Misery

Growing up, Catherine knew she and Adam were going to end up together. Their parents were best friends, they were best friends, and their little sisters had become best friends, too. After their teenage years of dating other people, in their second year of college at the University of Wisconsin, they stopped kidding themselves and started dating.

The transition from friends to ‘more than friends’ had been a seamless one. They already knew everything about each other, and there had been no denying the chemistry was there.

They finished up their last two years at Wisconsin, Adam having won a national championship with hockey, and he had finally agreed to an entry level contract with the NHL team that drafted him, The Chicago Blackhawks. He packed up his life and shipped himself off to the AHL, to play for the Norfolk Admirals, Catherine going with him.

While her parents and her friends loved Adam, they told Cat, as she was called, that she crazy. She couldn’t just drop her life to follow her boyfriend around the country. She didn’t care, or bother to listen; she loved him and he loved her. That was all that mattered to her.

Even now, four years later – both of them twenty six years old – Adam was in his second full season with the Blackhawks, taking on the role of team agitator. Catherine was still with him, but somewhere their ‘perfect’ relationship had dwindled and Catherine found herself living to hear Adam say he loved her. It didn’t happen often anymore, so when he said those words, she cherished them. She wasn’t sure when she had fallen so in love that she couldn’t imagine her life without him, while he seemed to be fading away from her.

She heard the whispers of her friends, her family just as much as she saw the looks of pity they sent her. She also saw the signs that pointed to Adam two-timing her, but she found herself hoping that if she ignored them, they didn’t exist. She refused to even think about Adam with another girl; the thought killed her, but she couldn’t help but think about his cheating when he came home smelling of another girl’s perfume, his clothes smeared with lipstick and sometimes even a spare pair of panties that weren’t hers.

Deep down, Catherine knew she was one of those stupid, head-over-heels in love girls that puts up with bullshit that she didn’t deserve. She had put one hundred percent of herself into Adam and their relationship, and what had she gotten in return?

But, she loved him, and he said he loved her, and she had no choice but to believe him. If her hope ran out that they could keep their relationship going, she’d have nothing. All that mattered was that she had Adam and no matter how late he came home from a night of partying, he still came home to her. The other girls Adam saw? Well, Cat knew he didn’t have two thoughts about them.

And it still pained her, though, having no on in Adam’s life (outside of his family she had grown up around) knowing she existed. His best friends, his teammates… They thought Adam was single and the biggest ‘pimp’ on the team, at least according to the now infamous Ladies’ Man video made popular on the Blackhawks’ website.

That fucking video had broken Catherine’s heart. As much as she tried to ignore the signs, that one might have been a lighted billboard outside of her and Adam’s downtown Chicago condo. That was there for the world to see, her family to see, his family to see…

While the rest of the world laughed, “Oh, Burish. He’s hilarious,” Cat lie awake long after Adam fell asleep, silently crying to herself. It hurt, and it hurt bad.

Cat was pulled out of her reverie by the sound of their condo door opening and closing. She stood from their bed and walked to greet Adam.

“Hey, Cat,” He called, knowing she’d be there.

She was always there, she had to laugh. She would continue to always be there, no matter how many people told her to leave him. Cat believed he would give up his womanizing ways, and when he was ready to settle down, she’d be there, and he knew that.

“Hey, Adam,” She smiled, coming from their bedroom. “Lunch is on the table for you.”

He grinned, throwing his equipment bag on the ground, giving her a kiss. As he went to pull away, she held on, deepening the kiss. Adam was surprised, but relaxed into it, pulling her closer when he realized they hadn’t really kissed in… he didn’t know how long.

When he pulled away, he grinned again, “What was that for?”

She shrugged, “I just missed you, I guess.”

“I was only at morning skate…”

“I know, but… I don’t know.”

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and she continued, sighing.

“You know I love you, like, so much, right?”

Adam let out a light laugh as he sat down at their kitchen table, starting to eat the sandwich and pasta salad she had made him.

“Of course I do. I love you, too.”

Cat smiled, satisfied as she picked up the laundry, gave Adam a kiss on the cheek, and walked into their washing room, just off the kitchen.

“How was practice?” She called, throwing a load of darks in the washing machine.

“It was good. Kaner wiped out once. It was hilarious.”

Cat shook her head at his laughter, but couldn’t help but smile herself, “Is he okay?”

“Mhm,” Adam mumbled, his mouth full of food. “Tazer tripped over him. Man… It was awesome.”

Cat laughed at the image, “How’s the team feeling about the game tonight?”

He nodded, “Pretty good. The Blues always rev us up. Should be intense.”

Cat pursed her lips. She couldn’t stand when Adam fought, and he fought a lot.

“Do you want to come?” He asked her.

This surprised her. Rarely did he invite her to one of his games, but when he did, she always agreed. Secretly, she hoped that that night’s game would be the one she was finally introduced to his teammates.

“Of course,” She responded, grinning, sitting down with him, just as he finished and stood, putting his dishes in the dish washer.

It was his turn to lean down and kiss her on her cheek.

“Great,” He told her. “I’m going to nap now…”

“Three o’clock,” She said, knowing when he would want to be woken up.

“You’re the best,” He said.

And Catherine couldn’t help finding herself wondering if he had really meant it, or more importantly if he even knew just how good she was to him.