Fly With You

Jonathan cringed as he stretched his aching arms over his head and his back sounded with a loud popping noise. He groaned as he climbed out of his bed, his sore legs feeling as if they weighed a hundred pounds each. “Easy, old man,” Delia laughed, stepping into the bedroom from the hall. Jonathan frowned dramatically as he slowly walked toward her, his arms immediately wrapping around her thin waist. Leaning into him, she pressed her lips against his in a kiss much too short for Jonathan’s liking. “You wash up; breakfast will be ready in a minute.”

Grinning, the hockey player stepped into the master bathroom, quickly washing his face and brushing his teeth before running wet hands through his hair, knowing the parts flattened from sleep wouldn’t look right until he actually showered after that morning’s practice. Carrying his tired body into the kitchen, he slid onto one of the stools on the edge of the large island in the middle of the large room. Delia turned toward him with a plate of scrambled eggs, two pancakes, bacon, and sausage links, the familiar sparkle of amusement in her eyes as she realized just how much food a hockey player could eat.

“So nice of you to get dressed for breakfast,” she laughed, placing a hand on his knee, smiling over his body, only covered by a pair of boxer shorts he used to sleep in. Jonathan waved her off as he bit into a piece of bacon, pulling his laptop toward him as he wanted to check emails and read up on some news. “Oh, I borrowed that this morning,” Delia commented, sitting down in the stool next to his, two pancakes and a small serving of eggs on her plate.

Jonathan nodded, his eyes scanning over the webpage she had left open, his heart sinking into his stomach as he realized what he was looking at. “What’s this?” he asked, barely above a whisper. He saw Delia take a deep breath as she swallowed the bite of pancake she had in her mouth before she turned her body toward Jonathan’s.

“We’ve never talked much about my past, right?” Jonathan nodded, painfully aware that as long as she had been living in his condo with him (4 months) and as much as he cared about the girl, he knew very little about her. “Haven’t you ever wondered how I’m able to travel as I am, how I have the money to do this?”

Jonathan shrugged, “Yeah, but I’ve gotten used to knowing nothing about you, Deel.”

She laughed despite how guilty she felt at his words, lacing her fingers in his. “I was raised by my grandparents. My mother died when I was a baby, around six months, I think. I never knew my father, and I don’t think I ever will.” Jonathan’s eyes glossed over with sympathy, but Delia shook her head. “Don’t, Jonny. I had a great childhood. My grandma and grandpa gave me everything I could ever want. I was always at the beach with them; it was our favorite place.” Jonathan smiled, as he brushed his thumb over her knuckles, listening to her story.

“When I turned eighteen, I got all the money I was owed from my mother’s life insurance, and my grandfather,” she explained. “Knowing how much I wanted to see the world, sent me on my way, telling me if I didn’t do it when I was young, I would never do it.”

“He’s a smart man,” Jonathan commented, as Delia agreed with him.

“My grandfather called this morning,” she told him sadly. “My grandma’s not good, combination of old age and the leukemia she’s had for years. I have to go back to California for a while,” she continued, motioning to the computer screen. “That’s why I was looking at plane tickets. My grandma needs me right now.”

“Do you need me to come with you?” He asked immediately.

She shook her head, “You are too sweet, Jonny, but we both know you can’t.”

Jonathan nodded, sticking a sausage link in his mouth as he pulled the laptop closer to him and scanned his eyes over the webpage in front of him. “When do you want to fly out?” he asked.

“Today, I was hoping,” she sighed. “I need to see my grandma.” Jonathan nodded, agreeing with her despite how much he hated to see her leave Chicago, and so soon.

“How about this one?” he asked, turning toward her as he pointed toward a flight that left that afternoon. She nodded, and Jonathan clicked the ‘purchase’ button, quickly going through the steps to acquire the ticket.

“You didn’t have to pay, Jonny,” she laughed, snuggled her face into his bare chest.

“I wanted to,” he told her, titling her face up with his hand as he kissed her as they turned back toward their remaining food. “If I can’t go with you, at least let me do something.” Delia smiled as they fell back into silence, quickly eating their food.

“I should start to pack,” she commented, as they finished their breakfasts and Jonny got himself dressed for practice. Pulling on his coat and his knit hat, he stared at her as she floated around the bedroom, their bedroom, gathering her lighter clothes, knowing the temperature in southern California was way warmer in January than it was in Chicago.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” he commented, as she smiled up at him before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

-

As the team skated around the ice, Patrick Kane passed his captain, his stick whacking the center on his back. Usually, a move like that from the younger man would prompt a race or a play fight, but Jonathan merely kept skating, his eyes locked forward in a daze as his teammates stared at him in confusion. “What’s up Tazer?” Patrick Sharp asked as the team slowed down to stretch out.

“Delia’s flying to California today,” he told them, cringing as the entire team seemed to gasp.

“I knew she’d come to her senses at some point,” Patrick Kane joked, nudging his captain’s shoulder.

Jonathan only glared at the winger as the entire team snickered. “Her grandmother’s sick, you moron. She wants to see her before… you know.”

Patrick Sharp nodded, “She has to go, then. What are you so worried about, Toe-ez?”

“I’m afraid she won’t come back,” he told them, realizing it for himself as the words slipped out of his mouth. The team stayed silent as they looked at their nervous captain, no one wanting to bring up the topic of Delia again—a trend that would unfortunately continue among the team for the next few months.

-

Jonathan’s hand held tightly onto Delia’s as they sat outside the gate where she would board her plane to Los Angeles’ LAX. They sat in silence; neither knew what to say. Delia could tell Jonathan hated the fact she was leaving. It was practically written on his face, and if she was going to be honest, she hated to be leaving too, probably more than Jonathan. Not only did she hate to leave Chicago, but she dreaded seeing her grandmother in the state she was in. She hadn’t envisioned her eventual return to California like this. She imagined a summer trip for her and Jonny, after she had spent the entire season in Chicago with him. She could introduce him to her grandparents, and then, the two would head to Canada where Delia would finally meet the Toews family.

Overhead, they heard the announcement that Delia’s flight would begin boarding it’s coach passengers, making Delia roll her eyes as she looked up at Jonathan. “First class was unnecessary.” Jonathan shook his head, giving her hand a squeeze as she stood up and gathered her things, knowing she’d be able to board any minute.

“I’ll miss you,” Jonathan told her, smiling sadly as she slung her carry-on over her shoulder. She laughed, stepping into his arms as they announced first class could begin boarding. She leaned up onto her toes, her lips connecting with Jonathan’s as he still held her tightly.

“I wish you could come with me,” she told him. “I’d love for you to meet grandma.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “We’ll go together this summer,” he told her, making her smile as he agreed with the plan she had been thinking about just minutes before. “I’ve never been to California, other than to play hockey.”

“I’ll teach you to surf,” she grinned, stepping out of his arms. “I’ll call you when I get to the my grandparents’ house,” she continued, walking a few steps backward, as Jonathan held onto her hand.

He nodded silently, giving her a small wave and a sad smile as he let go of her fingers and she turned, giving her ticket to the woman at the gate. She ran a hand through her long, blond, and curly hair as she sent him a wink before she walked into the tunnel and out to the plane. He watched her back, her body moving farther away from him until he couldn’t see her anymore.

Then, he sat back down in the chair he had previously occupied.

His brown eyes fixed on the unmoving aircraft, waiting for it to begin to leave. The gate was removed from the open doorway, and seconds later the flight attendants sealed the entrance to the plane, letting Jonathan know they would be taking off at any minute. The wheels began to move forward as the large machine moved down the runway, picking up speed as it went. Eventually, the wheels lifted off of the ground and ascended high into the sky as it made its way to Los Angeles, the girl Jonathan loved sitting somewhere inside.

He only wished he had told her how he felt before she left.