Ch. 14

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying this. I really appreciate the comments, MelTing! ...as you can only imagine things are only going to get more complicated. But seriously?! Since when has life been easy?! hehe Enjoy!

Here we go again
I kinda wanna be more than friends
So take it easy on me
I'm afraid
You're never satisfied
Here we go again
We're sick like animals
We play pretend
You're just
A cannibal
And I'm afraid
I won't get out alive
I won't sleep tonight

Oh oh
I want some
More
Oh oh
What are you waiting for
Take a bite of
My heart tonight
Neon Trees - Animal

Ch. 14

“What do you mean you aren’t coming to the game, Abby?!” Tyler whined into the phone, making it sound like I was missing out on the biggest thing to come to town.

“I made plans on Thursday night without even realizing you guys were here…” I reiterated.

“Then change them!” he pushed.  “Are you free for lunch then?  I know Kessy and Boyce will want to see you too.”

I chewed at my nail, debating what I wanted to say to him.  I could do without seeing Phil, but I did miss seeing Boyce and Armstrong.  “Ugh.”

“Ugh yourself, Abbers.  I miss you, I want to see you.”

“There is something I need to tell you…”

“What?”

“People don’t know who I am here in Philly.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, sounding totally confused.

“Everyone here knows me as Gabby, except for my brother and my new friend Kristy.”

“Gabby?” he repeated into the phone.

“Yes, Gabby.”

“But there has got to be some people there that know who you are,” he said, totally not believing I could fly under the radar.

“You haven’t seen me.”

“Send me a picture.”

I quickly snapped one with my IPhone and sent it to him.  We were silent until he received the picture and I heard him breathe, “Holy Shit.”

“Told you.”

“You look fucking hot.”

“Geesh, thanks…” I said sarcastically.

“Oh believe me babe, you were always smoking hot, but this blondish-red suits you big time.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his praising words.  “Thanks Ty.”

“So you don’t want to take the chance to blow your cover?”

“Exactly, especially since I’ve gotten to know a few of the guys on the Flyers…”

“Has Versteeg figured it out?”

“He lives across the hall from me actually, and no, he just thinks I’m Patrick’s cousin, which is the angle I’ve been playing,” I answered honestly.

“Well, you do look totally different,” he said, and I could tell by the quieter volume of his voice that he was once again looking at the picture.  “I’m sure Boyce and Army can keep the secret,” he continued.

“I’m sure he can too.  Fine, keep an ear out to where everyone is going and we will find a place that they are not going to.”

“I’m hungry for Chinese.”

I couldn’t help but giggle because Tyler was always hungry for Chinese.  “Then I guess we can head over to Chinatown.

“Okay.  We’ll get a cab and meet you there.”

“Sounds good.”

“I can’t wait to see you Abbers.”

“Same here, Ty.”

“Love you bye!” he said like he had said every time we had talked on the phone when we were dating.  It was a habit and instead of making a big stink of it I just said, “Love you bye.”

“We’re coming to your town to kick your ass.”

The text message from was Clark McArthur, one of the guys I had become fairly good friends with during my short time in Toronto.  Being the instigator I am, I made sure to show it around the locker room during practice Thursday morning.

“Yeah, I got a similar one from Lupul,” Richie laughed, holding up his phone to show me the text Joff had sent him.

“I want to score a goal more than anything tonight,” I grumbled as we walked down the hall to the practice ice at Skate Zone.

I left practice feeling pretty good for tonight.  Lavy worked us hard the last three days and I felt like 3 solid days of practicing with this group put me in a better position than ever before.  The team was pumped to being the march towards the playoffs.

I was just pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex when I noticed Gabby walking out the front door of the building.  I quickly got out of my car and called over to her.

“Gabby!”

She looked around with a worried look but then smiled when her eyes found me.  “Hey Kris!”

“Where are you headed?”

“Lunch.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’m meeting some friends in Chinatown.”

“I see, I was just going in to make some lunch and then lay down to take a nap,” I informed her, even though I had no reason why I felt the need to.”

“Heh, well have fun with that,” she said cheerfully.  “Oops! Here’s the bus, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. Later.”  I felt like things were back to the awkward stage once more and of course it was probably my fault.  After we got to our respective doors on Tuesday night, I made a stupid move and attempted to kiss her after I hugged her goodbye.  The hug had possibly crossed the line, but the kiss definitely went too far.

I walked her to her door that night and thanked her for coming out with me and the guys.  I apologized for keeping her out so late, especially since she wasn’t feeling 100% yet.  She shook her head and brushed it away.

“Kris, it is fine.  I know I could have said no…” she said with an easy smile that made her green eyes sparkle in the dim light of the hallway.  “We will definitely have to do that again sometime.”

“Much agreed,” I grinned and took a step forward, holding my arms out as I raised an eyebrow to question if it was okay.  She giggled and took a step towards me and allowed me to pull her against me.  I wrapped my arms low around her, my finger tips almost grazing her ass as she wrapped her arms around my neck.  The faint scent of tropical fruit lotion or shampoo found its way into my nose and I felt its hold on my brain.  I held her a little longer than I should of, but she didn’t seem bothered.  I allowed her to pull back first from the hug, but I didn’t entirely let go so that when she was just far enough back I leaned in to kiss her.  My eyes zeroed in on her pouty lips, I closed my eyes just centimeters away and when I went in for the kill I was kissing her hair.  I abruptly pulled back and found a pleading look in her eyes as she turned back to face me.

“Goodnight Kris.”

“Night Gabby,” I stuttered as she quickly unlocked her door and vanished from my sight.  She eluded me on Wednesday until now.  Too bad all I could think about were those pouty lips and now I was left thinking about how good she looked with those tight stone-washed jeans hugging her ass.  Nap time should be a blast today.

“Holy shit, Ty, you weren’t fucking kidding me,” Darryl whistled as he pulled me into his arms.  Even though Tyler had seen a picture, he still didn’t know it was me until I walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek.  “You look smoking, Abbers.”

I could feel myself blushing as I hugged Darryl back and thanked him for his praise.  “Don’t look so bad yourself,” I said as I gently swiped a finger over the new scar on the tip of his nose.  He had it practically cut off after a hit into the glass during a game.  Of course he felt the need to post some pictures of it on his Twitter account that almost made me vomit.

“Ladies love the scars,” he mused as Tyler and I groaned, walking hand and hand into the restaurant. 

“Where’s Army?” I asked the boys.

“He sends his love, but he went with Loops and McArthur to Gino’s,” Tyler informed me.

“Figures,” I laughed thinking about how much him and McArthur could eat.

“Are you really working as a waitress?” Darryl asked as our waitress walked away.

“Yup, I like it a lot actually.  A lot better than sitting behind a desk,” I said cheerfully as I took a sip of my soda.

“You are happier,” Tyler suddenly blurted out.

“I’m getting there,” I admitted.  “I have my moments.”

“No one is ever happy 24/7,” he murmured as he looked at me in a way that sent chills down my spine.  It was the same look he used to look at me with when we first started dating.

I quickly looked away, breaking his gaze and smiled over at Darryl, hoping both of them couldn’t see how nervous I was suddenly feeling.  “You guys have suddenly turned things around,” I said, changing the topic to neutral ground.  They both piped up and agreed, taking immediate action to inform me why they thought things were going better for them.  I smiled to myself because hockey boys always loved talking about their game.  Always so predictable.

After lunch Tyler and I waited outside while Darryl used the bathroom.

“I miss you, Abby,” Tyler said quietly as he pulled me into his arms.  I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his familiar scent.  He felt like that comfortable sweatshirt you never wanted to part with because it fit just right, even if it did was fraying at the sleeves and had faded stains on it from whatever event you wore it to.

“Mmm, I miss you too Tyler,” I sighed into his chest, squeezing him tightly.  “I’m sorry I’ve only sent you back the occasional text message instead of just calling…”

“It’s not like I’ve been much better,” he chuckled as he kissed my hair.  “Come back to Toronto and visit me…We have a couple home games next week.”

As much as I wanted to agree right away, I had to take a step backwards and think if this was going to help anything.  “I don’t know if that’s a smart idea,” I said honestly as I looked up into his liquid brown eyes.  “Plus, I have work…”

He met my gaze and nodded understandingly.  His hand came up and pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear, keeping his hand against my cheek, cupping it gently.  I couldn’t help but lean into it.  “If you change your mind, just call me or just text, I don’t care,” he said gently.  Tyler was never pushy and today I was thankful for that, just like he had been the whole time we dated.

“I’ll think about it.”

Think about it I did.  I thought about it the whole time I was getting ready for my date.  Just cancel this damn thing now, Abby.  This is just a waste of time, who are you kidding?!  You do not do blind dates and since when do you date a non-hockey player. Besides, who the hell plans a date for 5pm?!  I was just putting my earrings in when there was a knock at the door.  It struck me a little odd because Jackson was not meeting me here, so the only person I could think it might be would be Kristy.  I looked at the clock and saw it was 4:30pm.

“I have to be on the bus in 5 minutes, Kristy…Oh, hi Kris,” I stuttered out his name as I took in his expensive look.  He was in a sleek, dark suit with a white shirt and a purple paisley tie.  His hair wasn’t spiked, but what was the sense in going all out to look good when you would just be sweaty in an hour or two?

“Do you always dress that nice when you are expecting Kristy at your door?” he joked as I watched his blue eyes playfully take me in.   The way he looked me up down put me on full alert and I could have sworn my heart might have skipped a beat, but I of course ignored it.  “You look…beautiful,” he said almost whispered.

I looked down at myself, taking in the plain black dress.  It came down to about my knees and the top of it was puckered into pleats, all tying into a collared-neck halter.  The back was all open and I was a little nervous wearing it because I was so pale from the long winter.  “Are you sure it looks okay?” I asked hesitantly, desperately needing a second opinion, even if it was from my hockey playing neighbor who was staring at me in a way that made me second guess if I just shouldn’t be going on a date with him.

“Do a little cat-walk and let me make sure,” he said with a good-humored smile and twirl of his fingers.

I put my hand on my hip and gave him a look that said, “Really?”

“If you want my honest opinion, do it,” he growled, grabbing my shoulders firmly and turned me around, giving me a light push to walk away from him.

“Fiiiinnneee,” I whined as I walked down the little entrance hall of my apartment.  As I turned back to walk towards him he left out a low whistle.

“Who is the lucky man?”

“It’s a blind date that Kristy hooked me up on,” I admitted, feeling slightly weird to be talking to him about this.  Especially since he did try and kiss me the other night, but he did tell me the other day he was cool with being friends and friends talked about their dates, right? Right.

I watched as he looked down at his watch and looked back up at me with a questioning face.  “What time is the date?”

“5pm and I really need to get on the bus so that I can get to where I am meeting him,” I stomped my foot as I realized I still needed to switch my purses.

“Where do you need to go?”

“I’m meeting him at University of Penn Hospital; he’s finishing up his rotation.”

“I can drop you off…its right off of

Broad St

.

right?”

I paused as I put my lip gloss into the little clutch I was taking and looked over at him.  “You aren’t going to get out and introduce yourself, are you?”

“Do you think me psycho or something?” Kris scoffed.

“No, but…of nevermind.  Are you sure you don’t mind?  I don’t want to make you late.”

“By standing here asking more silly questions, you are going to make us both late.  Besides, a beautiful girl in a dress like that does not ride the bus.  I can’t believe he didn’t offer to pick you up.”

I grabbed my sweater and my coat and walked out into the hallway.  “I didn’t want some guy I don’t even know to know where I live,” I frowned as I locked up the apartment and waited for Kris to grab his keys.

“Good point.  You don’t need another me knocking on your door,” he winked as he offered me his arm and led me to the elevator.

Against my better judgment I went over to ask Gabby if she was interested in going out tonight after the game if her plans didn’t run late.  I never expected to find her looking the way she did when the door opened. 

My brain went in overload when I looked at her.  This couldn’t be the same woman I had only seen in her work clothing or casual clothing; she looked elegant, like a million bucks.  Disappointment flooded over me when she said she was dressed like that for someone else.

I want her to dress like that for me.  I want to be the guy she puts all that effort into looking good for.  What I wouldn’t give to be the guy finishing up his rotation at the hospital. Okay, maybe not because I wouldn’t give up being a hockey player for anything…Seriously Kris, this girl keeps blowing you off and you know damn well you could get with any other girl here in the city if you just snapped your fingers.  So snap out of it and just look at her as a friend.

After all these years of answering the press and having to act happy about something, even if you weren’t, I pulled up my big boy pants and acted like the friend she asked me to be the other day.  It was probably stupid for me to offer her a ride, but I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Mister Lucky.

“How will you know who he is?” I asked as I pulled up along the sidewalk.  I had been clenching my jaw the whole time and kept yelling at myself each time I stole a glance over at her.  First I found myself becoming entranced at the tiny silver bracelet that hung from wrist and how it made her seem more refined.  Then I noticed how beautiful her long legs looked so smooth and touchable as they were crossed over one another in a lady-like way.  I just wanted to reach over and slide my fingers up and down them.  The classic black pumps she was wearing just extended them even more and gave her that look that said, “I’m confident,” and to me that was undeniably sexy as hell.  The last thing that practically had me finding an alley to park and take her for myself, was the overwhelming scent of her perfume or lotion or whatever the hell was filling up my car and my nose.

She shrugged and mumbled, “He has seen a picture of me, so I guess he’s going to be the one finding me.  I just need to walk inside the vestibule of the main entrance and wait for him.”

“So he’s not meeting you outside here?” I asked, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice.

“No, why, you wanted to see him?” she giggled, figuring me out instantly.

“Well if he looks creepy, I’m not letting you out of the damn car.”

“I can handle myself Kris,” she smiled with a wink.  She then placed her hand over mine that was still resting on the gear shift.  “Good luck tonight, I know this is a big game for you.  Go out and show them up.”  She then surprised the hell out of me when she leaned over and quickly kissed my cheek.

“Thanks Gabby,” I said hoarsely.  “Have fun tonight,” I said sincerely, but my words were lost as she opened the door and the cold winter air came rushing in as she stepped out, leaving me to take my frustrations out on the ice.

Despite the losing score, I held up my end of the bargain and I scored two goals against my former team that night.