I'll Be Your Friend, I'll Help You Carry On

seven

The night was warm but breezy as Sidney and Chantal sat outside at a restaurant downtown in Pittsburgh. It had been two weeks since Sidney’s family had left and things around the house had quieted down to a dull roar. The couple had been going out on dates more and more, and had been acting like those cute couples with the constant hugging and kissing that went on.

Chantal had taken her time that afternoon to pick out a black high-waisted skirt with a purple, grey, and black floral print tank top. Her makeup was smooth and her hair was curly. Her toes were painted a deep purple, in the small strappy heels, and her fingers were painted black.

Sidney looked just as good in a pair of black slacks and a blue button-up shirt. He had just gotten a buzz cut after the curly hair became too much for Chantal to handle; always a mess and always in the way.

“It’s such a beautiful night,” Chantal whispered as she sat on the edge of her chair, her dainty hands gripped in his powerful ones.

Sidney smiled and nodded, all the while staring at the face of his girlfriend; she was beautiful.

“You’re beautiful,” Sidney said smiling, letting one of his hands run over her cheek.

Chantal immediately blushed, starting from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears as she scoffed. “Yeah yeah.”

Sidney chuckled as the waited brought over their food and they dug right in; Sidney with chicken parmesan and Chantal with cheese ravioli. Chantal closed her eyes as she ate her ravioli, the cheese melted to perfection as Sidney watched on with curious eyes.

“Why do you look like you’re enjoying that too much?” Sidney asked as he cut up his chicken.

Chantal smiled and shrugged, “Maybe because I am?”

Sidney rolled his eyes and stabbed a piece of chicken, slipping it into his mouth and closing his eyes as he tried to mimic his girlfriend’s actions; even adding in a quiet moan. He felt a sharp kick to the shin as Chantal kicked her heel clad feet at him and giggled.

“Don’t be an ass, baby,” Chantal said, pouting her pink lips.

Sidney pouted his plump lips back making her giggled, “Ohh those lips.”

It was Sidney’s turn to blush as visions of Chantal writhing on their bed filled his thoughts causing him to cough loudly and sit up a little straighter. Chantal bit her lip as she flipped her bangs out of the way and forked a piece of ravioli.

When they finished eating Sidney cleared his throat a few times, a clear sign that he was nervous about something, and stared at Chantal as he took in a deep breath. His fingers were gripping his legs, his knuckles fading from their normal pink to a solid white as his foot tapped impatiently under the table.

Chantal frowned as she watched her boyfriend get nervous. Quite frankly, she had never seen him nervous before. He was always so composed during interviews and games, and he never, well, almost never, got into a situation that he couldn’t find a way out of.

“Sidney? Are you alright?” Chantal asked, looking at him with concerned eyes.

Sidney stared at Chantal as a million thoughts ran through his head before he finally took in a deep breath, let it out slowly and stood up.

“What are you doing?” Chantal asked, pushing her seat back, ready to stand up as well. Was he feeling sick? Did he not like the food?

Sidney stopped in front of Chantal and slipped his left hand into his pocket, his fingers closing around the box he had been carrying with him for the past two weeks. Every time they had gone out for dinner, he had the small velvet box in his pocket.

Sidney quickly knelt down on one knee as Chantal’s eyes widened. She brought her right hand up to her mouth, whispering a small, “Oh my gosh.”

Sidney cleared his throat and looked up at his girlfriend, smiling at her surprised expression. “Chantal. I’m going to be honest; I’ve been carrying this around with me for the past two weeks planning to ask you each time we went out for dinner. I’ve thought long and hard about what I wanted to say, but each time I only get as far as three words.”

Chantal bit her lip as tears slowly ran from her eyes, her breathing slightly heavier than normal.

Sidney pulled the box out of his pocket, and popped it open, holding it to Chantal, “Chantal, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Chantal let out a low sob as her heart fluttered in her chest, only one words dancing around in her head. She slowly nodded her head, moving both of her hands slightly away from her mouth, “Yes, of course. Of course I’ll marry you!”

Sidney grinned at her, his smile stretching across most of his face as he pulled the ring out of the box and slowly slipped it onto her ring finger. He placed a kiss on the ring as others in the restaurant clapped and ‘awwed’ around them. Sidney stood up, pulling Chantal with him, and pressed a sweet, passionate kiss to her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist as she wrapped her own around his neck.

“Oh my gosh Sidney, I love you so much!” Chantal whispered in his ear as her tears landed on his neck.

Sidney’s smile widened as he pulled his fiancé tighter into his chest, “I love you too, baby.”

Sidney and Chantal pulled away as cameras started going off everywhere, people realizing that the Sidney Crosby had just proposed to his girlfriend, and his girlfriend had said yes.

He liked to keep his personal life out of the media, but this was no doubt going to be front page news tomorrow.