Always Something There to Remind Me
Chapter Two
I first met Sidney four and a half years ago. After my senior year in high school had ended, I moved to Cole Harbour in order to take care of my sick aunt. She was terminally ill and didn’t want to die alone, but my mother was “too busy” to go stay with her sister (really she was just getting it on with the pool boy). My aunt happened to live about five houses down from the Crosbys.
As I was unloading boxes from my car, I thought I could feel eyes on me. Turning around, I see Sidney standing there on the sidewalk, trying to catch his breath having just returned from a jog.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met yet,” he smiled at me. “I’m –“
“Sidney Crosby,” I interrupted him. “The next best thing since sliced bread.”
He blushed. “Well, since you know my name, can I get yours?”
“Nicole Velasquez. Nice to meet you,” I huffed, trying to shift the boxes in my arms so that I could shake his hand.
“Here, let me help you.” He grabbed a box off the top of the stack, motioning for me to proceed into the house.
“So…..” he began, trying to make conversation. “Fan of mine?” He joked.
“Nope, sorry. I don’t really follow hockey. I just knew what you looked like from all the signs, billboards, cut-outs, and gossip around town. And you haven’t even made it to the big league yet!” I teased him.
“Well, how about after I help you get all this stuff unpacked we go get some lunch then. I can only imagine what the gossipers are saying about me, and I really don’t want you to believe any of it, even if some of it may be true. Besides, then I can get to know you better too, welcome you to the neighborhood.” He asked sheepishly, a blush rising up his cheeks.
“Okay, sure. Where to?”
“Is that a serious question?” he feigned shock. “Tim Hortons!”
And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We were both only 17 and neither of us had time to devote to a relationship. I was busy caring for my aunt, while Sidney was about to go off on his white steed and save the NHL. We hung out almost everyday though. He would come over to my aunts and keep me company when she was sleeping, help me entertain her when she was awake. He would sit there for hours and tell her everything he knew about the Montreal Canadians.
On July 30, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Sidney first overall in the draft.
When he came back, things had changed. I didn’t know what had happened to him in that short time he was gone, but he seemed different. Not that I was complaining, because it was a good kind of change. He seemed…more caring, almost like I somehow had him wrapped around my finger, even though I had expected him to completely forget about me when he came back, especially because of his newfound popularity.
Instead, he spent even more time with me, if that was possible. He somehow knew when my birthday was, even though I had never told him. You could imagine my surprise when he showed up at my door, balloons and a card in hand, along with one of our neighbors to sit with my aunt for a couple of hours so he could take me out. After we had dinner, we walked down to the park and sat there looking at the stars.
“I have something for you” he said.
“What do you mean? You already bought me dinner…”
“Yeah, but that was only part of it,” he cut me off. “Here, open it,” he continued, handing me a long, velvet-covered box.
I opened it to reveal a simple gold chain, with a small number 87 attached to a hockey stick charm on it.
“Sidney, you didn’t…”
“No, Nic,” he cut me off again, blushing a bit. “Please, I wanted to. You’re my best friend, and I wanted to get you something nice for your birthday.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and kissed his cheek. “By the way, nice job picking out the charm. It is so you, no pun intended.”
“I figured you would like that,” he laughed. “But, I have the same one,” he said, showing me his necklace. “So, think of it as one of those ‘best friend’ charms….in fact, if you look on the back of the hockey stick, yours has ‘best’ engraved, and mine has ‘friend’,” he started blushing again.
“Thank you, I love it. It’s really thoughtful, especially for a guy.”
As we walked back to my house, we were so close that our shoulders kept bumping. That’s when the butterflies in my stomach started. Without realizing it, I had fallen for Sidney that summer. Too bad he didn’t feel the same way, or so I thought.
My aunt died four days before his birthday. To say I was a mess would be an understatement. I was never close to her growing up, since my mother and her hadn’t really gotten along, but the couple of months I spent with her made her feel like more of a mother to me than my mom did. Instead of going out and celebrating his 18th birthday with his friends, he spent the day literally supporting me at my aunt’s funeral and consoling me afterwards.
At the end of August he left for Pittsburgh. The day before, he had a big going away/birthday party, and I’m pretty sure he invited just about the whole town. After everyone had left, I stayed behind to help him clean up.
“Sidney, I have something for you, wait here,” I said, running out to my car to grab his gift.
“Nic, you didn’t…”
“I know, but I wanted to. Best friends, remember? Please, just open it.”
Unwrapping the box, he pulled out a photo album I had put together of our summer, and various pictures of Nova Scotia.
“I wanted to give you something that would remind you of home.”
“Wow, Nic. This is nice. Thank you,” he said, hugging me, lingering for a minute.
“Umm, Sidney?”
“Nicole, there’s something I have to tell you…” he began, looking into my eyes, but not letting me go. “I think I may be in love with you.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I’m pretty sure my heart stopped. Sidney Crosby is in love with me?
“Really? Because I think I’m in love with you too.” I blushed.
He smiled a bit, and then leaned in to give me what could only be described as the most earth-shattering kiss I have ever experienced. One thing eventually led to another, and the next thing I know we’re in his bed, a trail of clothing left in our wake.
When I woke up the next morning, he was already gone.
Nic – hey beautiful. Sorry I’m not there when you wake up. You just looked so peaceful sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up so early. I’ll try to call when I get to Pittsburgh. Maybe we could set up a trip for you to come a visit me? Here’s my number, call me! I LOVE YOU. - Sid
Sid had called when he got to the Lemieux house. We hadn’t talked since then though. He was obviously busy with hockey, and I was busy with college. There were a couple of times when I would pick up the phone and start to dial his number, but I would always hang up before I hit ‘Send’. Who was I kidding, there was no way we could do a long-distance relationship. I figured a clean break would hurt a lot less. Boy was I wrong.
Five weeks after he left, two little pink lines changed my life forever.
As I was unloading boxes from my car, I thought I could feel eyes on me. Turning around, I see Sidney standing there on the sidewalk, trying to catch his breath having just returned from a jog.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met yet,” he smiled at me. “I’m –“
“Sidney Crosby,” I interrupted him. “The next best thing since sliced bread.”
He blushed. “Well, since you know my name, can I get yours?”
“Nicole Velasquez. Nice to meet you,” I huffed, trying to shift the boxes in my arms so that I could shake his hand.
“Here, let me help you.” He grabbed a box off the top of the stack, motioning for me to proceed into the house.
“So…..” he began, trying to make conversation. “Fan of mine?” He joked.
“Nope, sorry. I don’t really follow hockey. I just knew what you looked like from all the signs, billboards, cut-outs, and gossip around town. And you haven’t even made it to the big league yet!” I teased him.
“Well, how about after I help you get all this stuff unpacked we go get some lunch then. I can only imagine what the gossipers are saying about me, and I really don’t want you to believe any of it, even if some of it may be true. Besides, then I can get to know you better too, welcome you to the neighborhood.” He asked sheepishly, a blush rising up his cheeks.
“Okay, sure. Where to?”
“Is that a serious question?” he feigned shock. “Tim Hortons!”
And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We were both only 17 and neither of us had time to devote to a relationship. I was busy caring for my aunt, while Sidney was about to go off on his white steed and save the NHL. We hung out almost everyday though. He would come over to my aunts and keep me company when she was sleeping, help me entertain her when she was awake. He would sit there for hours and tell her everything he knew about the Montreal Canadians.
On July 30, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Sidney first overall in the draft.
When he came back, things had changed. I didn’t know what had happened to him in that short time he was gone, but he seemed different. Not that I was complaining, because it was a good kind of change. He seemed…more caring, almost like I somehow had him wrapped around my finger, even though I had expected him to completely forget about me when he came back, especially because of his newfound popularity.
Instead, he spent even more time with me, if that was possible. He somehow knew when my birthday was, even though I had never told him. You could imagine my surprise when he showed up at my door, balloons and a card in hand, along with one of our neighbors to sit with my aunt for a couple of hours so he could take me out. After we had dinner, we walked down to the park and sat there looking at the stars.
“I have something for you” he said.
“What do you mean? You already bought me dinner…”
“Yeah, but that was only part of it,” he cut me off. “Here, open it,” he continued, handing me a long, velvet-covered box.
I opened it to reveal a simple gold chain, with a small number 87 attached to a hockey stick charm on it.
“Sidney, you didn’t…”
“No, Nic,” he cut me off again, blushing a bit. “Please, I wanted to. You’re my best friend, and I wanted to get you something nice for your birthday.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and kissed his cheek. “By the way, nice job picking out the charm. It is so you, no pun intended.”
“I figured you would like that,” he laughed. “But, I have the same one,” he said, showing me his necklace. “So, think of it as one of those ‘best friend’ charms….in fact, if you look on the back of the hockey stick, yours has ‘best’ engraved, and mine has ‘friend’,” he started blushing again.
“Thank you, I love it. It’s really thoughtful, especially for a guy.”
As we walked back to my house, we were so close that our shoulders kept bumping. That’s when the butterflies in my stomach started. Without realizing it, I had fallen for Sidney that summer. Too bad he didn’t feel the same way, or so I thought.
My aunt died four days before his birthday. To say I was a mess would be an understatement. I was never close to her growing up, since my mother and her hadn’t really gotten along, but the couple of months I spent with her made her feel like more of a mother to me than my mom did. Instead of going out and celebrating his 18th birthday with his friends, he spent the day literally supporting me at my aunt’s funeral and consoling me afterwards.
At the end of August he left for Pittsburgh. The day before, he had a big going away/birthday party, and I’m pretty sure he invited just about the whole town. After everyone had left, I stayed behind to help him clean up.
“Sidney, I have something for you, wait here,” I said, running out to my car to grab his gift.
“Nic, you didn’t…”
“I know, but I wanted to. Best friends, remember? Please, just open it.”
Unwrapping the box, he pulled out a photo album I had put together of our summer, and various pictures of Nova Scotia.
“I wanted to give you something that would remind you of home.”
“Wow, Nic. This is nice. Thank you,” he said, hugging me, lingering for a minute.
“Umm, Sidney?”
“Nicole, there’s something I have to tell you…” he began, looking into my eyes, but not letting me go. “I think I may be in love with you.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I’m pretty sure my heart stopped. Sidney Crosby is in love with me?
“Really? Because I think I’m in love with you too.” I blushed.
He smiled a bit, and then leaned in to give me what could only be described as the most earth-shattering kiss I have ever experienced. One thing eventually led to another, and the next thing I know we’re in his bed, a trail of clothing left in our wake.
When I woke up the next morning, he was already gone.
Nic – hey beautiful. Sorry I’m not there when you wake up. You just looked so peaceful sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up so early. I’ll try to call when I get to Pittsburgh. Maybe we could set up a trip for you to come a visit me? Here’s my number, call me! I LOVE YOU. - Sid
Sid had called when he got to the Lemieux house. We hadn’t talked since then though. He was obviously busy with hockey, and I was busy with college. There were a couple of times when I would pick up the phone and start to dial his number, but I would always hang up before I hit ‘Send’. Who was I kidding, there was no way we could do a long-distance relationship. I figured a clean break would hurt a lot less. Boy was I wrong.
Five weeks after he left, two little pink lines changed my life forever.