Flightless

"Did you mean it?" I was brought out of my slumber by Jordan, lips against my ear as he snuggled into my back, arms holding me tight as if he was afraid I'd try to escape.

Still half asleep, it took a few seconds to process his words, so long that he repeated them with a little more urgency. "Mhmm," was all I managed to get out, too preoccupied with how it felt to have Jordan's warmth surrounding me, tempting me back to sleep.

Apparently that wasn't good enough for him. Next thing I know I'm being flipped over to face Jordan then pulled on top of him as he rolled onto his back, his legs locking mine in place while his hands pushed my hair that was now in my face back while forcing me to look at him, now much more awake. "Say it again."

"Mhmm," I teased, trying to keep a grin from my face, knowing that wasn't what he meant.

"Rayne," he almost growled, "Say it." Even in the dark of night I could see the fire in his eyes, an intense blue staring back at me with a hint of desperation.

"I love you Jordan." I couldn't hold back my smile, knowing things didn't get much better than this. Lowering my lips to his I savoured the taste and feel of his plump lips I'd definitely missed over the past few days, fully awake and ready to show him just how much I meant those words.

Breaking away to rest my lips over his heart as I fought to catch my breath, I knew I'd made the right decision earlier. That was only proved further when Jordan set me on my back, hovering over me for what felt like an eternity. "I promise," he voiced ardently, "that I will keep you feeling that way forever."

x

Watching Jordan gearing up for game 6 was tense. Obviously things were fantastic between us, but as soon as he set foot outside either of our apartments it was back to business, worrying about just what the Penguins had to do to keep this series alive. Practice was hard, there were extra meetings and even more media pressure to withstand. Everyone was questioning just what went wrong in Detroit and whether the writing was on the wall for this season.

It was hard trying to keep things positive, especially knowing that they'd been through exactly the same scenario just a year ago. Taking up my usual position during pre-game nap I had my music on shuffle, not really being in the mood for anything specific. It always amuses me when shuffle plays exactly what I never knew I needed to hear - in this case, it was a perfect song for when Jordan woke up. A classic kiwi song, History Never Repeats by SplitEnz. It was pretty fitting for today, but it also kinda fit our relationship a little too.

History never repeats
I tell myself before I go to sleep
And there's a light shining in the dark
Leading me on towards a change of heart

Sure, it possibly could have been better for him to hear it before his nap, but hopefully he'd be able to repeat that phrase knowing that it was truth, later that night.

x

The Igloo was filled with a nervous energy, a slight shift from the usual optimistic faith that generally surrounded the arena. The wives and girlfriends were quieter than normal, those who'd been through it all before knowing just how important this game was going to be, not just for the team and fans, but for us - the ones who had to deal with the immediate aftermath of grief and frustration if it were to end badly.

Just knowing that the Detroit partners and families were here in our building, hoping like hell they could inflict the same pain as last year was enough to bring the mood down, but I refused to be swayed from my usual fanaticism. Before I met Jordan I was a Penguins fan, and being engaged to him only strengthened my love for this team, but more importantly, I had to have faith that they would prevail; I just couldn't deal with a defeatist attitude. Anyone who doubted this team didn't deserve to call themselves a fan.

The game started with a great chance, the puck rebounding to bounce off Jordan's ankle then the Wings getting a chance at the other end before Zetterberg was called for interference on Flower. Jordan had actually pushed him into the goalie, but who's going to argue a power play opportunity? Unfortunately it came to nothing, as was the case for the rest of the period.

The intensity rose with each scoreless minute, so the intermission was a good chance to restock on alcohol to keep the nerves down. It wasn't really needed though, when merely 51 seconds after the break I was jumping up from my seat, screaming with disbelief that Jordan had just put the puck in the net. A 2-on-1 rush set the play, Jordan in control of the puck from his own blue line. A quick shot from the top of the circle was rebounded straight back onto his stick, easily sneaking passed the goalie on the second try.

From that point on, the fans were back in control, voicing their support and adding the extra belief that was so important in home games. TK scoring another only got the crowd cheering louder. When the Wing finally managed to put one on the board the energy never waivered, even when there were a few precarious open nets for the Wings to hit the fan only cheered louder, voicing their appreciation for the rest of the team who stepped up to clear the puck from danger.

In the last minute, with Osgood pulled from his net in favour of the extra attacker Detroit had every opportunity to even the score. If not for Scuderi's left foot, that probably would've happened, instead only what resembled a rugby ruck formed in Flower's crease, both teams dogpiling in on each other.

From the ensuing faceoff the frenzy of shots continued, until Max managed to clear the puck, the siren almost unheard as victory yells surrounded us.

History never repeats.