2nd Intermissions

When I woke up, my heart raced and I forgot where I was. I quickly remembered, taking in my surroundings. I was laying on the floor in my front room, the television was now off, and when I looked ahead of me, I saw the back of Tomas, sleeping quietly. I felt a hand snake around my waist and pull me against a figure, and when I looked down at the hand, I realized Antti was pulling me in closer to his body.

Last night I had broken up with Adam officially, and today I wake up with Antti spooning me. Don't get me wrong, the goaltender was a fantastic spooner, and we seemed to fit together pretty well- but it was pretty strange and surprisingly not unwanted. I sighed and felt the way his body fit against mine. It was a nice feeling and with his breath in my neck and his arm around my waist, I fell back asleep.
The next time I woke up, it was because I felt him stir behind me. His breathing changed and I knew he was awake- no more than two seconds later, I felt him jump and go to pull his arm back. I quickly deepened my breathing and closed my eyes, and he returned his arm to its original position around my waist. I heard and felt him sigh into my hair and I decided on a whim to turn from my side facing away from him, to turn so we would meet chest to chest.
He saw me wide awake and went to pull his arm back, but I placed my hand against his cheek. Antti stilled his arm and I felt the rough stubble on his jaw. Smiling at him, I snuggled into his chest after kissing him lightly on the chin. He used his left arm to pull me closer and we both let our breathing get deeper and deeper until we fell asleep.

When we both woke up next, somewhere around noon, Tomas had left, leaving only a note saying he went home. We lay on the floor, both on our backs and our sides touching, staring at the ceiling.
"You're a good cuddler." I stated, breaking the silence. Antti chuckled and I felt it vibrate my side.
"We fit well." He added, nudging me in the side with his hand. I jumped up and my mind was filled with snowmobiles, Antti, and Tomas. "Come visit my family for a couple days, you and Tomas. Let's go snowmobiling."
His face looked surprised and he asked, "You have a snowmobile?"
"Well, my dad does, but it's got my last name on it, too." I smiled, sitting indian-style next to him. Antti played with my sock and then sat up too, stretching his legs out in front of him.
"Are you sure you're okay with that?" He asked, looking at me with that suggestive, crooked smile.
"I don't care about Adam, honestly. I risked my job for him and he didn't even care about it at all." I reasoned and he then inquired, "So you're not going to..date anyone else from the team?" His smile was gone and he looked at me with all seriousness.
My face fell and I scooted closer to him and took his hand.
"Antti, you know I like you, a lot. But I don't want you to be a rebound for me. I couldn't do that to you."
The corner of his smile twitched and he raised my hand to his mouth and stared through me with his husky eyes. They fluttered close for a second as he pressed his rough lips against the palm of my hand and kissed it.
The simple gesture had sent shocks down my spine and I was lightheaded.
"Honestly, I don't think I could-" My words were cut off my his mouth.
Before when he had kissed me in the parking lot, his simple pressing of his lips to mine was light and cautious. Now was a completely different thing- his lips were urgent and they held passion. I felt his mouth open and his tongue run across my lower lip. I opened my lips to allow him entrance and sank back down into the carpet on my back. Antti placed his forearms on either side of my head and hovered above me, lips still attached. Kissing him was intoxicating and I grabbed his upper arms to steady myself. His tongue found mine and twined with it. Breathing became difficult for me and the lightheaded feeling that I was getting had nothing to do with lack of oxygen to my brain, just what Antti was doing to me.
We parted and I gasped for breath, I had somehow forgotten how to while Antti explored my mouth. I took my gaze off of his swollen lips and looked up at his eyes.
"Jeesus, jumala." He said in Finnish as I observed his eyes. They had gotten darker, but the dark outline had turned almost black. They were half-lidded and he leaned his forehead against mine while my heart rate returned to normal.
"Still rebound?" He asked softly. I raised my hand to my lips and he placed a gentle kiss against one of the knuckles. I knew my face was red and I could feel the tingle around my mouth where his stubble rubbed the skin raw. I smiled and he dropped down closer, letting his legs lay on the floor, surrounding mine, and let his hips press mine into the floor. I was surprised by what I felt against my hip. I looked up at him again with wide eyes and he jumped off of me, rocking back on his heels.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't -" I silenced him with a soft kiss on his rough cheek.
"It's fine, Antti. I didn't think I'm that good, but whatever floats your boat." I leaned up against him, urging him to sit back down.
He finally sat with his back on the couch and his knees to his chest. I rested my head on his shoulder and said, "You amaze me."
Antti chuckled and asked, "Why you think so?" in his adorable accent, even more present at the moment.
"You offered me friendship before a relationship and you're willing to be my rebound man?"
"It's what gentlemen do."
I smiled before replying, "There are little gentlemen left in the world. You are one of them."
Antti took his arm and pulled me into the side of his body and said, "When you're ready for me, I'll still be a gentleman." He understood my problems in so little words.
"If I would risk my dream job for anyone ever again, you'd be it, Antti." When I said this, he kissed the top of my head and said, "I'll wait."
We stayed like this for a while until he asked, "We're not still going snowmobiling, right?"
I laughed and said that we didn't have to if he didn't want to.
The days went quickly and were spent with Angelina, with visits from Brouwer, Tomas, and Antti. I guess the news had spread about the break up with Adam and he wasn't taking it so well according to the guys. They had told him though, numerous times, "You're the one who cheated." "You messed up first." I didn't expect them to do much more. You don't argue within a team, that would be as bad as fire on a boat to this franchise.

It was Wednesday night and I was laying in bed, trying to get some sleep before the Columbus Blue Jackets came to town the next night. I was on the verge of sleep at eleven thirty when my doorbell rang. I decided against buzzing them up and instead, slid on my slippers and walked down the flight of stairs to the hallway.
I saw Adam, beer in hand and stumbling around the small entryway.
Sighing, I opened the door and he smiled a drunken smile and me and began to sing,
"Girl, you've never known no one like me, up there in your high society. They might tell you I'm no good, girl, they need to understand, JUST WHO I AM. I MAY BE A REAL BAD BOY, but baby I'm a real good man! I may drink to much and play to loooud-"
I slapped him.
He sputtered to a stop and I took the beer from him and downed the remains before he could take it back.
"How many have you had tonight?" I asked him, shoving the empty can back into his hand.
"About a case." Adam stumbled through his words.
"Oh crap." I found myself saying. "How did you get here?"
"I drove in my MAN TRUCK of course. Sam, Sam, Sam...SAM!"
I was lost in thought.
"What?"
"Take me back."
"No." I had realized that was what the serenade was about- and frankly it was surprising.
I couldn't let him drive home, so I said, "Come up." He managed to navigate the stairs up to my apartment and closed the door behind him like he did a multitude of times before in my apartment.
"You're sleeping on the couch." I went to grab some pillows and a blanket for him. He followed me, mumbling to himself.
"Samantha, take me back. Why did you break up with me?" He backed me into the wall and looked down at me, a confused hurt look in his eyes. I knew I should be worried that he could easily corner me, but instead I just squeezed through and set the blanket and pillow on the couch.
"Don't come into my room. Don't be here when I wake up." I went to go get the bathroom garbage to set near the couch in case he needed to vomit.
Adam continued following me and asking in a child's voice, "Why did you leave me?" Until I turned around, holding the small garbage container and replied, "You cheated on me, Adam. You kissed another girl and most likely fucked her. Why wouldn't I leave you?" I pushed past him and set the metal container down next to the couch.
"Don't vomit anywhere but in here. If you do, clean it up."
"I'll start playing after the Olympics, I swear, I'll keep my head on straight."
I looked into his glazed over eyes, the same umbrella color as Antti's, but completely different. His were always one bleached blue that encompassed the entire iris.
"No, you won't." I left him standing there in the front room and I closed my bedroom door behind me, images from the "Ladies Man" video going through my head.

When I woke around noon the next day, he was gone, the only thing that told of his presence was the blanket neatly folded on top of the pillow and something resting on top. I approached it and saw that it was the bracelet he gave me, and I chucked at his puck bunny lady friend.
Why did he have it with him? Why did he leave it here?

Why did he think I wanted it?