#penguin's monday ask game

[hunterrrs]

Monday morning, the nerves were long gone, her prep work was largely done and the magnitude of the looming moment finally hit Michelle Crechiolo hard.

That night, when the Penguins battled the Philadelphia Flyers, she would become the first female broadcaster to ever call a regular season Penguins game.

When Crechiolo realized that morning that she would be a trailblazer and perhaps an inspiration to other women in hockey, her thoughts drifted to one of her favorite photos — a picture of her when back she was playing in Mini Mites.

“It’s making me emotional thinking about it now,” she later told the Post-Gazette, her voice quivering. “I’ve got the Jofa gloves, wooden stick. I’ve got on a little pink turtleneck under all my equipment. And I’m just posing and cheesing, and I’m missing a tooth. And I’m just so happy to be a hockey player.

“I’m just thinking about what that little girl would say if I told her that I was doing this, doing color commentary on a Pittsburgh Penguins radio broadcast. It’s just so surreal. It really is. I stuck with hockey because I loved it, and it’s led me here. And I just couldn’t be more grateful to be in this position. It’s wild.”

Around 10 a.m. Sunday, Crechiolo received a text message from Leo McCafferty, the Penguins’ vice president of content and production. He told her they believed she would be a great option to step in for Phil Bourque, who was sick. He asked if she would be up for taking his place on the radio broadcast.

“I was like, ‘Oh, hell yeah,’” she said with a laugh. “That was my response.”

When she hung up the phone, she had a brief moment of nervousness, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. But then she just felt “pure excitement.” She rushed downstairs to share the news with her boyfriend, Chuck.

“That’s when it hit me. ‘Oh my god, I’m going to be the color analyst on a National Hockey League broadcast between the Penguins and Flyers,’” she said.

Not only that, Crechiolo is the first woman to do play-by-play or color commentary on a local TV or radio broadcast for any of Pittsburgh’s three big-league teams.

Once Crechiolo calmed down, she went about her business as usual. She headed to UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex to watch practice, then in the locker room she gathered as many “nuggets” as she could for Monday’s broadcast.

Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Tristan Jarry and Rickard Rakell were among the players who gave her support and advice — or a good-natured ribbing.

When they began broadcasting her quick hits up on the Jumbotron, Crechiolo was anxious about stepping into an on-camera role. But something coach Mike Sullivan said about a player making his NHL debut resonated with her.

“He said, ‘It’s not about putting pressure on yourself. You’re there for a reason. It’s about getting excited for the opportunity, because you’re just doing something you love to do,’” Crechiolo said. “And that was how I felt about this.”

michelle 🥰🥰🥰

[annieqattheperipheral]

I WANNA HEAR FROM THIS DUDE. Give him an entire hour of anonymity, let's hear it all

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

TW: skate blade injury, medical, emergency, blood, bruise

Ok this is an EXCELLENT article about neck guards and cut-resistant turtleneck undershirts.

please read to the end. Dr Hayley Wickenheiser provides incredible insight about freak accidents and the medical emergency process that shifts the article a couple of times.

$wall: After Adam Johnson's death, will 'stubborn' NHL players embrace neck-protective gear?

A little more than a year ago, T.J. Oshie read a story about a young boy who was cut in the neck by a skate blade during a youth hockey game. Almost instinctively, Oshie reached for his phone and contacted his partners at Warroad, the hockey apparel company he helped found six years ago. What started as a way to create undershirts that weren’t itchy and irritating had developed into a safety-conscious business that helped develop new, cut-resistant fabrics to protect players’ wrists and Achilles tendons.

Now, Oshie wanted turtlenecks to protect the most dangerously exposed part of a hockey player’s body — their neck, and the carotid artery within. Sure enough, Warroad came up with a sleek turtleneck with its “tilo” design, which includes cut-resistant panels built into the fabric.

It worked.

And Oshie still didn’t wear them.

In fact, he doesn’t believe a single player in the NHL wears anything of the sort. None of the bulky neck guards that are mandatory in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League (but not the Western Hockey League). None of the Kevlar-style fabric turtlenecks that are becoming more readily available all the time, from companies such as Warroad, AYCANE, and Cut-Tex Pro.

Players have their reasons. Oshie said NHL rinks are “hotter” than ever, with guys sweating through several undershirts a game, and the thought of wearing a turtleneck in such a warm environment is unappealing. Players are superstitious, wearing the same shoulder pads they used in juniors, using the same brand of skate they’ve worn since they were kids, using the same tape job and knob style they’ve used forever. And, well, turtlenecks and neck guards don’t look cool. Heck, only Wayne Gretzky and Tomas Plekanec ever really pulled off the look.

“It’s not a cool look having neck guards on,” Oshie said. “For whatever reason, it’s just not something that’s sleek and looks great.”

But then Oshie learned about Adam Johnson’s death on Saturday night. Johnson, a former player for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was cut in the neck by a skate blade during a game in England and died, shaking the hockey community to its core. Players and coaches from around the league expressed their heartbreak over the tragedy. But Oshie did more than that.

He ordered five Tilo turtlenecks from his company. One for him and four for some of his teammates to try. They’ll arrive on Monday. And he’s going to try playing in them. Because Johnson’s death did more than devastate the hockey world. It opened the hockey world’s eyes to an inherent — and possibly preventable — life-threatening risk that comes with playing the game.

At any level.

“I just wish these things never had to be made, and injuries like this would never happen, because it’s so sad,” Oshie said on his way to the Capitals’ game against the Sharks on Sunday evening. “It hits me pretty hard, just thinking about my kids. I could take one to the neck tonight. And for them to not have a father — it’s just so sad and it makes me think twice about protecting myself and my neck out there. Whether it looks cool or not.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jason Dickinson didn’t know what had happened to Boston’s Jakub Lauko last Tuesday at the United Center, he only knew that it looked gruesome. One of Dickinson’s Chicago teammates asked him what had happened and Dickinson speculated that Lauko had hit his head on the boards and “split open.”

After the game, Lauko’s bloodied face was still a topic of conversation in the Blackhawks dressing room. Dickinson heard someone say that it was a skate blade that caught Lauko in the area of his left eye.

“A skate?” Dickinson said. “How did that happen?”

“It was your skate!” a teammate told him.

“Are you kidding me?” Dickinson responded. “When?”

It had happened when Dickinson was falling into the boards after a push from Boston’s John Beecher. Lauko was already down on all fours, and Dickinson’s skate caught him in the face. As mangled as his face was in the aftermath, Lauko was extraordinarily lucky the skate missed his eye. Dickinson never even felt the contact.

Dickinson, after learning it was his skate, immediately checked in with the team’s medical staff to find out if Lauko was OK, and was indescribably relieved to find out he was. Dickinson’s heart went out to Johnson’s family on Sunday, but he also spared a thought for the player whose skate caught Johnson in the neck.

“I feel for (him) as well,” Dickinson said. “He’s on the other end of that and he’s going to have some stuff to work through, because that’s heavy stuff. I guarantee he feels guilty right now, even though it’s a freak accident.”

That’s a word you hear a lot when it comes to skate-cut injuries, whether it’s Pat Maroon’s skate slicing through Evander Kane’s wrist last season or Matt Cooke’s skate tearing Erik Karlsson’s Achilles tendon 10 years ago. A “freak” accident. A “freak” play.

But is it? After all, this is a game played by people moving at exceptional speeds with exceptional force wearing exceptionally dangerous weapons on their feet. If anything, it’s shocking that skate cuts don’t happen more often.

Hayley Wickenheiser, a Team Canada legend, assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs and emergency physician, bristled at the depiction of such incidents as “freak” occurrences.

“I don’t think this is a freak thing, I think it happens quite a lot,” she said. “It’s just the injuries are superficial, or the players are lucky. This isn’t something that doesn’t happen; it happens a lot in hockey. Sticks come up, skates come up, and the neck is very susceptible. So whatever we can do to make (neck protection) more mainstream and just part of the equipment, the better for the future of the game. It just makes sense to me.”

Indeed, while terrifying incidents like the cuts suffered by Johnson and former Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk are thankfully very rare, it seems like every player has a story to tell of a close call, a near miss, a Lauko-style bit of “luck.” Dickinson took a skate on the collarbone during a game against Vegas last season and “immediately panicked,” wondering if a major artery was nicked.

“I remember the ref looked at me right away and said, ‘That was real close, Dickie,’” Dickinson said. “I’m like,’ Yeah, you’re telling me. I can f—ing feel it.”

Oshie was volunteering at a camp at his alma mater, North Dakota, some years ago, when he was rough-housing with the kids. They were dog-piling him on the ice, falling all over each other, laughing hysterically.

“Then one kid came in full speed and slid into the pile feet-first, and he actually hit me square in the face with his skate blade,” Oshie said. “So I had to get stitches above and below my eye. I still have a scar in my eyebrow that goes into my forehead. Luckily, it was flush with my face so it didn’t cut my eye.”

They can’t all be “freak” incidents, right?

“It’s unfortunate,” Blackhawks coach and 21-year NHL veteran Luke Richardson said. “It’s one of the fastest games on Earth, with razor blades on the bottom of your feet. It’s very scary and things happen quick. … I don’t know if there’s any way to guarantee that there’s going to be protection. Even if you do wear something. You can’t be in a tin can top to bottom out there for protection. It’s the risk that the pro players take.”

Richardson cited Oshie’s company as a valuable resource for players, and suggested that with time, neck protection will become normalized in the NHL. When he entered the league in 1987, there were still players playing without helmets. It took years after that for visors to become the norm to protect players’ eyes. Richardson hoped that with neck protection becoming more and more common — and mandatory — in lower leagues, it’s only a matter of time before it “graduates up” to the NHL.

Arizona center Nick Bjugstad, who played with Johnson in Pittsburgh and called him “just a kind human,” said he couldn’t bring himself to watch the video, so he doesn’t know exactly how the cut happened. But he thinks the answer is pretty obvious.

“There are times that your feet go out from under you and you don’t have control,” Bjugstad said. “As far as the precaution going forward, I’m sure it’ll be discussed in the league. It’s even more important on the youth side of things, with the lack of athletic trainers and whatnot. I hope we can figure something out as a hockey community that protects us from something so tragic happening.”

Scott Sandelin, who coached Johnson at Minnesota-Duluth, said making neck protection and Kevlar-style undergear mandatory has come up in conversations around the NCAA championship committee, with longtime Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin leading the charge.

“He was like, ‘Why do we wait?’” Sandelin recalled. “Why do we wait for something like this to happen before you mandate something?”

Dickinson said the NHL provided a video at the beginning of the season highlighting the benefits of cut-resistant sleeves to protect the wrists and Achilles tendons, and those have become quite popular around the league. But neck protection remains ignored by everyone other than goaltenders.

Johnson’s death surely opened some eyes around the hockey world to the risk of skate cuts to the neck, and it appeared that several Providence Bruins, in the AHL, wore neck guards on Sunday. That’s a start.

But why does it have to be a years-long process? Why can’t it happen sooner? Why do players have to be grandfathered in to avoid any mandates whenever a new equipment mandate is instituted?

“Because they’re stubborn,” said one NHL equipment manager, who was granted anonymity so he could speak freely. “It’s a monkey-see, monkey-do league. All it would take is one guy to wear it. Then two days to get used to it.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wickenheiser has a similarly simple solution to getting players past all their superstitions and habits, to get them to embrace what seems like such an obvious solution to a terrifying problem.

“You just put one on,” she said. “I wore one for 20 years with the national team, it didn’t interfere with anything I did. … It’s just like anything else, when one player does it, everyone sees it and it becomes normal. I can’t even remember hockey without visors now, and I grew up watching the world of hockey without visors. I can’t even imagine not playing with a visor with how fast the game is.”

As an emergency physician and all-time hockey great, Wickenheiser is perhaps uniquely qualified to weigh in on the subject. She knows how well-stocked NHL arenas are in terms of medical care. She also knows it’s not nearly enough if, God forbid, a situation similar to what happened to Johnson happens in an NHL game. The thought has frequently crossed her mind that if there were an incident at a practice, she might be the most qualified person in the rink that day. She runs the scenarios in her mind constantly, and “it truly horrifies me.”

“You know how little time and resources you have to save a life in that moment,” she said. “The deck is entirely stacked against you as a physician. In the NHL buildings, there would be qualified physicians, there’s (emergency medical services) in the building. You have every resource at your fingertips. But what you don’t have is time. You need a surgeon and you need blood and you need time, and there’s none of those things in that moment. It’s just such a devastating injury. It freaks me out, for sure.”

It’s something players rarely think about. Can’t think about, really. Richardson said it was similar to a football player coming back from a knee injury — if you’re constantly wondering if the surgically repaired knee will hold up, you’ll never be playing at full strength and full speed. Hockey players have to feel invincible out there in order to take the risks they take on seemingly every shift.

But Oshie said there’s an instinctive, almost unthinking awareness of what your skates are doing at all times. Because the danger is always in the back of your mind, if not the front.

“I think you’re always very conscious of where your skates are when you’re playing,” he said. “I know I am. If someone’s on the ground in front of you, even if you get pushed from behind, you always get your feet out of the way, if that makes sense. It might look terrible if someone is about to fall on someone and goes knees-first, but that’s what you do instead of trying to land on your feet. I just assume that everyone else has that same mentality. But those very freak things happen. You get pushed from behind and you stay on one foot and the other foot comes up. I took a skate blade to my visor in our last preseason game, just this year. So I was a couple inches away from being cut somewhere.”

The game only gets more dangerous with each passing year. Players get bigger, stronger, faster. Skate blades are removable now, and they stay razor-sharp throughout the game, rather than dulling with each shift. Ignoring the risks won’t make them go away.

The introduction of the slap shot led to the goalie mask. Whippier sticks and more dangerous shooters made visors inevitable. Ten or 20 years from now, it’s easy to envision players regularly wearing full face shields. The Karlsson and Kane incidents, among others, helped spur the creation and popularization of wrist and ankle sleeves.

Neck protection will undoubtedly follow. It’s just a matter of when.

And if Johnson’s tragic and shocking death doesn’t prove to be enough to open eyes and open minds, then what will?

“There are options out there, and it’s not a bad idea at all,” Dickinson said. “It’s about awareness. And events like (Saturday) night, events like Kane’s, like Karlsson’s — those really make guys think and get them worried. It’s definitely something I’d consider now. I mean, who cares what it looks like? Looking lame and living is a lot better than the opposite.”

[talesfromsiteredacted]

Random Acts of Kindness, SCP Style

Everybody on staff has been working their butts off (although Dr. Iceberg has precious little butt to work off, according to his partner) and things are a bit... terse. Nothing a few pleasant surprises can't fix.

Everybody hates Mondays here. It's boring enough in some aspects of the job, but Mondays bring a special kind of "I got out of bed for THIS bullshit?" vibe. It's even gotten to our rock of normality, Dr. Gears. While there was never any yelling or even much profanity, I still felt bad for the poor slob who had to tell the Big Boss that 035 was back on his bullshit again, or Clef and Bright are chasing each other through Keter Wing with actual broadswords yet again. I swear, on days like this all Dr. Gears would have to do to get 682 back in his quarters would be to give him his "I'm not mad, just bitterly disappointed in your course of actions" look.

I have a plan to brighten spirits here, but I'm only one person. I'm going to need back up. Ah, here comes Dr. Glass, I'll ask him. I wave him over.

"Hiya, Dr. Glass. How's everybody's favorite mental health professional here?"

"Rather well, all things considering. And what are you up to today, Bunny?"

"I noticed a lot of people here seem a little sad. Wanna help my misguided attempt to approve site morale?"

"So long as you're not one of them, I'll even get 999 on board. What do you have in mind?"

"Got a list of deliveries, mostly little things like a penguin plushie for Iceberg, ice cream for 053 and 682's 'playdate', a few books for a few others. Got something special in store for my big brother, I'll handle that myself as Abel is kinda scary. Oh, and of course Dr. Rights. I made her an octopus plushie."

"An ambitious goal, but if we break it down in parts, we can manage. Meet me at my office in an hour, okay?" His glasses slip down, he rubs the bridge of his nose before sliding them back in place. Then, he heads off.

I gather everything I'll need, including a little home-baked surprise for Dr. Glass. On my way, I make a few deliveries, ninja style. On my boss's desk, a new copy of his favorite gun book. Dr. Bright received new headphones, left on his door with a note.

I reach Dr. Glass' office, and... he's out. Okay, I can sneak in my gift with little effort. Or... so I thought. I forgot about Trixie, his assistant. Trixie gives me the side eye. I mumble something about a delivery, she places the box on his desk. Then... I quietly leave a new necklace on her keyboard. Not long after, Dr. Glass, 999, and a couple of interns arrive. We divide the payload into 4 groups. Dr. Glass takes Staff, 999 is in Euclid, the interns draw Safe, leaving me Keter Delivery. Fine by me. We get to work.

By the end of the day, we dropped off about 50 care packages. Highlights included a collection of hot sauces for 682, some new clothes for Kumiho, 035 got some collected plays and a few novels, Iris got a new laptop, Dr. Iceberg got a new penguin and scarves so they can match, and... big brother got his own game setup. Mission accomplished: morale slightly improved.

The highlight of the day was seeing the huge smile on Dr. Glass when he opened his care package. A dozen sweet rolls, along with a note.

Now you don't have to steal my sweet roll any more! Enjoy.

Hugs,

Rabbit

[makangerous]

Fukuya Rank 6 (Temperance Confidant)

TW: addiction

You receive a text message from Fukuya.

Hope you've been taking advantage of my illness! Bet Kawakami's happy I'm getting sick in other people's classes for once. I am doing better, though. Thanks to you. I'm still not feeling good enough for a lecture, but can we meet up sometime in the evening? Call me.

You call Fukuya at night.

Emi, I need to get out of the house. I've felt a lot less temptation after the night you came over, but I'd prefer to feel zero temptation. What's open at night, though? Hm… I've heard our classmates talking about a lounge called Penguin Sniper. They said you can play darts there. Why don't we go there tonight? I'll be in Kichijoji shortly.

You arrive at Penguin Sniper and follow Fukuya inside.

There is a distinct lack of penguins here! I'm not impressed so far, Emi. Also, I… forgot I suck at real darts. I'm only good at darts in video games. The skills aren't very transferable. Does the darts rulebook actually say you have to throw the darts? Can't I walk the dart over and stick it into the bullseye?

>You see the penguins if you win.

Really? So that's their angle. You'll have to let me win then! I need to see where they're hiding them… What do you mean, you're joking? Boo! Not funny, Emi!

Well, darts aren't the point of this rendezvous. I figured you're too invested in my situation now for me to pretend that incident at my house never happened. I feel embarrassed about it, definitely. I considered hiding from you before I realized that would be difficult, seeing as we're in the same homeroom. When the blobfish emerges from the water, it's never going back to its non-squishy, non-vulnerable form. I suppose it's the same for me.

I'm taking my symptoms day by day. They're more bearable, now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel again. Knowing someone's holding me accountable has severely curtailed my desire to concoct the not-technically-illegal version of Resurr-EX. That's why I want to ask an additional favor of you, Emi. Could you… be my friend?

>We're already friends.

Huh. I guess you're right. We probably passed the boundary of the mentor/mentee relationship when I started telling you my personal problems. I'm not the brightest at figuring out relationships, as you can tell. Keep being my friend, then. Please?

All the friends I had before abandoned me once I became an addict. In hindsight, they weren't really friends. They were using me. They begged me for homework help nonstop, and bought me off with fake platitudes and cheap fast food. If it wasn't that, they were after my inventions. Back then, I had no idea how to say no. If I was the genius everyone said I was, getting them what they needed should be a mere trifle. That line of thinking got me into so much trouble…

You're different, Emi. That's why I want to show you what other talents I have. I'm a good chef, for one. On Monday nights, I cook up a big pot of curry to last me for the week. I'm pretty crafty with my hands, too, since chemistry requires precision. If you'd like me to make you something, let me know. …Speaking of precision, I bet I can get a bullseye now. Quiet please. Let me focus…

His dart completely misses the board. It bounces off another patron's shoulder.

Sorry, sir! Shit, this is humiliating… Let's just go.

Your phone rings in front of Leblanc.

Just when you thought you were safe… Like a bolt from the blue, another pop quiz for you! True or false: there are over 121 quadrillion possible dartboard configurations.

>True.

Ding-ding, we have a winner! Did you actually know that, though, or did the oddly specific number tip you off? Or was it a lucky guess? In this case, your methods don't matter. Only the end result. Good job!

Now how come I know that, but not how to actually throw the darts? To be fair, I'm not exactly in peak physical condition. Playing those few rounds really tired me out… See you at school, Emi.

[ledenews]

Nailers to Face Cincinnati in Cranberry on Saturday

The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have announced an update for this weekend's schedule. The Nailers will play host to the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday, April 13th at 7:30 p.m., with the game taking place at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. This game was originally scheduled to be played at WesBanco Arena, but due to intense flooding, it is unable to be played there this weekend. Due to limited seating availability at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, this game can only be attended by season members and partial plan holders. The Nailers ask that members bring their ticket or credential, so that they may be admitted into the game. One person will be admitted per ticket/credential, and buddy passes cannot be used for this game. The seating will be general admission bleachers with no backs. There will be extremely limited ADA seating. The doors will open at 7:00. The annual "Shirts off Their Backs" promotion will not take place following the game. That auction will conclude on Monday at 9:00 p.m. All other Fan Appreciation Night promotions will be determined at a later date. Friday's originally scheduled game against the Toledo Walleye has not been rescheduled yet. Fans who had tickets for the game originally scheduled for Saturday, April 13th at WesBanco Arena will receive a refund via the method of their original purchase. For all ticketing questions or concerns, please call the Nailers office at (304) 234-4625. Read the full article

[theprodigypenguin]

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Listen. LISTEN. I'm not the kind of person who boasts about my talent. But I do like to think dialogue is one of my strongest suits as a writer. Picking just one scene is IMPOSSIBLE because I love my dialogue. I love digging deep into characters and figuring out what they would say in certain situations, how they would say it, what language tics they have, lisps that effect their words. I LOVE IT. So I cheated on this ask.

Rather than picking out one snippet and explaining why I'm proud of it [because it's hard for me to say nice things about myself] I picked out my favorite lines of dialogue from i.s.h. and I'm gonna let them speak for themselves. I hope that's okay RIP:

"I don't want my body to be confined by the earth. I want to be free even when I stop breathing." — Portgas D Ace, Chapter 3

“I saw something beyond what was in front of me,” he confessed. “Something… bright. Something I knew instinctively I was willing to die for.” — Masked Deuce, Chapter 5

“I want to understand,” Ace said softly. “I want to stop being angry. I’m always saying that I want people to stop judging me for being Roger’s son, but the people who actually matter have never once done that. I’m the only one who’s letting myself be dictated by my blood.” — Portgas D Ace, Chapter 6

"Pain doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care if you’re ten, twenty, rich or poor. All it knows is consumption. It takes and hurts, not giving a damn about the wreckage it leaves behind.” — Belo Betty, Chapter 9

"If I thought I had the right to explain it myself then I would, but it’s a very tender subject for him. I’d feel as if I was breaking some form of trust with him, and I can’t risk that.” — Monkey D Dragon, Chapter 10

[starshine-hockey-girl]

Love Drunk- Never Ever Have I- chapter eleven

Summary: Hooking up with Evie was supposed to be quick and meaningless for Sidney Crosby. Then the one night stand became a regular thing. Quickly he realized just how special Evie would turn out to be and how his future would be forever altered by the beauty who brought the spice into his life

Author's Note- This is just total fluff and SMUT. No point other than fluff and SMUT

@penstxgal1968 @fallinallincurls @princessphilly @newlibrary

Thursday, February 14th

Evie was head down, plowing through a catering proposal. She had a mysterious meeting suddenly appear on her calendar in ten minutes and she wanted to have a chance to prepare. "Kelly," she called through the open door, "What is this new meeting about? Do you have any more information? Why is it so damn long?"

Kelly walked into the office carrying a huge bouquet of flowers and placed them on Evie's table. She silently handed the card to her-

This hunt is full of clues and surprises for you

Search for your next hint where you'd get your favorite cold brew

I can't wait to see you-Beso

Evie read the card, looked up and then back at the card. "Kelly, I can't do this. I have a meeting in five minutes."

"Check the invite," Kelly chuckled.

Evie checked her calendar and looked at the invite. It read, "New prospective wedding client- Mr. Cole Harbour."

Evie picked up her phone and dialed Sidney.

Sidney- Evie Rose- How are you this fine morning?

Evie- how did you manage to get a four hour meeting on my calendar? What was the name again? Mr. Harbour?

Sidney- Ask your assistant. She is very easily bribed with Penguin tickets. It's a good thing I know a guy.

Evie- So this is some sort of treasure hunt?

Sidney- I knew that you were a smart girl in addition to beautiful

Evie- Are you at the end of this hunt?

Sidney- Maybe, Maybe Not

Evie- If I am not going to be guaranteed Beso kisses, I am not playing

Sidney- Fine- I am one of her prizes at the end of the hunt.

Evie- Prepared to be found, Mr. Harbour.

Sidney-I would not expect anything less

Evie- Beso…

Sidney- Yes

Evie- Thanks for the flowers. You really didn't need to send me flowers to my house, your house and work.

Sidney- I told you to expect to be spoiled so don't act like I didn't warn you

Evie- Beso?-

Sidney- Yes, my love

Evie- You are the best boyfriend ever

Sidney-I have to match my girl's game. She has skills-unbelievable skills

Evie- let the hunt begin

Evie checked with Kelly again before heading down to the coffee bar. Marisol, the barista, greeted her with a grin. "Evie!" She called out, "Hot or cold?

"Cold," she replied as she reached for her wallet, "Did someone leave some sort of clue for me?

"Put your money away," she said, "A handsome man paid for you and left something for you." Marisol handed Evie a single red rose and card.

"He was here? A hot hockey player from Nova Scotia?" Evie asked as she looked around. "How long ago?" she quizzed.

"Yep, he stopped by about thirty minutes ago. He dropped the roses and opened the tab.

"A tab? Roses?” Evie looked saw several containers of long stemmed roses

Marisol finished Evie’s ice skinny vanilla latte and handed it to Evie. “Yeah, he started a tab. All of the female customers get their bill paid and a rose. I am supposed to say it’s because ‘Beso loves Evie’. Seriously Evie, you have been holding out on me. I want all the details Monday morning. Have fun!”

Evie opened the card.

"The next stop is the place is best for relaxing in more ways than one. Put on the fluffy robe and get ready to be pampered."

Evie walked into the serenity of the Fairmont Spa. Her phone dinged.

She approached the front desk, “Ummmm, is there some sort of card or gift for me? Evie?”

The receptionist smiled, “No card yet, but come with me. We are all set for you.”

Evie looked confused, “All set? All set to do what?”

She was guided to a small treatment room. In the corner of the dimly lit room, a small charcuterie board and bottle of sparkling moscato sat on a table with a card sitting beside it.

I hope you enjoy your fancy meat and cheese tray. Although I don’t think it can top the one in the back of the limo. Put on the fluffy robe and get ready to be pampered. Don’t get too tipsy. There is more fun to come!

Evie shook her head and sat down and took a selfie.

She finished her snack and leisurely drank two glass of wine before stripping and putting on the luxurious robe. She opened the door and poked her head out. The massage therapist waited patiently outside. “Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” Evie apologized.

“Ms. Montgomery, please don’t apologize. Today is all about pampering you,” the young woman replied. “You can get onto the table. I’ll be right in.”

Evie disrobed and slid under the sheet on her stomach. The massage therapist entered and dimmed the lights. The soft music played and Evie relaxed under the touch of the therapist’s hands. The ninety minute massage left Evie sleepy and she dozed on her stomach as the therapist left the room. She was snoring lightly when the door opened again. She woke up when she heard footsteps approach her. She felt the presence of a body squat at the head of the table and felt goosebumps lift on her skin. “Evie,” his warm, honey voice soothed, “time to wake up. There is more stuff for you to do.” She looked up into Sidney’s hazel eyes and smiled.

“Beso!” she cried before pushing up to kiss him, “Is it really you?”

“Yes, I couldn’t wait until the end. I had to see you sooner,” he said as he smiled and pushed her hair behind her ears, “Get dressed and meet me outside, okay?”

She did as instructed and opened the door. He stood there casually leaning against the wall. Evie took a sharp intake of breath and bit her lip as let her eyes linger on his muscular form. When she walked to him, he embraced her and pushed her against the wall. One arm wrapped around her back while his other hand went to her face. They smiled before they kissed like they were the only ones in the spa. “Okay, you have to go get your nails done now,” he said as he took her by the hand and guided her to the next location. He kissed her again before leaving her in the pedicure chair.

She called out to him, “What color should I get?”

“Whatever color you want, Evie,” he called back.

“I’ll be sure to get something that looks good when my hand is wrapped around your…..” she joked.

“Evie, be a good girl,” he shot back.

“But you like it better when I am naughty,” she laughed.

As the nail technician was putting the final touches on her metallic red pedicure, another technician arrived with a small box of chocolate truffles, room key and a note.

"The place I can have you all to myself for hours on end If the Penguins are the best. You know where, then let them try to make you even more beautiful than you already are. I don't think it's possible"

Evie stared at the note with a confused look on her face. She took a bite of the truffle as her toes dried. The room key confirmed that it was directing her to a room, but which one? She pulled out her phone and called Kelly.

“Evie- are you having fun?” her assistant answered.

“Yes,” she said quickly, “Can you do me a favor? Can you look into the system and see if we have a room reservation for Cole Harbour?”

“Sure- hold on,” Kelly answered, “Nope, nothing under Harbour or Crosby.”

“Thanks for checking,” she asked before she started at the note again. She read it slowly again. “Aha,” she exclaimed when she figured out the clue.

Evie took out her wallet to tip the technicians. “Mr. Harbour took care of everything. He was quite generous.”

“Well, thank you anyway,” she smiled as she gathered her things and walked to the exit. Evie walked into the suite- the Presidential Suite. The same as the President’s trophy the Penguins would receive for having the best regular season record in the NHL.

She walked in to find a make-up chair set-up by a large, expansive window in the suite. Next to the chair stood a petite redhead. “Ummm, hi?” Evie spoke as she walked towards her, “I assume that you are for me. I’m Evie.”

“Yes ma’am,” the hair and make-up artist, Rachel, answered, “I am here to do your hair and makeup for tonight. I hear it’s a special occasion. There is a robe in the bathroom. Go get undressed and remove your makeup”

When Evie returned wearing the robe, the make-up artist smiled. “Mr. Harbour was correct. You are a natural beauty.”

“Thank you,” Evlie blushed as she assumed her spot in the chair. “So what are we doing here? I don’t have any idea what comes after this surprise.”

The make-up artist leaned in conspiratorially, “Let me give you the note early.”

She handed the note to Evie.

What's a surprise without the matching attire? There are a couple of options from which you can choose. Surprise me, but I know you'll look like my princess either way.

Evie walked into the bedroom and opened the closet. Her eyes immediately went to the ball gown. It was a dress fit for a princess. If Sidney wanted a princess, then that’s what he was going to get. She picked up the navy sequined dress from the closet and laid it on the bed. She spotted Sidney’s suitcase and toiletry bag in the corner of the closet. Her stomach did a flip flop at the thought of him. She laughed to herself, "Evie, get yourself together," before she walked back into the living room. She sat in the chair, "Let's make me pretty. I have a date with Prince Charming."

She settled into the chair. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her pictures of Sidney. She wistfully stared at each one for a minute. "We're all set," Rachel commented after put the final touches on Evie's lipstick. When Evie held the mirror up and stared at her reflection, she smiled. "He is going to love it," Rachel commented, "Now let's get you dressed."

Evie's hands shook slightly as she put on the diamond earrings. Rachel assisted with the sapphire necklace. They gave each other a quick hug before Rachel took some quick photos for her portfolio. Then she handed Evie the final card of the day.

"I can imagine our wedding day and our first dance together as husband and wife here in the GRANDEST of ways. Come join me"

Evie felt her ears fill with happy tears. Their wedding day- truthfully she hadn't thought much about the day she would marry Sidney even after their discussion last month. She knew immediately that he meant the Grand Ballroom- the same location as the Penguins Christmas party. For a moment an image flashed of Sidney waiting for her at the end of the aisle entered her mind.

Suddenly she felt her heart race and she moved quickly around the room. She put on her heels and grabbed the evening clutch. She walked quickly to the elevator and pressed the button. A young girl walked up with her parents and stood next to Evie. The curly haired beauty looked like the perfect combination of Sidney and Evie. Evie smiled and waved at her as the child gawked at her. She whispered to her mother, "Mommy, is that a princess?"

Evie squatted down to her eye level, "I am today. What's your name?"

"Caroline," the small beauty responded with a smile.

"Caroline, I am Evie. It's a pleasure to meet you," she smiled as the elevator dinged, "I have to go now. My prince is waiting for me."

Caroline gasped, "A real prince?

Evie grinned as she entered the elevator, "Well, he is MY prince, but not a prince in real life. He plays hockey in real life."

Caroline stared at Evie on the elevator ride. Evie adjusted her necklace and fidgeted with her ring. When they arrived at the lobby floor and exited, the child exclaimed, "Say hi to Prince Charming for me."

"I will," Evie laughed as she headed to the Ballroom. Evie turned around and pulled out her phone, "Miss Caroline, would you take a picture with me? I want to show my new friend to my prince." The tiny one ran to her as Evie handed her mom her phone and squatted down. "Say Prince Charming!" Evie grinned.

"May I have a hug, Princess Evie?" Caroline asked politely.

"Of course!" Evie exclaimed as they hugged.

In the ballroom, Sidney paced back and forth. He looked around the beautifully decorated room. He smiled and congratulated himself on roping Adriana in on helping him pull off the surprise.

THREE WEEKS EARLIER

Adriana: This is Adriana-How can I help you?

Sidney: Hey A, it's Sid

Adriana: Crosby?

Sidney: Funny. Are you busy? I need some help.

Adriana: Sure, what's up?

Sidney: Valentine’s Day is coming up soon

Adriana: Yeah?

Sidney: I want to make it special for Evie since it's our first.

Adriana grinned: Of course. What do you need?

Sidney: I am planning on doing a treasure hunt thing in the hotel. I need some help with the ballroom and stuff.

Adriana: What do you want for the Ballroom?

Sidney: A fairytale- food, dancing- make it look like whatever women like. Whatever Evie would like. Can you help? I'm lost.

Adriana: question- are you proposing?

Sidney: No, why?

Adriana: Oh Lord, I can just imagine how elaborate THAT will be

Sidney: I have a plan in mind for that. It's fairly simple. So are you in or out?

Adriana: Oh, I am in. I was in after the "I need help". Budget?

Sidney: I have no budget when it comes to Evie

Adriana: Good God, you are hooked

Sidney: Absolutely

He walked over to the small table for two and examined the place settings. He looked up expectantly when he heard the door open. Evie tentatively entered the dimly lit ballroom. Her jaw dropped as she stepped inside. Hundreds of candles were spread around the room. Twinkling lights were suspended from the ceiling. Upright lights cast shadows on the wall and a small pin light projected a soft romantic glow on the table. Large floral arrangements banked the stage and dance floor. Evie struggled to take it all in, then turned and met eyes with Sidney.

Sidney mentally told himself to breathe as she turned to him. Her hair was pulled back simply and without adornment. Her minimal makeup allowed her natural beauty to shine. The pop of red lipstick made her mouth look delicious. Sidney was sure that he had never seen her look more beautiful than this moment.

She took a small step toward her and the sequined ball gown sparkled in the low light. Sidney willed himself to speak but could not find the words. "There she is- my lady," floated to the top of his consciousness. The reality hit him like a two by four to the gut. Here she was in the flesh- his future wife and mother of his unborn children. Everything outside of hockey that he dreamed of having. It took every ounce of restraint not to run to her and get on bended knee. Damn, the logic and reason.

When she smiled at him, he dropped down in a crouched position and looked up at her. The tears of joy flowed freely and he wiped them without shame. Her head tilted slightly to the right and she held out her hand. Sidney pushed himself up and crossed to her. She smiled and he wrapped himself around her. "Oh are you okay, my Beso? she asked.

He squeezed her tight and didn't speak. When he finally let her go, he took a deep breath. "Sorry, you left me literally speechless- completely dumbstruck," he spoke softly. "I have been thinking of this moment since I started planning your surprise and you blew it out of the water," he laughed. "I didn't think I would get so emotional," he sighed.

"You okay now? I think it may be my turn to get emotional. The last clue did me in, Sidney. Look at you in that tuxedo-dressed like my groom," she gushed. "I can't wait to walk down the aisle to you," she assured.

"I may be an emotional mess," he teased.

"I'll bring the tissues," she teased back.

"You're beautiful," he gushed.

"She did a good job, huh?" she asked.

"Hard to improve over perfection," he smiled, "You like the dress? I did well picking it out?"

She did a twirl and the dress sparkled as she moved, "It's gorgeous. I love it. Do I get to keep it or does it go back with the jewelry?"

"You keep the dress, but the jewelry goes back. Sorry about that," he grabbed her hand and guided her to the table.

She sat down while he walked to the service door to let them know they were ready. As if by magic, music played softly. When Sidney sat down, a server arrived carrying a tray of appetizers and placed them on the table.

"How did you do this? You are so planning the wedding," Evie asked in amazement.

"I had help. Kelly helped with your schedule and getting the room/ballroom booked. Adriana set up the coffee kiosk and all of this," he confessed as he pointed around the room. "Taylor helped with the dress and makeup artist. I did the clues and the spa. It took a village to pull it off."

"A knew? She totally acted like she didn't when she texted earlier. I should have guessed with these appetizers. She didn’t say a thing- that sneaky bitch," she said as she munched on her bruschetta and caprese skewers. "Taylor helped too? Awww, that makes my heart happy. She picked dresses, but this was your favorite?"

"Yeah, she picked the dresses and other stuff," he said as the server cleared the table. Their cocktails were replaced with fresh ones. When they walked away, he grinned and said, "the lingerie was all me though."

"Lingerie?"

"Yes, it was a strapless chest thingy and g-string" he continued, "Didn't you find it?

"No"

"What are you wearing under the dress?

Evie arched her eyebrow and smiled.

Sidney's nostrils flared slightly, "Evie…."

"Yes, my Beso?"

"I have more planned, Evie. I can't be fantasizing about what is under that dress," he cautioned.

“What would that fantasy entail?” she giggled. "Sidney, it's like you don't know me at all. Would you even love me if I didn't tease you?" she responded in a singsong voice.

"Love is not what I am feeling right now," he groaned.

Evie reached over and placed her hand behind his head, "I am feeling love. I am feeling all the love. Kiss me and you will feel it too." He leaned across and kissed her softly. His tongue moved softly over her lips before slipping into her mouth. He moved his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him. They kissed slowly until Evie broke the kiss, "Feel the love now?" She purred.

"Definitely feeling something," he joked and started the kiss again.

"Now who is teasing?" She slid her hand onto his thigh as the servers placed the salads in front of them. Evie eyed her normally favorite salad and then Sidney. He began eating slowly and winked at her. She fought the urge to slid under the table and take him in her mouth. She moaned at the image and decided to file it away.

The next two courses were interspersed with kisses, conversations about the upcoming Stadium Series game weekend and his potential trip to Europe with Mike. They discussed what destination Evie wanted to visit the most. They tentatively settled on the Bavarian region in Germany. When the dessert course arrived, Evie groaned lightly, "I can't eat another bite."

"Are you sure?" Sidney pressed his lips together, "Adriana said it was your favorite."

Evie tilted her head, "Hey, it is my favorite. They can box it up and I can have it in the room. I am assuming that we are going back there."

“Yes, we are going to the suite-the suite with the very large bed,” he joked. "Okay, wait here- the rest of the surprise is almost ready," he smiled as he got up. Evie watched him walk to the service door and whisper instructions. He walked back to her and held out his hand, "Miss Evie Rose, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" She put her hand into his and stood up. As they walked to the dance floor, a small band took to the stage.

Evie looked back at Sidney and brought her hand to her mouth, "A live band? You have a LIVE BAND just for me?"

"What did the clue say? I can imagine our first dance? So of course, I got you a live band." he smiled at her as he pulled her into the perfect dance frame.

The song https://open.spotify.com/track/4Hhv2vrOTy89HFRcjU3QOx?si=7b48f0b396f843b9

began and Sidney led Evie across the dance floor. "At last my love has come along, My lonely days are over, And life is like a song….." the band played. He put his lips to her ear and sang softly. Evie melted into his arms and they danced slowly. He led her around the dance floor. He whispered into her ear, “I think this is the song. It’s perfect for our first dance, right?” Evie nodded her head and smiled.

They danced to song after song. Sidney held her tight against his body and randomly kissed her shoulders. They floated on their cloud together.

“Ummm Beso, are there more surprises? I may be surprised out,” Evie smiled after an hour of dancing.

“One more in the room,” he kissed her temple.

“Can we go upstairs? Please?” she said softly.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked as he looked into her eyes.

“No,” she replied bashfully.

He saw the look in her eye, “Oh”

“Oh,” she repeated as her eyes searched his face before landing on his eyes.

“Let’s go,” he smiled and began to lead her out of the ballroom.

She stopped short, “Beso, I should take pictures. I want to remember how beautiful everything was. We should have taken pictures at dinner.”

“I took pictures of everything earlier and sent them to A,” he replied. “I will send them to you.”

“You literally think of everything, Sidney-everything,” she said softly, her voice cracking the tiniest bit.

“Is everything okay?” he asked tenderly as he kissed her forehead.

“Yes, my feet are starting to hurt,” she grimaced.

“Take off your shoes,” he commanded. She did as told with a confused look. He swept her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. “Let’s go upstairs,” he grinned.

She curled her body into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her through the lobby, ignoring the stares of passersby. He knew that there would be pictures and tweets, but focused on his priority of getting Evie alone.

When he gently put her down and opened the suite door, Evie gasped, “Beso? Is this the same suite?” The room had been transformed with flowers and candles. She turned to him, "This- this is so much. You know that you didn't have to do ALL of this."

"You are my princess. Of course I had to do all of this," he smiled.

"Speaking of Princess, I am feeling very unprincess like right now," she eyed his crotch while walking towards him. "I am suddenly feeling very hungry," she said as she gently pushed him against the wall. She stared in his eyes as she reached for his belt buckle. "Do you have anything for me to eat? A lollipop or a sausage?" She teased as he hand slid into his pants. Sidney smirked as she crouched down on her knees while pulling his pants and boxers down. His semi-erect cock sprung out. She immediately took it in her hand and started sucking the tip. "I have been thinking of this all damn day," she said as her mouth released the tip. He moaned and leaned back against the wall. "Look at me, Beso," she demanded, "Look at your princess sucking you off."

He growled and placed his hands on top of her head. Her red lips moved up and down as she maintained eye contact. His breath hitched and his hips rocked slowly. Her ballgown pooled around her on the floor. He could just almost see down the front of her ballgown. The view was such a turn on for Sidney. His princess transformed into a wanton slut within seconds. The knowledge that this side of herself was reserved for him-and only him. She got a thriĺl out his pleasure.

She substituted her hand for her mouth. "Do you know the amount of self control it took to keep myself from doing this between dinner courses downstairs? To slide underneath the table, between your legs, and suck you until you exploded in my mouth," she moaned as she stroked him. He stared as she started sucking again. Her mouth fucked his cock hard and fast. His breathing became erratic and he grunted as he came in her mouth.

She smiled up at him as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Mmmmmy, yummy,' she gushed as she took his hand and stood up. He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her gently. “That certainly hit the spot,” she joked.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “I noticed that rather large bathtub. Let’s take a bath. Do you want to take a relaxing bath with me?”

Sidney didn’t respond, but unzipped her dress. His fingers trailed down her bare back as the zipper went down. His hand trailed down lower and cupped her ass. He pulled her to his body, “Let me get it ready for us.”

“Sidney, you don’t have to,” she started to say.

“Evelyn Rose Montgomery- if you do not stop telling me to quit spoiling you like my damn princess, I am going to put you to bed without an orgasm,” he interjected as his eyes flashed a combination of amusement and desire.

She stepped back and let the dress slide off of her body on the floor. He picked up the dress as she stepped out of it and delicately placed it on the chair. “It’s not nice to threaten your girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, Beso,” she pouted as she put her hands on her hips. She went into the restroom and began using the makeup remover wipes Rachel had left. She deftly removed the bobby pins from her hair as Sidney filled the tub. She resisted the urge to wiggle suggestively as he leaned past her to grab his toothbrush.

They made eye contact in the mirror and Sidney smiled. She walked and sat on the edge of the tub. Her hand dipped into the water. Her eyes followed his naked body as he slid into the tub. Wordlessly she slid into the tub and placed her body between his legs. The low moan that escaped her lips as she settled back against his chest.

"Beso, would you really send me to bed without an orgsam? That's really not nice," she leaned her head back.

"Be a good girl then," he kissed her neck as his hands ran up and down her arms.

"I am always good for you, Beso," she sighed as his hand cupped her breast. He laughed softly. "Well, mainly good," she whined as he caressed her.

"Show me,” he whispered in her ear.

“Show you how?” she whimpered.

“Show me how good you can be,” he nipped at her ear, “I want to watch you cum.”

Evie pushed up and twisted at her waist to face him, “in here?” He nodded in affirmation. She turned completely and straddled his waist momentarily and kissed him. She rocked her hips against his crotch before sliding back to the other end of the tub. He licked his lips as she spread her legs. She maintained eye contact as she delicately lifted and placed a foot on either side of the tub. “Like the view?” she murmured as began touching herself. Her head tilted back as she explored her folds.

“Evie,” he growled, “Look at me.”

She bit her lip and made eye contact again. Her fingers worked feverishly and her body rocked. She brought her feet back down into the tub. She pressed them down as her hips rocked. The motion made small waves that lapped at Sidney’s chest. He brought his legs up and rested his elbows on his knees. His body leaned forward as he watched her intently. Evie’s moans transformed into grunts and sighs. Her body lifted off in the water as she brought herself closer to the edge. Her eyes stayed fixed on Sidney’s eyes but they began to fill with tears as she felt herself teetering on the edge. Sidney gripped the tub and pulled himself up. He positioned himself between her legs on his knees. His hands gripped the tub on either side and lowered his mouth to her ear, “Good Girl Evie. You’re my good girl.” His warm voice sent into the abyss and she screamed on the way down. Her body shook with pleasure and her head went beneath the surface. She re-emerged gasping for breath. He pulled her into his body and held her tight as she trembled. He rocked her softly as her breath returned to normal.

“Are you ready for the last surprise, Evie?” he whispered into her ear. She nodded as tightened his grip and lifted them out of the bathtub. He set her down gently and dried off her body. She sighed contently as he put the fluffy robe around her body before proceeding to the same. He led her to the bedroom, “Be right back. Are you hungry for your dessert? I can bring it to you.”

“No thank you, I will have it for breakfast,” she yawned. She took off her robe and climbed under the covers.

He walked back into the room, hiding a bag behind his back. She strained her neck to see it as he climbed onto the bed with a grin. “This is it- the last surprise for my princess.” He handed her the light blue Tiffany’s bag.

Her mouth dropped as she reached for the bag, “Beso”. She ripped into it and pulled out the small box.

She looked up at him and he held his finger to her lips. “Don’t forget what I said earlier.”

She grinned, “I mean I already had one orgasm. Did you mean from you? I can still get a Sidney orgasm?”

She opened the box and gasped. Inside the box, a diamond and platinum pendant in the shape of a key sparkled. She looked from the box to Sidney’s face and back to the box. He looked at her expectantly- suddenly needing her reassurance that he selected the right gift. “It’s the key to my heart,” he explained. “Do you like it?” he asked quietly.

https://www.tiffany.com/jewelry/necklaces-pendants/tiffany-victoria-key-pendant-GRP08649/

“I love it,” she whispered, “Put it on me.”

His large fingers fumbled with clasp as she moved her hair to the side. Her fingers touched it delicately before she leaned over to kiss him softly. "Sidney, thank you for today. It was like a fairy tale. You really made me feel like a real princess….” her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath, “I don’t know how I got so lucky. I’ll never know how I got so lucky.” He pulled her to him and wrapped himself around her body.

“Shhhh, I’m the lucky one,” he whispered, "I hope you enjoyed your surprises."

"I loved them all, but especially since they came from you," she replied as leaned against him.

“Beso, I didn’t give you your gift yet.” she gasped, “It’s at my house.”

“Give it to me tomorrow,” he rocked his hips into her before kissing her ear, “This is all the gift I need.”

“Beso, will you fuck me to sleep?”

“Thought you would never ask.”

[rinkrats]

After word got out a couple of years ago that Tristan Jarry had made a 60-acre barley farm outside of Edmonton, Alberta, his permanent offseason home, the Penguins goalie’s phone started buzzing. It was Carter Hart, the guy crouching at the other end of the ice Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

Now that we’re practically neighbors, would you want to train together?

The two young goalies, who for the foreseeable future will man the creases in one of hockey’s fiercest rivalries, kept in touch and over time built a relationship. Jarry and Hart got around to being offseason training partners this past fall.

For several weeks, they busted their butts during grueling gym workouts and tried to one-up each other on the ice. They sometimes grabbed dinner after, a Penguin and a Flyer trading pointers about how the other guy could get better.

“It was great to work with him and great to train with him because you see how committed he is, and I think he brings that in all aspects of his life. It revolves around goaltending,” said Jarry. “That was a great thing to be a part of and a great thing to put into my game, as well.”

The feeling is mutual. Hart called it “one of the best offseasons in a while.”

The 22-year-old Flyers starter was born and raised in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Jarry, who starred for the Edmonton Oil Kings in his junior hockey career, happened to find a plot of land he loved there. His fiancée, Hannah, and he now call it home.

Jarry and Hart squared off against each other during their Western Hockey League days and years later when they were both in the American Hockey League. Jarry said he has long been impressed by Hart, who is three years his junior.

...“You can see he’s taken a step forward every year,” Jarry told the Post-Gazette.

The rival goalies and budding friends agreed to train together in the Edmonton area this fall, hoping they could push each other toward a Vezina level.

Monday through Friday, their mornings began at Firstline Fitness Training. Then three days a week, the goalies left Daly’s gym and headed to the rink to meet with goalie guru Dustin Schwartz, Jarry’s position coach with the Oil Kings.

This past offseason was the first that he got Jarry and Hart on the ice together. The goalies shared some laughs. But for the most part they battled hard.

The shooters for the workouts included NHLers Jordan Martinook, Tyson Jost and Jake DeBrusk. If either goalie got sniped by one of Schwartz’s hired guns, they often refused to leave the crease, saying, “One more. Give me one more rep.”

...By training alongside Hart, Jarry focused on parts of his game he may not have emphasized otherwise. And vice versa.

“Obviously, their styles are different. They each have tendencies and strengths and weaknesses,” Schwartz said. “So the two of them, looking at their games, they could build off each other. They were kind of a yin and a yang, if you will.”

For example, Jarry was able to learn from Hart as they concentrated on sliding over to seal the post and then firing back off of the post when he was done. Hart picked up tricks from one of the NHL’s best puck-handlers.

...One day, two young goalies whom Schwartz knows came to watch a workout. They each brought one of their sticks to ask Jarry and Hart for autographs.

“Tristan was like, ‘No way, Schwartzy,’” the coach recalled. “‘They probably paid 200 bucks for those sticks. I’m not signing them so they can’t use them.’”

Jarry insisted Hart and he sign their own sticks and give them to the boys.

“Just little things like that, they’re so humble, both of them,” Schwartz said.

Hart, who teammates say has a serious demeanor that belies his youth, flashed a fast grin on a Thursday video call when asked about their relationship.

“He’s a great dude. … We’re going to see a lot of him with the Penguins,” he said. “There’s already that Pittsburgh-Philly rivalry. It’s only going to add more with the number of games we’re playing against them. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Jarry echoed that, saying he thinks it’s exciting to have someone within this bitter rivalry “that you’re close with that you can battle with and compete with.”

But Schwartz wonders if those two will still feel the same way this summer.

“They play eight times this year, right? They’re going to get the full share of each other,” he joked. “They might not want to train together after this.”

-Goalies Tristan Jarry, Carter Hart helped each other grow before facing off this season, Jan 15 2021

aka “in fair Verona...”

[officialgritty]

Sometimes I ask myself

How much could the NHL handle? What would they do if I, Zoe, had the opportunity to become a GM of my own team?

Another short essay by officialgritty. Here is the masterlist, it would be best to read them in order!

The Drafting Process

First of all, I’ll only accept picks for even numbers besides 7, 13 and 69. Odd numbers can choke. 

I hate public speaking so I would nominate my assistant (still have not decided on one so feel free to send your applications into my DMs) to call out our picks. It’s probably the smartest decision considering I mumble a lot and have an accent so no ones names would be pronounced correctly anyway. 

Personally I would like to draft one (1) beer league player. I think they could really get the team riled up, maybe even rack up some decent penalties for other teams by instigating. 

“The Vermont Villains would like to select... big boy INSERT NAME.” - Assistant

“The Vermont Villains would like to select... string bean INSERT NAME.” - Assistant

“The Vermont Villains would like to select... sorry the mic cut out, after this can we have an intermission? I’m starving. Oh, we pick twinkle toes INSERT NAME.” - Me 

General Rules / Other

There are no Capricorn’s to be allowed within management or on the team besides me. I was going to say, “I’m sorry I don’t make the rules,” but I quite literally do. 

I am banning Crosby and MacKinnon from ever joining the team. In fact, when they visit for games the staff will ‘decorate’ a stall for them in particular. 

I will be starting a petition for teams to be allowed 5 non-forfeit forfeits, meaning you get 5 chances to say, “No I don’t want to play that team today.” Both teams get no points though. It’s almost like a mental health day and I think that's neat. 

The Team

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

The Vermont Villains are based in Vermont obviously, because there’s not a whole lot happening there. What even is Vermont for?

The team slogan is one everyone should be familiar with:

“No whole body, no murder.”

Our team intro song as players step out onto the ice is Be Prepared from The Lion King.

Our goal horn is someone sneezing, the audience will be sprayed with a light mist of sea water for effect. 

Our team song played when we win will be Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant.

As for team rivals, we have @chaos-hockey​‘s creation the Insert Team Heres. They seem so sweet, I think the Villains would have a great time messing with them. I also believe we would have some beef with the Penguins, I don’t really have a reason for it, I just feel it deep in my gut. Maybe they get their knickers in a twist because we keep stealing their good stuff idk.

Mascot

The mascot wears a neon ski mask that changes based on the team’s choice in jersey. His name is Monday, because he’s always creeping up on you and causing mayhem through the grandstands. He has a water pistol attached to a tool belt, what's the tool belt for? No one ever truly knows until it’s too late. 

Gritty and Monday would get along like a house on fire.

Uniform

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

You may notice the presence of three jersey’s and think to yourself, “Oh there's a home, away and an alternate.” Wrong. We have two home jerseys and an alternate. 

On Wednesday’s we wear pink. Seriously. This jersey is only to be worn on Wednesday games.

All of the jerseys have players names written on the back but it’s only in a script font so it’s hard to read. Announcers will be confused, players will be confused but fans won’t be because they are used to it by now.

All of their numbers are written out in Roman numerals.

Each season the team colours change (besides pink Wednesdays). Why? Because I don’t like commitment. We would make hella money on limited time merch too.

Speaking of merch, every player will need to design a pair of crocs for fans to purchase as merch. This is not limited to the players, management must also participate. Yes, you can buy the George from Statistics crocs. I really just want my own crocs and to not be judged for it.

“I’ll take one of the Zoe crocs please!” - A fan

Now we can’t limit the uniform just to the team, I’ll show up to games rocking a power suit Michelle Obama inauguration style. Always in the same colour as the team jersey for that night. Yes, we are implying that I am Gritty.

“I want them to fear me but also want to fuck me.” - Me

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

For all working, team socks must be worn when entering the practise and game facilities. A sock check will be conducted at security. We will not let anyone in if they are not wearing Team Socks™️

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

You may be wondering about the away jersey still but don’t fret. We get to the arena early and steal the other team’s clothes. Some end up in their suits, some in their away jerseys and some are left shirtless. Whatever we can or cannot find before puck drop. 

Arena

The arena won’t be boring that's for sure. 

Out the front we have a massive V sign, just like how you see a McDonald’s sign from so far away, you’ll know when you get close to the arena.

Instead of stairs, each seating section has a harness that you get hooked up to for when you want to change levels. And each time that you want to get down, there’s a swirly slide.

Music played will be my favourite mashups from the YouTube account William Maranci to psych out competitors. Here is a link to one of my personal favourites:

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Obviously the team will need to listen to these before they are played for the first time to desensitise them. This will be done at the monthly team Disco.

During the intermission, all the lights in the main area will be turned off. Unofficial nap time my friends.

The menu consists of mutton, bagels on a stick, your choice of charcuterie board, fairy bread and fairy floss. For drinks you can either have carrot juice, Corona beer (we have a brand deal with them) or black tea with no milk.

In conclusion, it’s a good thing that I don’t have a lot of money and/or power, the NHL would hate me because they ain’t me and I have too many good ideas in my brain.

Thank you so sticking through it for this long, here’s all my love and affection 😘🥰❤️

Once again a big thank you to @chaos-hockey for bringing my ideas to fruition. Also thank you to Mik for encouraging this whole concept in our messages ❤️

Here is a part 2!

Tagging some of my mutuals/favourite accounts (please don't feel pressured to interact with this if it isn't your thing, I won't be offended): 

@scheifefe @nikolajehlers @kempe @bowenbyram @d00dlebob @travisgermy @ifiwasshawnmendesidslapmyself @dmonchld @kiedhara @sortagaysortahigh @matthewthotchuk @babytkachuks @bricksatlandyswindow @canadianheaters @youngbeezersmixtape @pitoftrash @perpetually-anxious @kspitehockey

Sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone, I didn’t want to tag every single person I follow 💀

[martynecass88]

It’s Nice To Have A Friend | William Nylander

Summary: Kelsi and William grow up neighbors, go through high school together, and eventually fall in love and get married.

A/N: I wrote this months ago after seeing a video of him working out with this Taylor Swift song on in the background, and had to write it. I have been too anxious to post it, though, so I never did...until now. Please enjoy and give me feedback!

Requested: yes / no

Requests: Open 

WC: 1,759

Warnings: fluff, so much fluff

Kelsi gathers up her school supplies and makes her way to the front of the school. Her neighbor, William, sneaks up behind her and accidentally startles her. “Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” William apologizes, pausing for a second to make sure he didn’t scare her enough to make her cry. “It’s okay, Willy. It was an accident.” Kelsi confirms, grabbing William’s wrist to drag him out of the building.

They start to walk towards their houses. Kelsi notices her hands are cold. “Oh fiddlesticks, I lost my gloves.” William shakes his head at her. “My momma says we have to be careful with our belongings. It’s okay, though. Things get lost sometimes. We can go look in the Lost and Found for them together on Monday. Here, have one of mine.” William gently removes his glove and hands it to Kelsi. “But now your other hand will get cold!” She exclaims, refusing to put on his glove. “That’s okay, as long as one of your hands are warm.” Kelsi smiles at the boy as she reluctantly slides the glove on and continues walking down the road.

Their houses are within sight of the school. Oftentimes, their mothers sit together on one of their front porches and watch them walk home from school. They’re in second grade now, old enough to know where they live and how to get there on their own, but not old enough to do it without adult supervision. “Hey, Willy! Wanna come over and play hockey?” “Yeah, sounds like fun.” They arrive at the houses and drop their book bags off with their mothers, immediately running to get their sticks.

William agrees to play goalie first, so he positions himself in the net that Kelsi got for Christmas and waits for her to start shooting. After a while, they get tired and go inside to get some water. “You know what, Kelsi?” William says, out of breath from gulping down some of the ice water that Kelsi’s mom gave him. “What, Willy?” Kelsi looks at him with a glisten in her eyes. William takes a mental note of how pretty he thinks she looks. “I think we should have a sleepover in my living room.” Willy suggests. Kelsi nods and jumps off her seat. She makes her way over to her parents to ask for permission. “Mom! Can I spend the night at Willy’s?” Kelsi’s dad looks at her mom. “Our first date night in over a month? Yeah, you can. Go gather your stuff.” “Wow, glad I have some input on where our daughter sleeps.” Kelsi’s mother sarcastically tells her husband. “It’s okay, Miss Heather. Kelsi will be safe with us.” “I know, William. I know. Now, go help Kelsi pack.” And with that, he rushes upstairs to help his best friend gather things that they determined were necessary for their one-night sleepover.

The list of things included her fake candle, her diary, her brand new set of sparkly pens (but only after she threatened William that if he broke them, she’d cut his hair), her iPad, her charger, her two stuffed animals: one penguin, one narwhal, and her large box of board games that she knew they wouldn’t even touch once they got next door. “Ready, Kels?” William asks the girl. She stands up and grabs his wrist, just like she did at the school. “Let’s go, Willy.” Together, they run out of the house (after screaming a polite ‘goodnight, love you’ to her parents) and to William’s next door. Immediately after they get inside, Kelsi walks to the basement to get one of the many tents in the Nylander collection.

“Nice pick. Let’s get it up and get all of our stuff inside.” By the time they eat dinner and get everything in the tent, it’s time for them to go to bed. Laying on opposite corners of the tent with their feet facing each other, they whisper fun stories back and forth until they decide that they’re finally ready for bed. “Goodnight, Willy. Thank you for playing with me today. It’s nice to have a friend.” “It sure is.” William rolls over to find a comfortable spot in his sleeping bag. “Goodnight, Kelsi.”

•

Graduation was just around the corner and Kelsi didn’t know if she’d make it. She cannot figure out what quote she wants to use in her valedictorian speech, and she couldn’t even focus on writing it. The big draft was on her mind. William would be leaving her. They spent their whole lives together and just two weeks after they walk the stage and get their diplomas, William would be off to whichever city decides to take him.

Kelsi was proud of her friend, she was, but that doesn’t make the pain any easier to cope with. To add to the stress, her parents had just gotten divorced. Sometimes staying together for the kids just doesn’t work out. They had tried to fix their relationship by having another baby (even though Kelsi knew that her younger brother, Kingston, was the reason they fought most of the time anyway), but baby Kylee didn’t patch their cracks the way they hoped. Kelsi didn’t know how to cope. Kylee was barely a year old so she wouldn’t remember anything, which made the transition a little easier for everyone. But Kingston was attached to his dad, they were inseparable, and Kelsi had made plans to move away for college.

Toronto was calling her name. She had to go, she had gotten accepted to her dream school and she knew that if she didn’t spread her wings and fly now, she never would. She couldn’t imagine leaving her parents, her brother, her baby sister. But she had made the decision, and she had the moving date set. She knew that if she didn’t get a break soon, she’d be going completely insane. That’s how she found herself sitting on the roof with William and a few of his hockey buddies, playing 20 questions.

“Hello, Earth to Kelsi?” one of the boys says to her. She shakes herself back into reality and rolls her eyes. “What do you want?” “We asked you a question: if you could describe your current feeling in only a few words, what would you say?” he repeats. “I’ve been stressed out lately.” She looks down at her hands, waiting for William to tease her. That’s how their relationship worked, he always poked fun of her negative emotions because he saw her as the brightest and most bubbly person in the entire world. “Yeah, me too.” He reaches his hand out and softly touches hers. “It’s okay, though. We’ll get through it.” He nods, trying to convince not only Kelsi but himself, too. Kelsi nods in response, “You’re right, thank you. It’s nice to have a friend.”

•

Kelsi watches as Kylee has the finishing touches done on her hair. “What are you looking at?” Her baby sister asks. “You just look so grown up.” Kelsi smiles as she walks over to fluff the girl’s hair. “Kelsi, come on, I’m not a baby anymore.” Kelsi pinches Kylee’s cheeks, “you may not be a baby anymore but you’ll always be my baby sister.” she says, in a baby voice. “Okay, fine.” Kylee ends the conversation by softly pushing Kelsi into the seat and walking to get the bridal hairdresser. “Looks like it’s time to finish your hair,” Kylee smirks. The six year old had gotten quite ballsy with her older sister.

“Hey, Kelly. How ya doing?” Kingston walks in. Kelsi rolls her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be over with William, helping him get ready?” “Well, no. He’s all ready. In fact, we’ve already taken pictures.” “Shit, are we running behind?” Kelsi snaps her head over to their mother, the method behind the madness of the wedding. “No, Kelsi. We’re on time. We’re actually early.” Heather responds in a calming voice. “William knew you’d want a ton of pictures with your girls before the ceremony so he made sure to get ours taken early so you could have enough time.” Kingston states, causing Heather’s heart to melt. “What a man, Kelsi.” Kelsi rolls her eyes. “Where’s Alex?”

Kingston and the younger Nylander were the best of friends. Inseparable. They plan on going to the same college. Kelsi thought it was a bad idea. Those two could get into some serious trouble, but William got it through her head that it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be. At least, that’s what he told himself. In all honesty, he was nervous, too, but he’d never let Kelsi know that.

The ceremony went by beautifully, the entire audience cried during the vows. “All the rice on the ground. It looks like snow.” “Kelsi? Are you alright? It looks like rice.” Kingston teases, which results in a slap from their mother in return.

At the reception, Kelsi started feeling anxious. William noticed and walked over to her. “It’s alright, you’re okay. I’ve got your back now. Every day.” “You can’t, you have things to do..” “Hey, you know you’re the most important thing in my life, right? You’re bluffing if you say that I’d put something above you.” Kelsi softly kisses William, “Thank you, babe.”

When they get home, after their shower and post-celebration activities, while they’re laying in bed just enjoying each other’s company, they’ll begin making some serious decisions. “Kids?” “William we have been married for less than 12 hours, can we maybe enjoy this life before jumping into having children?” “Nope. We’re going to stay in bed all weekend and enjoy each other, but starting next week…” Kelsi rolls her eyes. “No. We won’t be trying for a baby for at least six months.” “But you want one?” “Of course I want one. I want it to have your eyes, too.” Kelsi runs her fingers through his hair. “What if I want it to have your eyes?” William fights back, even though he knows he won’t win the battle. “It’ll have my nose.” Kelsi runs her finger along the bridge of her nose. “Let’s stop talking about this for now and go to sleep, okay Willy?” “Okay, baby.”

He wraps his arms around her and pulls her into his chest. “You know what, Kelsi?” “What, William?” “I think it’s nice to have a friend.” “We just got married and I’m being shoved back into the friendzone?!” William shrugs it off and they just hold onto each other as they slowly drift off to sleep.

[spellcasterlight]

Do you know any updated naruto event blogs? I want to participate in something, but i can’t find calendars and events or who’s hosting what.

Hi there Yummy Yellow-eyed Penguin Anon! 😊

You know me; I'm a sucker for an event! 😂

Okay, so I think @narutoandborutoevents is starting to collect a whole bunch of events in one place.

But I have also just made a list of events that I know off to help out. I've split the list into three categories:

Naruto only events, any fandom events & any fandom bingo cards (I like the bingo cards because there isn't a timeframe. You can just complete them in whatever time you need rather than the usual week, month etc. that other events have so they are very casual and unrushed.

I have also put ** beside events that are smut related in nature so you can avoid them if need be.

I'll put my list under the cut because of length.

Thanks for the ask, and happy writing! ✨

Ao3 ✨ |Story Request Bingo Cards 📖 | WIP Game Always Open ✒️| Hot Chocolate ☕

Naruto only events

@team-gai-week @naruto-smut-monday** @kakashi-week @narutoccw2022 @tentenappreciation @yamanaka-week @asuma-week @polyam-naruto @kisames-corner @shikasaku-week @kunoichi-central @narutosecretsanta @rock-lee-week @ino-week @kakashimultishipextravaganza @sasori-mini-bang @konoha-pride @naruinoweek @inoshikachoweek @narutodilfweek** @narutoocshipweek @narutoocevent @iruka-week @narutorarepairweek @multisasori @narutorarepairjune @harunosakuraweek

Any fandom events

@domaystic @agonyapril2022 @whumpers-monthly @summer-of-whump @polyshipweek @tat-monthly-challenge @kinkuary** @comfortember @flufftober @femslash-friday-prompts @whumptober2021 @flashfictionfriday @febwhump @tropetember @sicktember @augustwritingchallenge @femslashfeb

Any fandom bingo cards

@anyfandomdarkbingo @badbitchesbingo @taylorswiftbingo @anyfandomfluffbingo @anyfandomkinkbingo** @lgbtqbingo @anyfandomangstbingo @anyfandomgoesbingo @kinky-things-happen** @badthingshappenbingo

[nationalhoranleague]

Eighteen | All Summer Long

TW: Alcohol, Mentions of Binge Drinking

Chapter Song: Wonder - Shawn Mendes

≫ Everly - Monday, June 13, 2016 ≪

We were miserable. We were walking a very fine line between still drunk and hungover. Luckily, it wasn't just us, everyone gathered in the lobby waiting for the buses to take us to the airport looked to be in the same shape as Sid and I. Well, almost everyone.

"So," Beau began loudly, seemingly popping up out of nowhere. "What time should we be around tonight?" He asked, looking between Sidney and me.

I looked up to Sidney who wore dark sunglasses over his eyes, even as we stood in the hotel lobby. "I don't know, we won't even be back in Pittsburgh until," He looked down to the watch on his wrist. "after two o'clock."

Beau looked to me, clearly not happy with Sidney's inability to answer his question. "What tim-"

"Are you always this loud?" I asked, interrupting him. Beau's girlfriend, Georgeann, who looked to be as miserable as the rest of us, and Sidney both stifled their laughter. "How are you not miserably hungover like everyone else, anyway?"

Beau's head lulled to the side, looking at me as if I was an idiot for asking him such a question. "Olli, Justin, and I did shots when we got up this morning,"

Genius. I looked up to Sidney. "Why did we not think of that?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "We didn't have anything left to drink,"

"Lack of planning," Beau noted, pointing finger guns at us. "So, what time?"

I groaned. Since the beginning of the playoffs, I have been planning a massive pool party for the team and their partners to celebrate the cup win. Luckily, I did all of the planning, shopping, cleaning, and decorating before I left for San Jose, but right now, the last thing I want to do is throw a party. I haven't been this hungover since Sochi. "Um, let's just say 5:30. That'll give everyone to get home, relax for a while, and then come 'round for supper."

"You say relax, I say pregame,"

I tilted my head. "Beau, are you going to drink all day?"

"Evergreen," He began, calling me by one of his many nicknames for me. "I'm going to drink all summer."

Sidney and I flew separately, as did the rest of the team and their families. Of the two planes the Penguins chartered for the family of the team, I was fortunate enough to be on one with an abundance of alcohol. Maureen, Kuni's wife, popped open three bottles of champagne which we passed around the plane to those old enough to drink, not even worrying about individual glasses. When we touched down in Pittsburgh, nearly everyone on the jet was tipsy enough to have to hold onto both handrails of the jet's airstairs as we deplaned. However, it seemed as the passengers on the other jet enjoyed their time in the air as much as we did. Hell, even the coaches seemed to teeter off of the team's plane.

The team's jet was the last to arrive and deplane, leaving Sidney's family and me to wait for him on the tarmac. The concrete beneath us was quickly heating up and began to mix with the heat from the alcohol coursing through my body, causing me to begin to sweat. I smiled, the long, hot days of summer are only a few days away and today's temperature is a clear reminder of that. I was ready to celebrate this win all summer long.

"Ow! Ow!" I exclaimed as Sidney drew closer. Trina, Troy, and Taylor all began to clap and cheer loudly, causing Sidney to blush and the others around us to start laughing. "That's my MVP!"

He shook his head as he came to a stop in front of us. He hugged his parents and then his sister. "You're a mess," He spoke, teasingly, before leaning down to place a kiss on my lips.

I nodded, agreeing with him. I grabbed for the dress bag he had in his fingers, taking it from him and slinging it over my shoulder. "Ready?"

He nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow for dinner?" Sidney asked, looking to his parents for an answer.

"We'll be there!" Trina sang, pulling him in for one last hug. "Have fun tonight, you two,"

I hugged the three of them before we went our separate ways, them to their rental car to stay at my condo for the evening, and Sid and I to his car, to head back to his home in Sewickley.

The car ride felt exceptionally long, traffic from the airport was terrible, and we were itching to get home and get out of our airplane clothes and into our swimsuits to enjoy the evening by the pool with the team. Once we were finally home, we all but raced up the stairs to the same shower.

"Care to join?" Sidney asked, dropping his pants onto the floor, his belt clattering against the cool tile.

I laughed at him but began to strip down to nothing as well. I stepped in behind him, not hesitating to wrap my arms around his waist. He relaxed into me, his shoulders dropping the tension he had been carrying around since December.

"I've missed you," I mumbled into his damp skin.

He sighed contently. "I've missed you, Everly Grace,"

"It feels like I haven't seen you since May,"

Sidney spun around, now taking me into his arms. "I'm sorry, Ev. I just get tunnel vision during playoffs, you know? I just get so wrapped up in the need to win that I forget about what matters the most," He paused to grab my face in his wet hands, directing my eyes up to his. "You."

I swatted his hands away from my face so that I could wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into me. "Hey," I began softly. "Don't apologize for the schedule that you had no control over. You're here now and you're a two time Stanley Cup champion. That's what's matters. All of that work paid off, you have something to show for it."

He smiled before leaning down to kiss me. "Wouldn't have been possible without you,"

I laughed, pulling away from him and stepping into the warm water, grabbing my loofah from it's resting place. "Me?"

"Yeah, you,"

I hesitated, watching Sidney as he grabbed the pink loofah from my hand and began to run it down my arms and then across my chest. "What did I do?" I questioned, closing my eyes and relaxing into his touch. He seemed to be washing away the stress that I had been unknowingly carrying around, likely as long as he had.

"You were in my corner," He spoke softly.

"Hmm," I hummed. "It's the least I can do,"

"You took care of the house, entertained my family while I was out of town or busy, all while working on stuff for the foundation, and still carrying on with your own life. You've taken a lot off of my plate and put it on your own, no questions asked." I tilted my head back, soaking my hair.

"As I said, it's the leas-"

"Thank you," I opened my eyes to reach for my bottle of shampoo.

"I'll always be in your corner, Sid," I assured him after a few moments of silence.

"That's why I'm marrying you,"

"Still trying to figure out my motive," I teased, before gazing down. "Nevermind, I figured it out."

He threw his head back, laughing loudly as he jokingly attempted to cover himself. "Quit objectifying me!" He teased, pushing the bottle of conditioner into my hand. "And finish washing your hair before the water runs cold,"

I watched as he scrambled out of the shower, laughing when he nearly fell. "Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave, Sid!"

"Don't start anything. I'm still tired from last night," He replied, speaking loudly to be heard over the running water and the rustles of him dropping his towel and pulling on his underwear.

I washed the conditioner out of my hair and turned the water off before stepping out of the shower and taking the white towel from Sidney's outstretched hand. "You were on your game last night,"

"I know," He boasted. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Settle down," I teased, walking out of the bathroom to get dressed, leaving him to shave away his playoff beard that I had come to love. "You know, I don't hate the beard," I confessed as I shimmied into my bathing suit, threw a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on, and walked back into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"You could have told me that before I shaved half my face,"

I giggled. "Sorry, bub,"

I finished brushing my teeth and collected both of our discarded towels from the bathroom floor, depositing them into the laundry basket hidden in Sidney's closet. I popped my head back into the bathroom to see Sidney still messing with his hair, having yet to put his swimming trunks on.

"C'mon, pretty boy," I began, using the nickname that my sister and Mel had given him, one that both Sidney and I had only recently come to learn about, causing Sidney to roll his eyes. "Olli will be here any minute with the ice and we still have to get all of this food on the grill,"

Sidney groaned loudly as he ran his hands through his hair, spiking it up in about 14 different directions. "This is as good as it's gonna get, I'm afraid." He laughed, flicking the bathroom light off and walking toward the dresser to retrieve his swimming trunks.

"You look handsome as ever," I complimented mindlessly before heading toward the bedroom door to head downstairs to begin preparing dinner.

"Ev?" Sid called out to me, stopping me in the doorframe. I turned to look at him. He had the top drawer of the dresser open, one hand hidden in the pile of socks, and a look I hadn't seen before written across his flushed face.

"They're not in that drawer, they're in the bottom draw-"

"I know where my trunks are," He interjected, turning now to face me directly. However, as he pulled his hand from the sock drawer, a blue object that not previously been in his hand caught my eye.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the blue box in his hand.

Without answering my question, he stepped toward me, clad only in his boxer-briefs, and grabbed my left hand in his right. "Everly Grace,"

I gasped, throwing my right hand over my mouth, now catching onto what he was doing. Tears sprung to my eyes almost immediately. And as I looked into his eyes, I noticed that his eyes looked a bit glassy too.

"When I met you, I knew I had met my match. You've challenged me, and encouraged me, and lit a fire within me, one that I hadn't known existed. You are the strongest, smartest, funniest, most beautiful, most caring, most loving woman I have ever met, and even that is the tip of the iceberg." I giggled lightly, squeezing his hand tightly in my own. "I know, in my heart, even after this short time together, that you are the person I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I've known since day one. So," Without ever letting go of my hand, Sidney bent down onto one knee and with his other hand, he held the box out to me, flicking it open with his fingers with ease, as if he had been practicing the action for weeks. "Everly Grace Cassius, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Breathlessly, I answered. "Yes, of course! A thousand times, yes," Without once looking at the ring in his hand, I tackled Sidney in a hug, causing both of us to fall onto the carpeted floor.

"Ow!"

"I love you," I beamed, taking his face into my hands before kissing him.

Sidney laughed as we kissed, causing our teeth to clank against one another's. "I love you more, Evy,"

I shook my head, hitting him in the face with the hair that had fallen loose from my bun when I tackled him. "Impossible,"

"Where do you want these?" Olli asked, shuffling across the threshold with three bags of ice in his arms.

I stepped out of his way, leading the way to the kitchen. "Just set them down on the counter," I replied, taking one bag of ice from him and setting it down on the marble. "Thank you for getting the ice, Ols, it totally slipped my mind,"

Olli shook his head as he set the other bags down. "Don't worry about it,"

"Olli!" Sidney cheered, standing up from where he was squatting on the floor, filling up the empty coolers with beer. They embraced in a quick hug, patting each other on the back. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," He replied, cooly, as he reached up to his face to take off his sunglasses and set them on top of his head. "Are you guys okay?"

I eyed him oddly. "Of course, what are you on about?"

"You look like you've been crying. The both of you," He spoke, matter-of-factly, catching me off guard. While Olli was very observant, he was not confrontational by any stretch of the imagination, he was the type of person to notice something was off, but to wait to pull you aside by yourself to ask you about it.

"Oh," I replied, blushing. "It's nothing, no worries!"

Olli scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the counter. "C'mon, did someone die?"

I looked at Sid, who only smiled knowingly back at me. "I have to tell him, he thinks someone died!"

"We haven't told our families yet," Sidney reminded, keeping his voice low, but still wearing a smile on his face.

I grinned. "Olli is family," I replied, quickly, setting a hand onto Olli's arm. "He won't tell anyone, right?" I asked, looking up to Olli who glanced between Sidney and me, completely lost. His eyebrows a clear indicator of his confusion.

"Right?" He squeaked out, barely loud enough for me to hear him.

Sidney laughed and then threw his hands into the air as if to say 'What the hell, why not?'. "Go on, then,"

Without saying anything else, I reached down into the front pocket of my jean shorts and pulled out the diamond ring that Sidney had presented to me only ten minutes prior, and slid it onto my left ring finger. "We're getting married!" I squealed, shoving my hand into Olli's face, all the while dancing.

Olli gasped before pulling Sidney and me into a hug. "Congratulations!"

"But," I remarked, stepping out of the hug. "You can't tell anyone! Our families don't know yet,"

Olli shook his head profusely, his expensive sunglasses nearly going flying as he did. "Your secret is safe with me,"

"Good," I turned on my heel, grabbing two plates stacked with raw hamburgers ready to be grilled, and then spun back around to hand them to Olli. "Now you two get to cookin'," Sidney grabbed the pan full of hotdogs from the island and made his way out to the back patio where he had already lit the grill with Olli hot on his heels.

Before I could do anything else, I glanced down at the Tiffany ring on my left hand. It wasn't absurdly large. Sidney wasn't a flashy man nor was I a flashy woman. But, it was beautiful, nonetheless, too beautiful to have to hide for the evening, but too important to tell the team about before we told our families. It was also too beautiful to separate myself from completely, hence the reason I was hiding it in my pocket as opposed to the iconic blue box that set empty on top of Sidney's dresser. It was too new, too electrifying to simply place back into the box etched with my soon-to-be-initials across the top.

Carefully, I slipped the ring from my finger and returned it to its temporary hiding place in my short's tiny pocket. The weight of the ring against my thigh brought me an odd sense of comfort. Symbolically, of course, the ring tied Sidney and me together forever, but the weight of the ring felt as though it physically tethered us together too. I couldn't wait to bear the weight of the ring on my finger for longer than ten minutes. I couldn't wait to wear it forever. To spend forever connected to the man who I knew was my husband the day I met him.

I turned to the ice on the counter in front of me, noticing that the bags had begun to sweat and drip onto the hardwood floor of the kitchen. I sighed before picking a bag up to dump into the cooler full of warm beer. I proceeded to empty the other bags into the multiple coolers lining Sidney's kitchen, hoping that we had bought enough alcohol to hold the team and their others over for the night.

I began to open bags of chips and dump them into bowls when I heard the front door open and subsequently fall shut.

"Hello? Sid?" A heavy Russian accent rolled through the house.

I popped my head out of the kitchen to see Geno, Anna, Flower, and Vero standing in the entry-way, lingering awkwardly.

"Hi!" I stepped out of the kitchen fully now, making myself know. "Come in, come in,"

Anna smiled, coming toward me quickly. She wrapped me into a hug, holding onto me tightly with one arm, keeping the platter in her opposite hand between the two of us.

"Didn't want you hosting without sweets," She spoke softly, placing the plate full of brownies into my hands now.

"You didn't have to do that, thank you," She smiled softly and then stepped aside, allowing Vero to hug me quickly.

"Where's the cup?" Flower asked, pulling me into his side for a hug as soon as his wife let go of me.

"Uh," I began, turning back toward the kitchen to set Anna's brownies down and finish what I was doing before they all walked in the door. "I think Coach Sullivan has it, he's the last person I saw with it at the jet port." I dumped another bag of chips into a bowl and set it on the island among the other bowls and various plates of burger and hot dog toppings. "Okay," I dusted my hands off before setting them on my hips. "Drinks are in these coolers, there's bottled water, soda, beer, wine coolers," I listed off on my fingers. "Um, there's liquor outside at the bar by the pool, serve yourself,"

Without saying a word, Geno and Flower shared a quick look before darting toward the back door and disappearing outside, on the hunt for a stiff drink.

"What do you need help with, Everly? You look overwhelmed," Vero asked, running a comforting hand up and down my arm.

"This is just a much bigger affair than I had anticipated," I admitted sheepishly, turning away from the women in front of me to the fridge to pull the fruit out to cut it up and toss it all together to make a fruit salad.

Anna took the plastic containers from my hands and started over to a small section of empty counter space. I handed her a cutting board and knife and thanked her profusely as she began slicing.

"You're going to be just fine, Ev! As long as you have food and drinks, everyone will be happy," Vero glanced around the kitchen. "And by the looks of it, you have more than enough to get us through the night,"

"I just want to make a good impression on everyone, you know?"

"You already have,"

I smiled softly at her. She had been a great friend to me throughout the season, all the girls had, but Vero went the extra mile. She was always the first to reach out to me to invite me to a girl's night or to come over to watch The Bachelor or to call just to catch up. She was my rock this season, becoming my uncertified therapist to help me cope with the loneliness of Sid being away and the helplessness I felt from not being able to skate.

"Thank you, Vero," I offered sincerely.  

"Anything for you, Ev. Now, get yourself a drink, you've earne-" The doorbell rang loudly startling the three of us. "Get a drink and then get the door, I've got the rest from here,"

Ignoring the coolers, I scrambled to the front door before whoever was on the other side could ring the bell again. I swung the door open, to see Mario, Coach Sullivan, their respective wives, and the keeper of the cup, Philip, whom I had yet to officially meet, but knew by name. His presence meant one thing: the Stanley Cup was in the Crosby house tonight.

"Everly! Good to see you again!" Mario chimed, leading the group into the house. He paused to kick his shoes off at the front door and then pulled me into a hug. Mario and Nathalie lived only a few streets over and were frequent fliers around here. Mario and Sidney often sat on the couch for hours on end, watching hockey games, and discussing anything and everything while Nathalie brought over homemade desserts, winning her way into my heart almost immediately.

"Ev," Nathalie spoke, hugging me with one arm over my shoulders. I hugged her back tightly. "I brought a cake, I hope you don't mind,"

I laughed. "Of course not! I will never complain about you bringing food over," She smiled warmly and then headed in the direction of the kitchen with Mario on his heels.

Coach Sullivan stepped farther into the house, discarding his shoes at the door just as Mario and Nathalie and his wife did before him. It was odd, to see him dressed down, I mean. On the few occasions that I had been around Coach Sullivan, he was always dressed to the nines, as if he was perpetually ready for a business meeting to occur at any given time.

"Everly, lovely to see you," Coach Sullivan pulled me into a side-hug and then released me quickly, but not without a squeeze to the shoulder. "This is my wife, Kate, I don't know that you two have met,"

I nearly went to offer a hand out to her, but instead just pulled her into a quick hug, surprising her. "Everly Cassius," I introduced, stepping back from her now. "I'm, uh, Sidney's fi-," I stopped myself quickly. "Girlfriend,"

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Everly."

"You as well, Kate," I gushed before giving the married couple the details on when dinner would be ready, where to find drinks, the bathroom, and Sidney, and then watched as they headed in completely different directions.

I turned to the blonde man still standing in the foyer, a small smile on his face. "Philip, right?" He nodded, letting go of the handle of the large black case behind him and offering a hand out to me. I introduced myself to him and him to me, insisting that I call him Phil. "Well, Phil, I'm glad that you're here," I told him, beginning to lead him toward the back door, watching as he towed the beat-up black trunk behind him and navigated it with ease through the house and out onto the patio.

"I'm just here to drop this beauty off," I looked at him in surprise as he put on his white gloves and popped open the black case.

"You don't have to stay with the cup?" I asked, watching as he lifted the cup with ease and set it on one of the tables I set up outside.

He chuckled. "Nope, I can just drop it off and leave it, as long as I know where it is, of course."

I hummed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I just always assumed you have to stay with it," He shook his head as he turned away from the cup and toward me. "Well, do you want to? Stay, I mean,"

He hesitated for a minute, pulling his white gloves off by the fingers. "I, uh, wel-"

"You don't have to say yes, I ju-"

"I'd love to stay, if that's okay with you and Sidney, of course,"

I grinned, before turning to Sidney who still stood over the grill with Olli at his side. "Sid," I called out to him, catching his attention. "You don't mind if Phil stays, right?"

Sidney smiled and shook his head. "Of course not! Get him a drink, Ev,"

I laughed before looking back to Phil. "What's your poison?" I asked, causing a grin to break out across his face.

I got Phil a beer at his request and then gave him the same spiel that I gave to everyone who came in before him; telling him where to locate drinks and the bathroom, to make himself at home, and to find Sid or me if he needed anything at all. He graciously thanked me and then wandered around to the opposite side of the pool and sat in one of the chairs facing the house. I watched on as he relaxed into the chair and twisted the top off of his beer bottle and took a long pull from the bottle.

"Careful, that big heart of yours is on your sleeve," Sidney whispered in my ear, startling me with his sudden presence.

I smiled softly at him, only to see that he was looking at Phil across the pool. "Didn't feel right for him to come to drop the cup by and then have to leave, likely to go back to an empty hotel room with shitty room service, when he knew we were having this big party. We have plenty of food, plenty to drink, what's one more?" I explained, looking back to Phil who now sat with Mario next to him, the two of them chatting away.

Sidney smiled before dipping his head down to press a kiss to my temple. "Good woman,"

"Hmm?"

"Just another reason I'm marrying you,"

As the night hours winded into the late night, everyone began to grow rowdier. Sid's backyard was beginning to look like a frat party at The University of Alabama on homecoming weekend. Even Coach Sullivan, or Sully, as he insisted I call him in his drunken stupor, was beginning to slur his words. Though people were drinking almost as soon as they hit the door, the drinks really began to flow after dinner was finished and plates were cleared. In the blink of an eye, the Stanley Cup was filled to the brim with Dom Pérignon and was being lifted to the lips of anyone who merely looked in the direction of the coveted trophy.

"Who hasn't had a sip?" Sidney called out, catching mostly everyone's attention, including mine. I glanced over to him, shamelessly checking him out as he stood in the pool next to Geno with the cup sitting on the ground between the two of them. However, I was still very much engaged in the conversation I was having with a few of the girls, even though I took my eyes off of them for a few seconds. But before I could even turn my head back around to return my gaze to them, Maureen Kunitz, who I had come to learn was a blast in a glass, was pulling me up from my seat, and pushing me toward Sid.

"Everly hasn't! In fact, I haven't seen her have a drink since I got here. She needs to loosen up,"

My eyes grew wide. "Maureen!" I exclaimed laughing, now noticing that everyone's attention was on me as she all but pushed me across the pool deck.

"Everly Grace!" Sidney taunted loudly, causing me to blush. "I can't believe you managed to fly under my radar,"

"Sidney," I whined playfully, dragging out the last syllable of his name.

"Oh no, don't Sidney me, baby. It's tradition, c'mon," He patted the concrete of the pool deck in front of him.

I shook my head, laughing, but walked toward him and squatted down in front of him, facing the cup, just as everyone before me had. Slowly, he and Geno lifted the cup and I wrapped my hands around the bowl to help them steady it and took a long sip of the warm champagne. I pulled away and wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand, catching the alcohol before it had the opportunity to run down my chin. Sidney and Geno set the cup back down on the concrete carefully, all the while laughing.

"How do you feel?" Sidney asked, looking up at me.

I laughed, nodding my head. "Like I just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience,"

He shook his head with a bright smile on his face. "Hopefully not," His hand reached out and wrapped around the back of my neck and pulled me to him, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. Sidney was not a man too keen on PDA, but I suppose with the amount of alcohol coursing through his system, he couldn't have cared less who saw the two of us.

"Get a room," Beau chirped from behind Sidney in the pool.

"I have the whole house, asshole," Sidney replied quickly, causing everyone within earshot to laugh.

The night went on, everyone getting more and more drunk as the sky above us shifted from blue to pitch black. The pool was full of people to where the bottom of the pool couldn't even be seen from the pool deck. At one point, Mario jumped in the pool fully clothed, causing everyone to cheer loudly, surely annoying the neighbors, who hopefully understood. Not long after Mario jumped in, the cup was thrown in and began to crowd surf among the team. It was a quarter past midnight and the party was far from over.

Maureen was right, however, I did need to loosen up. Wanting to throw a great party and making a good impression on everyone had me tense. After taking a drink from the cup, I headed over to the bar, where Kris has taken it upon himself to bartend and asked him to make me something, anything, with vodka in it. Three sweet concoctions later, I began to feel a little more than a buzz.

In the middle of my fourth drink, I felt someone wrap a warm, wet, arm around my waist, soaking my shirt in the process, and pull me into their chest.

"Sid," I spoke, never looking over my shoulder to confirm that's who had a hold of me. I knew already.

"Ev," I turned to face him now, drink still in hand. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my drink glass still in hand. "You just dumped that down my back, you know?"

I gasped, lifting my glass to see that it was indeed, empty. I laughed, hiding my face in his bare chest. "Sorry, Sid. Little tipsy,"

Sidney laughed, tossing his head back. The back of his head hit the lip of the glass in my hand, subsequently knocking it out of my hand and to the ground, where it shattered against the concrete. "Little drunk," He corrected with a laugh. He stepped forward, pushing me back into the granite bar.

"Okay, maybe a little drunk," I agreed with him. He smiled before dropping his lips down to mine and kissing me sweetly.

"I just want to do a toast and then we can start winding down for the night,"

I untangled myself from him, and he reached out for my hand, pulling me behind him toward the waterfall at the opposite end of the pool. He stepped up onto the concrete wall and pulled me up with him, tucking me into his side and throwing his arm around my shoulders. I watched as he placed two fingers from his opposite hand in his mouth and whistled loudly, capturing everyone's attention and drawing their eyes to us.

"All right everyone, I'm going to keep it short and sweet. First, thank you all for coming tonight. Second, I just want to tell you all that your hard work and sacrifices have not gone unnoticed this season. They are not lost on me. That goes for the wives and girlfriends too." Sidney squeezed my shoulder as he said this. "Everyone dedicated themselves to winning this season and now we have this beautiful cup to show for it," The crowd cheered loudly, causing me to laugh. "Okay, okay! That's all really, I just wanted to say thank you before we started losing more people," Sidney nodded his head in the direction of the lawn chairs, where Justin Schultz was passed out, one leg hanging off of the chair. "If you can't drive, please feel free to crash here. Everly's sister was kind enough to come over this morning and blow up a bunch of air mattresses. All four guest rooms have four or five, there are two in the office by the front door, and the couches are open too. There are blankets and pillows in every room, but if you need more there are some in the hall closet, right across from the bathroom."

"Thank you, guys!" I added once Sidney was finished speaking.

Before Sidney and I could step down from the concrete base of the waterfall, Olli's voice boomed over the group loudly, causing everyone to look at him as he stood on the opposite side of the pool.

"And a special thank you to the future Mr. and Mrs. Crosby for hosting us this evening!" Olli raised his drink in the air as if he was making a toast, however, no one else followed suit. Instead, everyone turned their attention back to Sidney and me, wide smiles on all of their faces.

"What is he talking about?"

"Yeah! Are you guys getting married?"

"Olli!" Sidney and I hissed in unison, though I slapped my hand against my forehead in disbelief at his admission.

"It slipped!"

A loud gasp emitted from the crowd as they realized that what Olli just let slip was in fact, true. They began cheering loudly, louder than they have all night.

"Congratulations!"

"This is so exciting!"

"When's the wedding?"

Sidney and I laughed at the variety of comments and congratulations and took a minute to soak it all in. Sidney cleared his throat before speaking over the group again. "Okay, alright! Yes, I asked Everly to marry me and she said yes!" Sidney pumped one fist in the air, earning hoops and hollers from the boys and awes from the girls. "But, we have to keep it a secret, at least until tomorrow,"

I nodded. "We haven't told our families yet! We only told Olli because he caught us with red crying eyes and he thought someone died, and I couldn't let him think someone had!" The group laughed and I watched as Patric Hornqvist elbowed Olli in the ribs.

"We'll keep it a secret if you show us the ring!" A voice shouted out from next to me.

"Yeah! Show us the ring!"

Without a second hesitation, I pulled the ring out of my front pocket and placed it on my finger, and then threw my hand out to my left. The girls squealed, all attempting to get a closer look at the diamond, however, in their excitement, they accidentally pushed Sidney and me from the waterfall, into the pool.

Sidney and I were both laughing when we resurfaced. I grabbed onto him first, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. I kissed him, tasting chlorine more than anything else. But, in my opinion, it was the best kiss we had shared yet.

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A/N: Here is Chapter 2. If you need to catch up and the link to Chapter 1 is provided at the end of this Update.

It's been a few days since Eden started her relationship with both Sid and Kris. The day after the gala was Valentine's Day Sid took her out on a nice little date of playing golf before they headed to the game. After the game in which they won and Sid and Kris had both scored a goal and gotten an assist, they head back to Sid's and they celebrated with Kris who had made them all dinner. And of course they had ended the night with wild steamy sex. Eden made sure she was packed and ready as after the Penguins game ended she was headed to the Daytona. She was happy that rain was on her side.

She had her car at the arena with her bag in it. As soon as the game was over she was going to head to the airport and fly to Daytona and Chase going to meet her at the airport.       The game had just started.    They were playing the Red Wings.     Eden was happy.

The Penguins ended up winning and again both Sid and Kris had a goal.    Eden went to clean up and put things away and stock up for the next game.   She then went to look for Sid and Kris to say goodbye before she left for Daytona.  

Eden heads into the locker room.    The guys have all left except for Kris and Sid.    They had media before they could shower and suck.    She walks in and Sid was sitting in front of his make locker stall.   He hadn't showered yet either.    Eden goes over and climbs into his lap.

"Hey baby." Sid says.

"Hey are you okay?" Sid asks.

"Yes just didn't want to leave cus I know when we do I will be going home with out you." Sid says.

"Aww baby.  It's just a few days.   Then I will be back here." Eden says.

"I know but with him." Sid says.

"Who Chase?" Eden asks.

"Yes Chase." Sid says.

"He's just my best friend.   Yes I love him to pieces  but not like the way I love you." Eden says.

"I'm afraid you are going to leave me for him because you don't want to share me with Kris." Sid says.

"Hey look at me baby.   I would never leave you baby or Kris." Eden says.

"Are you sure?" Sid asks.

"Unless you cheated with another girl then yes I am sure." Eden says.

"Okay." Sid says looking up into her eyes.

Eden sees a bunch of emotions swirling in them.    She leans down and kisses him.    One kiss lead to another until they were fighting for control of the kiss.     Soon they were all but ripping each other's clothes off.    Eden then lowers herself down onto Sid's cock and starts to move riding him.

"God baby that's it ride my cock." Sid moans leaning back against his locker watching her.

"God baby you feel so good inside me stretching me." Eden moans throwing her head back in pleasure.

"Hmm you look so pretty taking my cock up inside your sweet pussy, tits bouncing as you ride me cow girl." Sid groans.

Eden starts to move harder and faster.    Sid leans forward and starts to attack her breasted with his mouth ravaging them both making Eden Yelp out in pleasure.

"Fuck Sid." Eden screams.

"That's it baby let them know who is fucking you, making you feel so good." Sid moans.

He flips her onto her back on the bench and starts to pound into her.    Eden wraps her legs around his waist pulling him in further. 

"Sid oh god." Eden calls out as she digs her nails into his back.

"Cum for me pretty girl. " Sid begs knowing she was close.

"Sid god." Eden calls out as she cums hard.

Orgasm rushing trough her.

"Eden baby." Sid moans as he cums hard feeling her walls milking his release out of him.

They ride it out. 

"Hmm we need to head to the showers baby Kris is there waiting for us." Sid says.

"Hmm okay." Eden says.

Eden and Sid head to the showers.    Kris was in a stall locked in.    Eden and Sid shower together.    Eden finished before Sid and goes to get out.   She heads out to Sid's locker so she could get dressed.    She was drying off when   Kris comes up behind her wrapping his arms around her.    He was still wet from his shower.     Eden turns to face him.

"God all wet baby." Eden purrs at him.

"I am now question is are you wet for me?." Kris asks pulling her in for a kiss.

That was all it took.  Eden pulls off his towel and Kris pulls off her.  He then picks her up and slams her back into Sid's locker.   Eden wraps her legs around him letting him go deeper.

"God Kris." Eden moans.

"Sorry I needed you baby.   Its going to be fast and its going to be rough." Kris groans.

They both move together building each other up.    They call out each other's name as they both orgasm.    They ride it out.

"We need to get dressed and go out cus I have a plane to catch." Eden says.

"I know baby but me and Sid wanted to fill you up with our cum so you remember who you belong too." Kris replies kissing her.

Kris puts her feet on the ground so she could get dressed.    She does.   Sid comes out and both him and Kris get dressed.

"Safe trip baby, text me when you get to Daytona." Sid says kissing her cheek.

"I will baby.   See you guys Monday night." Eden says.

"Okay baby." Kris says kissing her too.

"Please play nice when Chase is here." Eden says.

"Can't make promises baby but we will try." Kris and Sid both say.

They then head out of the arena and up to their cars.    Eden gets in hers.    She had a text from Chase.

"After the game drive to the airstrip there is a surprise waiting for you." Chase texted.

"Okay see you soon." Eden replied.

"Sooner then you think. ;)." Chase  replies back.

Eden shook her head.    She then heads out to the airstrip.     A little bit later she arrives and parks.    There was a plane waiting for her that she didn't recognize.    She gets out of the car grabbing her bag.    She heads towards the plane as the door opens up and the steps come down.     Eden happily climbs them.    Waiting inside was none other then Chase, Ryan and Fletch.

"Hi baby." Eden coos as Fletch jumps all over her.

"Down Fletch." Chase says.

Fletch lays down immediately.

"Aww he just missed me." Eden says squatting down scratching his ears and rubbing his belly.

She then stands up and embraces Chase in the biggest hug.    Chase hugged her right back.

"Oh would you two get a damn room." Ryan says rolling his eyes chuckling.

"Hi to you too Ryan." Eden says.

"We better get going." Chase says.

"Yup got a race to run later today." Ryan says.

"Are you flying?" Eden asks Chase.

"Yup this is my plane." Chase says.

"Aww okay." Eden replies.

Chase heads to the cockpit.    Ryan and Eden take seats and buckle up.    When they were cleared they took off for Daytona.    Ryan and Eden both snooze on the flight.

A little bit later they Eden and Ryan woke as they were landing.

"Thanks for coming to get me with Chase."  Eden says.

"Always.   I am just glad you could come.   He has been so happy." Ryan says.

"I am glad I could come too.   I love watching him race." Eden replies.

"Yeah he has a surprise for you when he gets you back to the coach." Ryan says.

"He always does." Eden says smiling.

Chase finished got them on the ground safely.   He then turns off everything and heads out to get Eden and Ryan so they could get off the plane and head back to the track.   Chase comes out.

"Okay we can go now." Chase says leashing Fletch.

"I will take him." Eden says taking the leash from Chase.

"Okay I will get your bags." Chase replies.

Eden nods her head.   Chase grabs the bags and the three of them and Fletch get off the plane.    They head to Chase's car and get in.    Chase drives them to the track.   He shows his credentials and heads to the motor coach lot.    He pulls up beside his coach and parks.

"Thanks for going with me to get her." Chase says to Ryan.

"Anytime man." Ryan says.

"Goodnight Ryan." Eden says.

"Goodnight guys.   See you later today. " Ryan says.

He hugs them both and then heads off to his coach.    Eden walks Fletch over to the grass and lets him use the bathroom.    They then head back to Chase's coach and head inside.   Chase carries her bag into his room.

"Oh am I sleeping in here?" Eden asks.

"Figured you would want the bed.   I will sleep on the couch." Chase says.

"No that is okay Chase we can share the bed." Eden says.

"You sure?" Chase asks.

"Yes figured we could cuddle and watch Netflix until we fell asleep.   That way Fletch could sleep with us too." Eden says.

"Okay." Chase says.

He left her to get changed.    Eden changed into her pajamas and then called Chase back in.   Chase got ready for bed and they both climbed in.    Eden snuggled up against Chase.   Fletch jumped on the bed laying at their feet.

"I missed you Clyde." Eden says.

"I know princess I missed you too." Chase says kissing her head.

"So I have to tell you something.   I know I can and you won't judge me." Eden says.

"Never would I judge you." Chase says.

"Sid isn't just my boyfriend.   I am also dating Kris too." Eden says.

"Wait what?" Chase asks.

"Yeah apparently Kris and Sid are bisexual and are in a relationship.   So they wanted me to be in a poly relationship with them both." Eden replies.

"Okay, are you happy?" Chase asks.

"Yes." Eden says.

"Then I am happy." Chase says kissing her head.

"This is why I love you so much.   You always support me and have my back." Eden says.

"I love you just as much.   I will always have your back and I will always support you.   Just like I know you will always do the same with me." Chase says.

"Always." Eden says.

Chase and Eden cuddle as they watch netflix.    They end up falling asleep.

*****************************

Later that next morning Eden woke up to something smelling amazing.   She opens her eyes seeing Chase walk in with breakfast.

"Something smells so good." Eden says.

"Breakfast in bed for my princess." Chase says.

"Oh what did you make?" Eden asks.

"French Toast, eggs just like you like them, scrapple and sausage." Chase replies.

"My favorites." Eden says.

"Of course." Chase replies smiling.

He sits down and they both dig in.   Fletch tried to steal some.    Eden and Chase didn't feed him food but they did let him lick their plates when they were done.

"So what time is the race?" Eden asks.

"Four." Chase replies.

"Okay." Eden says.

"Since I am racing the hooters theme, I have an outfit for you." Chase says.

"Want me to be your hooters girl huh?' Eden asks chuckling.

"Of course." Chase replies.

Eden laughed.   She would do anything for him.   They hung out at the coach until it time for them to head down to the track.   Eden put her orange shorts and hooters shirt on.   She then links hands with Chase and they head down to the track.    Eden stood on Pitt lane while Chase did drivers intros.   Finally Chase joined her at his car.   Eden looped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder.    They say a prayer and then the anthem was sung.   Finally it was time for Chase to climb into the car.

"Be safe baby." Eden says.

"I will.   See you after." Chase replies.

"Yes.  Good luck." Eden says.

She kisses him on the cheek.

"Love you Princess." Chase says.

"Love you too Clyde." Eden says.

Chase gets in the car and Eden took her seat on the box.  Ear phones on so she could hear Chase and Allan.

***************************

Meanwhile back in Pittsburgh.   Sid and Kris were at Sid's in the game room.    They were watching the Daytona 500.     During the anthem they zoomed in on Chase and there Eden was looking like a two bit hooker leaning against Chase.

"What the actual fuck." Sid says.

"How the fuck could she do that on National Tv." Kris says.

"She looks like a whore." Sid says.

"Yes and Chase is an asshole." Kris says.

Sid grabbed his phone.

"What the fuck are you doing Eden? Looking like a whore on National TV." Sid texted.

Eden didn't reply which only pissed Sid off more. He would have to teach her a lesson when she got home.

**********************

Eden was enjoying the race. Chase was running good and she was so proud of him.

Chase ended up winning the race and she was so happy and excited. She all but jumped off the box and read to victory lane. A few minutes later Chase pulled in and got out of the car. They celebrated him and then interviewed him. Eden goes over and kisses him.

"Congratulations Clyde I am so happy for you." Eden says.

"Thank you baby." Chase asks returning the kiss.

Eden got an idea. She took the checkered flag. After posing in a few pictures with Chase she left VL. She took the flag back and headed into the coach. She stripped out of her clothes snd wrapped the flag around her body waiting for him to come back.

A little bit later Chase finally came back and entered his coach.

"Eden you here?" Chase calls out.

"Yes in the bedroom." Eden replied.

Chase comes walking through the door a few seconds later.

"What is this?" Chase asks seeing her as she kneeled up on the bed.

"Come get your prize Clyde." Eden says.

Chase walked over to her. Eden locked eyes with him seeing the love and lust in them.

"Are you sure?" Chase asks.

Eden grabbed him by his firesuit belt pulling him closer to her kissing him. Chase kissed back. Eden reaches up and starts to pull down his suit. She then runs her hands up his chest as she lifts his under shirt up and over his head.

"God damn." Eden says voice hitching.

"Eden are you sure about this? Once we cross this we can't go back." Chase says.

"I know Chase trust me. I want this." Eden says.

She then finished taking off his suit followed by his boxers. Eden then looked him up and down wondering why she didn't do this sooner. Chase kisses her as he pulls the flag off her throwing it behind him.

"God Eden you are so beautiful. I love you so much." Chase says as he gently lays her back on the bed.

"You're not bad on the eyes either Clyde." Eden says.

"I don't have any condoms." Chase says.

"Chase I don't care I just need you. And wait why don't you have condoms?" Eden asks.

"Because I am still a virgin Eden. I love you and I was saving myself for you." Chase says.

"Aww Clyde. I love you too." Eden says.

Chase leans down kissing her softly as he pushed into her. Eden moans against his lips. He was a lot bigger then Sid and Kris so it took a few for her to adjust.

"God Eden." Chase moans out as he moves.

"That's it Clyde baby. Doing so good." Eden purrs as she moves with him.

Chase moans as he moved a little harder.

"God Chase that is it." Eden moans moving with him.

She digs her nails into his back as she moves.

"Fuck baby." Chase groans as it made him move harder.

"So close Chase so close." Eden moans.

"Me too baby, I am going to pull out since I don't have a condom." Chase says.

"No baby please cum inside me." Eden begs.

"Are you sure baby? Chase asks.

"God yes please. I want to feel you inside." Eden begs.

"God okay." Chase moans.

He thrusts into her a few more times.

"God Clyde baby." Eden calls out as she cums hard.

Her orgasm running through her.

"Eden baby." Chase moans as he cums hard her walls milking his release from him.

The ride it out together. They make love a few more times before falling to the bed spent. Eden was curled up against Chase's chest. They were still connected from their love making.

"God that was magical." Eden says.

"Really even with my inexperience?" Chase asks.

"God yes baby. You made me orgasm four times. That is pretty good for being a virgin." Eden says kissing his chest.

" I'm glad I lived up to the hype." Chase says kissing her head.

"You did and I love you." Eden says.

"I love you too Eden.   I have always loved you." Chase says.

"I know.   When we went to senior prom together everyone thought we were a couple then.   I should have listened to them and we wouldn't be here right now." Eden says sadly.

"Where do we go from here?" Chase asks.

"I am not sure but I love you.   However after a good nights rest we can figure it out." Eden says.

"Yes so true.    I have some media to do in the morning then I can fly us back to Pittsburgh." Chase says.

"Okay baby get some sleep." Eden says.

"You too princess,   Goodnight I love you." Chase says.

"Goodnight Clyde I love you too." Eden says.

They snuggle together with Fletch at their feel falling into a much needed sleep.

[morgansyorkie]

imagine going to a flyers blog and anonymously bitching and making passive aggressive comments because your precious crybaby of a captain wasn’t a pure angel who can do no wrong, and people rightfully called it out? couldn’t be me. i didn’t go to clown college.

y’all have to realize your fave players can in fact make dirty hits and do things that could potentially injure other players. the league wants to act like crosby is the voice of fucking god but he is human and he is a hockey player. sometimes hockey players make dirty or bad hits. that’s why we have penalties, but of course when it’s the penguins and ✨precious uwu sidney crosby✨ he can do no wrong, and if he does do wrong then it wasn’t as bad as people are making it out to be 😒🙄

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 thank you thank you thank you i love everything about this ask! you are amazing queen

honestly let’s go back to Monday nights game when the refs called 4 i repeat 4 unnecessary penalties against the flyers in the third period in their attempt to try to get the pens back in the game lmao.

[wearepenguins]

On Monday night, Zach Aston-Reese - and his new puppy Carl the Italian greyhound - joined an Instagram Live Q&A session with BarDown associate producer Corwin McCallum. While the topic of the conversation was technically 'Linemates,' a lot more was covered. Here are the highlights…

* Aston-Reese and Carl have been staying with Bryan Rust, his wife Kelsey and their two mini golden retrievers, Cooper and Oliver, at their home. "We've been quarantined up together for the last 2-3 weeks," Aston-Reese said before turning the camera on Carl asleep in his lap. "Then I got this little guy with me. I've been pretty busy and I've had some company."

"We have a game of Settlers of Cattan at 10 a.m. every morning with a cup of coffee," Aston-Reese said.

At one point, Rust came into the basement where Zach was filming and jokingly said, "Can you keep it down down here?"

McCallum asked Rust how isolation with Aston-Reese was going. "Our surrogate son Zach has been a good housemate," Rust replied with a laugh.

When it comes to staying in shape, the two of them have found a fantastic solution that allows them to both get outside and work on their hockey skills.

"We've actually been playing some street hockey," Rust said. "We ordered some stuff online from DICK'S Sporting Goods and we got out in the street and played a whole bunch of street hockey."

Anyone who grew up playing street hockey remembers yelling "CAR!" any time a vehicle approached and moving the nets to the curb so that it could pass. Rust said not much has changed despite the current situation.

"Surprisingly, there's a lot of delivery people coming back and forth for like DoorDash and Postmates and things like that," Rust said.

When he isn't playing Settlers of Cattan or street hockey, Aston-Reese has been taking care of Carl (and posting to the puppy's new Instagram account, @carltheiggy). It's been a lot of work, but fortunately Aston-Reese has the time for it and has been getting help from Bryan and Kelsey.

"I didn't realize how much work it is having a puppy," Aston-Reese said. "That's the one silver lining about all this, not being able to play and having to stay in is that I get to hang out with him. I try to keep my eye on him as much as possible because it seems the second I look away he's peeing or pooping somewhere (laughs)."

* On the actual topic of linemates, Aston-Reese said he likes playing with guys that are more defensive-minded. "Just because that's kind of what I take pride in in my game," he said. "Having a guy that is responsible defensively makes it easy. If you play defense first, it's going to take care of the offense. It's not easy in the D zone, say you're playing left wing and you get mixed up at center. Having a guy that knows what to do in that situation is pretty big.”

Aston-Reese spent most of the year playing alongside a couple of guys who do just that: Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev. Before Aston-Reese got injured on Feb. 16, they had developed into one of the Penguins' most consistent trios.

While Blueger is a pretty calm, low-key guy personality-wise, Tanev is the opposite.

"He's such a high-energy guy," Aston-Reese said. "He gets pretty emotional, so sometimes we'll bicker at each other and then we'll make up in-between periods. It's nice. We get on each other and we know it's probably for the best. One of us is right, one of us is wrong but we never want to admit it."

"Last year I was with (Phil) Kessel and Geno for a bit," Aston-Reese said. "When you play with those guys, you've got to just not overthink the game. You just got to go out and play. If you grip your stick a little too tight, you're going to mess up. You just got to find open ice and they'll give you the puck."

At that point, Aston-Reese wanted to go back to the topic of Rust's good year, saying that he takes responsibility.

"There was a game against the Islanders and we had a shorthanded 2-on-1, and I scored. He went offsides, so it didn't count," Aston-Reese said. "Then after that, he sniped on the power play and I think ever since then, he's been unstoppable. So I take a little bit of responsibility."

* The session ended with some fan questions.

When asked who is the funniest guy in the locker room, Aston-Reese said it just depends on the day. "Geno is pretty funny when he gets talking," he said. "With his mixture of Russian and English, whenever he gets going on the card games on the flights he gets pretty animated. Makes everyone laugh. I'll go with him for that one."

Going off that, Aston-Reese was asked if Crosby is as funny as his laugh. "Yeah, he's pretty funny," Aston-Reese replied. "He likes to hot stove, just kind of hang around and telling stories and talking. He's a big fan of that. Any time you get talking with him, there's going to be laughs. But he does have a pretty funny laugh."

And finally, Aston-Reese was asked if there was anything he could look back on growing up as something that changed his game and brought him to the next level. He said it was being able to dial it in with off-ice workouts when he was 15 years old and went to play Junior B for the New Jersey Rockets.

"The coach there, Bob Thornton, he told my dad: I don't deal with parents," Aston-Reese said. "You drop your kid off at the rink and that's it. Then we would do off-ice workouts for an hour and on-ice for an hour and a half. That was kind of where I learned the importance of it and where I started to get good and get looked at by colleges."

And the rest is history.

[hockeylvr59]

What Ifs, Part 2 || Jeff Skinner

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: And I am back on my Skinner bs after seeing him play live this weekend. Enjoy part two which has been a year in the making. 

Warnings: um some playful sexual innuendo/cursing, alcohol consumption. 

Word Count: 2,546

_____________________

As you’d expected...your chance encounter and beach ‘date’ with Jeff had led to a million questions by your family, questions that for the most part, you didn’t have answers to. What you hadn’t expected to come from it all was regular contact, let alone a budding friendship. Yet, you were reminded of it all on a daily basis as texts from Jeff filtered into your phone. As the summer progressed, he’d send clips of his training or comments about how his sisters were driving him crazy and how he needed backup to handle them. 

By the time school was starting back up, in mid-August, you’d started having at a minimum a weekly conversation with Jeff. And if you were honest there was nothing you loved more than hearing him laugh as he told stories about his preparations for the upcoming season. It was crazy that you’d spent one afternoon with him and yet you found yourself missing his touch, his scent, and his attention in general. 

You’d been talking about your university’s football season and trying to get to as many home games as possible when Jeff suddenly stopped you, his excited tone of voice exclaiming that he had a fantastic idea. 

“I should come visit you and you can take me to a game…” His words were rushed and it took a moment for your brain to process them. 

“You really want to come here?” You found yourself asking, once again blown away at the fact that Jeff considered you a friend, and not just a friend but that kind of friend that you would cross state lines to visit just out of the blue. 

“Of course I do!” He exclaimed. “I won’t really have the chance to make a trip once the season starts so this would be perfect. I can spend time with you and you can teach me about your school’s football team.” 

With Jeff’s mind totally made up, plans were made in short order for Jeff to come down in less than a month. You didn’t have classes on Friday’s so he’d come down late Thursday so that you could go do something on Friday before the football game on Saturday and he’d leave Monday morning, taking in all of the time that he could without distracting you from your own priorities too much. 

In the week leading up to Jeff’s arrival, you worked not only to secure him a student guest ticket but also to get all of your classwork done so that there wasn’t anything to keep you from enjoying his visit. By the time he arrived Thursday evening, you were practically bouncing with the excitement of seeing him again, your body filled with more emotions than you could dissect. When his arms finally wrapped around you tightly in a hug, it was like everything was right in the world again and you clung to him for far longer than was probably necessary. 

Thursday evening was spent simply, curled up on the couch, tucked into Jeff’s side while a movie played on your tv. By the end of it, your head was resting in his lap and his fingers were carding gently through your hair, putting you to sleep. You’d insisted that Jeff didn’t need to pay for a hotel, that you could sleep on the couch and he could have your bed. He was too much of a gentleman for that though and so after bickering for a moment, the compromise was made that you were both adults that could share a bed. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d slept so well.

Friday was spent showing Jeff around your college town, pointing out your favorite hang-outs, the best restaurants, which buildings you’d had classes in and stories about the campus’s history. He’d insisted on trying one of the restaurants and swore he’d pout if you even attempted to fight him about paying for the meal. A pouty Jeff, while adorable, was the last thing you wanted so needless to say you didn’t put up a fight. 

With a 1pm kickoff Saturday morning, you were pulling Jeff out of bed shortly before 8am, giggling as he groaned and protested getting up so early. Still...there was tailgating to be done so you insisted, retreating to the bathroom to get yourself dressed before returning to find Jeff tugging a t-shirt with your school’s logo on. 

“When did you get that?” You inquired, secretly touched that he’d go to the effort to fit in and support the school that you attended and loved. His answer had been a casual ‘after we made plans’ that merely left you nodding as you grabbed your phone and headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. Within a half-hour, you were in the section of the parking lot belonging to your program’s tailgate with some wine coolers and beer bottles tucked into a disposable bag. 

The look on Jeff’s face as he took in the crazy environment was priceless and you handed him a beer before grabbing a drink of your own. Music was pumping from tents all around you, there was every type of food you could think of and alcohol was everywhere. It didn’t take long for you to find some of your regular classmates and you were quick to introduce your friend Jeff to them. Here, especially with people already on their way to drunk, it wasn’t likely that anyone would recognize him and he could just be a simple Canadian boy and not a hotshot hockey superstar. 

Though you hadn’t doubted that Jeff would fit in just fine here, it still amazed you to see just how seamless it really was. You’d each had a few drinks before heading inside the stadium, just enough to be buzzed really, but the way that his cheeks flushed was really too much for your heart to handle as you reminded yourself repeatedly that as attracted to him as you were, you were just friends. 

As you curled up in bed that night, Jeff went on and on about how much fun he’d had and how he’d never met a girl that knew as much about sports as you did and how impressed he was by your passion for the sport. You’d joked in return that you had to make up for your lack of athletic ability somehow and you’d fallen asleep to the sound of Jeff’s giggle in your ears. 

~~~~~~

With a weekend that had flown by too fast in the rearview mirror, you were back to strings of texts and the rare phone call as both of your schedules got busier. If you had thought you’d missed him before, it didn’t come close to how much you missed him now. You knew that you were in way over your head with your feelings for him but you were determined not to screw things up because he’d given you no signal that he felt the same way. If you could only have him as a friend, well that would just have to be good enough. 

Still...you were counting the days until Jeff played in Pittsburgh. 

As the game approached Jeff hinted at you coming to the game but as it was a Tuesday night game you led him to believe that you had an evening class and wouldn’t be able to go. Of course, that wasn’t true but you wanted to surprise him. You also didn’t want him paying for your ticket but that was another matter entirely. 

With your ticket secured and just a few days to go, you messaged Jack Eichel on Instagram (he was the only one on the team who knew who you were) and asked him if he could arrange for you to see Jeff after. You’d explained how he couldn’t tell Jeff because you wanted it to be a surprise and with Jeff’s captain on board you had nothing to do but count the mere hours until you’d see him for the first time in two months. 

Arriving at the arena with your Penguins jersey covering your body, you made your way down to the glass near the bench side corner of the Sabres warm up end. You had no problem getting right by the glass since the sabres were the away team and once again all you had to do was wait. You couldn’t help but wonder if Jeff would spot you on his own, you certainly weren’t opposed to that idea, you just didn’t want to be pointed out to him. 

As the Sabres took the ice, you couldn’t help but notice the grumpy look on Jeff’s face as he skated around a few times before crossing to the circle opposite you to stretch. On the other hand, Jack spotted you immediately as he passed and the smirk on his face at your shared secret showed that he was clearly enjoying waiting for his teammate to notice. 

For the first half of warm-up, Jeff was completely oblivious to your presence and the grumpy look on his face stayed there as he had the equipment manager look at his glove by the bench. With Jack just a few steps to your right you decided you’d finally had enough and tapped on the glass to get Jack’s attention. 

“What’s up with grumpy?” You screamed through the glass, your cheeks flushing as Jack yelled back ‘what do you think....he’s upset a certain someone isn’t coming…’ You hadn’t realized that leading him to think you couldn’t come would affect Jeff so much. Sighing, you shook your head before mouthing ‘go get him…’ 

Though you weren’t happy that anyone in the immediate vicinity of you was now aware of what was going on, as you didn’t want to be the center of attention, you couldn’t bear seeing Jeff look so upset when you knew that it was something you had the power to fix. The moment you had given him permission, Jack went off to track Jeff down, chasing him into the corner where you were standing. Jeff seemed beyond confused but when Jack turned him around to face you, you watched as it all clicked in Jeff’s brain and suddenly a wide smile showing off his dimples took over his face. 

With his mission accomplished Jack skated away but Jeff stayed for a moment more, pressing his gloved hand to the glass in front of you as if he couldn’t believe that you were real. He motioned to your jersey with a critical expression and you couldn’t help but shrug, smirking back at him through the glass. Your eyes stayed fixed on his for a moment longer before you smacked the glass in front of you. 

“Get back to work!” You yelled through the glass causing Jeff to skate away, this time absent a grumpy look. 

As warmups ended and you headed up to your seat it was with a light heart. There was something different seeing Jeff smile and then knowing that it was there because of you. 

By the time the clock struck zero in the third period, you were feeling slightly conflicted emotions. You were disappointed and a little annoyed that the pens had lost but at the same time Jeff had scored and the pride you felt because of that and knowing you were so close to seeing him had you bubbling with excitement. Waiting in your seat as the arena started to clear out you slipped out of the jersey, leaving you in a white long sleeve shirt with a buffalo on the front and the number 53 on the back. Your jersey now tied around your waist, you headed to the elevator to meet the Sabres employee Jack assured you would be waiting there for you. 

From the hallway outside the away locker room, you could hear the hollering and celebratory energy from inside and it only helped to fuel your own anxiousness. You weren’t sure why you were feeling this way but over the past 4 months, you realized that you were closer to Jeff than you’d been to pretty much anyone else in your life and it felt like there was something more to your relationship. Today, seeing the way he reacted to you only made you wonder more if he felt the same way, though you would never bring it up because you were too scared to lose someone you cared about so much. 

You were suddenly pulled out of your jumbled thoughts by the sound of the locker room door opening and when you looked up Jeff was coming through it, dressed to the nines in his suit. 

Unable to help yourself you dashed across the few yards separating you and threw yourself at him, your arms wrapping around his neck as he quickly caught you. 

“You scored!” You exclaimed, words quickly silenced as his lips pressed against your own for just a moment before pulling away. You didn’t have a chance to even think about the fact that he’d kissed you before he started speaking. 

“You’re here….I thought you had class tonight?” The awestruck tone of his voice made your heart skip a beat and your fingers teased at the curls at the base of his neck as you made a guilty face. 

“As if a measly class would keep me away…” You started before quickly continuing. “But really...I don’t have class. I just said that to mislead you because I wanted to surprise you.” Jeff’s jaw dropped in shock and he pulled away just a bit. 

“Wow...fuck you.” He teased, pretending to be far more offended by that than he really was. Without a second’s hesitation, you leaned closer, stretching so that your mouth was just below his ear. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you.” You teased back, and when you pulled away again Jeff’s cheeks were bright red and though he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, no sound came out. 

Thankfully, before you could question whether maybe that statement had been a mistake, Jeff had composed himself and his hands at your waist were pushing you away from him just a step as he gazed down at the clothing covering your body. 

“Wait...is this?” He questioned, turning you a bit to confirm the answer to his own question before a satisfied grin took over his face. “It is.” He declared. 

“What…?” You shrugged. “You may never get me to root against my team...but I will always root for you.” You could feel the grin radiating through Jeff’s body as he held you close for another few minutes, soaking up what little time he had before he had to get back on the bus. 

When the time came that he did, in fact, have to leave, your bodies both sunk a little as he pulled away. “I’m so glad you came.” He whispered, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. Trying not to cry, you simply nodded at him and kissed his cheek before stepping back to watch him walk away. Just before he was out of sight he stopped and called your name. 

“Oh...and to answer your question. I would very much like that.” 

Maybe he did feel the same way after all...