Little Lion Man

I pulled my bag over my shoulder and slipped on my Ray Ban sunglasses. I walked the short walk over to the entrance of the Console Energy Center from the parking lot. There was a huge line of girls between the ages of 16 to about 26 from the entrance all the way to the secretary’s office. I just walked passed them, until one blond rudely pulled my arm yanking me back.
“Who do you think you are?” I pulled up my glasses and raised one eyebrow.
“Um, I’m Summer Smith. Why?” She let go of my arm as a man with brown hair and a huge smile walked towards us.

“Miss Smith, how are you?” The blond smiled politely at Shero. I smiled at her and then moved to Ray. “Hey Mister Shero, please call me Summer. I’m good and you?” We shook hands and he showed me to my new office. “Great now that you are here.” I laughed as he showed me to my new office.

“I see you did come along on Friday then.” He smiled at the office I had already hung up my diplomas and signed shirts of athletes I had collected over the years. I nodded and placed my bag on the still neat table. ‘Not for long.’ I thought and smiled.
“Then lets go to the team before they all leave. Training for the A’s is almost over.” I nodded and followed him to the locker room. We walked through the room and past the showers until we were standing in the entrance to the ice.

“Will you be able to walk on those on the ice.” Ray asked staring skeptically at my high heels. I nodded and slid towards the team that where shooting pucks at the keeper. All of the sudden someone screamed like a girl. I looked at the seats but saw no one standing there. When I looked back down I noticed a big wall skate towards me and pick me up before spinning.
“Maxime!” I laughed as I hugged him tight around the neck. He set me back down and all of his team mates where laughing at him. They started forming a circle around me and I smiled at them, pointing at each as I said their name.
Then I came to a halt at the last one. “Evgeni Malkin. Vy menya pomnite? (Do you remember me?)“ Everyone got quite and watched as the Russians face broke into a huge smile before he pulled me into a hug and spun me around like Max had.

“Not even working for an hour and already she has the boys wrapped around her pinky.” I smiled up at Mario Lemieux. He walked over to me and held out his hand. “Sir it is an honor to meet you.” He gave the boys a grin. “Haha, its an honor to meet me.” I smiled and lightly pushed his arm. “You know I’m only joking. It’s an honor meeting you. My wife will flip when she finds out. She is or well was a big fan.” My smile faltered a bit. “Maybe one day you and your family can come over for dinner I’d love to meet the only person that probably remembers me on the ice.” Mario placed a hand to my shoulder.

“You ice skate. Like figure skating?” I looked up from my feet and nodded at Sidney Crosby. “I used to.” Some of the men whistled and I felt my cheeks turn red. “Now now boys. Lets let her get to work.” I smile gratefully at Mario and wave at the boys. I followed Mario to my office as he slid into the big chair in front of my desk, while I took a seat behind my desk.

“You know what your job is?” I look at him and turn my head a bit. “Looking out that the boy’s represent the organization well, anything that has to do with the public relations. I already have most of their Managers numbers and I also have a couple ideas for public appearances in the near future.” Mario nodded and got up. “The season starts in a couple of weeks. I’ll be expecting you in the VIP box next to me.” He winked at me and left to go to his office. The rest of the day I just added all the numbers I needed and reading through all the profiles of the guys. There was a knock on my door, I looked up and smiled at Max, who stood in the doorway of my office.

I felt a tingle in my stomach as I remember all the nights we would lie on his parent’s front porch when I first met him.
I was fifteen at the time and he was nineteen, it was just after the big win of his QMJHL team. I was an exchange student at his mom’s high school and since there was no family that would take me in she did. I hadn’t really had too much time with him because the season had been so great for him, but on the down day’s and especially after the season we spend as much time together as possible.
We never said it out loud but it was a silent agreement that we where basically dating. When Lucie found out she was ecstatic and Will and Frank would always make jokes about us. It was one of the best times in my live.

And as he stood there in my doorway, his wet hair under a baseball cap, in a tight fitting t-shirt and baggy pants I couldn’t help but feel like that little girl again.

“Bon soir Maxime (Good evening Maxime). Come on in.” I grinned as he bowed and sat down in front of me, where a couple of hours ago Mario Lemieux had sat. I rubbed my eyes and couldn’t wipe that smile off my face. “So, tell me Sum, how come we haven’t seen each other in so long?” I leaned back and shrugged the smile slightly falling. “A lot happened in my live and in yours. But we do need to catch up. When you win the Stanley cup this year.”

There was a comfortable silence. “I watched you win Lord Stanley in ’09. I was really proud.” He laughed and stood coming over to me and pulling me to my feet. “I remember you giving me sudden deafness when you called me that night.” I laughed and hugged him tight. “I didn’t think you'd actually pick up you phone.” I looked up into his dark blue eyes and stood on my toes as his face leaned towards him. When our lips touched the spark that was once there did not appear. I sighed and fell back onto my feet.

“Nothing?” I shook my head, somehow I felt bad. I loved Max. But now it was different to when we where both still young. “Maybe we were always meant to just best friends.” He smiled, a little disappointment evident in his eyes. “Well, I have to get back to work for a while.” I placed my hand on his cheek and gave him a last peck on the lips. “I’ll come over tonight. When do you get off?” I looked at my watch. “I’ll be out here at five, so I’ll be at home around five thirty.” I scribbled my address onto a paper and gave in to him.

He left after giving me a kiss on the forehead, letting me get back to my work.
After reading almost all of the First Team’s medical reports for this season and writing down who was out, Jordan Staal, I placed a couple of folders in my bag and shut off my computer. I locked up my office at ten past five and walked to my car after saying bye to Ray and meeting the head coach Dan Bylsma, who I made a lunch date with for the following day to talk about the players and what he thought I could do for them.

I finally got to my car at about quarter to six and drove the fifteen minutes to my new house. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I loved it and it was all mine. I placed my bag onto the counter in the kitchen before making bread and walking up to my office/ second guest room, on the left side of the hallway, to check my mails.

After answering a couple of mails and finishing my food I went to my bedroom and got a shower. Max had send me and SMS that he’d be around at around eight thirty, which I found kind of late for dinner, but since I had just eaten I didn’t really care. After the shower I dressed in comfy clothes and went to unpack some of the boxes that where still standing in my office and in the kitchen down stairs. I was in the middle of sorting folders when the doorbell rang I looked at my watch and saw that Max was fifteen minutes early.

“Hey there M&M.” I smiled opening the door, receiving a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Your early.” I let him in and like the well-mannered man he is he took off his shoes. “Yeah, I thought you could give me a house tour.” I nodded as he followed me up the stairs to the first/main floor. I showed him everything and he gave some comments on how I had designed. Finally I showed him my deck, from where you could look over the park that was in front of my small east end-south house.

“Its really beautiful.” He smiled entwining our fingers and pulling me into a hug. We stood there for a while, my head resting on his chest, his head on top of mine, his arms around my shoulder and mine hanging loosely from his hips. “When the 9-22 game is over we should go and have a drink and you’ll tell me why you came to Pittsburgh. Okay?” I nodded and we pulled away. “Well let’s go.” “Go where?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. Max only smirked and told me we where driving with my car.

We got into my car (Audi A4 in black) and he gave me directions to where ever we were going. We arrived at a small Chinese restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh, half an hour later. We got out and Max loosely put his arm around my shoulders. “You drive like a man.” He mumbled, I laughed and punched him in the side. “And you scream like a girl.”

We entered the almost totally empty restaurant and Max went straight to the glass wall where a couple of tables where pushed up against each other and already a group of people sat.
“Bon soir guys and girls!” I smiled and waved awkwardly before being introduced to Marc-Andre Fleury and his girlfriend Veronique, Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby, Mike Comrie and his wife Hilary, Tyler Kennedy and Chris Kuniz ho was also accompanied by his wife. “And of course you seem to know Malkin.” We sat down after I had shaken everyone’s hands and had given Evgeni a kiss on the cheek.

“So Summer, how do you know Max and Geno?” I looked up at Sidney. I understood why so many girls thought he was the hottest thing since toast. “Max, I met when I came to Canada as an exchange student and I met Evgeni when I was in Russia for a couple of month to train at the arena in Magnitogorsk.” We, Max and me, had just ordered our drinks when a tall blond came in with crutches.

His short blond hair was gelled to perfection and his toned arms popped out every time he leaned on the crutches. He wore jeans and a grey t-shirt. He looked up and I felt my stomach crunch at the sight of his blue eyes.
“Summer, this is Jordan.”