planned in his head. He needed to let
down his guard and get Leah to drop hers.
They could torture each other with temptation but at least they’d be
even. He could not be alone in feeling
this way, but Sid was sure he could stop – he would not make a mistake. He wouldn’t even kiss her. Just last night he’d joked about the whole
thing and now the universe was laughing back at him. Leah was as much protection as punishment
here. He laced his fingers through hers
and pulled her back into the crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The night was a blur of being together and trying not to cross the
line. Leah had three shots and two beers;
more drunk on Sidney than she was on alcohol.
The music changed and she spun around, pressing her back to his chest
and her ass into his lap. If he were any other guy, she’d be kissing him
already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If she were any other girl</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, Sid
knew. It was his whole problem. That and the way her backside fit into his
front side. Her tight pants slid
scandalously along his thighs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There are no other guys like
him. </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">All at once Leah
realized how brazen she was being and turned to face Sid, stepping back. His arms were too strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Please, Leah,” Sidney’s lips were against her ear. He was hanging by a thread - if she pulled
away, he’d be forced to chase her. And
when he caught her… Sid was questioning his resolve. Being buzzed always made him tell the
truth. “Just dance with me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah closed her eyes. She’d
danced with how many guys in her life – just danced, nothing else. Dancing was no big deal, except that Sid
multiplied everything by more than eighty seven. He barely knew his own strength: riding against
her, his hands in her hair. Leah felt like a car teetering on the edge of a
cliff. One wrong move and she was going
over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I won’t,” he said, not elaborating on what exactly he was
resisting. “I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She didn’t want a promise.
She wanted the Sidney who did the things his eyes said he needed; the
Sidney who kissed a girl because he lost himself in desire, not because she had
been stamped with some NHL seal of approval.
Except Leah wasn’t sure that guy was even inside Sid, and either way she
shouldn’t meet him on a night like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Still - hockey, the Penguins, hell even his family – they didn’t
tell her what to do. Leah slid her hands
up Sid’s biceps and along his shoulders, until she held him the way he was
holding her. <i>Give and take</i>, she told herself, <i>that’s what friends do.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Or what friends don’t. They
danced for as long as they music lasted, saying nothing but admitting it anyway. A little liquor and a lot of physicality
could do that. It sated the need just
enough that they sobered together and when Gina came to fetch them, Leah and
Sid smiled at each other and untangled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Do you need a ride?” he asked.
They had three cars for four people – bad odds in Crosby’s favor. The buzz was gone, Sid was the kind of tired
found in people who never stay up late.
He wanted to curl up and sleep for a week; all the better if he wasn’t
alone. Leah’s eyes were blue even in the street light outside the bar, her hair
streaked with red highlights. She’d
zipped a coat over the view but Sid would never forget the way her body felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah thought that in a perfect world, Sid was offering a one way ride
to his house. They could hide from life
and Cole Harbour and the prospect of hockey lurking around every corner. But those shots of tequila had faded from her
system. Leah’s brain was in charge now,
taking over where her hips and hands had been before. It told her lips to kiss his cheek, then her
feet to carry her away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Night Sid,” she said, fingers slipping from the thick curve of
his waist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(January 5)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You’re kidding!” Leah insisted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Nope,” Sid said into the phone.
“I am actually sore.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“From dancing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“From dancing,” he confirmed.
It wasn’t the dancing, but rather grinding against Leah without actually
jerking off. It had been on the dance
floor so it was close enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“All that working out you do, and I’m in better shape,” she
teased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m pretty sure I was holding you up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yeah, yeah. But you don’t
have to prep seventy five student profiles today. If I could get out of bed, I’d be looking at
a mountain of paperwork.” Leah had been
awake for a while, thinking about the night before. Bed was a dangerous place to remember all the
pressing and groping, the way Sidney pulled her hair gently as he whispered
into her ear. Especially when the phone
rang with that same voice on the other end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid bit back a groaned. He
was out of bed, but the idea of Leah still wrapped in her sheets was enough to
send him right back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If she’d given him any opening as they were leaving the club, he’d
have taken her home. Instead he’d taken
it out on himself once before falling asleep and once after waking. It felt like he was violating their
friendship by thinking of her that way, but everything about her felt so
right. Sid focused on the physicality
they had shared and let her star in his fantasy. It was the only way to release his tension –
he told himself it was for the good of their friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“So you’re busy all day?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Someone’s been taking up all my time!” Leah hated it, she didn’t want to miss a
day. Not now. “Really, I’ve been putting these off all
break. Is it true they’re meeting in New
York again today?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yeah,” he said. That was
the call that had woken him and he’d turned down the chance to fly in. Let the NHLPA be represented by whoever was
close. If there was any real progress by
tomorrow, maybe he’d go. “Probably
nothing, I’m saying here. Will you be done
by tonight?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Ugh, I cannot go out. If I
even smell tequila I’ll barf.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“And I don’t want gossip getting around that you had your way with
me until I couldn’t walk. How about TV,
my house, we’ll order dinner? I’m about
eight episodes behind on <i>Suits</i>,” Sid
said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Okay, but I’m wearing sweatpants.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">By the time dinner rolled around, Leah had a suggested plan of
graduation attack for the top 75 kids in grade 11. They were applying to colleges, getting
accepted, hoping for scholarships. It
was a big time for them and her job to help.
Once she had done that, she hauled herself into the shower, skipped
makeup but compensated with her favorite clingy black yoga pants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He’d look better in these than
I do.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah chose a soft, bright blue long-sleeve shirt and socks with
matching blue toes. A little work on her
dried hair made it presentable; Leah wanted to prove that she was fine after
last night, even if she could still feel Sidney’s hands on her body and still hear
him whispering ‘please.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
It was amazing her phone had not rung all day with a curious friend or nosy
sister wondering just how far this friendship was going. Surely half the town had seen them last
night. Maybe it hadn’t been as obvious
as Leah remembered, or maybe people were getting used to it. Not that there was anything to get used
to. The meeting in New York, so soon after
the meeting in Toronto, made her more nervous than she cared to admit. At Sid’s house, he’d left the garage open for
her to hide her car inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hey,” he called from the kitchen.
One whiff told her that ordering out had been a lie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What are you doing?” Leah followed the smell of lemon and garlic,
the sound of sizzling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Sid looked up from the stove and nearly dropped the wooden spoon. Leah looked like she’d climbed out of the
window at one of those PINK stores next to Victoria’s Secret. Something about Sid’s inner athlete roared
over workout-type attire - stretchy, fitted clothes killed him every time. Scenes from his x-rated daydream flashed
through his mind, and probably right across his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Cooking,” he croaked.
“Dinner.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You can dance AND cook?
Jeez Sid, wait till girls find out about this.” She leaned over his arm and inhaled
deeply. Chicken in a white wine
reduction was scattered with herbs, veggies alongside soaking in the
broth. A pot full of drained egg noodles
were keeping warm nearby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She stood very close and Sid looked down into her eyes. Leah’s heart skipped a big, hard beat. He licked his lips. Water boiled at full volume.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Looks great,” she said in a softer voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid’s hunger for food was replaced by another kind. “Wait till you taste it,” he replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Fleeing toward the fridge, Leah helped herself to a glass of
juice. She retreated to the opposite
counter and hopped up, feet swinging well above the floor. It was the prime location to watch Sidney
cook. He wore dark jeans, white socks
and a gray t-shirt that had been washed a thousand times. Leah bet it was really soft were it stretched
over the bulk of his shoulders and where it brushed his flat stomach at the top
of his pants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">People were always watching Sid.
In public they watched out of curiosity, at games they paid to watch him
play. He’d long since become immune to
the feeling. But tonight he could feel
Leah’s eyes on his body as clearly as if she were touching him with her hands. Normally it made him tense, but she had the
opposite effect. Her gaze soaked his
skin like the sun and he rolled his shoulders, stretching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Need any help?” she asked from behind him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Nope,” Sid said. It was
easier to hide his blush this way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid set their plates down on the coffee table. He never used his dining room, and besides
this was not a date. It was just a
homemade dinner, alone, with a girl in tight pants who he wanted very much to
kiss. Not a date. Leah was already seated on the floor, two
glasses of wine poured and the TV remote in hand. She cued up the season’s first episode of <i>Suits</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Can we re-watch the first one? I didn’t see it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Of course.” Sid needed a
few minutes to eat and get his thoughts in order anyway. Much like he’d done post-New Year’s by taking
Leah to Toronto, he just wanted a little time together that felt normal. Dancing at Madigan’s had been anything but,
still Leah was acting like things were fine.
Sid needed to get back to that place too. As Leah raved about his food between scenes
of the show, he started to relax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah wasn’t lying. The food
was really good. She wondered if there
was anything that Sidney Crosby couldn’t do… and decided no. She’d just have to hold it together every
time he demonstrated a new weapon in his arsenal. One episode ended – they refilled wine
glasses and started another. Partway
through, Sid moved to the couch. He
tugged her sleeve and Leah followed, sitting with her legs tucked up and the
balls of her feet touching his thigh. He
slid down in his seat till one forearm rested against her thigh.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They pretended to pay careful attention to the show. Neither could have said later what it had been
about. At the end of the fourth episode,
Sid glanced over to find Leah asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Well shit</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, he
thought. Some evening he’d planned,
inviting a girl over and boring her into a nap.
He glanced at the clock - nearly midnight. Leah shifted and her foot slid up onto his
thigh. With a guilty shake of his head,
Sid pulled her legs across his lap. She
turned onto her back, head tilted toward the cushion, and kept right on
sleeping. Sid pushed play on episode
five.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah woke up on the couch, all the lights on and the TV still
playing. She was stretched out, using
Sid’s legs like an adjustable mattress.
His head was back and he was fast asleep. The DVR screen said one o’clock in the
morning. She prodded Sid’s thigh with
one foot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Hmmpph,” he said, blinking awake.
“Oh, sorry.” A drowsy smile came
to his face. “You feel asleep first this
time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You could’ve woken me up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Figure I owe you one from The Hobbit.” Sid scratched the back of his neck, putting
one arm and his chest into full display.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She bit her lip. <i>What to do?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid didn’t look down. He
didn’t know what to say. His palm was
wrapped around her small foot - it was an easy slide up her calf and behind her
knee, a little pull and she’d be sitting in his lap. A little push and he’d be on top of her. There were no prying eyes, just the two of
them and everything that had made ten days feel like ten months of having a
crush on the girl, or boy, next door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I should…,” she started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Stay,” he said out of nowhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Okay,” Leah answered just as quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I, uh, I have room. Three
rooms. It’s late and you’re tired and…,”
Sid babbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah didn’t even look out the window. “I think it’s snowing,” she lied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Stay.” Sid repeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah too. “Okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He showed her to a guest room.
She borrowed a t-shirt to sleep in.
Sid had a bunch of travel supplies; he went to get a toothbrush and Leah
stayed in the hallway, she never even looked inside his bedroom. When he came back, he held the toothpaste out
between them like a rope across a chasm.
She took it without touching his hand.
They were barefoot, staring at
each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Night,” Sid said, more like a cough. Everything about Leah, from the blue of her
eyes to the way her hair tossed back, dared him to kiss her. Dared him to resist again and miss his best
chance at getting this girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">His best chance at losing her too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Night.” Leah’s chest ached.
If she could have hugged him or touched him without setting off a fire,
she’d have done it. Never had she seen
someone with so much direction look so lost.
It was temporary though; he had a direction. No matter how much she wanted him to stay, it
would carry him right out of her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Night,” Sid echoed again.
The carpet burned under his foot as he turned away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(January 6)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The phone was ringing. Sid
reached a hand out into the dark to find the noise. The last thing he remembered was thinking
about Leah in her bed across the hall and not being and to sleep. Then apparently, he had slept.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“’Lo?” he said gruffly. The
red readout on his alarm clock said 4:18 AM.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Sid. It’s Pat,” his
agent’s voice came through much too clearly for the pre-dawn hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Lockout’s over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>Since we got to see Sid's not-at-all-ruined face today, here's a bonus chapter. It doesn't do much to help with my emotional exhaustion over knowing he's okay! - J</i></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-18292772152898345312013-04-05T14:21:00.001-07:002013-04-05T14:21:22.342-07:00six<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(January 2)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah stood in front of a larger than life Sidney Crosby photo inside
the Hockey Hall of Fame. It had been her
idea to come here, now she was wishing she hadn’t. Being in a restaurant with Sid was
intimidating enough. This place was like
a shrine in a church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“He hates that picture,” Taylor said. In it Sid was whooping with joy at a goal
scored, sweat-soaked with hair curling out the back of his helmet. Leah thought he looked perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“He didn’t want it in here, since he’s not elected to the Hall of
Fame yet. But they have all kinds of
current stuff – Malkin, Stamkos – so it’s not like just a museum. Still, he hates it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Taylor had been volunteering information about Sidney all day,
talking him up. Leah resisted asking about
dinner the night before, or their cryptic bathroom conversation, but she felt
she’d passed some kind of test by turning down James. Now Taylor knew which team she was really on. If Taylor was just being protective of her
brother, Leah could not blame her for playing a little dirty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Still as they walked, shopped and had lunch, Leah turned the
conversation away from Sidney as much as possible. She really liked Taylor, who was quick and
funny, without mining for details she couldn’t use anyway. There was nothing happening between her and
Sidney – or at least nothing much. She
was quickly becoming good friends with Taylor too. So much so, Leah was surprised when it was
time to meet Sid at the hotel for their flight home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid was in an alcove of the lobby, knit cap pulled low and his
head resting in his hand. The day’s
meetings had been beyond frustrating – it sometimes seemed like they were
getting farther from an agreement.
Negotiations had barely budged and all he had to show for it was a
headache. He looked up as Leah walked in
– that got him focused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah had been checking every corner, assuming Sid would semi-hide
somewhere. She wasn’t expecting his
slumped posture though; he looked like he’d been through the wringer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Oh no,” was her immediate response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid lumbered to his feet like the Frankenstein monster and did
something he’d been thinking about all day: opened his arms and folded Leah
into a hug. He leaned heavily against
her, face to her shoulder, and let her hold him up. Leah pushed her fingers under the back of hat
and rubbed his scalp until he was practically purring in her arms. She didn’t need to know what was wrong, she
just wanted to absorb it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid had a dangerous thought: a hug like this could make a lot of
bad nights better. And hockey had a lot
of bad nights. He inhaled her scent
deeply and tried to memorize it, knowing that someday it would have to be
enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He felt like a zombie riding to the airport, passing through
security, waiting for their flight. Leah
stayed close but never touched him, which just made him ache for an accidental
brush of her shoulder. Finally on the
plane he pushed the armrest up and took every inch, until his arm and leg were
pressed to hers. Then he put his head
back and fell asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah looked at her hands for most of the two hour flight. She wanted to put one on Sid’s leg, or tuck
it into his arm and lean on his shoulder, but she couldn’t. The flight attendant had recognized him and
she passed by every ten seconds. Leah
almost asked Taylor to switch but she didn’t want to be that far away. It wasn’t only an attraction thing. For the first time since meeting Sid, Leah
just wanted to be there for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">That’s what friends are for</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, she
told her empty hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’ll drive, sleepyhead.”
Leah took the keys from Sid as they rolled bags out of the airport. It wasn’t far to home, but Sid felt like he’d
been woken in the dead of night. Leah
hauled herself into the drivers’ seat of his SUV, Taylor in the back. The minute he hit the seat he wanted to sleep
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah turned the radio down but plugged in her phone. She needed to stay awake herself. A Reckless Kelly song started to play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was a wicked,
twisted road<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hit the million mile mark at
seventeen years old<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Never saw the rainbow, much
less a pot of gold<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was a wicked
twisted road.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid had never heard the song before, but Leah was mouthing the
words. It was soft and acoustic, perfect
for the sleepy setting. “Will you sing?”
he asked quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah glanced over – Sid looked older than she’d ever seen. The lockout was tougher on him than she’d
known. Tougher than he let on. Of
course, she’d only known him a few days.
Leah sang:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was a castle in
the sky<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Never thought I’d make it till
I had the guts to try<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Then I sat up in my tower while
the whole world passed me by<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was a castle in
the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid smiled, eyes closed. He
imagined her singing at this soft volume, alone, just to herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was a fearless
driving rain<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Scared to death I thought I’d
never see her face again<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They said God was crying so I guess
he felt my pain<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was a fearless
driving rain.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid had never been in love.
There had been girls and a very few girlfriends but nothing
permanent. He had given that part of his
life no attention, instead focusing on hockey.
Then when hockey disappeared, his love life paid him back the same
way. It wasn’t love but the words fit: he
was scared to death he’d have to leave tomorrow and never see Leah’s face
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was an angry
painful song<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Wanted one so bad I went and
did everything wrong<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A lesson in reality would come
before too long<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My first love was an angry
painful song.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And there it was, in the song she’d chosen, the very reason Sidney
would not act on the way he felt for Leah.
It was true that he wanted one so bad, but not enough to go and do
everything wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah dropped Taylor off first.
She yawned a goodbye and left without so much as a comment about the two
of them heading home together. Leah was
grateful. The song, while beautiful, was
sad and a little too honest for the way she felt tonight. At Sidney’s she pulled into the garage next
to her own car, parked inside so all of Cole Harbour didn’t think she’d spent
the night here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sidney got Leah’s suitcase and put it into her trunk, then closed
it. For a moment they just stood there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Will you be okay?” she asked, meaning <i>I can stay if you want.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yeah,” he said, knowing he could be better if only he had the
guts to ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah kissed his cheek quickly, not allowing the contact to stun
her this time. She went for the driver’s
door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Leah,” Sid said. “Thanks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Anytime. Anything,” she
promised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(January 3)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid slowed his feet, forcing himself to walk a block early while
he debated the plan. It was barely ten
o’clock in the morning. He’d gone straight
to bed last night and slept eight hours like a rock. If Leah hadn’t, he could be waking her
up. Then he’d be thinking about her in
bed. She’d be wearing a t-shirt and
panties, in his mind. A Crosby t-shirt. Silk panties.
Warm sheets, a cozy down comforter, that pile of auburn curls tossed
across a fluffy pillow. He wouldn’t be
able to run in that condition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’m not a friend. I’m a creep, </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid
told himself. He hit SEND on his phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She picked up on the third ring.
“Morning sunshine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Good, I didn’t wake you.”
As he said it, a car rolled by behind him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
“Are you outside?”<br />
<br />
“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah laughed, moving toward the window. “Outside my house?”<br />
<br />
Sid didn’t even pause. “Yeah.”<br />
<br />
“Stalker.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She was relieved to hear him sounding normal. After two long, weird days and seeing him so
defeated yesterday, Leah was having trouble keeping the version of Sid in her
head and the Sid in her real life in line with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Want to come in?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“No, I want you to come out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It didn’t take much convincing before Leah was pulling on her
sneakers and a sweatshirt. She stepped
out the front door to find Sid doing calf-stretches. He wore black track pants and a gray zip-up
hoodie with another black knit cap and was in the downward dog position, ass up
and arms in full flex. Even beneath
those layers it was a sight to behold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Jesus, Crosby. They’re
gonna cut me a break on rent if you keep doing that on my lawn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He blushed like a dork, though of course he’d been preening on
purpose. Last night had been rough. He wanted Leah to like him, not pity him - even
if nothing would ever come of it. “Wait
till summer when they see how I mow the lawn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They ran easily until Leah was warm, then Sid pushed the pace a
little. It was actually meant to be an
off-day for him, but tension from the meetings and travel had to be worked
out. Leah kept up okay, considering how
often her mind wandered to watching Sid move.
She marveled at the grace of his strength while wondering how it was
possible to drag that big a lower body with any kind of speed. By the two mile mark, Sid was teasing her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Getting tired?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“No,” Leah lied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Wanna stop?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You wish.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Cold yet?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Stop complaining to the referee,” she said and stuck out her
tongue. They made it another half mile
before they were back at Leah’s street.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Not bad.” Sid fell into a walk next to her, checking his
watch. He’d done a three mile loop on
the way to her house, so he was finished too.
“Do you go to the gym?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She nodded. “Supposedly it’s a good place to meet guys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Really?” Sid pictured himself sweaty and panting. Apparently some girls were into that. “That ever work?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Just Jesse.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid made a gagging noise and Leah punched him in the arm. “As opposed to you, picking up girls at pee
wee hockey games,” she said. “Speaking
of which, Jack has a game tonight. Do
you want to come? He’d probably pee his
shorts if you showed up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The scene of the crime</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, Sid
thought. But of course he would go. “You just want another chance with me and
those bleachers,” he grinned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah headed up her driveway, leaving Sid on the sidewalk. “You got me!
And Sid, don’t be late, I’m singing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">About a hundred people, mostly friends and parents, were scattered
among the bleachers at the rink. Last
time Leah had seen this place it had been completely empty except for her and
Sidney. Now she wasn’t even sure if he’d
made it on time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He’s here</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, she
told herself, as if he wouldn’t miss her singing. As if it meant anything to him at all. She waited for the cue and walked out onto
the little carpet runner between the benches.
People clapped. The first words
of the anthem hung in her mind and she focused on it. Then Leah sang, just like she always did, a
simple and straightforward rendition of the song they all knew so well. It took two minutes. People clapped again and she turned to leave
the ice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid stood in the bench area, right behind Jack. Leah had walked right past him to get to the
ice. All the little boys were looking
back but Sid was looking forward, admiring Leah’s shape and hair and presence
even in a dinky small town rink. She could
sing the house down at CONSOL and Neal had been right to suggest it. Not that Sid would ever give him credit. When she finished, he put his fingers to his
mouth and whistled as loudly as he could.
Her eyes snapped toward the sound, and she found him there grinning. She rolled her eyes, but her stomach dropped
like a roller coaster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Okay guys, good luck!” Sid shouted to the boys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Thanks Coach!” some smartass yelled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid jogged three steps to catch up with Leah, in her deep blue
turtleneck sweater, black jeans and slouchy boots. “That was great, Leah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Thanks. I just need to
grab my coat and we can go up. Where’s
your stuff?” She realized that he
probably hadn’t come to the game in just the black hoodie and jeans he had on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Upstairs. I, uh, called
Ricky before and a couple of those guys.
They’re here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah turned and stopped, suitably impressed. “Look at you, hanging out with friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Sid rubbed his hair awkwardly. “Well, I
told them the rink was a good place to meet girls.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They joined the guys, all of whom Leah knew, and a few other
people in the bleachers. Sid sat as
close to Leah as he dared in mixed company.
It was a social outing with occasional cheering about something on the
ice. The kids were disorganized,
bunching up and following only the puck, but they were clearly having fun. Leah tried not to laugh every time someone
fell down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid went to the bathroom and came back to find another guy in his
seat, talking to Leah. When he went to
get waters a different guy claimed the spot.
Sid knew them all a little and they immediately fled upon his arrival; no
one wanted to challenge him. But Sid
could tell the attention was really about Leah. During the second intermission, he was dying from
curiosity and went to get snacks with Ricky.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“So, Leah sings here all the time?” he asked casually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Yep. Really the only
reason to come to a game, if you know what I mean,” Ricky said, then suddenly caught
himself. “I mean, she’s really
good. Not like… that’s not why I’m
here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“It’s cool. We’re just
friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ricky nodded like he felt Sid’s pain. “Yeah, well, I gotta tell you that makes me
feel better. She’s not into you, none of
the guys here ever had a prayer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid paid for the food, hoping kept Ricky from noticing the
tightness creeping up his neck. “She’s
hot though, eh? I mean, these guys must
be trying to get with her all the time.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ricky shrugged. “Wouldn’t
you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah had told Sid the pickings were slim in Cole Harbour, and the
same was true for guys looking to meet girls.
It explained why these same guys hit on her every time she saw
them. Unless Gina was around, then they
threw themselves at her feet. Usually
right in front of Travis – they didn’t care.
It was harmless and good-natured, if exhausting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tonight was different. When
Sid was there, the guys were on best behavior.
When he left, it seemed to be a race to talk to her. Then Sid would come back and it was Sunday at
church again. Leah had to laugh. If she was good enough for Sid, these guys
wanted her too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You should tell him to use a shorter stick.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Huh?” Leah said. Her mind
had been wandering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I think Jack’s stick is too big for him. He’s got a good shot, could shoot harder if
it were shorter,” Sid said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You tell him. He’d use a
plastic spoon if you told him too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid smiled. “Like here,
watch how he…” Jack got the puck in the
air from the inside of the circle and put it right under the goalie’s arm. The horn sounded. Leah jumped to her feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What was that, Coach?” she bumped his hip as he stood up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Nevermind.” Sid said,
clapping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Jack’s team won. Both Sid
and Leah declined Ricky’s invitation to hit a bar with the rest of the
group. He caught Sid’s eye with a
knowing look – no way did he believe what Sid said about just being friends
with Leah. It was easier to assume the
big time star got the hottest girl, and that’s why she wasn’t with you. He all but winked as he shook Sid’s hand and
followed his friends away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“You can go out, if you want,” Leah said, still sitting next to
him. “I have a ride home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid stretched his arm up theatrically, putting it down around
Leah’s shoulders. “I finally got you in
the bleachers, no way I’m leaving now.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah let her head fall onto his shoulder, laughing. If anyone saw them, let them see what they
wanted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What if we had, that night?” she asked. The words were out before she could stop
them, her inner monologue spilling all over.
Being here made it impossible not to wonder. She just hadn’t meant to say it out
loud. But Leah wanted reassurance that
the decision she made that night – and every night since – had been the right
one. It certainly wasn’t the easy
one. It felt safe and familiar to be
back at the rink with Sid, like neutral territory. She didn’t elaborate on what they might have
done – kissed? More? Leah was pretty sure she wouldn’t have
stopped, even though the bleachers were cold and hard. Logistics didn’t matter in fantasy land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid almost choked on his tongue.
<i>What if we had? What if we still do?</i> It wasn’t as if we were over the urge. The first line of defense was to joke that he’d
have ruined her for all other men, but Sid just spent two hours with those
other men and knew they were not good enough anyway. Whether he was in Cole Harbour or not, Leah
deserved something better than what he’d seen.
There had to be one nice, cool guy she could date. Of course Sid would want to kill him anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’m supposed to find someone
like her in Pittsburgh</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, Sid reminded himself. <i> That
was the plan.</i> But he’d spend as much
or more time worrying about who she found here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Uh, we probably wouldn’t have become friends,” he said honestly.
There were hook ups and there were friends.
Mixing the two made a girlfriend, and Sid couldn’t do that right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah scoffed nervously. “Yeah. I mean, you’re not <i>that</i> good of a kisser.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“WHAT?!” Sid sat up, dumping her playfully onto the bench. “You don’t know that!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I do, remember?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“That was not a kiss! It
was like a preview of a kiss. The cover
of a book.” He was actually a little
hurt. “And I thought it was a good kiss,
actually. You said I was hot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Sid! Of course it was a
good kiss. I’m kidding! But it was not better than being friends with
you. No kiss could be that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah’s heart was racing. Joking
about this was dangerously close to being too honest, to admitting that she
wanted to kiss him again, and still be friends, and have her cake and eat it
too. She wanted everything from him when
she was supposed to be giving, supposed to be his friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid was not letting her off that easily. If he kissed her for real, she’d know it. “There’s plenty more where that came from,”
he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Jack was beside himself with excitement after the game. He ran headlong into Sid’s midsection and
managed to get half of Sid’s body in a hug.
Sid signed autographs for the team and took pictures, ensuring Jack
would be the coolest kid in town for years to come. Leah had ridden over with her sister, but Sid
offered to give her a ride home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For once, Leah didn’t want to take it. She wanted all the time she could get with
Sid, knowing he’d leave soon, but now tonight felt weird. Talking about the kiss had her out of sorts –
did she hurt his feelings? Go too
far? So she took the ride home, and waited
till they pulled out of the lot before speaking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I didn’t mean it about the kiss, before. It was a good kiss.” <i>It was
a toe-curling, spine-tingling, panty-dropping kiss and it was only half a kiss
if that. A whole one would kill me.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid turned, surprise on his face.
“I’m not mad. I knew you were
joking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Oh,” Leah felt dumb now.
“Good. I just didn’t want you to
think I… sorry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. It was a surprise move – he hadn’t even
thought before doing it. Now they were parked. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned toward
her. Leah’s eyes got wide. For a long, heavy moment, they were both sure
he was going to kiss her again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Nope,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“What were you going to say?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">On the night they’d met, Leah called him out. She refused to move till he finished talking,
forcing him to say that he didn’t have friends at home. Those words had killed any hope of hooking up
in the bleachers, but they sparked everything that happened since. Now Sid was doing the same thing to her. Leah blinked back at him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m not leaving here until you tell me what you were going to
say.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A smile curled the corner of her lip. “You jerk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He smiled shamelessly. Leah
was trapped – she should have just let it go, before it became a private moment
between them in the dark. Her heart
pounded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I didn’t want you to think I stopped the kiss because it was bad,
or that’s why I wanted to be friends instead of… something else.” She pushed a hand through her hair. “You probably don’t haul off and kiss
somebody that often, but you could. I
mean, you can. It would work… on someone.” She was stuttering. “That’s it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If ever there were an opening, this was it. Like the doors of a bank vault full of money,
asking you to come in and take whatever you could carry. But Leah had managed to identify in one
phrase exactly why Sid felt the way he did - she put a name on the thing he’d
been turning over in his head all week.
The thing he’d have to find in Pittsburgh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I don’t want someone I can get
with one kiss. I want someone I can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She looked mortified, so Sid squeezed her hand and gave her a
modified version of the truth. “Leah, I
know it works. But I like you more
because it didn’t work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They were quiet the rest of the way home. If Leah got a second chance at that kiss,
she’d show him just how well it worked and make damned sure he still liked her
for it. It was all Sid could do to keep
from biting his lip, feeling the ghost of her mouth pressed to his. He had to get away from her. They rolled to a stop outside her house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">By the lights of the dashboard Leah could see that hungry look in
his eyes. If she kissed him now, he’d
never make it home tonight. Then they’d
never make it through another day together.
Or she’d never make it through him leaving. Right now the bleachers, the kiss, even their
jokes were just drops of water seeping through a damn. Another kiss would break it wide open and
samp them both. Sidney looked like a man
who was pretty sure he could swim. Leah
had no such confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Don’t even think about it,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid smirked. “Eh. You’re probably not that good a kisser
anyway.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-78824687200162364372013-03-29T19:16:00.001-07:002013-03-29T19:16:34.217-07:00five<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5647567366249859" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5647567366249859" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(January 1)</span></b></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5647567366249859" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I have to go to Toronto, there’s a meeting tomorrow morning,” Sid said in a weary tone. He could hear it himself. The rest of New Year’s Eve had gone fine, even though every muscle in his body was tense to keep from touching Leah. By the time he got home after two o’clock, he was exhausted from the kissing and the fighting and stopping. This morning he could still taste her mouth every time he licked his damned lips. Pulling a Chapstick from his pocket, Sid did his best to erase the evidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor nodded. “You should take us. We could go tonight and stay over.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Who?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Me and Leah.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid laughed. The idea was so absurd and unfathomable that he actually hadn’t considered it, not even after last night. His focus was, and would stay, on the lockout and any prayer of progress that could be made. A League meeting was not the place for his sister and certainly not the place for his brand new best friend/biggest problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No,” he said with a chuckle that he hoped sounded casual, “it wouldn’t be appropriate.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why?” Taylor challenged. “Because you might have fun? You’ve had more fun in the last week than I’ve seen you have in a year.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid exhaled sharply – it was true, leave it to Taylor to say so. “I’m afraid people will see it the wrong way.” He was half-lying, as much for his defense as Leah’s. Too bad Taylor had been around that block.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You’re afraid you’ll try to kiss her again.” His little sister leveled a stare at him. If she knew, everyone knew. Cole Harbour couldn’t keep a damned secret, but it sure could make nothing into something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Jesus Christ,” Sid muttered to himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor saw she’d drawn blood. “Guess that didn’t go the way you wanted.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I didn’t want anything!” Sid’s voice rose, the same weak excuse he gave Leah, though he could barely get a word out through his offending lips. “It was midnight on New Year’s and I was a little drunk and it was just a kiss! Everyone was kissing someone! What is the big fucking deal?!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor could have laughed, she could have teased him. But for once in her life, his younger sister played the grown up card. “If you say it’s nothing, it’s nothing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid scoffed. “We’re just friends.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Then take us to Toronto.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sidney stared at the phone in his hand and knew there was no right way to do this. If you kiss a girl who doesn’t want to be kissed, an all-expense paid surprise trip is a hell of an apology. Even if he wasn’t sorry at all. He hit CALL because if he didn’t, Taylor would do it and she’d make it sound worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hi,” Leah answered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sound of her voice went right through him like a knife. “Hey. Uh… how are you?” Sid asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good,” Leah was in her room at home, thinking about him. The call came like she’d willed it into existence, except that she hadn’t. She’d hoped to have a plan for staying friends with Sidney by the time he called again. The night had been crazy and far more fun than she cared to admit. He’d kissed her. In front of a room full of people. Short of winning an Oscar, it was just about the biggest trophy a girl in Cole Harbour could get. She’d dragged him out on his ear like a mean school marm and given him hell for the very thing she’d wanted so badly to happen. They had tempted fate; only the remains of Leah’s slightly drunken wherewithal had saved them. Now as Sidney’s name showed on her phone screen, she felt the urgency of his kiss for the thousandth time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He didn’t meant it that way</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, she reminded herself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But she couldn’t leave it all hanging as if from a noose. “Did uh… did we mess up last night? Are we okay?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sidney, relieved to be an invisible signal length away from Leah, lied through his teeth. “I didn’t mean to kiss you, Leah. Well, I did,” he stuttered, “but the ‘Happy New Year’ kind. Not the kind the whole town will be talking about. I’m sorry,” this hurt but it was the truth, “if I made you some kind of target for gossip.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some friend I am</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Sidney told himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah bit her lip so hard she almost forgot what the push of his mouth felt like. He was not Sidney Crosby, obnoxious superstar trying to stake his claim. He was Sidney Crosby, shy guy coming out of his shell. And she was crucifying him for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some friend I am</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Leah thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No,” she straightened up in her seat on the bed. “I don’t care what people say, Sid. I just… I’m sorry I got mad. I got nervous. It’s just… shit.” She had no idea which of the words in her head and heart made sense anymore. “Are we still friends?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Of course,” Sid said with relief. “And I called to ask if, as friends, you want to go to Toronto tonight. With Taylor and me. I have a meeting tomorrow and you guys can do whatever you want. I’m buying, of course.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel rooms and hallways crossed Leah’s mind, and Sidney’s, as he spoke. Sleeping within feet of each other; inches away from being alone together behind closed doors. They both silently agreed Taylor was there to prevent anything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Uh, tonight? I guess I could,” Leah tried to sound normal while her heart raced away like a cartoon horse dragging an upside down chariot, bumping and spinning in the dirt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid felt like a jerk for implying it was all for Leah to hang out with Taylor. “I’d love if you did,” he confessed. “The meeting will probably go nowhere, so having you guys there will keep the trip from being a total disaster.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like last night</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he thought, still feeling the full curve of her bottom lip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah knew the only disaster in this relationship was her. Like the girls she’d made fun of, Leah couldn’t keep it together when it came to Sidney Crosby. When it came to the thing he needed most - friendship. “I’ll go,” she said. “Sounds fun.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah stood in line at the airport Tim Horton’s. On a Tuesday afternoon not many people were flying out of Halifax. Sidney and Taylor were in a corner of the terminal with their backs to the waiting room. Or so Leah thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hey,” Taylor turned up at her elbow. “I don’t want to ruin dinner but I need a donut.” She peered at the display, examining her choices. “So, I hear my Casanova of a brother kissed you last night.” Leah’s blood went cold, the color drained from her face. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor glanced back over her shoulder. “Yup. Same reaction Sid had.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Did he tell you?” If that was the case, Leah was going to have to interrogate this poor girl on the spot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Nah. Heard it from a friend who knew someone who was there.” Taylor cut Leah in line and ordered a glazed maple twist. “He should be smarter.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah hated that she agreed, and so said nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor just shrugged. “Unless you like him stupid.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid risked turning his face just to confirm his fears – Taylor was talking to Leah. Alone. She was a wild card, his sister, and the one person who could always see right through him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, one of two lately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hotel receptionist laid three room keys on the counter: 601, 611, 619.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid just wanted things to feel normal. The plane ride had been fine but he needed a few more hours with Leah, in a relaxed setting, to make sure he hadn’t done any real damage with his stupid kiss. The one his mind still wandered to every time she bit her lip, reached for gloss, spoke or event breathed. He’d been next to her on the plane, the knit of her gray sweater soft against his arm. Her jeans were a shade darker than his and he’d studied the difference to keep from looking at her up close.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mentally rolling his eyes at the futility of it, Sid did it anyway. “Taylor, you’re six-nineteen,” he handed her the key.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah got off the elevator first and stopped at her door. Somehow she knew Sid would stop right behind her. Was it coincidence or intentional? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh shut up</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, she told her brain. Everything was fine between them – he hadn’t even fallen asleep on her during the flight. The trip was just one night, something fun. Back to normal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor pushed between them, tromping on down the hall. “I’ve gotta meet my friend, he’s coming to dinner. We’ll meet you guys there.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah looked back just as Sid was glancing up. Their eyes met, both thinking the same thing: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friend? He? Did dinner just become a double date?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ready?” Leah asked. She had taken a few extra minutes to put herself together, despite the voices in her head. If she didn’t want to be kissed she shouldn’t look kissable. But Sidney always looked that way, so she needed to level the playing field.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, it could never be level. He was a fresh sheet of ice and she was a sinkhole in the dirt. Or at least that’s how it felt when he opened the door. He wore a bright blue v-neck sweater, accentuating the muscles in his neck and shoulders. The sleeves were pushed up in case she forgot his strong hands. Add perfect teeth, perfect hair, those color-changing eyes and that was Sid. He smiled and her stomach rolled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid’s smile barely covered his nerves. One look at Leah and whatever normal they’d reclaimed went right out the window. She wore a gauzy white top, which he guessed was sleeveless, under a black blazer rolled at the cuffs to show the black and white striped lining. A tangle of silver chains ended just above the swell of her breasts. Skinny jeans and black high heels he’d never seen rounded out the look. Her curls had been glossed and her makeup sharpened – she looked as good as she had for New Year’s Eve. Sid felt more than ever like this was a date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please don’t let Taylor be plotting something</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, they both prayed silently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You look great,” he said lamely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah could have pushed him right back into the room and locked them both inside. “And you would be hard to miss, Sid.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The restaurant wasn’t fancy, just a trendy place nearby. As they walked Sidney told Leah about the meeting the next day. “It probably won’t fix anything, they never do,” he said. “They just want me here to say there’s nothing to say.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You’re very diplomatic, probably more level-headed than most hockey players.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well I’m going to stop coming. I’m just another player and this needs to be about everyone. This is my last meeting,” he said, convincing himself with every word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah bumped against his shoulder. “Maybe there won’t be any more after this.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From outside they could tell the restaurant was busy for a Tuesday night. Taylor had made the reservation – just as well, since Sidney’s name sent people into fits here too. Leah approached the hostess and Sid kept his head down they followed her - it was always all the way across the room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh shit,” Leah whispered suddenly. Sidney, trying to be inconspicuous, bumped right into her. His head shot up and he saw what she saw.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hey guys.” James Neal was sliding out of the booth, unfurling his long body. Taylor scooted out of the same side – she’d been sitting next to him – and smiled brightly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Surprise!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You must be Leah,” James extended his arm. Autopilot kicked in and Leah felt his huge, warm hand close around hers. It was bigger than Sidney’s but not as strong. The x-rated innuendo in that thought alone made the blood rush to her head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Nice to meet you,” she gulped. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid stepped right between them, shaking hands too. “What’s up, Nealer? How did you guys…?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Taylor called me, said you were here for the meeting. I was close so I drove up. Good to see you, man.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah took a deep breath. As with meeting Sid for the first time, she had to hold it together. She was just meeting a hockey player she had a crush on while out with another hockey player she had a crush on, the one who had kissed her and practically slept on top of her. The one who had consumed her thoughts and life for the last week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid guided Leah toward the booth with a squeeze to her arm. It was meant to both steady her and reminder her that he was there. He didn’t like to look she’d given James, and he definitely didn’t like the look James gave her. Now he slid in next to her, nice and close. The urge to put his hand on her leg under the table was so strong that he made a fist against it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Should I be worried that Taylor has your number?” Sid asked in his big brother tone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I got it from Dad,” Taylor waved the idea away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sidney’s father, who sometimes fancied himself GM of the Penguins, seemed to have every piece of information on the team. Sid figured Mario shared it just to stop him from asking. He didn’t realize Taylor could access it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well now you have to worry about my dad,” Sid said to James. “Good luck with that.” James made a face like he’d rather run screaming. Taylor promised to get a number 18 jersey to wear around the house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah just watched James, as she had on TV a hundred times. She’s always found him very attractive – he had a quick, unguarded smile and the easy grace of someone confident without being cocky. But after a week-long battle against the Power of Crosby, Leah had to admit that James’s gorgeous face was still no match Sid’s flawless skin or lantern jaw. His rangy build lacked the coiled, promised power of Sidney’s stocky form. And Sid’s lips… Leah shuddered. She’d gotten a life-ruining sample of what those lips could do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Huh?” she said stupidly, since they were all looking at her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Sid says you’re a great singer.” James’ grin almost changed her mind. “I suggested you come to Pittsburgh and sing the anthem.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh God, do they put the words on the scoreboard? I can never remember the American one,” Leah said. James laughed, another flash of smile. Sid cleared his throat. Hormones and tension had been high before, but this was unfair. She’d have to be superhuman to make it through dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid gave Taylor the death stare. His little sister ignored it as well as ever. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They ordered and were served. Leah didn’t notice how close Sidney was sitting until she had to reach for her wine. Their thighs touched below the table. His proximity seemed defensive, though his conversation was easy and friendly as if he’d invited James himself. But when James made the girls laugh, Sid scooted a fraction of an inch closer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Insecure</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Leah realized. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sidney Crosby is insecure</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. She couldn’t tell him there was nothing to worry about – that James as a hard nine but Sid was a ten-plus easily, and that was before he’d kissed her. So she just pushed her leg playfully against his.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid thought about putting his arm across the back of the booth, behind Leah without touching her, but didn’t want to make things worse. Neal knew him well enough to get the hint. Even off the ice and off the season, Sid was still the captain. Even if they weren’t a couple, Leah was his girl in this situation. His friend. That possessive instinct to mark his territory flared in Sid’s gut. As if reading his mind, Neal gave him a slight nod… then went right back to talking his way into Leah’s pants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After their salads had been cleared, Taylor put down her napkin. “Excuse me, James, I have to get out.” She was looking right at Leah when she said it, tipping her head encouragingly. Leah didn’t even have to move to nudge Sid, he was so close. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once the girls were , Nealer dropped back into his seat. “I knew something was up when you sister called. What’s going on with Leah?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid shook his head. “Nothing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“As in you’re getting nothing or you’re saying nothing?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Nothing,” Sid repeated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">James shrugged. “Right, getting nothing. Why?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We’re just friends.” Sid looked at James as if to back up his own story, but Neal just shook his head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You don’t sit that close to Flower.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid rolled his eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But then, Flower wouldn’t look as good sucking your dick.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid recoiled, hand coming up like he might launch across the table and cave Neal’s face in. James just rocked back, safe in his seat and laughing. The crass comment was just the test Sid’s reaction, which had proven James right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it,” Neal said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chirping was part of more than hockey, it was a part of life on a hockey team. Sid knew he’d have to take more of it about his personal life in his quest to be a normal guy. He shredded a packet of Sweet-N-Low and simply said, “Fuck you.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well I don’t like guys, but if she’s into threesomes I could be persuaded.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid glared at James, who just shook his head like he’d found a lost puppy. That’s how Sid felt, now more than ever: like he should make a play for Leah. If he didn’t, some other guy would. Some other guy would live out the few fantasies Sid had allowed himself, including the one James had mentioned. James was probably thinking about it right now.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Your sister looks good,” James added. Sid went rage-red and it set Neal off laughing again. “I’m just giving you shit! You’re so easy. Leah seems great, so what is your problem?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“She is great,” Sid answered. “That’s the problem. I don’t want to start something I can’t finish.” He meant that he didn’t want to drop Leah when the lockout ended. But she wouldn’t be the only one hurt by his sudden departure, and dragging a broken heart back to Pittsburgh was no way to start what would be left of this season. “I could be leaving tomorrow,” he reminded James.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">James shrugged. “All the more reason to make tonight count.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah washed her hands until they were alone in the bathroom. “What are you doing, Taylor?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The younger Crosby smiled wickedly into the mirror. “I thought you liked him.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“James? I… I do,” Leah stuttered. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor tipped her head. “So you say.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah put her hands on her hips. “What does that mean?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Just that I don’t really see it out there. Of course, with my brother trying to hump your leg it might be tough to flirt with his teammate.” Taylor gave Leah a perfectly sweet and innocent look. “I wonder what </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that’s</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She escaped so quickly that Leah didn’t catch up till they were nearly at the table and the time to cross-examine Taylor was gone. What was what about? Sid sitting close? Leah knew he felt threatened by James’ presence – she did too, honestly. It threatened the little house of lies she’d built in her head: Sid was a friend, just another guy. Because James was much more than another guy… yet as clearly as she saw them both standing by the table, Leah knew that James had nothing on Sid. Not even a little bit, not even at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah moved in and Sid sat down. This time she was the one to move closer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It was nice to meet you,” James folded Leah into a hug on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. “Don’t suppose you’d be up for a drink or something? I know Sid has an early meeting.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid stared daggers at James, since Leah was busy being wrapped up in his broad upper body. James winked back.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bastard</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Sid thought.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leah declined, blaming fatigue left over from New Year’s Eve. She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth, essentially “</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No thanks, James Neal, I don’t want to spend time alone with you and alcohol and the key to my hotel room.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But she was tired physically and tired of whatever weird game was going on over dinner. James didn’t ask Taylor to go out. They parted ways, turning back toward the hotel.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid was quiet. He was thinking about killing Taylor in her sleep. Leah was quiet, wondering how one guy had changed so many things in her life without actually doing anything. Taylor was quiet, considering options to sneak out and meet up with James.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They each went to their separate rooms, waited five minutes, and decided to act.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor was texting James when there was a knock. Sidney pushed the door out of her hand and let himself in. “What’s up, bro?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What was that all about?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You need a kick in the pants,” she said openly. “Just admit that you like Leah.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I don’t!” he cried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor scoffed. “I thought you were going to pee on her like a fire hydrant, Sid, because another dog tried to walk on your yard.” </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I just don’t want my friends having one night stands with my teammates!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taylor’s phone beeped. They both looked at it, then each other. Sid’s jaw dropped open. Taylor slid it into her pocket without checking the screen and smiled. “What about your sister?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid stormed out. James would never, not if he wanted to live. He stomped into the hallway and stopped. Leah was at his door, hand lifted like she’d just knocked. She still wore her skinny jeans only now she was barefoot with a green t-shirt on. The sleeves were long enough to ball in her fists.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hey,” he forced calm into his voice.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh, hey,” she smiled at the sight of him. His cheeks were flushed - he’d probably been giving Taylor hell. “I just wanted to say goodnight.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I just wanted you to invite me in,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> she thought. She had no idea what she’d do once she got there, but two doors and twenty feet between them all night seemed like way too much. After the New Year’s party and the airport, then dinner and James, Leah was drained from the constant worry about people watching and judging them. She just wanted to be alone with Sid.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Less than 24 hours ago I kissed you</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he wanted to say. He’d done something kind of brave, kind of ballsy and it had nearly cost him. Now he’d spent the night watching another guy want Leah. If Taylor meant that to kick him in the pants, it had. But not in the ass. Sid felt powerless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You guys have fun tomorrow,” he said as he neared the door. She had not moved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good luck at your meeting.” Leah felt the air between them become solid as a wall. She reached out and rubbed Sid’s arm – a casual gesture, but it felt wrong. Weak. That would never get through this tension piling up. So she stepped in and kissed his cheek, as slowly as the night they went to Madigan’s, the first time they were in public together. It had not gotten easier since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sid almost turned his head. He barely resisted the urge to capture her mouth with his own and kiss her for the second time in a day. There was no one to see and nowhere to run. It would make or break them for good, a single kiss. Too bad he was more afraid of the break. Her soft skin slid against his, then disappeared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Night, Sid,” Leah said through tingling lips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Night.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">____</span></div>
</b>juliet falls...http://www.blogger.com/profile/00589480204400462998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873481534696054946.post-75212090052418808532013-03-23T11:56:00.002-07:002013-03-23T12:00:02.916-07:00four<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(December
30)</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
<br />
“Oh,” Sid sounded far more disappointed than he meant to.
“It’s cool, you’re busy.”<br />
<br />
Leah was lying flat on her bed, laughing at the bare ceiling above her.
Did Sidney Crosby sound a little jealous?
“Gotta pack the dentist, doctor and a haircut all into one vacation.”
If she was going to hang out, it might have been with him. But she
had scheduled real life things before he’d waltzed in and taken over the place.
“How about tomorrow night? Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve?”<br />
<br />
“Uh, no,” Sid realized that the holiday had arrived surreptitiously and the
lockout still was not over. Shit, he’d planned to be playing hockey by
then. “I don’t.”<br />
<br />
“Well I’m pretty sure half of Cole Harbour is expecting you to be my date
tomorrow night. So do you want to come to a party with me?<br />
<br />
“Is.... it a date?”<br />
<br />
<i>Well, yeah, if you want it to be</i>, Leah thought. Why did he have to
be so dense all the time? “No, Sid, it’s not a date unless you plan on
sticking around Nova Scotia long enough to make it several dates.”<br />
<br />
Sid froze. <i> Wait, is that a real option? </i>“But I don’t know
when I’m leaving....”<br />
<br />
She laughed - that same laugh that got him in trouble the first night at the
skating rink, standing alone in the semi-darkness deciding if this would be a
one night thing or a many night thing.
It was becoming even more nights now while Sid flailed helplessly at the
idea of a real girl in a real life situation.<br />
<br />
“It’s New Years’, Sid. You can leave with whoever you want.
If you want.” Leah sincerely hoped that he wanted to leave alone,
because while she had no claim on Sid she didn’t know anyone in Cole Harbour
who was good enough for him. She would spend the night playing police if
she had to keep the tramps away.<br />
<br />
“Oh, okay.” He tried not to sound disappointed.<br />
<br />
Leah heard it a little bit anyway, and it made her feel special. It meant
that Sid felt safe. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you make any really bad
decisions.”<br />
<br />
Ending up with Leah would not be a bad decision for Sid. Unless he
planned to lose the only real friend he had at home, the only person who had
backbone and seemed to actually want to spend time with him but not broadcast
it to the world. He had checked her Facebook feed - totally public, zero
mentions of him. A few people had posted about seeing them together; Leah
had not even responded. It relaxed Sid at the same time it activated the
very male response to mark his territory. Maybe on New Year’s Eve.
He’d get Leah to post a photo from the party, in which they looked like a
couple. Even though they weren’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Or he could just make sure every last person in Cole Harbour – the
world as far as his life currently went - knew they were on a date.<br />
<br />
“Tomorrow night, dinner first?” he asked.<br />
_____<br />
<br />
Leah ran all her errands and went to all her appointments. Then she went
back to the mall where she’d been with Sid and Taylor just the day before.
A dress had caught her eye in one store. Normally she wouldn’t buy
something new for a friend’s house party, but it was New Year’s Eve and she had
a date. A sort-of date. One who needed to learn how to either relax
around a girl or make a move that stuck. Leah could hardly bear to think
of sending Sidney back to Pittsburgh in his current state. The first girl
he let in would take the sweet, awkward guy who’d become her friend and tear
him apart.<br />
<br />
<i>Everyone will be dressed up</i>, r<i>ight?</i> In the mirror she saw
sequins - dark blue sequins covering a spaghetti strap party dress that ran out
just short of mid-thigh. The fit skimmed her frame, suggestive without
being tight. There was a lot of leg though, and the color made her hair
look redder than ever. Leah lifted onto her toes to imagine it with
heels.<br />
<br />
She snapped a photo in the mirror and texted Gina: <i>Too much?</i><br />
<br />
<i>Gina: More than I’m wearing.</i><br />
<br />
“Well good,” Leah said out loud, because she wanted it. What good was New
Year’s Eve, or a faux dinner date even, if she couldn’t have a little fun?
Her phone buzzed again.<br />
<br />
<i>Gina: Crosby will be choking on his tongue all night. Or you’ll be
choking on his tongue. Either way.</i><br />
<br />
“Fuck you,” Leah told the screen.<br />
<br />
She was home and fed before eight o’clock. Usually she savored nights in
alone, just hanging out watching TV or talking to her mom on the phone.
Tonight she couldn’t get comfortable on the couch or read the words in
her book. She drove to her sister’s house.<br />
<br />
“Well if it isn’t the winner of The Bachelor: Nova Scotia,” her brother-in-law
Tommy said as she walked in the front door. “Where is he?”<br />
<br />
“He,” Leah paused for emphasis, “is doing whatever he does. We’re not attached.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
“Could’ve fooled the people at Madigan’s,” Kate came from the kitchen to hug
her sister. “Three separate people have shown me phone pictures they took
of you dancing. I wouldn’t have pegged him as a dancer.”<br />
<br />
Leah rolled her eyes. “Me neither. It wasn’t anything though.”<br />
<br />
“So he wasn’t buying you presents at the mall yesterday?” Kate asked.<br />
<br />
“What?! How did you know we were at the mall?”<br />
<br />
“Honey, you know the whole town talks when he goes to the supermarket.
But the mall with a girl and his sister? Clearly you’re in tight.
Barbara from the library thinks you’re engaged! I said you’d known
him three days and she seemed to think that was long enough.”<br />
<br />
Leah led them back into the kitchen and grabbed one of Jake’s juice boxes from
the fridge. “Most girls wouldn’t need a day.”<br />
<br />
“Good for you,” Tommy said. “You ask me, he could probably use someone to
hang out with. Sittin’ around here waiting for the lockout to end, and
you know his dad is nuts.”<br />
<br />
“So long as it doesn’t break her heart when he leaves,” Kate added like Leah
wasn’t even there.<br />
<br />
“It’s not going to break my heart! We are just friends,” Leah said.<br />
<br />
“I know,” Kate patted her arm. “He just seems like the kind of friend you
should keep close.”<br />
<br />
Leah retreated to the rec room and played a few rounds of Mario Kart with Jack.
He didn’t ask her about Sidney once, but it was on her mind so much that
she lost the third game by a mile. Focusing on a rematch was nearly
impossible. <br />
<br />
When Jack went to bed at nine-thirty, Leah went back to her empty, boring
house. She tried every station on TV, settled on a dumb reality show then
changed it to a history program. That didn’t work. A makeover show
was just starting so she watched an average, alright-looking girl get
transformed into a slightly slutty bombshell. It made her think of the
New Year’s Eve party and her dress. Maybe it was too much after all.<br />
<br />
On the table, her phone beeped.<br />
<br />
<i>Sid: Cole Harbour is boring.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Leah: Everyone’s busy talking about seeing you at the mall with a girl.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Sid: Doesn’t ring any bells. Was she cute?</i><br />
<br />
<i>Leah: Apparently. I hear you two are engaged.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Sid: Think I’d remember if I bought a ring.</i><br />
____<br />
<br />
Alone in his own house ten minutes away, Sidney laughed. He was so used
to people reporting his movements like... he didn’t know what. He wasn’t
going to score goals at the mall or win awards in the grocery store, so it
baffled him why people cared where he went. That feeling used to keep him
from doing those things. Now he was starting to find it funny - as long
as no one else got hurt.<br />
<br />
<i>Sid: Sorry to drag you into it.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Leah: People assumed I had higher standards. They’ll get over it.</i><br />
<br />
Apparently she was fine, or at least graceful enough to lie. Sidney appreciated it either way. He
also wished that, like last night, she’d come over or they’d done something
together. But seeing the same girl every night sounded like more than
friendship, even if Sid told himself otherwise. To everyone in Cole
Harbour it already looked like more. Tomorrow night they would be in a
very public spot, and he’d probably cling to her the way he had at the bar.
A night off would not stop the rumor mill, but it might slow his racing
heart.<br />
<br />
<i>Sid: See you tomorrow night.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Leah: Night, Sid.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<br />
<br />(December 31)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
The day was endless. Sidney worked out long and hard, but like anything
he was told not to think about, he had Leah on his mind all day. No doubt
she was under his skin, more than any girl in recent memory. And all by
doing less than every other girl tried. Sid was still thinking about it
when he climbed into bed to take a nap, but closing his eyes only brought Leah
rushing back. It wasn’t just her face or the sound of her laugh, but the
warmth and the size of her hand in his, the press of her lips to his cheek and
that dark, sweet scent he’d so briefly found on her skin.<br />
<br />
<i>Friends friends friends</i>, he repeated to himself, shoving his hands under
his pillow before they got any ideas about traveling down his body. <br />
<br />
Eventually he slept and woke happy that time had passed. He dressed in
jeans and black shoes, left his black button down shirt untucked and rolled the
sleeves up. Girls loved that… said his teammates. A little
hair gel and even less cologne, then he brushed his teeth twice and was ready
to go.<br />
<br />
Leah opened the door just as he rolled to a stop in front of her place.
Her long coat wasn’t enough to cover bare legs that ended in delicate
high heels. Sid took a deep breath and swallowed as she hurried through
the cold to the car.<br />
<br />
“Hi!” The smell came with her, just enough for it to reach him in the
next seat, filling his senses. Vanilla
and something that smelled dark red, maybe a flower, hit him in the face like a
door. He’d been trying so hard to remember it. Bouncing long curls
and a smile followed.<br />
<br />
“Hi,” he croaked, hands white around the steering wheel.<br />
<br />
Sid drove to the restaurant thinking about the time a girl had made him watch
the first Twilight movie. That vampire guy could not resist the smell of Kristen
Stewart’s blood, it made him crazy. Now Sid knew how it felt: it hurt so
badly though all he wanted to do was kiss her.
At the door, the hostess looked surprised to see them. Perhaps she’d
thought the reservation was a prank. But her eyes went right to Leah, to
see what all the fuss was about. Leah smiled back so perfectly that Sid
resisted the urge to take her hand.<br />
<br />
The place wasn’t really fancy, and their booth was right at the center - not a
single person missed them walking in. Leah snickered softly; middle
school giggles. In front of a hundred people watching, he helped her out
of her coat.<br />
<br />
The first thing he saw was bare skin and lots of it. Her shoulders, then
her arms, were uncovered save for the thin straps of a dress that spilled down
her body like the eyes of everyone in the room. Sparkly enough to catch
the light and dark enough to absorb it, Leah twinkled like a star in the night
sky. That pile of curls tumbled down from one side, sending another
breath of perfume Sidney’s way. The sight and scent wove together and
punched him in the stomach.<br />
<br />
“Wow,” he said quietly, speaking for everyone. “You look amazing.”<br />
<br />
Leah wanted to die twice: first over the number of people seeing them together,
like they were showing off. She would have worn a different dress.
Then again for the familiar look in Sid’s eyes, the one that begged her
to do something, anything, to change the category they’d put themselves in.
The look that said he wanted her, and he’d be worth it.<br />
<br />
<i>No fucking kidding</i>, she told herself. His custom-made jeans were
almost vulgar in the way they hugged and hung from every thick part of his
lower body. The black button-down he wore would lose its life at the
first flex. Already he’d popped the buttons on the cuffs to get them over
bulging forearms.<br />
<br />
“You too,” was the best Leah could do.<br />
<br />
They sat with Sidney tucked into the booth as out of view as possible.
Leah felt like a hood ornament - the shiny thing people see first, before
moving on to look at something expensive and perfectly engineered. Sid
suggested a bottle of wine; Leah kept her eyes on her menu and nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
“Hey,” he said when the waitress was gone, “is this okay? I should’ve
told them to put us at the back.”<br />
<br />
Leah turned her attention to Sid. His face was full of genuine concern -
a piece of her heart broke off and fell. He must get this all the time.
No wonder he was nervous to go anywhere, and now she was not giving the
help she’d promised herself she would give.<br />
<br />
“It’s great. It’s gonna be great. I just wish I’d maybe worn a
different dress, if everyone was going to notice.”<br />
<br />
Sid smiled widely, crumbling another chunk inside her chest. “Everyone
would notice you anyway.”<br />
<br />
The first glass of wine helped a little, the second helped more. By the
time appetizers arrived, Leah had relaxed enough to behave normally.
Sidney handled the situation like a professional, hunkering into his
corner and never letting his attention waver. Over entrees, he and Leah
talked and laughed until it was obvious to everyone but them that they were on
a fantastic date. <br />
<br />
“So who’s going to be at this party?” he asked.<br />
<br />
“Some people you know. You know Ricky Calvert and those guys, right?”<br />
<br />
Sid had played youth hockey with every single boy in Cole Harbour. Not
many went on to play professionally, but they played beer leagues and pick-up
games. Sid had joined Ricky and some other guys a bit during off-seasons
and training to come back from his injury. They were always around when
he called, always up for hanging out. But they never called him, like
they were nervous about including him. It left Sid feeling like an
outsider. Still, he figured tonight a few familiar faces couldn’t hurt.<br />
<br />
“Yeah, they’re cool,” he said.<br />
<br />
Leah stole a bite off his plate. “And probably a thousand other people
who heard I was going and figured that meant you too. It’s my friend
Bill’s house though and he’ll kick people out if they’re being weird. Or
too drunk.” She smiled. “Really anyone I don’t like, and I’ll just
blame it on you.”<br />
____<br />
<br />
Leah had that warm, fuzzy feeling often found at the bottom of a bottle of
wine. She’d have to slow down or she wouldn’t make it to midnight - at
least not with her dress still on. For now she really just wanted to
climb over the center console of Sidney’s car, right into his lap, and wrap her
arms around his neck. Even if they just hugged until midnight, it seemed
like the kind of reassuring and comfortable thing they were both after.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah hummed absentmindedly with the song on the radio. Sidney noticed it was pitch-perfect, every
note.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
She directed him to Bill’s address, a big two-story plantation style house with
a wrap-around porch on the second level. It had been the best party house
since high school, and now that they were old enough to really party, was the
site of most of Leah’s favorite nights. Every light was on and people
were visible through every window, even at half past ten. Sidney found a parking spot a block away.
They both looked at the window at a party in very full swing.<br />
<br />
“You don’t have go in,” Leah said, then corrected herself. “I mean <i>we</i> don’t have to go in. If you
don’t want to.”<br />
<br />
Sid didn’t want to. More than anything he wanted to stay right in the car
and talk to Leah all night, hear her laugh, revel in whatever that god damn
scent was that made his heart ache. Inside that house were all the
gawkers, autograph seekers, bullies and stupid girls he tried to avoid by
staying out of public. Too bad tonight was not about his hesitation.
It was about him being normal and trying harder. It was also about
Leah and that dress. More than wanting to be a regular guy for himself,
Sid wanted to show Leah that he could do it.<br />
<br />
“Just remember your promise,” he said, “and don’t let make any really bad
decisions.”<br />
<br />
Music was thumping through the first floor but it still seemed like everyone at
the party heard them come in. Leah led the way with Sid hot on her heels,
straight for the kitchen, as if she knew she’d find their host there. A
tall, bearded guy in a vintage Soundgarden t-shirt was pumping a keg in a
plastic bucket on the kitchen floor.<br />
<br />
“Hey, Leah!” Bill caught her up with his free arm, giving her a quick
squeeze. He set a red SOLO cup down and turned to Sid. “Crosby,
nice to meet you. Glad you could come.”<br />
<br />
“Thanks for having me,” Sid liked this guy immediately.<br />
<br />
“Any friend of Leah’s,” Bill grinned. He poured them each a beer as Leah
said hello to everyone she knew. Most didn’t wait to be introduced to
Sid, they just started talking about hockey or the lockout until Leah politely
excused them to approach another group of people who did the same thing.
She moved them again.<br />
<br />
“Gina,” Leah practically fell into her best friend and pushed Sid past her
until his back was to the wall. “Hold him, don’t let anyone talk about
hockey. I gotta pee.” And she was gone.<br />
<br />
“Right,” Gina laughed. “Hi Sid. How’s your adventure in the wild,
dangerous real world going?”<br />
<br />
Sid looked at Gina’s face, which was just beautiful enough in itself to keep
his eyes off the rack spilling from her silver dress. It was strapless
but held up with no problem by tightness and fullness. If she’d walked
past his team in that, they’d have attacked like wild animals. Here she
was bouncing on the ball of one foot to the beat of Fun. blaring through the
speakers, champagne glass in hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">So if by the time the bar
closes…</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
“Good so far. I think Leah was uncomfortable at dinner, there were a lot
of people.”<br />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“She’s okay if you’re okay,” Gina said.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And you feel like falling down…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
“Well I’m okay because she’s okay.”<br />
<br />
“Then you two are perfect for each other.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’ll carry you home tonight.</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
It might have been funny if it weren’t true. Sid sloshed half an inch of
beer in the bottom of his cup. “Need a new drink?”<br />
<br />
Gina forged a path to the kitchen. Sid was almost grateful for people
calling out random greetings as it kept his gaze from wandering to her ass in
that barely-there dress. Where was Travis? Would Sid ever let his
girl go out alone looking that good? Just as he was wondering that, Gina
stopped short and he crashed into her back.<br />
<br />
“Shit.”<br />
<br />
Sid looked over her shoulder - Leah was talking with some guy in a blue v-neck
t-shirt. She was smiling tightly and her body language was all wrong -
weight back, like she might run or swing a fist. Her shoulders were
rolled down and her head high, proud, defiant.<br />
<br />
“Who’s that?” he asked.<br />
<br />
Gina turned to face Sid, she needed to gauge his reaction. “Leah’s ex.”<br />
____<br />
<br />
Leah made a detour from the bathroom through the kitchen. She’d spotted a
few more friends, and wanted to thank Bill for having them, again, as if
bringing Sidney Crosby didn’t make her the best guest in town. She
squeezed between two groups of people and looked across the room - right into
Jesse’s eyes.<br />
<br />
<i>Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck</i>, she thought, stopped short like she’d walked into
a glass door.<br />
<br />
Mild panic crossed his face, quickly replaced by a shit-eating grin.
Jesse was always cool on the surface; too cool for Leah. Now she
was in a bad spot, and she was also the girl who’d come to the party with
Sidney Crosby. People she didn’t even know would be watching every move.
Leah stood up straight and continued on her way.<br />
<br />
“Hi,” she said when she reached him. Jesse’s hair was a shorter but he
was still the same fit body in a tight-ish t-shirt. Or at least what she
used to think of as fit, before she started looking at Sid every day.
Clothes looked happy to commit suicide by being stretched over Crosby’s
body. In comparison Jesse just looked like another guy who shopped at the
mall.<br />
<br />
“Wow, Lee, that’s a great dress,” he ogled her openly, something she used to
find flattering.<br />
<br />
“Thanks. You, uh, look good. Been a while.”<br />
<br />
Jesse didn’t waste any time. “You’ve been busy. Hear you’re
shacking up with the Crown Prince.”<br />
<br />
Leah laughed a loud, sarcastic note, right in his face. While Jesse was
the last person she wanted to see, it felt good to have shown up with the only
superstar in town. “You heard wrong. But Sid is here somewhere.”<br />
<br />
“I wouldn’t let you out of my sight looking like that,” Jesse cut her off.<br />
<br />
“Then you can be sure to watch me go.” Leah turned away, bumping right
into Sidney. His big hands closed on her bare arms, at once steady and
sending currents of contact electricity through her body. She gasped, her
breasts lifting against his chest.<br />
<br />
“Everything okay?” Sid asked quietly, his jaw set in a hard line.<br />
<br />
“Yeah, good. Sid,” Leah turned, “this is Jesse. We used to date.”<br />
<br />
Sidney was sizing up the competition like he did at the faceoff circle.
This guy was an inch taller and broader, but Sid had the advantage.
He worked out every day so that no one, not even some goon, could push
him around. This guy looked like a douche already. Sid gave him a
big, dazzling smile and stuck out his hand, “Hey man, nice to meet you.”<br />
<br />
Jesse’s hard face faltered a little - this was still Sidney Crosby. Leah
unceremoniously walked away. Sid stood eye to eye with her ex and decided
Leah could do a whole hell of a lot better.<br />
<br />
“How long you two been getting together?” Jesse asked.<br />
<br />
“We’re not, and we just met...,” Sid counted back, “like five days ago.”<br />
<br />
“Wow,” Jesse rocked on his heels. “She didn’t even make me wait that
long.”<br />
<br />
A rumble formed in the base of Sidney’s throat, the way it always did when
someone got in his face. He tried to
channel it, to force it down into his stomach like a spark that could ignite
his game. If he was going to spend time in public, the game had to
change. “We’re just friends,” he said.<br />
<br />
Jesse nodded, tight-lipped. “So it’s true then, what everyone says? You
are gay.”<br />
<br />
Sidney rolled his shoulders back and looked this Jesse guy right in the eye.
“I can see why you and Leah broke up.”<br />
<br />
“She wanted me to grow up, whatever that means. Bet you don’t have that
problem. Girls are so happy to be on your dick they don’t ask for
anything.”<br />
<br />
Sid took heart in the fact Jesse’s argument changed with every line, and that
one of his own favorite things about Leah was when she called him out.
She wasn’t afraid of Sid, and Sid wasn’t afraid of Jesse. “They don’t have to ask,” Sid said.
“But if she asked, I’d do it.”<br />
<br />
In the hallway, Leah ground her teeth together another moment then took a deep
breath. She walked back into the kitchen…
to find Sidney and Jesse standing toe-to-toe. The boys were oblivious but
half the party was watching, riveted. She pushed through a sea of people
craning for a better look.<br />
<br />
“Dance with me,” she said, appearing at Sid’s side and linking her arm through
his.<br />
<br />
“Good luck with that,” Jesse sneered.<br />
<br />
Sid turned to say he didn’t need luck, he had skill. He didn’t need
skill, he had Leah already tucked against his side and headed for the other
room, where he could hold her close and whisper every word on his mind right
into her ear. He didn’t need anything at all, because he had her. <br />
<br />
Instead Leah said nice and loud, “Fuck you, Jesse.”<br />
<br />
She swung into Sidney’s arms in the middle of a song. The living room had
been cleared of furniture and turned into a mini-club, with people grinding and
drunkenly keeping the beat that thumped through the floor. Leah was mad
at Jesse and mad at herself for being upset. She was a little miffed that
Sid hadn’t knocked him out - Jesse had clearly been talking shit about her, the
least Crosby would do was defend her honor. Not that she deserved
it. Jesse was a dick, but she’d still
dated him.<br />
<br />
“I hate that guy,” Sid said. “You should have him thrown out.”<br />
<br />
Leah, half-drunk and furious, put her forehead against Sid’s shoulder in
defeat. Behind her the music moved at twice the speed of her feet.
“I told you pickings were slim in Cole Harbour. I dumped him three
months ago and he still calls me, despite whatever he told you.”<br />
<br />
Sid pushed the hair out of Leah’s face, stopping them mid-dance. “He
practically told me he wants you back, except that you’re easy. But not
for me, because I’m gay.”<br />
<br />
Leah looked into Sid’s big, disarming brown eyes and knew that joke wasn’t
easily repeated. He had never broadcast any girlfriend to the hockey
universe, now he wasn’t dating the one girl his entire hometown knew he spent every
day with. They thought what they wanted to think - or what made the best
gossip. <br />
<br />
That look was back on Sid’s face. The ‘please kiss me’ look of a guy who
just wanted something, anything, to happen to him. Something he couldn’t
control or take back that would open up a world of possibilities. Leah,
drenched in the heat of his embrace and the rage of having him fight her
battle, was tempted to do just that in return. She wanted to kiss Sidney
Crosby in a room full of people. <br />
<br />
She wanted to kiss him with no one else around.<br />
<br />
<i>Friends</i>, she swallowed the word like a shot of tequila and it burned all
the way down. Kissing him would prove these people right. It would
make her easy, make her obvious. It would take away the strange but
strong friendship she and Sidney had forged in such a short time. And
between them, things would be lost. She held onto Sidney and moved to the
music, feeling what she couldn’t hear over the voices in her head.<br />
<br />
“What?” she asked, seeing that Sid’s glorious lips were speaking.<br />
<br />
“I said, I take back what I said about Neal - he’s a million times better than
that douche.”<br />
<br />
“I don’t need Neal,” she said, tipsy and aggravated. “I have you.”<br />
____<br />
<br />
<i>You have me.</i> The words echoed through Sid’s mind, empty except for
the rage of knowing the last person to touch Leah was that asshole Jesse.
Maybe the last person to kiss her. Here it was ticking down to
midnight, when kisses were free, and Sid was wrapped around her like a blanket.
They moved to whatever beat they heard - it didn’t match the music, but
most people were too drunk to notice. He struggled not to slide one thigh
between hers and make this song really count.<br />
<br />
He shouldn’t drink. Not in public. Sid was proud of himself for
fighting the battle against Jesse with only carefully chosen words. On
the ice, he had a problem with complaining first and thinking later. It
was one of his things to improve upon if this season ever started. Right now though, the season could take it’s
time. Leah was against his chest, feeling small by comparison to how
angry he was about fighting with her ex. She might not need his
protection but he wanted to give it anyway. At the moment, the least he
could do was hold her.<br />
<br />
“One minute!” someone shouted. People looked at their watches and the TV,
showing live shots of a packed Times Square. The countdown to New Year’s
had officially begun.<br />
<br />
“Next year will be better for you.”<br />
<br />
Sid looked at Leah to find her gazing back, bright blue eyes wide. She
was speaking quietly. “Twenty thirteen will be great.”<br />
<br />
Leah could hardly believe she was about to spend the turn of the year in the
place every girl at this party wished they could be. Yet when she looked
at Sidney, she didn’t see famous or hockey or hero. She saw a little
piece of home sent out into the world, making his way the best he could.<br />
<br />
Everyone at the party assumed they were together. The more they denied
it, the more certain people became. People hollered “Ten!” then “Nine!”
Somewhere around eight Sid knew what he should do. At seven he
decided to do it. The next six seconds were endless.<br />
<br />
“Three!”<br />
<br />
“Two!”<br />
<br />
“One!”<br />
<br />
He leaned down and kissed Leah hard on the mouth.<br />
<br />
Time stopped, hanging the stroke of midnight in the balance. The room
disappeared and they were as alone as the first night at the rink, when he
should have done this very thing. Except
it would have meant never doing it again and Sidney wanted her now more than
ever. Leah’s lips were soft and warm though her body went tense in his
arms. He held her right through the initial panic until she relaxed just
a touch. The urge to open his mouth, to kiss her for real, roared in his
head. Sidney shoved it aside and kept his lips closed against her sweet kiss.<br />
<br />
Leah felt like a house had fallen on her. All at once: blackout, silence,
nothing but the urgent press of that legendary mouth to hers. She froze
to keep from kissing him back like she meant it. Her heart swooped so
hard she had to hold on to stay on her feet. Sid’s strength and smell and
structure were an assault on the senses, but they had nothing on the urgency of
his needy, weak-in-the-knees kiss.<br />
<br />
Her brain suddenly blinked back to life, a computer re-starting after a crash.
<i>WHAT AM I DOING?!</i> Leah pulled away, breaking the kiss with a
gasp. Fear and anger flooded her system - she spun on a heel and stormed
out into the night.<br />
<br />
Sidney had not been ready for that; suddenly his arms and lips were empty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
“Leah,” he chased her out the door and down the steps into the darkened yard.
She moved quickly on those heels. “Leah. Hey!”<br />
<br />
Five long-legged, high-heeled steps in front of him, she spun around.
“Why did you do that?”<br />
<br />
<i>Because I’ve wanted to kiss you since the rink</i>, he thought. <i>Every
minute of every day since I met you, I have wanted to kiss you.</i> But
he said lamely, “It’s just midnight.”<br />
<br />
“That was not a midnight kiss!” Leah exclaimed. Midnight kisses were
pecks that you instantly forgot, from friends and on cheeks. They didn’t
root you to the floor, or make a hundred people who were staring at you
disappear in one fell swoop. Her heart hammered. “You know that
everyone assumes we’re sleeping together, right? They don’t believe for a
second we’re just friends because you’re Sidney Crosby and I’m... no one. I’m not Carrie Underwood.”<br />
<br />
The anger in her voice surprised him. “I don’t care what they think!” he
shot back.<br />
<br />
Leah’s eyes and shoulders fell, everything about her turned down. “I do,
Sid. I have to.”<br />
<br />
“Well then I’m sorry I kissed you!” he shouted, still reeling. “I’m sorry
I thought I could be a regular guy for a second.”<br />
<br />
“If you were a regular guy, I wouldn’t be sorry.”<br />
<br />
Sidney was dumbstruck. He had been so sure that Leah was with him: this
was something good, even if it was short, even if they were just friends.
He would treat her better on the worst day than Jesse ever did.
He’d taken one liberty, the same one a million guys were taking at that
moment, and now Leah was spitting mad. It took a long, silent moment for
him to swallow the lump in his throat. “I thought I was finally there,
Leah. That I’d found someone who didn’t look at me like I was a name on a
fucking scoreboard.”<br />
<br />
“I don’t care about that, and you know it,” she growled. “But I have to
stay here when you leave, Sid. If we make a mess, I’m the one who has to
clean it up!”<br />
<br />
“You. Are. UGH!” he spun away in frustration. They should not be
fighting. It was New Year’s Eve! It could be his last night in Cole
Harbour and he was letting it get ruined by the very thing he promised would
never happen. Friends didn’t fight over stuff like this. He took a
deep breath and faced her.<br />
<br />
It didn’t help that she was so beautiful. Not tonight, with just enough
makeup on to advertise that something special was happening. Her dress
and legs and high-heeled shoes - they were all for something. Maybe they
were for nothing at all. They certainly were not for him. Sidney
cursed his luck for befriending a girl who made herself more attractive by
being strong. He sighed heavily.<br />
<br />
“You are the first person in a million years to tell me no,” he said in a low
voice. There was no pride in this. “About anything.”<br />
<br />
Leah, on the verge of tears herself, laughed weakly.<br />
<br />
“Definitely the first girl, no offense,” Sid went on. She looked away but
she was smiling. He took a step toward her. “I don’t want to fight,
Leah. I’m sorry I kissed you. You make me feel so normal, and I was
so mad at that jackass, I forgot to be careful. I forgot to be a big
deal.”<br />
<br />
They were standing close together in the freezing cold Nova Scotia winter.
Snow crunched under her stiletto party shoes and her bare arms and legs
must have been freezing. Sid wanted nothing more than to wrap himself
around her and hold on, protect her from the cold and fighting and almost
crying on New Year’s Eve. Some friend he was being.<br />
<br />
Leah hated herself for acting like a drama queen. She knew girls got
hysterical over Sid all the time, now she was proving to be just like them.
If he wanted to let her off the hook, she’d take it. Some
friend she was being. <i>I won’t do it
again</i>, she promised herself. <br />
<br />
“You’re not that big a deal,” she teased, her voice sticky. That happened
when her emotions and hormones got to whipping around her insides like
shrapnel. “I’m sorry too. Hot guys don’t go around kissing me all
the time, I probably shouldn’t freak out when it happens.”<br />
<br />
He raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m hot?”<br />
<br />
“Well not before you kissed me,” she said sarcastically. “Now I have to
reconsider.”<br />
<br />
<i>How about another go?</i> He almost asked. <i>I’ll make you sure. </i>But it
wasn’t the time or the place - those would never come, he’d have to be okay
with it. Soon he’d be gone anyway. Better to leave behind something
good than something broken.<br />
<br />
“Let’s go inside before everyone thinks we left together.” Sid put a hand on her back, just in case she
felt unsteady.<br />
<br />
His touch was warm, like a compress, right through her dress and the bitter
night air. “Now they can call me a loser
instead of a slut,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If anyone noticed they’d been gone, it wasn’t for long. Leah led them right back to Bill and the
center of attention – the keg – so the whole party would see they were still around. She didn’t want to dance, she didn’t want to
feel Sid’s body so closely or his breath on her skin for fear that she would
not be able to stop that kiss from happening again. Or herself from starting it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The kiss was a blur – surprise, panic, bliss. Leah wished she’d been ready, because she
would have remembered it better. Now as
Sid talked to Bill and a few other people, all Leah could feel was that soft
mouth touching hers for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If he’d done that at the rink,
the first night, I never would have stopped.</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> The idea almost made her laugh. Parents bringing their kids to early morning
practice would have found her and Sid there, still going at it. It would have undoubtedly been the last time
they ever saw each other. Now she saw
him every day, and wondered in frustration if it was better or worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid felt Leah back off, felt her recede like the tide going out. His instinct was to the same, but in a house
full of strangers he had nowhere to go.
So he talked to her friends, found he liked them, and tried to smooth
the situation the way he always did – talking, saying what was expected,
keeping his real thoughts to himself.
All while Leah stood there, making her fifty dollar dress look like a
million. Making him want to take back
the apology he’d lied to her earlier. He
wasn’t sorry he’d kissed her. It was not
just midnight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He couldn’t dance with her.
He could not touch or smell her.
He pounded another beer in hopes of not being able to drive her home,
because once they were alone in the car, there was no ‘blame it on the party’
safety net. Whatever happened, it would
just be them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It didn’t work though and after a few beers Sid stopped trying –
he was too worked up to get drunk. By
one o’clock Leah was yawning. “Let’s
go,” he said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Her eyes flashed. Go as in
leave? Go as in somewhere else? Go as in together?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">SHUT UP! </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">she
commanded her brain. It was time. “Okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They said goodbye to everyone who was too drunk to remember, a
kind of alibi. Then Sid held the front
door open and Leah went down the same steps she’d used to flee the scene of the
kiss. Snow crunched under foot as they
walked back to his car. Leah’s knees
were wobbly, and not from the drinking or from her shoes. Sidney felt a million miles away. At the car she buckled herself in quickly and
turned to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I’m sorry about before,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sid dropped his hand, left the key hanging in the ignition. He needed to fix this or he’d never
sleep. He’d never get out of bed
tomorrow and face endless time in Cole Harbour by himself again. Between the party and the past few days, not
kissing Leah was the most fun he’d had in a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I get it, Leah. People see
what they want, and I don’t want you to regret being friends with me,” he said
honestly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah wished she could take that kiss, the one moment both their
defenses crumbled, and hold it by itself.
She’d have made it last a lot longer.
Then she’d hide it away, so only they would see each other’s
weakness. “I would never regret it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The resolve in her voice made Sid weak. It was a battle of who had more to lose, and
her strategy was smarter than his.
Another part of his new game that needed work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Was Jesse the last guy you kissed?” he asked. Leah, embarrassed, nodded. Sid smiled.
“Then I don’t regret kissing you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Leah looked out the window the whole way home, counting houses,
wondering exactly how many people in this town knew her. They all knew him. How many would hear, or talk or care come
morning about Sid the Kid kissing a local girl?
She had the sinking feeling they would love it; one more way Sidney
Crosby could be a hometown hero. After
all, people saw what they wanted to see.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">____<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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