Take Me Anywhere

"Nate?" she said, shocked beyond belief. "I could ask you the same question."

"Oh, my mom is friends with Scott Moir's mom," he explained. "You know...the ice dancer that's paired up with Tessa Virtue? Mrs. Moir had extra tickets and gave them to us. Isn't that great?"

"Uh, yeah," she forced a smile. "That's awesome."

"So, what are you doing here with Jordan Staal?" Nate asked, glancing over at the very uncomfortable looking blond behind Mia. "Don't tell me you switched from Crosby to him."

"No," she answered quickly, glaring at him a bit. "Jordan and I are friends. He's dating Alice. And Sid's at practice right now, he's the one who paid for us all to be here."

Nate nodded, pretending to be impressed. "Well, that's cool. Hey, if you ever want to grab a drink since we're here together, my number's the same. I trust you still have it?"

"Uh, Yeah," she said meekly as Alice made her way over to the group. "We've got to go now."

"Not a problem," he said with a toothy grin. "I'll catch up with you later. Call me."

Mia didn't answer. She just smiled and rushed out of the hotel as quickly as her legs could take her. She could hear Alice spouting off profanities in the background and Jordan's defensive voice.

"What the hell was that, Mia?" Alice hissed. "Why is he here?"

"He knows some of the athletes apparently," Mia wailed. "I can't believe this. When we were dating, I never saw him, and now that we're not and I want him out of my life, he stalks me. This is completely fucking ridiculous."

"Don't let Sidney know he's here," Jordan piped up. "If he finds out that Nate's here trying to make time with you while he's attempting to focus on his game, it'll throw him off completely."

Mia just chewed on the loose skin on her lip and nodded her head.

"if he comes near you, I'm going to rip off his nuts," Alice announced, a little too loudly. They passed a crowd of people and a mother covered her small son's ears as Alice kept spouting off one curse word after another. Mia mouthed an apology to the woman as Jordan stifled a laugh, placing a protective arm around Alice's shoulders.

They got to the Richmond Oval, where the long track speed skating was about to take place. Finding their seats near the Canadian athletes' box, Jordan finally asked the question that Mia had been dreading.

"So, are you going to date Sidney, or are you just going to mess with his head?"

Mia sighed and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't like him," she admitted. "But...if something were to happen between us, it would just complicate things."

"The way I see it," Jordan said, "you've got to either tell Sidney that you like him and see where things go from there, because he's clearly in love with you, or you've got to tell him flat out that nothing will ever happen between the two of you. What you're doing right now, acting like his friend and sharing a bed with him while telling him that nothing will happen, is sending way too many mixed signals. He's a guy, he gets confused. Tell him outright and save him the misery, eh?"

Mia just stared at him for a moment. "I don't know when it happened, but you turned into some sort of freakishly tall guidance counselor."

Alice rubbed Jordan affectionately on the back. "My man's got brains and brawn."

He just smiled proudly as they all waited for the event to begin.

* * * * *

Six hours and four events later, Mia, Alice and Jordan were exhausted. Mia could barely stand up, tuckered out from the three-hour time difference between Vancouver and Toronto. Ten o'clock at night in Vancouver meant that it was one in the morning back home, and she wasn't used to it yet.

But she promised that she would meet up with Sidney after he'd finished practice with the team and gotten cleaned up and dealt with the press, and she was never one to back out on her word.

"Hey," she greeted him with a hug once he left the press room. It was a weak hug, since she was completely tuckered out, and it didn't go unnoticed by Sidney.

"You look tired," he stated. "Come on, I'll take you back to your hotel room."

"No, no," she waved it off with her hand. "I haven't seen you all day."

"You're seeing me right now," he laughed. "I have some free time tomorrow before our first game. We'll hang out then. You need sleep, I can tell you're exhausted."

"Says the man who just endured a three hour hockey practice," she yawned.

He just shook his head with a smile. "Come on. They got me a personal driver and everything."

Mia nodded as Sidney led her to the white car with the Olympic banner splayed across the side. She got in the back seat, Sidney sitting next to her.

"Where to, Mr. Crosby?" the driver inquired.

"The athlete's hotel," he answered. "Thanks."

The drive to the hotel took about ten minutes. In that time, Mia had quietly lulled herself to sleep, resting her head against Sidney's shoulder. He looked down at her and smiled, remembering the first night he had spent with Mia at her apartment. The car pulled to a halt and the driver turned back and saw Sidney looking down gingerly at the girl with her head on his shoulder.

"Do you need help getting her inside?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"No," Sidney answered. "It's alright. I'll take her upstairs."

He carefully lifted her up, bridal-style, and took her into the hotel and then to the elevator. He remembered Jordan texting him the room number and tried to remember the four digits in the right order. Shrugging, he carried her to what he presumed to be the correct room and knocked on the door, careful not to let Mia fall or slip.

Thankfully, Alice opened the door and immediately cooed. "Aww, aren't you two just adorable."

Sidney just grinned and shook his head, taking Mia to her bedroom. He laid her down in her bed and she immediately snuggled into her pillows. He pulled the blanket over her shoulders and looked down at her. She looked so beautiful and peaceful as she slept, and he couldn't help himself. He leaned down and gently placed a soft kiss on her lips before exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

In the dark, Mia's eyes opened ever so slightly and her face flushed red. As her heart pounded in her chest, she was so glad to be in the shadows because she couldn't wipe the goofy smile off her face no matter how hard she tried.