Viktoria's Secret

The buzz around the city was something that couldn’t be ignored, just as it was exactly a year ago. Everyone loved the fact that our city had the chance to play host to two NHL teams, both of which had natives playing for them. This was a chance of a lifetime, and the city was alive with talk of the events. But me, well I was happy for a whole different reason.

Teams from two American cities that I had only heard vaguely of before were guests to our city. The St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings were to faceoff tonight for the first of two games in our very own Globe Arena.

I flipped my bright blonde hair over my shoulder as I stood on the tippy toes of my Uggs so my sparkling green eyes could search over heads for the front entrance. Pursing my lips, I fell back onto the soles of my feet and pulled my coat closer to my body, knowing I could do nothing but wait for the rest of the people in front of me to start moving.

I was fairly used to having so many people around, seeing as I was from a city just west of here, but it was undeniable that Stockholm was much bigger than my hometown of Västerås. There were more people to crowd the streets and more people to get into my way, especially on a Friday like this.

It wasn’t an unknown fact that I was an impatient person. I didn’t like to wait for anything, when I wanted to do something, I wanted to do it when I was ready. And damn, I was ready to get into the fucking arena already. But I learned growing up in a city that you always had to wait for other people to be ready.

All of my life, my mother had told me that I was outspoken, loud, and confident. I was just that kind of girl. My father would tell me that I needed to find a guy who was the opposite; shy, hesitant, and unspoken, or else my partner and I would clash. Just like my mother and father.

There was a time that I had that shy boy. He was my everything. But one little mistake tore me away from him.

An elbow giving me a swift shove pulled me from my unprepared trip down memory lane. I glared at the man behind me before taking the whole five steps that had opened up while I was in my daze. Wincing, I rubbed my side, where a sharp pain was shooting through the area.

I sighed, realizing that by the time I got up to the ticket stand, they were going to be sold out.

As I tried to desperately (and in vain) to form a plan, I heard a distantly familiar voice that I couldn’t quite place calling my name frantically.

“Oh, Viktoria!” I turned in the general direction with a fake smile already fixed on my lips. But when I saw the woman, my lips stretched even farther into an actual genuine smile.

“Fru. Berglund!” I greeted her excitedly, letting her take me into a tight hug. She smelt just as she did just about two years ago. The expensive perfume filled my nose, giving me yet another blast from the past. I didn’t know why I didn’t make the connection that they would be here today. Of course they would be here.

“Hr,” I acknowledged as he pulled me into a hug. I smiled up at the man who played my father all during high school. He started going off about how much I’ve changed, but I was being pulled into another set of waiting arms.

“Malena!” I exclaimed as she tightened her thin arms around me. I grinned wildly at the younger girl who stood in front of me. “You’ve grown up so much!” I told her, examining her now seventeen year old frame. She did a little spin with a smirk. It’s amazing how a girl can grow in only two years.

“What about you?” She started, looking me up and down. I smiled politely. “You’ve changed so much in two years. You’re absolutely stunning, Tori!” She complimented, looking at me from her perfectly thick eyelashes. I blushed a bit, but didn’t have time to thank her.

“Viktoria, have you gotten your ticket for the game yet?” Mr. Berglund asked me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder fatherly. I shook my head.

“No, this line is ridiculous! The people in front of me seem to not want to move at all.” I said loudly, succeeding in getting the attention of the couple in front of me, who turned around and glared. I gave them a sweet smile, baring all of my teeth. Mr. Berglund laughed softly.

“Well then, you’ll just have to come sit with us!” He suggested, but I could tell by past experience and the tone of his voice that he didn’t plan on taking no for an answer.

Looking around at the three, I stated timidly, “Well, I wouldn’t want to put anyone out of their seat.” Mrs. Berglund shook her head, taking my hand in hers.

“Oh, no, sweetheart. Malena’s new boyfriend was supposed to come with us.” I raised my eyebrows towards Malena with a smirk.

“But he bailed last minute, so we have an extra ticket,” she finished for her mother. With a defeated sigh, I nodded.

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When the game had ended, I never expected Berglund’s to force me into agreeing to go to a late dinner with them in some expensive restaurant in Stockholm. But I also didn’t expect, though I should have, their beloved son to join us.

So this brings us to the outside of the restaurant. Me, standing nervously while Malena talked my ear off, waiting for boy wonder, and my past, to show up with a few teammates of his.

It shouldn’t have surprised me that boy wonder had gotten his family some of the best seats in the house. Of course he did. He was a big family guy. He couldn’t have his parents and baby sister sitting in unsatisfactory seats, though, I knew they would have been happy just to see him play.

Watching various cars pull in and out of the restaurant parking lot (none of them holding boy wonder,) I looked over to the girl who was oddly now the same height as me, if not a bit taller.

“He has to hate me,” I announced silently, so his parents wouldn’t hear. She shook her head, taking her eyes away from some guy she was watching to look at me with her stunning green eyes.

“Oddly enough, he doesn’t. He actually called you when he first arrived in Sweden a few months ago, but the number was disconnected.” With a sigh, I nodded.

“I changed my number a few months after I left,” I confirmed, “but I guess he wouldn’t know that already.” I added bitterly.

“Listen, it’ll be fine. You know he doesn’t have the heart to ever be a dick to you, and if he does, just flirt with one of his hot teammates.” I laughed at his sister’s words, knowing that was probably exactly what she did when he treated her like a little sister.

The subject was dropped as a group of three males made their way to our little huddle (obviously trying to generate heat in the cold October night.)

Boy wonder greeted his parents like a good boy should have as I hid behind his sister, earning some odd looks from what I’m assuming to be his teammates.

“Oh, Patrik, we brought you a present!” Malena announced evilly, catching her brother’s attention before she pushed me in front of him. I glared at her over my shoulder. I guess little sisters never change.

“Viktoria?” Patrik asked. No idiot, like it’s not obvious that I’m not your ex girlfriend, and I’ve never met you in my life.

“Hey,” I started awkwardly, slipping my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and rocking on the balls of my feet. As the initial shock wore off, the corner of his lips pulled up into a smile while he wrapped me in a tight hug. I pulled my hands out of my pockets with a bit of struggle, and encircled my arms around his waist to pat his back a few times. Oh, well, this isn’t awkward or anything.

He finally pulled away, thankfully for me, I began to breathe again, and held me at arms length. The childish spark lit up in his eyes as he looked at me with those ocean blue orbs. My heart skipped a beat, though I fought it a second later and reminded myself to keep breathing.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here!” He exclaimed, still not taking his hands from my shoulders. I gave him a sarcastic, but believable smile.

“Yeah, me neither,” I replied, letting my eyes wonder over to his friends, who were chatting it up casually with Patrik’s family. Inwardly, I groaned. Lovely. Everyone knows everyone but Viktoria. Because you know, I just love it when that happens.

“Oh, Tor, meet the guys,” Patrik announced to get his friends attention, which worked like magic. “Boys, this is Viktoria,” Boy wonder introduced. The boy who had immediately stepped up to his side gave Patrik an odd look before examining me. I took the time to take in his appearance also. He was significantly shorter than Patrik, but he was much taller than me, so I probably have no room to even associate him with the word ‘short.’ He had a baby face with pretty, dark green eyes and frosted blonde hair that laid like a wet mop over his ears, and peaked out under his backwards hat.

“Tori, this is TJ Oshie,” I took note of the shorter boys name, “and Dave Perron,” he mentioned towards a boy who did that dumb guy nod thing. He had dark hair and dark eyes. Cute, but kind of shady.

We were rushed into the restaurant by boy wonders parents, who were obviously hungry. I laughed as I was escorted to a seat across from Patrik, ironically, and watched as Malena not so subtly flirted with TJ who looked slightly uncomfortable. Patrik noticed this too, and rolled his eyes before throwing his freshly baked bun at her. She glared, and was about to retaliate before Mrs. Berglund scolded them both. Something about how it isn’t acceptable to act like children in public.

Suddenly, I remembered how much I missed spending time with this family. Smirking, I grabbed a packet of butter from the basket in the middle of the table and threw it. Patrik laughed loudly as I hit my target: the side of Malena’s cheek. I smiled widely at Patrik as he raised his hand for a fist bump. I connected my knuckles with his just as Malena started to whine.

“Please explain to me why we decided to reunite these three?” Mr. Berglund groaned jokingly (or maybe not so,) with a shake of his head. Patrik threw me a wink as we all, minus boy wonder’s teammates of course, remembered the days of Patrik and I teaming up against Malena constantly.

The next twenty minutes or so dragged on slowly. The guys were asked about the game tonight. I decided it would be best for me to not give them my input, considering I was too busy watching Patrik skate around gracefully. Hell, I couldn’t even tell you the score of the game or who won.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I was drilled with questions, but I still groaned inside when it happened.

“So, Viktoria, what have you been up to these days?” Mrs. Berglund asked casually, obviously in English so that Patrik’s teammates could actually understand and (hopefully) follow the conversation. I shrugged, twirling my spaghetti around on my fork shyly. Since when has Viktoria Hedner timid?

“Well, I’ve been attending a small college here in Stockholm for the past two years,” I answered. After telling them my major, and all that happy stuff, Mrs. Berglund cleared her throat.

“You know, Viktoria, your mother and I go out for lunch every Saturday,” she started nonchalantly, giving me a look that told me that she knew. I closed my eyes tightly for a second. Of course my mother told her.

I didn’t plan on telling the Berglund’s about my current financial problems, or about how I was borderline being kicked out of my apartment. With a sigh, I nodded, silently asking her to continue.

“You seem very stressed, sweetheart, and I think it would be a good idea if you stayed in St. Louis with Patrik for a while.” The breath caught in my throat as Patrik and I both looked at each other with wide eyes. He was in mid chew, froze in his motion.

“Uh, I, um,” I stuttered out, not having any idea how I should reply to that. She really wanted Patrik and I to live together? How does that not strike her as a bad idea? “I have school,” I argued weakly as a last resort. She gave me stern eyes, making me sigh and shrink in my seat. Of course she would know that I dropped out last month.

“Patrik has enough room, he just moved into a new house,” she informed me, “and you wouldn’t mind would you, dear?” She asked him. He seemed to finally snap out of whatever daze he was in. Patrik’s eyes connected with mine for only a second before he turned his head to his left to look at his mother.

“O-oh, of course not, I’d be glad to have her,” he convinced himself with a short nod. I sighed. That was it. He agreed, it was a done deal.

“Fine.” I caved, knowing that there was no use arguing with Mrs. Berglund, but also knowing this was probably going to be the worst decision I ever made. It could end in so many horrible ways, I realized, as the worst case scenarios played out in my mind.

“Oh, this is going to be good,” Malena mumbled, her eyes on her food.

As I sat there, toning out the conversations that were going out on me, I was willing myself to see the light. After all we’ve been through, was this really a good idea? I shook my head, staring down into my plate. This was going to be okay, I convinced myself. Because Patrik is over me, and I’m over him. Right?