There Are Still Rules To Break

Even though she’d missed Boston like crazy while she was in Quebec City with Patrice, Amanda realized she was going to miss the charming Canadian city almost as much. The month she had been there would forever hold a special place in her heart. It was the place she had met Patrice’s family and had been welcomed as a part of it. It was the place she had grown closer with her boyfriend, and it was the place they had taken their relationship further, sharing the words Amanda feared she’d never be able to with someone outside of her family.

But she did love Patrice; she was as in love with him as someone could be. She still couldn’t believe she was dating a man who had been her favorite member of her beloved Bruins for the past few years. Who knew her silly crush on a man she had never met could turn into the greatest love she’d ever known? She sure didn’t, but one thing was sure; she was glad it had.

“Something wrong?” Patrice asked as the couple made their way into his large condo for the first time in over a month, him even longer, noticing the faraway and in-thought look his young girlfriend had on her face. Amanda shook her head and smiled at him, dropping the bags she was holding so she could wrap her arms around Patrice’s torso. He dropped the bags in his hands as well, wrapping his own arms around the petite girl and hugging her close. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” she laughed, her face pressed against his chest. “I’m just really, really happy.”

“To be back in Boston?”

“Well, yeah,” she admitted. “But, it’s more than just that.” Patrice stared down at her, an amused and happy expression on his face, obviously wanting to know more. Amanda sighed and pushed him away from her, with a laugh and a wink. “Too bad; I don’t feel like being sappy.”

Patrice shook his head and wrapped his arms around her again, this time tighter. “What if I want you to be sappy?” She shook her head and kept her mouth shut, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, but it was no use. She pouted and let her body hang limply in his arms so he was completely holding her up. “You know I love being romantic, my dear,” he said, twirling them around his living room.

Amanda couldn’t stop the fit of giggles that emitted from her. Patrice laughed, too, once again finding his girlfriend’s laughs to be contagious. Before either had realized, they were in full-on hysterics, holding onto the back of the couch for support as they laughed with each other. Amanda caught Patrice’s eye as her giggles calmed down. Still lightly chuckling, she pressed her lips against the light stubble on his cheek.

“I love you,” she told him, loving how easily the words came from her mouth. And when he responded instantly with an, “And I love you,” she loved how easily the words came from his mouth, too.

- - -

Even on his birthday, Patrice had headed into the gym to do some training for the upcoming season. He and Amanda had been back in Boston for almost two weeks, she’d picked up her usual job at the online magazine, and he’d been busy preparing for the new season. He was glad he’d gotten Amanda on a somewhat normal sleep schedule; she was so used to be nocturnal. Before Patrice had fallen into her life, she would stay up and write all night and sleep all day.

But today, Amanda hadn’t done anything to do with work. Instead, she had cleaned Patrice’s place, done some last minute birthday shopping, and had made him dinner. Chicken and pasta; it was his favorite. She figured he’d get sick of it, judging by how much he ate it during the season, but she couldn’t deny it was classic and something you couldn’t go wrong with.

She expected him home any minute, so she double checked all the food she had made was okay and not burning and made her way into the bedroom to freshen up, but before she could, the door opened and Patrice called out to her.

“Ah, shit,” she mumbled as she made her way back into the living room where she saw him raising an eyebrow at her curse.

“Uh, hi to you, too?” Amanda laughed, pulling her hair out of the bun she had tied it in before quickly connecting their lips. “Am I interrupting something, or are you just not happy to see me?”

“Well, my other boyfriend had to sneak out the fire escape. I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“I don’t find that funny at all.” Amanda burst out laughing, quietly apologizing as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, before smiling up at him and wishing him a happy birthday. He grinned, too. “I’m twenty four,” he said, almost as if he was just realizing it.

“It’s your golden birthday, too. Twenty four on the twenty fourth.”

“It’s all downhill from here, then, isn’t it?” Amanda laughed, hitting Patrice’s arm lightly. He leaned down to kiss her quickly before pulling her into the kitchen. “You cooked?”

“I did,” she told him. “I was supposed to be all dolled up when you got home, but I ran out of time.”

“All dolled up?” He asked, opening the oven before Amanda could stop him.

“Yeah, I had this cute summer dress I wanted to put on. I wanted to do my hair and put some make-up on, instead of looking like a bum.”

“I prefer when you go naked. And before you ask, I mean make-up and clothes-wise,” he told her, putting his arms around her waist and putting his hands on her butt. Amanda raised her eyebrows, and not missing a beat, she told him, “Fine, for your twenty fifth, you’ll come home to find me naked.”

“But that’s a year away,” he pointed out. Amanda just laughed and shrugged, motioning for Patrice to sit down as she put a plate for him on the table. He gave her one last final pout before taking a bite of his food as Amanda sat down at the table across from him and dug in, too.

After they were done eating, Amanda handed Patrice his present. He shook his head as he took it, “You didn’t need to get me anything, Amanda.” She shrugged, telling him it wasn’t anything big. He sighed and opened the box, finding three new dress shirts and ties to go with them for the upcoming season. He grinned, “Thanks. I actually really needed some new ones and was not looking forward to going shopping.”

“I figured. I was raiding your closet when I couldn’t figure out what to get you.”

He smiled sheepishly, thanking her again. Amanda stood and laughed, taking his plate and placing it in the sink, but Patrice stopped her before she could start the dishes. “They can wait,” he said. “I know something else you can give me for my birthday.”

Amanda laughed and set the plate down, letting Patrice lead her into the bedroom.

- - -

The rest of the summer passed by too quickly for both Amanda and Patrice’s liking. As excited as both of them were for a new hockey season, they knew with the new season came prolonged time apart. For the first time as a couple, their relationship was going to be truly tested. Amanda knew it was her job as a hockey player’s girlfriend to not ever complain about his schedule; she couldn’t. She knew it was his job and the thing he loved most in life. During the season, hockey was first and she came second. She was ready and she was prepared for that.

But what she couldn’t be prepared for were the amount of girls that sat all around her at the first open practice of the Bruins’ preseason. Sure, they had been there last season, too, but Amanda had been able to ignore them. Now, they were talking about her boyfriend and her man. She had never been the type to get so jealous, but when the ignorant (to the sport of hockey) girls were talking about the man she was in love with, there was no way she could sit there and listen to that.

Grabbing her bag, she stood up and decided to remove herself from the situation, not wanting to cause a scene at the Bruins’ practice. She knew how embarrassed Patrice would be, and she definitely did not want that. Taking a seat in the lobby, she pulled out her phone and texted Olivia, telling her what had happened.

The text she received back made her feel both better and worse about the situation: “What did you expect when you started dating a semi-famous sexpot like Patrice?”. She didn’t know how Olivia did it, honestly. Amanda pulled a novel she was currently reading in her little spare time out of her purse and turned to the page she had left off at. She quickly fell into it, finishing almost two chapters before her phone buzzed in her pocket.

“Practice is over; where’d you go?”

Amanda smiled and put her book away, noticing people starting to file out the front doors, most of them heading towards the back where the players would be exiting. She hugged her purse close to her as she walked toward the hallway where the locker room was, security recognizing her and letting her pass. She saw the girls, the same girls who had been talking rather crudely about Patrice, staring after her.

Grinning to herself, Amanda entered the locker room to see Patrice already showered and nearly completely dressed. “Hey,” she said, smiling at him.

“Hey,” he said back, trying to read her. It wasn’t like her to skip out on a practice.

“I had a headache,” she lied. “I went to get some fresh air.” Patrice nodded, grabbing her hand as he picked up his bag, asking her if she was ready to head home. Amanda nodded eagerly and let him lead her out to the car. As soon as they hit the parking lot, fans started screaming his name, excited to see one of their favorite players. Amanda smiled at him and let go of his hand, pushing him forward toward the group of people who stood behind the barricade, waiving things for him to sign.

She stood behind him, waiting patiently as he signed for the group. She always hated when players didn’t stop to sign when she had just been a fan. Sure, she understood they couldn’t stop all the time, but she always held a disliking for the players that never did, especially if the players’ wife or girlfriend was the one to not let them. Those were the worst. Amanda understood that during the season, Patrice partly belonged to the fans, and she’d do her best to make sure he signed and met as many of them as she could; the non-skanks, anyway.

It was only a few minutes before Patrice was walking toward her, immediately grabbing her hand as they finished the walk to the car. Once they were both in and Patrice had pulled the car out of the parking spot, he glanced at Amanda and asked, “You want to tell me why you really left practice?”

She sighed and cursed him for being able to read her so well. “I was getting annoyed with the puck sluts.”

Laughter was not the reaction she was expecting. Patrice pulled to a stop at a red light just a few blocks from his condo building, looking over at Amanda, “Why?”

“They were saying stuff about you!”

“Amanda, please tell me you weren’t jealous of them.” She stayed silent and crossed her hands over her chest as the light turned green and Patrice accelerated. “Amanda…”

“I can’t help it! Sure, I find them skanky and gross, but what if you decide you want a tanner, taller, girl who wears lots of make-up and has huge, fake boobs?”

Patrice shook his head as he pulled into the parking garage and into the spot reserved for him. Turning to Amanda, he pulled her halfway toward him as he leaned forward and covered the other half of the space separating them.

“I have you; why would I ever want a skank like that?”

Amanda sighed and closed her eyes, feeling stupid for her lapse of jealousy. Patrice put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her lips against his, mumbling “I love you,” against her mouth. No matter what she was feeling, hearing that from Patrice always made things a thousand times better, and that wasn’t an exaggeration.