Far Too Long

Danielle’s plane landed and her black knee high Steve Madden boots took to the linoleum of the airport hallways. The pace at which she was walking was making the clicking of her heels unbearably annoying but she just wanted to get where she was going as fast as possible. Danielle didn't need to go to baggage claim; she had left St. Louis on a whim and didn't have anything with her. She didn't even stop at home to get a change of clothes. All she had was the contents of her purse. As she neared the doors, she realized that she had no idea where she was going. Danielle pulled her phone out and flipped it open. What’s your address? She typed in and pushed send. She stepped outside and the frigid air ripped through her, chilling her to the bone. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck as she leaned up against the wall of the airport and awaited a response.

Danielle had a million thoughts running through her head. How had she let herself become one of those women that get cheated on? She had always made fun of those women who caught their significant other with another woman. She figured that they must have been completely dense to not notice that their boyfriends were getting ass elsewhere. Now...she was one of them. Danielle leaned her head back against the brown brick and closed her eyes tightly. She was not going to cry. She would not shed one more tear over TJ Oshie.

1220 Arbor Ave. Why? Danielle put her phone securely in her purse without replying and stepped to the curb, hailing a cab. She climbed in and dictated the address. As the car pulled away from the airport Danielle stared out the window. It was the first time that she had been in the city and she was just fascinated with it as she took in the buildings and the lights. It was gorgeous.

The cab came to a stop outside of a large, fancy apartment building. Danielle paid the cabbie and stepped out, staring up at the building. She was not expecting this. This place looked posh and stuffy...definitely not what she was expecting to show up to. Danielle walked past the doorman who greeted her warmly and walked in. She found the list of occupants and scanned it in search of the name she was looking for.

J.Toews – 1705

Danielle made her way to the seventeenth floor and found apartment 1705. She stood outside just staring at the gold numbers above the peep hole and for the first time in what felt like forever she had butterflies in her stomach. She raised her hand and knocked on the solid wooden door. “Coming!” She heard a deep voice that she knew was Jonathan’s call out. Momentarily the door flew open and she was standing face to face with him. Jonathan’s heart sank in his chest as his eyes set on Danielle. He hadn’t heard from her in a good six months and he couldn't remember the last time he had seen her. God she looked good! He thought as he studied her.

“Hi Jonny.” Danielle exclaimed as she threw her arms around him.

“Hey!” Jon stated, completely shocked as his arms wrapped around her waist. Danielle stepped past him and walked into the apartment.

“Wow, Jonny! Your place is gorgeous!” Danielle exclaimed as she glanced around the apartment. As soon as he heard a female voice, Patrick Kane emerged from the kitchen. “Oh!” Danielle practically shouted when she ran right into him.

“Hellllllo.” Patrick said as he began blatantly checking her out. His signature smirk spread across his face as he stuck his hand out towards her. “Patrick.” He told her. “Patrick Kane.” He stated; just in case she didn't already know that.

“Danielle.” She replied, placing her hand in his.

“Well it’s very nice to meet you Danielle.” He told her as he raised her hand to his lips and placed a lingering kiss just above her knuckles. “But...I think you’ve got the wrong apartment. See...my apartment is 1715. Just down the hall. Not 1705. One seven one five.” He told her again, stating each number clearly so that there would be no confusion. “You don't really want to see this guy, do you? He’s..”

“Kaner!” Jonathan quickly shut Patrick up. “Back off.” He demanded before grabbing a hold of Danielle’s hand, pulling her away from his teammate. One thing Jonathan had learned about Patrick is that he was shameless. He knew what he wanted and did what it took to get that. It would have amused Jonathan on any other night, but not when it was directed at Danielle. “What are you doing here?!” Danielle’s eyes connected with Jonathan’s and he could practically feel the sadness radiating out of them. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. “What did he do?” Jon asked knowingly. The only times Danielle had ever been upset was because of TJ’s doing.

“He’s cheating on me.” Danielle told him quietly, tearing her eyes away to look at the floor. It embarrassed her that TJ was cheating. She let the whole Jaime thing go because it was college. You're supposed to do stupid shit like that it college. But now...now this was real life! It took a stab at her self confidence knowing that she couldn't make TJ happy.

“That son of a bitch.” Jon exclaimed to himself as he put his hands on the top of his head and took a few steps backwards. The surge of anger that shot through him at that moment was unreal. He had never been so instantly enraged in his life. How could TJ do this again? How could he do this now when they had been engaged for so long. A part of Jonathan didn't actually think TJ and Danielle would get married. He knew that TJ was a screw up, but he had hoped for Danielle’s sake that he had changed. Obviously Jon was right about TJ all along, he hadn’t changed one bit.

“I caught TJ at a bar with some chick.” She told him.

“Wait...you’re Oshie’s Danielle?!” Patrick gasped wide eyed. “Dude!” He exclaimed turning his attention to Jonathan who was red with rage and had his hands balled in fight fists. “She really is everything she’s cracked up to be, huh?” Danielle glanced at Patrick. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“What?!” She exclaimed.

“I've heard all about you.” He told her. “You know, locker room talk. Word gets around fast about the hot girlfriends of the guys. I just assumed that Oshie was all talk as always. I didn't realize that you were actually...well...smokin..”

“Kaner go home.” Jon ordered.

“Jeeze, Taze. Calm down. I'm just..”

“I know what you're doing. Go home!” Jonathan ordered again, more sternly this time. Patrick looked at Jonathan for a moment and registered the look on his teammate’s face. He knew that whatever was going on here was too intense for him to grasp and, honestly, he didn't really care to know. All he needed to know is that TJ Oshie’s Danielle was in Chicago, they were indefinitely on the outs, and she was indeed drop dead gorgeous. He nodded and then turned to Danielle.

“It was nice to meet you Danielle. Don’t stress over Osh. The guy’s a moron.” Patrick told her before leaving the apartment, but not before sending her a wink.

“I am so sorry about him” Jonathan told her. “What the hell happened?”

“I was supposed to go to Aspen for ten days with my family but the trip got cancelled. I showed up at the bar the guys were going to and I found him with her.” Danielle’s voice cracked and tears threatened to fall as the words left her mouth. Jonathan’s arms wrapped around Danielle and pulled her to him. He had always felt the need to protect Danielle. Whenever she was hurt he needed to fix it; even after all of this time. Danielle pulled back, frustrated with herself for crying.

“How did I let this happen?!” She exclaimed. “I mean...he’s cheating on me.” She stated. “He’s cheating on me, Jon!”

“He’s an idiot.”Jonathan told her and he meant that whole heartedly. TJ had the only thing that Jonathan could never have to himself and he was taking it for granted. He had no idea how lucky he was.

“If my mother didn't cancel the trip I never would have found out. He’s always so...perfect. He’s just gotten more and more incredible! I never in a million years thought that he was going off screwing puck sluts.”

“What did he say when he saw you?” Jon asked Danielle lightly.

“He didn't see me.”

“What?”

“I saw him and left.” Danielle confessed.

“You didn't confront him about it?!”

“What was I supposed to do, Jonathan?! Walk up and wait for him to finish sucking face with his girlfriend so that I could yell at him and then burst into tears? All I wanted to do was get away from him.” Danielle sighed and sat down on Jon’s couch with her head in her hands. She was exhausted in every way possible; mentally, emotionally and physically. Jonathan sat next to her and began rubbing her shoulders. She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes letting familiarity wash over her.

“I miss you Jonny.” She told him. Danielle had thought about Jonathan a lot since NoDak. She had often wondered if she had done the right thing in cutting herself off from him. Now she was realizing that it was probably the biggest mistake she had ever made second only to throwing caution to the wind and moving to St. Louis with TJ.

“I miss you too Dani.” He told her as he kissed the top of her head. “So much.”