Status: Active :)
Chase the Morning
02
"Wake up, Fraz." The voice of his roommate, Troy Brouwer pierced through his deep, blank sleep. The large redheaded man groaned and turned on his bed, swatting lightly at the air. Colin clung to the last shred of his dream because he knew when he woke up, he would no longer have the taste of chocolate and beer in his mouth.
"I hope you're hungover." Troy announced as he sat down heavily on his friend's bed. Colin's eyes squeezed shut, panicking and trying desperately to fall back asleep.
"You're a loser, you know that, right? A pretty girl brings you home and you were too tired and drunk to make her leave a happy girl." He chuckled, bouncing on the bed a little. Colin's previously shut eyes opened widely, ready to believe what Troy was saying. Last night wasn't a dream? His mind was quick to think it was, because he had so many during other nights. But this time, it wasn't a dream and according to what Troy said, she even brought him to his apartment.
Colin shot up straight in bed, the way his friend had said what he said worried him as he locked eyes with Troy.
"Whoa. I didn't do anything." He immediately became defensive and held his hands up. "I have a girlfriend, remember?" With those words, Colin calmed quickly and laid back down in bed.
"So you were home when Leigh brought me back?" As much as he wanted to tell his best friend about everything last night that he could remember, Colin was a good listener, "How did it go with the parents?" Troy's mother was not pleased with the move the organizations made and therefore, Troy's father was not pleased either.
"It doesn't really matter, they'll get used to it and we're still affiliated with the same NHL team so eh." He made a noncommittal noise and mentioned, "She left her number, you know that, right?" Colin's ginger eyebrow shot up and he followed Troy's line of sight to the nightstand where a small ripped piece of paper sat, the ink writing facing up. He picked it up delicately, like it was going to disintegrate in his fingers.
Written on it in loopy scrawl that didn't fit her at all was a phone number and her first and last name.
"Leigh Maloney?" Troy asked, clearly reading it over Colin's shoulder. "Yeah." His friend replied.
"Well, I'll leave you to that, then." He stood and exited the room as silently as he entered, leaving Colin to his thoughts and the small chunk of paper he clutched tightly in his hand.
Unconsciencely, he traced the dents that the pen had made in the paper before he caught himself. What was he doing? Colin shook his curly head and slid out of bed and made his way to the bathroom that was just outside his door. He vaguely took in his appearance in the mirror- hair unruly and body clad in only boxers, his pale skin allowing some veins to trace their way through his body.
"Maybe I should start tanning like Bur?" He questioned himself quietly. Once again, he dismissed this idea and began his morning rituals before the last preseason game of the year that would take place this afternoon at the Rockford Metrocenter, his new home rink.
The two drove together to the rink three hours before game time, lugging their gear with them. The glamour of the major leagues had yet to seep down into the minors, so each player had to take his gear from barn to barn.
Preseason games never really brought a lot of fans down in Norfolk, but here in Rockford, Colin was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people that came to the game. They cheered just as loudly as Admirals fans in the regular season and because the Icehogs were so far in the lead, Colin's teammates exchanged casual smiles with the fans behind the glass and had an all around good time whooping some Rivermen ass.
Most of his teammates were the same, with the exceptions of the guys that had left the AHL when they were moved. Jim Fahey quietly spoke to Colin as they entered the face off circle.
"You're going to want to watch out for that bugger," Fahey jerked his head to the other defenseman, "He's getting a little sparky today." Colin nodded at his captain and skated to the center where the linesman was waiting.
Colin watched the man's hand loosen on the puck and his stick whipped out, grabbing the puck and passing it to Skille who skated past and cradled the pass, making a break for the offensive end. Colin's work was not yet done, he pushed into the zone, joining Skille and Bickell near the crease. Gliding in next to the goalie, he patiently waited for an opportunity perfect for his position of screening the goaltender.
After the game ended with a whooping from the Icehogs, the Rivermen left Rockford and went to start the season elsewhere. Meanwhile, Mike Haviland was giving his boys an amazing peptalk that only Coach Haviland could give. He moved with the affiliation as well, so the players were used to this man being their coach.
The Rockford Icehogs left the rink, eager to start the regular season the day after tomorrow- Saturday night they would be playing in their new barn for their new fans against the Calgary Flames. Nothing changed with that rivalry: they hated each other's guts. Colin shook these thoughts from his head and left with Troy, neither of them bothering to bring their equipment home because they would just be back on Saturday.
"Going to give Leigh a call?" Troy asked his friend as they entered the apartment they shared. Colin glanced over at him when he replied, "Of course."
"You should invite her to the opener. You've been playing really well, maybe you'll score a goal for her." Troy mocked, fluttering his hands around.
Colin began to laugh at him, "You're the one who told Bonnie that last year. Think I don't remember that? When is she going to move up here?"
Troy blushed swiftly when Colin mentioned his long time girlfriend. "Later in the season. We'll move in together and you'll have the apartment to yourself."
Colin did a fist pump and smiled over at his friend before disappearing into his bedroom. Walking towards the nightstand where he left the piece of paper, he picked it up with one hand and with the other, ran it through his wet hair from the post-game shower.
Kicking off his dress shoes and sitting on his bed, he pulled the silver cell phone out of his pocket and put the number into his phone, saving it in his contacts before calling her.
"Hello?" She answered after three rings.
"Leigh." Colin couldn't mistake her voice. "Yes, this is she. Who might this be?"
A smile danced across his face as he replied, "Only the man you tried to kill by making him drink beer and eat chocolate."
"Colin!" His face lit up when he heard the joy in her voice. "I thought you would never call."
"Well I had to work today and I just now got home." Colin couldn't remember if he had told her what he did for a living, but just to be safe, he was vague.
"Did you guys win? How'd you play?"
Okay, he thought, clearly I told her what I do.
Colin laughed and replied, "We won and I had two assists."
"Congratulations, kid!" She exclaimed, her excitement contagious even over the phone.
Colin laid down in bed, "Hey, thank you for bringing me home last night by the way."
"You can repay me with dinner, I think."
"I can handle that."
"I hope you're hungover." Troy announced as he sat down heavily on his friend's bed. Colin's eyes squeezed shut, panicking and trying desperately to fall back asleep.
"You're a loser, you know that, right? A pretty girl brings you home and you were too tired and drunk to make her leave a happy girl." He chuckled, bouncing on the bed a little. Colin's previously shut eyes opened widely, ready to believe what Troy was saying. Last night wasn't a dream? His mind was quick to think it was, because he had so many during other nights. But this time, it wasn't a dream and according to what Troy said, she even brought him to his apartment.
Colin shot up straight in bed, the way his friend had said what he said worried him as he locked eyes with Troy.
"Whoa. I didn't do anything." He immediately became defensive and held his hands up. "I have a girlfriend, remember?" With those words, Colin calmed quickly and laid back down in bed.
"So you were home when Leigh brought me back?" As much as he wanted to tell his best friend about everything last night that he could remember, Colin was a good listener, "How did it go with the parents?" Troy's mother was not pleased with the move the organizations made and therefore, Troy's father was not pleased either.
"It doesn't really matter, they'll get used to it and we're still affiliated with the same NHL team so eh." He made a noncommittal noise and mentioned, "She left her number, you know that, right?" Colin's ginger eyebrow shot up and he followed Troy's line of sight to the nightstand where a small ripped piece of paper sat, the ink writing facing up. He picked it up delicately, like it was going to disintegrate in his fingers.
Written on it in loopy scrawl that didn't fit her at all was a phone number and her first and last name.
"Leigh Maloney?" Troy asked, clearly reading it over Colin's shoulder. "Yeah." His friend replied.
"Well, I'll leave you to that, then." He stood and exited the room as silently as he entered, leaving Colin to his thoughts and the small chunk of paper he clutched tightly in his hand.
Unconsciencely, he traced the dents that the pen had made in the paper before he caught himself. What was he doing? Colin shook his curly head and slid out of bed and made his way to the bathroom that was just outside his door. He vaguely took in his appearance in the mirror- hair unruly and body clad in only boxers, his pale skin allowing some veins to trace their way through his body.
"Maybe I should start tanning like Bur?" He questioned himself quietly. Once again, he dismissed this idea and began his morning rituals before the last preseason game of the year that would take place this afternoon at the Rockford Metrocenter, his new home rink.
The two drove together to the rink three hours before game time, lugging their gear with them. The glamour of the major leagues had yet to seep down into the minors, so each player had to take his gear from barn to barn.
Preseason games never really brought a lot of fans down in Norfolk, but here in Rockford, Colin was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people that came to the game. They cheered just as loudly as Admirals fans in the regular season and because the Icehogs were so far in the lead, Colin's teammates exchanged casual smiles with the fans behind the glass and had an all around good time whooping some Rivermen ass.
Most of his teammates were the same, with the exceptions of the guys that had left the AHL when they were moved. Jim Fahey quietly spoke to Colin as they entered the face off circle.
"You're going to want to watch out for that bugger," Fahey jerked his head to the other defenseman, "He's getting a little sparky today." Colin nodded at his captain and skated to the center where the linesman was waiting.
Colin watched the man's hand loosen on the puck and his stick whipped out, grabbing the puck and passing it to Skille who skated past and cradled the pass, making a break for the offensive end. Colin's work was not yet done, he pushed into the zone, joining Skille and Bickell near the crease. Gliding in next to the goalie, he patiently waited for an opportunity perfect for his position of screening the goaltender.
After the game ended with a whooping from the Icehogs, the Rivermen left Rockford and went to start the season elsewhere. Meanwhile, Mike Haviland was giving his boys an amazing peptalk that only Coach Haviland could give. He moved with the affiliation as well, so the players were used to this man being their coach.
The Rockford Icehogs left the rink, eager to start the regular season the day after tomorrow- Saturday night they would be playing in their new barn for their new fans against the Calgary Flames. Nothing changed with that rivalry: they hated each other's guts. Colin shook these thoughts from his head and left with Troy, neither of them bothering to bring their equipment home because they would just be back on Saturday.
"Going to give Leigh a call?" Troy asked his friend as they entered the apartment they shared. Colin glanced over at him when he replied, "Of course."
"You should invite her to the opener. You've been playing really well, maybe you'll score a goal for her." Troy mocked, fluttering his hands around.
Colin began to laugh at him, "You're the one who told Bonnie that last year. Think I don't remember that? When is she going to move up here?"
Troy blushed swiftly when Colin mentioned his long time girlfriend. "Later in the season. We'll move in together and you'll have the apartment to yourself."
Colin did a fist pump and smiled over at his friend before disappearing into his bedroom. Walking towards the nightstand where he left the piece of paper, he picked it up with one hand and with the other, ran it through his wet hair from the post-game shower.
Kicking off his dress shoes and sitting on his bed, he pulled the silver cell phone out of his pocket and put the number into his phone, saving it in his contacts before calling her.
"Hello?" She answered after three rings.
"Leigh." Colin couldn't mistake her voice. "Yes, this is she. Who might this be?"
A smile danced across his face as he replied, "Only the man you tried to kill by making him drink beer and eat chocolate."
"Colin!" His face lit up when he heard the joy in her voice. "I thought you would never call."
"Well I had to work today and I just now got home." Colin couldn't remember if he had told her what he did for a living, but just to be safe, he was vague.
"Did you guys win? How'd you play?"
Okay, he thought, clearly I told her what I do.
Colin laughed and replied, "We won and I had two assists."
"Congratulations, kid!" She exclaimed, her excitement contagious even over the phone.
Colin laid down in bed, "Hey, thank you for bringing me home last night by the way."
"You can repay me with dinner, I think."
"I can handle that."