You're Just Delusional

Callie wandered around DC, completely and utterly lost. She looked around, confusion coloring her face and eyes. She wished she had a map or a GPS or something to help her find her way. She felt weird just walking up to some stranger and asking for directions. It was way different here than it was in Minnesota. She walked around until her feet hurt and ended up bumping into someone. She fell to the ground while the guy remained standing.

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, jumping up and brushing herself off. The guy turned and stared at her curiously. She blushed and looked down at her feet. The heels were starting to hurt, so she took them off and stood barefoot.

“Why are you apologizing? Aren’t you the one that fell over?” He asked. She nodded, holding her heels in one hand and rubbing at a blister on the back of her foot.

“Yeah, but I’m also the one who bumped into you, so I apologize for that,” She pointed out. He nodded.

“Good logic,” He said, smiling. She forced a small smile that fell away instantly. “Is something wrong? Maybe I can help you out,” He offered.

“Can you tell me where the Verizon Center is?” She asked hopefully. He laughed and grabbed her arm.

“That’s where I was headed!” He said, leading her a few blocks down the street. “It’s right there,” He said.

“I was going the wrong way completely,” She said, shaking her head at her own stupidity.

“Where are you from?” He asked.

“Minnesota,” She said. He nodded. “It’s a lot different here that it was there, I’ll tell you that much,” She said. “I should just be lucky I even got this job, though.”

“Why is that?”

“I actually just started out in this field recently. I’m going to work in the public relations department for the Capitals.” He grinned.

“Wow, that’s pretty neat. You’d need some smarts for that, huh?” He asked. She nodded.

“I guess so, yeah. Anyone can do it, though, to be honest.”

“I bet I couldn’t.” She stared at him.

“Sure you could! I’m sure you’d be good at it!” She exclaimed. He grinned and shook his head.

“You’re just delusional,” He said. “I didn’t even go to college. I was drafted right out of high school.”

“Wow, that must’ve been interesting,” She responded. She was proud of herself for not flipping out over the fact that he was a pro player. He smiled wryly.

“You surprised me just now,” He said. “Usually people freak out when they find out I’m a pro player.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten this job if I freak out over every player I see,” She pointed out. He grinned.

“Good point,” He said. They walked into the arena together and parted ways shortly thereafter. She headed up to her new office while he headed to the locker room.

---

Callie was more than happy that, as part of public relations, she got to see Mike as often as she could. She was content with her job, and her supervisor liked her work. He dropped a bombshell on her one night.

“You’ve been doing such a great job, we managed to find you a decent job on a better team for next season,” He said, his voice dripping with pride. She stared at him. “Starting next season, you’re in Montreal! Isn’t it exciting?” He asked. She nodded mutely, too stunned to speak. She headed to Mike’s house to break the news to him that she wouldn’t be around next season.

“You’re leaving?” He said, sadness in his voice.

“Yeah, next season,” She said miserably, wrapping her arms around her calves and hugging her knees to her chest. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Yeah, I’ll miss you, too,” He said, pulling her into a hug. “I thought you didn’t like me,” He confessed. She stared at him. “I thought you only dealt with me because I was part of your job description.” She shook her head, unwrapping herself.

“You’re just delusional,” She said, and she pulled him into a kiss. He knew everything would be all right between them.