Say Goodbye

The oscillating fan inside the somewhat humid bedroom hummed with an electronic lullaby that almost made the man within the sheets on the bed fall into a deep sleep; it was the hottest night that Jonathan Toews had experienced in his entire stay with the Chicago Blackhawks, and the closer the night got to turning into dawn, it seemed to only make the heat rise higher and higher.

Within the tangles of sheets, Jonathan was hardly close to falling asleep. The thoughts in his mind seemed to completely block out any heaviness that he might have felt around his eyelids, his skin slightly sticky and moist from the light layer of sweat that had begun to cover his flesh. The sheets, somewhere between tangled and messy, clung to his skin like a leech would against blood-soaked canvas, and Jonathan was more uncomfortable than he had been the night before when the same event happened.

Jonathan reached a steady hand up and pulled back the sweat-laden sheet that was across his belly and let it fall loosely to the side, feeling the cool air of the fan blowing across the hard-plane of muscle. He sighed, softly and almost inaudibly, before reaching over to his nightstand and pulling his cell-phone from its rightful place; hesitation flooded him, but he shook his head in the second of doubt and pressed the speed-dial of someone who would know what to do.

There was a soft hum of the white noise the fan was creating behind his ear and Jonathan lay back on his pillow, allowing the air from his lungs to pass up into his throat and puff his cheeks out as he exhaled, the ring echoing somehow besides the loud noises inside the bedroom.

"Hello?"

He hesitated again, which was not something that was expected of Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks and son of the great Winnipeg, a city boasting of his roots there; there wasn't a second to waste in the game he played for doubt, but he had faltered so many times outside of hockey when it came to being confident, and this was just proof that the god Jonathan Toews was completely, obsessively human.

"Hey," he whispered, clearing his throat immediately after he realized there was thick spit clogging his mouth, causing his voice to be deeper, strained, more desperate.

There was a moment of silence and a slight cough before the line rustled and he could hear sheets, cloth, something moving in the background. "It's too hot to sleep, huh?"

"Yeah," Jon said, nodding. "I'm sweating a lake in my bed."

"Wanna get something to eat? I could go for some food."

Jonathan glanced over at his clock and realized that it was hardly midnight, the city of Chicago just now beginning to come to life. Of course, he had things to do in the morning; hockey-oriented activities that made his numbingly consistent life seem even number. He should have been asleep hours ago, dazing off into a heavy sleep where he got rest and didn't sweat or call a girl and go out to eat.

"Sure," he said, this time a little quieter.

Jon was tired of being numb.

---

"C'mon," Alyssa laughed, watching Jonathan carefully as he dipped his fry into a vat of ketchup and shrugged, the v-neck of his shirt dipping dangerously low and revealing more skin than any female would consider showing. "You're really going to sit there and try to lie about never taking a girl here to get into her pants?" He nodded, a wry laugh passing his lips before he nodded the waitress over and ordered another round of French fries, his tongue slipping over his bottom lip for a second.

"Did you think that maybe I come here at midnight a lot more often than what people expect?"

"No," she scoffed. "You have your own designated table, you totally use this place to get some pussy. God, Jon, I'm so honored to be in the same seat that all your whores have been before."

Jonathan watched the way her lips wrapped around her straw, sipping her milkshake for a second, and he felt his heartbeat speed up. If there was something he had come to respect about Alyssa, it was the fact that she was beautiful in the most natural, effortless ways. "I haven't been with a girl in a while," Jon said, and he wondered if this was even the right time to discuss this. "I haven't had that need in months."

"Really."

"Well, yeah," he wryly laughed, eating another fry. "I'm not like Patrick Kane."

Alyssa stopped, nodding softly. "You're right, thank God."

She took a moment to watch as her best friend shook his head, wrapping his lips around the edge of his glass and taking a large, refreshing drink of his water; Jon's eyes glanced around the building and she noticed that even as he did this, his throat was moving with the gulps of water he was taking.

"I've known you for how many years, Jonathan?" Alyssa asked, smiling as he cleared his throat and nodded his head a little to the beat that was playing over the stereo system, his tongue running over his bottom lip again. "When you first got to Chicago, right?"

"Yep," he laughed, scratching the corner of his mouth, "and we've been attached at the hip ever since. I wouldn't have survived my first year here if you hadn't been there."

Alyssa had really been an important part to Jonathan's stay in Chicago while he played hockey for the NHL, and while she liked to deny it, he liked to remind her that she was the only constant woman in his life other than his own mother. Tall, curvy, beautiful, and intelligent beyond anyone's expectations, Alyssa had gotten Jon out of some sticky situations when he was still adjusting to life on his own and life in a city like Chicago; saving him when a group of girls had him cornered in a club, coming over and doing his laundry for him after he fell asleep the night before and didn't have any clean underwear for the next day. She was constantly on call, Jon always calling her for something, but as the years passed it became more of just needing to see her face and hear her laugh than needing her to do something for him.

Jon reached over and stole a bite of her food from her plate, and she instantly reached over and grabbed one of his fries, dipping it into his collection of ketchup. "You're the only person that can call me at midnight and I won't rip your throat out," she laughed, their arms accidently bumping after they returned to their respective places on the table. "If Kaner had called me that late, shit, he'd be dead right now."

"I wouldn't like it if you were going on a midnight-rendezvous with anyone else but me, honestly," Jon whispered, looking up briefly at her as he smiled slightly. "I'm protective over my best friend."

"With good reason," she said, "because I'm a hot piece of ass and guys are lined up to get a piece."

Jon frowned just for a second, unsure if Alyssa could see him or not; if there was one thing that he hated more than anything, it was the fact that she was beautiful and men were always wanting to have a part in her life. He hated sharing, especially whenever it came to sharing a person, and after he had briefly introduced her to the guys on the team, he knew they'd all like her just as much as he did. She was gorgeous and Jon, obviously, realized this and sometimes found himself wondering what it would be life if they ever crossed the best-friend line, and into a whole new world of relationships.

There had been a time, just a few months before the moment they were together then, that they had shared a kiss during a drunken celebration during her birthday; it was nice, to say the least, and Jon found himself reaching around her and caressing her cheek with his hand like it was something they had done many times before. The next morning, however, neither discussed it and Jon was unsure if Alyssa even remembered it.

"What time do you have practice tomorrow?"

He looked away from his plate, the place that had garnered most of his attention while he was lost within his thoughts, and searched his mind for the times. "Pretty early, I got a gala to go to tomorrow night for some press for the team; it's going to be boring, most likely, but I've gotta make an appearance."

Alyssa smiled. "You got a date?"

"No, not really," he said, "but Pat's going to be there with one of his sisters, so I figured that we'd all kinda hang around each other; she's nice, but I doubt he'll leave without taking a girl home."

She watched his face, her mind drifting back to how Jon said that he hadn't had sex in a while, and how he acted like he was such a gentlemen and innocent. Alyssa knew so much better, in the years that she had known him she realized that he was quite the fox in bed, and after hearing some girls discuss how he was in bed, she couldn't help but think about him naked. Honestly, though, this was natural; everyone thinks about their guy friends naked at least once, if not many times during masturbation and sex with other men. It's just something that happens.

"Take me," she boldly suggested, tilting her head to the side with a tiny, cute smile. "I mean, it'd be nice to go out and have a reason to get all dolled-up, plus we'd be together and I can't think of a better way to spend my Friday night."

Jonathan smiled, laughing and shaking his head at how forward Alyssa always was. Taking her to the gala meant that he'd have to put up with Patrick hitting on her, which was inevitable, but it had been a while since he'd taken her out with the intent for a good time besides for dinner or to a bar. He liked doing nice things for Alyssa, and he enjoyed doing nice things with her, especially something like a public even where she would get dressed up and looking more beautiful than usual.

"I'll take you, but there's one condition." He watched her, but she just nodded. "You cannot, absolutely cannot leave with anyone but me."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, reaching over the table to pinch Jon's cheek and cup his jaw just for a moment; her eyes met his, gazing into them intensely and both of their lips were upturned into a grin, and finally she nodded and leaned forward, butt leaving the seat to plant a soft kiss against his forehead. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Jon."

---

Patrick Kane shamelessly stared at himself in the mirror in Jonathan's hallway as he straightened his tie, pursing his lips into a kiss while he winked at his reflection; licking his lips and letting them part as per usual, Kane took in his appearance and then turned around in time to watch as Jon came out of his bedroom, nervously pacing the floor.

"Chill, dude," he laughed, sniffling just a tiny bit while he took in his friend's tuxedo. "You look good, man, Alyssa is goin' to be all over you tonight."

Jon rolled his eyes, glaring at Patrick as he walked over to the mirror to check and make sure that his lips looked okay; they were slightly chapped from the coldness of the ice from practice earlier, and they had started to bleed after taking a playful hit from a couple of the guys while goofing around.

"You think tonight will go okay?"

"Obviously," Patrick laughed, sipping from a glass of water while he still managed to admire himself from a new view in the glare of the window. "We're hot, I'm taking my gorgeous sister, and you're bringing that hot-ass friend of yours."

Jon turned around and grabbed his wallet, tucking it into his pocket right as there was a knock on the door; it was Alyssa, he could feel it in his bones, and he took a deep breath as he collected himself, and then walked over to the door and opened it to reveal the woman of the night, her smile so white and beautiful that he was stunned for a moment.

Alyssa wore a simple, classic dark green dress; it hugged every curve of her body deliciously, flowing over her hips and then dipping down her thighs and legs, drinking up her skin and making her pale, creamy flesh look simply delectable. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a messy, but very professionally styled bun, and it complemented the colors of her outfit perfectly. She looked absolutely gorgeous; Jonathan was caught off guard as she waited for him to motion her inside, until he finally snapped out of it and brought his eyes up to hers.

"Hey," she whispered, softly laughing under her breath. "Do I look okay?

Jon shook his head, lips parted and eyebrows raised; he stuttered, fumbled his words and finally got out, "Alyssa, you look absolutely breath-taking," and leaned forward to kiss her cheek softly. Letting her around him, Jon couldn't help but let his eyes land on her butt and how it was very plump and rounded, just the way he liked 'em, and her platform heels clacked against the floor while making her legs look mile-long and sleek.

While he was busy taking in every inch of her appearance, Alyssa rolled her eyes while the other man of the night made his way to her and shamelessly stared at her chest and the way her breasts were tucked nicely into her dress.

"Hey, pretty lady," Patrick smirked, running his hand along the precious space of skin across Alyssa's lower back. "You lookin' fine today, baby."

"You look more Ted Bundy every time I see you, Patrick Kane," Alyssa smiled, pinching his cheek. "I can't wait to see them lead you away in handcuffs... oh, wait. That already happened, didn't it?"

However, any blow that someone might take did not faze Patrick Kane; he pressed his lips against her cheek and lingered there while Alyssa pressed her hand against his hard chest, smiling before he pulled away and winked. "I'm a bad boy, what can I say?"

Alyssa clicked her tongue against her teeth and turned to Jon, who was still looking slightly taken-aback, and smiled as she laced her fingers with his; he looked down at their joined hands and returned the grin, giving her a gentle squeeze before suggesting that they all leave and go pick up Patrick's sister from her hotel. He didn't want them to be late to the gala, although it was inevitable that having Patrick Kane in their group almost surely meant that they would be somewhat fashionably late.

"Ready?" Jon asked, opening the door for her while Patrick lingered in front of the mirror just once more, brushing over his eyebrows and smoothing his hand over his jaw.

She smiled, nodding while stepping through the door and out into the hallway, waiting for Jon to join her and walk with her down to their limousine that was parked outside of Jon's apartment building. Alyssa was slightly nervous, this being the first time that she had really gone out with Jon in a more-than-public event as a true date, but she felt comfortable with him because he was, obviously, her best friend and she knew that he would protect her and keep her safe.

No matter how safe, or how protected, however, neither Jon nor Alyssa would expect what the night held for them, and how Patrick Kane would be responsible for shoving their friendship forward into an unknown, unchartered realm of uncertainty. It was going to be quite interesting, indeed, but if there were two people in the world who could handle it, Jonathan and Alyssa were it.