Love Will Keep You Up All Night

****
He shouldn’t have kissed her, but the tears are what did him in. When he pulled away he helped her put the bracelet on.

“Save the other thing for later.” He told her.

“Why? I want to open it now.”

“I want you to open that one alone. Before you go to bed.”

“Okay.”

After she opened her presents it was time to go to dinner. She chose this really nice Mexican restaurant. Throughout dinner she would reach under the table and place her hand on his thigh. He wanted so badly to hold her hand and he finally gave into the impulse and grabbed her hand when she went for his thigh. He felt her tense but then she relaxed, and her parents noticed. Also throughout dinner he kept getting dirty looks from those who recognized him and he even signed a few autographs, but other than that it was a quiet night.

After dinner they went back to the house to have cake and ice cream and Taylor opened the presents her parents got for her. They sat around and talked for about an hour before it was time for Sidney to go.

“Well I’m going to head out. I have an early drive tomorrow morning.” He stood up.

“Thank you for coming.” Mr. Samuels said.

“Yes, thank you.” Mrs. Samuels said.

“Thank you for letting me come to dinner with you.” Sidney said

“You’re welcome.”

“Come on I’ll walk you to your car.” Taylor said getting up.

“Bye everyone, it was nice seeing you all again.”

“Bye Sidney, good luck tomorrow.”

“Thank you Mr. Samuels.”

Taylor and Sidney walked out the car silently. When they reached the driver’s side, he leaned in to kiss her.

“Happy birthday.”

“Thank you and thank you for stopping by.” She said wrapping her hands around his waist. “I really wish I could kiss you for real.”

“Me too, but it’s too risky.”

“You know what, screw it. I’m eighteen now, I can legally kiss you.” She said before she kissed him.

He should pull away and get in his car and leave. That would be the right thing to do, but instead he found himself pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. He was slightly aware of the sound of the front door opening and he froze. Looking over Taylor’s head he saw her mom staring at them.

“Shit, your mom caught us.” He whispered.

“Shit!” She pulled back and looked, when she realized that it wasn’t just her mom she groaned and cursed again. “I guess we need to tell them.”

“Yeah.”

“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where her parents where standing, and glaring at him. Great.

*****
Shit! How did I let my guard slip just a little, I knew I could get caught at any minute but I kissed him anyways. Now I was leading us both to our death.

“Um, I guess we should explain huh?” I asked

“Yes I think you should.” My dad said

“Mom, dad. Sidney and I like each other and we are kinda sorta seeing each other.”

“I kinda got that the other day, Taylor. I was just waiting for you to tell me like an adult. I’ve been in love once before, I knew why you were acting the way you were.” Mom said smiling slightly.

“So you’re not mad?” I had to ask

“No, we’re not mad. I’m just disappointed that you hid from me.”

“I almost told you mom, but we had just officially started dating that day.”

“Sidney, do you love my daughter?” Dad asked

“Um, well I don’t know if it’s love yet, but I diffidently have strong feeling for her. I would never hurt her if that’s what you are worried about.”

“I believe you and I can’t say that you chose a bad person there Taylor.”

“Thanks dad.” I blushed.

“All right, it was nice seeing you again Sidney. We’ll leave you two alone now.” My mom said.

“Thanks.”

Once I knew they were in the house and not watching us, I grabbed his hand and kissed him.
“That wasn’t the way I wanted them to find out but I feel better now that they know.” I said

“Yeah me too. All right I really have to go now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He kissed my forehead and walked to his car.

I waved to him as he drove away and when I couldn’t see his lights anymore I went inside.

“Taylor, can I talk to you please?” My mom said

“Yeah I guess. What’s up mom?”

“Do you really like him?”

“Yeah I do and it’s weird because I never thought he would like me.”

“You don’t just like him because of who he is?”

“No and I thought that at first too. But I wasn’t going nuts over not talking to Sidney Crosby, I was going nuts over not talking to my friend Sidney.”

“Well as long you are sure that that’s the reason you are dating.”

“I’m sure, I don’t even feel like a fan around him. I feel like a friend and then some.”

“You sound so mature right now. I cannot believe my baby is eighteen now and has a boyfriend.”

“I know! Mom tell me, do you and dad approve of Sid?” I asked

She was quiet before she answered. “Yes I do, he really seems to like you too.”

With a smile in my face, I went to my room and got ready for bed. I hung up my two new shirts, put the tickets in my top drawer along with the note from Marc-Andre, I put my bracelet in my jewelry box, and then I had one last present to open. The wrapped square was sitting in the middle of my bed and I jumped on it. I quickly tore through the paper and came face to face with a picture of Sidney at the Winter Classic. It was signed ‘Take me wherever you go. Love always Sidney <3’. I cleared a spot off my night stand and positioned the picture so that I could always see it when I got up and when I went to bed. This has been the best birthday ever.

*****

“Do you love my daughter?” Taylor’s dad’s question was bothering him all night. He had lied to him, but only slightly. He had told him that in the future he would love her, but right now he just had strong feelings for her. That was the lie, he actually loved her now. Sidney wanted to tell him that, but was afraid that it’s too soon to tell her parents that.

Sidney decided not to check into a hotel yet, he was going to see how far he could get. It was only an hour to Richmond from Taylor’s house and he has already been on the road for about that, it was only quarter to ten. When he did stop he was going to call Fleury and tell him where he was.