I've Missed You

Sun streamed through Nida’s bay window at her and her boyfriend’s apartment. She sighed, not wanting to leave her dream about a certain Frenchman from her past. She felt arms around her waist and turned around to face Ben, her current boyfriend. She bit her lip, lifting his slim arms off her waist and slipping out of their bed.

As she looked in the bathroom mirror and she noticed her forehead was covered in a layer or sweat. Her plump lips turned into a frown and she rinsed her face, along with brushing her teeth. As she watched the water swirl down the drain she thought of her past, and the man that plagued her dreams.

Kris Letang and Nida had known each other since they were little chaps. Their dads were the best of friends, always inviting one another over for any reason they could think of. Since they were always around each other Kris and Nida were bound to form some kind of relationship, and that was friendship.

All during their school time together they were the best of friends, always having each other’s backs and helping one another when they needed it. Kris was there when Nida caught her 2nd boyfriend cheating on her and Nida was there when Kris got drafted.

Kris being drafted was a huge change for both of them, not did it just change where Kris was going with his life but it changed Nida’s and Kris’s feelings toward each other. The day before the two had given themselves to each other. They promised each other that it was strictly because they were best friends and didn’t want to give their virginities to someone who didn’t care.

But while they lay together after it all had happened, both their feelings had changed completely. They saw each other in a way they had never seen one another before. Nida noticed the way Kris always ran his hand through his hair when he was nervous or over heated; she used to think that it was the most annoying thing on earth but now that she paid attention it seemed like the most erotic thing she’d ever witness with clothes on.

Kris asked her to move to Pittsburgh with him two days after he got drafted and she immediately accepted. Nida was there the day Kris found out Luc had died. They were lounging together in their apartment when he had gotten the call, she was the one he cried on and she comforted him.

But soon, things changed. Kris became incredibly distant. He never called her to hang out anymore, he changed completely. But in Kris’s words, “shit happens, things change, maybe it’s for the better.”

Those 9 words had broken Nida completely. She stopped all contact with him, getting a well-paying job and moved out less than a month later. Before that she was staying with Max, another Frenchman she had met on the team. She deleted his number off his phone and only watched the games when she knew she would be getting drunk afterwards.

Almost 3 weeks after moving out she met Ben. He seemed like the perfect guy any girl could dream of, the good looks, the sweet personality. But to Nida, he just wasn’t Kris. But she still was with him anyway.

It had been almost 7 months since Kris changed and she and ben were nearing their 6 month anniversary. They lived together already, the moved in together when they had been together for almost 3 months and Ben had told her he loved her, something she hadn’t replied with.

It was rushed, Nida knew that, but she needed some kind of distraction. And it worked for a while, almost 3 whole weeks. But she still dreamt of him, thought of him, even brought him up when she told old stories to Ben.

Nida snapped out of her thoughts and walked out of the bathroom seeing Ben already up and getting dressed. She smiled at him but he wearily returned it making her concerned.

“Ben, you okay? Bad dream?” She asked. Ben shook his head and opened his closet door.
Nida took a quick glance and saw all of his things were packed in suitcases and boxes.
Nida’s mouth dropped open and she looked at Ben in question. He sighed and sat next to her on the bed.

“Are we moving or something?” She asked quietly and Ben shook his head, chuckling halfheartedly. Ben took her hands in his and turned to face her. Her breath coming in short panicked spurts.

“Nida, I know you don’t love me. I’ve known for a while. It’s Kris, not me and I’ve come to terms with that. And this is me, letting you go so you can go tell him.” Nida sniffled and kissed Ben’s cheek softly and watched as he slowly took his things out of the room.

She helped him place his boxes inside his car and hugged him once more, “Call Max.” he had whispered to her when they pulled away. She tried to ask why but he was already in his car and on his way to leaving her.

“Hello?” Almost 5 minutes after Ben had left, Nida picked up her phone and dialed the man’s number, wondering what the fuck he had to do with Ben leaving her.

“Max, what the hell is going on?” Nida asked sternly. She bit her nail as she heard the man chuckle on the other end.

“So Ben left?” He asked.

“You knew?” She asked him, her voice raising in pitch a few notches. Tears sprung to her eyes. It wasn’t because she had loved him, both knew that she didn’t, but it was because Ben had been her rock for the past couple months and it was like losing a best friend.

“He came to me. He knew you still loved Kris and he thought he would help you, give you a little push to tell him...So he thought of this whole thing..” He explained. Nida sighed and leaned back against the wall.

“What whole thing?” Nida asked, still confused.

“I have a surprise for you. Go to Starbucks at 11 this morning and call me when you get there, okay? Look beautiful!” He told her and before she could reply she heard the dial tone.

She groaned loudly and checked the clock seeing she had a little under an hour to ‘look beautiful’ as Max as said it. She ran to the bathroom and immediately started working her masterpiece.

45 minutes later Nida emerged wearing tight fitting jeans that made her butt look fabulous and a simple whit tank top with a fitted blazer over top. She completed the outfit with black pumps and grabbed her clutch before walking out to her car.

She arrived at the Starbucks a few minutes later and dialed Max’s number for the second time that morning. She heard his ridiculous ring back tone and waited for the French voice she had become accustomed to.

“Hello my love. I’m sitting in Starbucks right now. Tell the person at the register your name and she’ll lead you back to me.” Max told Nida before hanging up once again. She sighed before hopping out of her car, grabbing her clutch and heading inside. She was used to having to be led back into a reserved room since it was too risky for the hockey players she was friends with to be out in the open, for all the public to see, scream about and trample.
She waited in line for a few moments before she reached the register. It was a young woman dressed in the usual uniform, she smiled at Nida.

“How can I help you?” She asked politely.

“Hi, my name’s Nida. I was supposed to tell you my name and.....” She saw the spark of recognition in the girl’s eyes and she smiled, waving her over to the area where she saw a hallway opening at. The girl came out from behind the counter and led her back to a private room, leaving her standing in front of the door.

Nida shrugged and opened the brown colored door and walked inside. It was a private room, which Nida already guessed. It had a large window that looked out into the city and a table was seated in front of it.

A familiar pair of dark brown eyes met hers and she froze. Kris Letang sat in the table in front of the large window. His hair in a usual beanie of some sort and he was dressed in a gray shirt and well-fitting jeans. He got up out of his seat, taking a rather large breath and walking over to Nida who was still frozen. He hesitantly stood in front of her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Nida....Hi.” He greeted quietly. Nida finally snapped out of her shock and looked at Kris with bewilderment. She was shocked to see that he was about to act like nothing had happened.

She brushed past him and walked over to the table.

“Nida, please hear me out.” She heard Kris ask from behind her. She bit her lip and watched people walk across the street out the window.

“Talk.” She told him, not bothering to look at him.

“I was a jerk, an asshole, a dick. I was plain stupid and I’m so, so sorry for that. It was my way of dealing with Luc’s death, to push away the one person I love. As soon as I said those last words to you I regretted it immediately.” He told her. She sighed, her pissed façade shaking when he mentioned Luc’s death. She turned to look at him and saw how sincere he really was.

“Love?” She asked him. He looked confused for a second before biting his lip and turning
toward the window she had been looking out of.

“I love you Nida. I’ve loved you ever since that one night we gave ourselves to each other, and when you were there for me through all of Luc’s death, always giving me your shoulder to cry on and comforting me. Hell, Nida you were there until I was such a asshole that I pushed you completely away.” He told her. Nida was frozen, not believing that the Frenchman she had known forever actually had the same feelings for her as she did for him.

“Nida, please say something.” Kris whispered, walking over and kneeling in front of her. He took her face into his calloused hands and connected his eyes with her tear brimmed ones.

A small, fragile tear cascaded down her face and Kris wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

“Please don’t cry, ma belle fille.” Nida smiled for the first time in a while and Kris followed suit, pulling her face towards his and planting a sweet, soft kiss on her plump lips

“ Je vous aime aussi.”

&& then lived happily ever after.