Reunited

He walked to his door, confused as to who might have knocked. He wasn’t expecting visitors and most people he knew would call before coming over. As he reached for the doorknob, he could just imagine opening to door to his brother and if it was, he was he was ready to kick his ass. Everyone knew that he hated being woken up from his naps.

Pulling open the door, he became more confused. The red haired woman in front of him wore a pair of black heels and a dark green peacoat that stopped mid thigh. He couldn’t tell for sure, but he was hoping that she had something else on underneath the coat.

He moved to the side to let the woman enter his apartment. His eyes followed her as she walked past and her fingers smoothly undid each button. Once she had finished, the coat slid off her shoulders and down her arms, revealing the simple black dress that fit her curves in a perfect manner. It was impossible for him to stop his eyes travelling from her head to her toes.

Once she had her coat off, she folded it over a light wooden chair and turned to look at him. Her brown eyes connected with his blue ones and he noticed a look that he had never seen in her eyes before. She beckoned him closer with her finger as she stood near the living room doorway.

It seemed as though his legs were disconnected from his brain as they moved him closer to the woman. His thoughts were concentrated on why she was in Pittsburgh and not whichever city she was supposed to be in. As he approached, he could feel something inside him bubbling, as if it were ready to explode, and he worked hard to convince himself that it was curiosity that was making him feel such a way.

Standing in front of the petite woman, he looked into her eyes once more. The look that was displayed seemed to clearly declare itself as a mixture between lust and love. Her lips were graced with a smile as he placed his calloused hands on the fabric that covered her hips.

His eyes closed involuntarily as she slowly ran her hands upward along the front of his t-shirt. He felt her hands slide to the nape of his neck causing his eyes to flutter open and look at her. He felt the need to say something, but couldn’t speak. It seemed like he had no voice.

The bubbling in his body increased as she slid her right hand to his cheek and her left hand to his chest. He stared down at the woman, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

As if to answer his thoughts, she lowered his face to hers and placed her lips carefully on his own. The kiss started out sweet and innocently as he moved his lips with hers. He ran his hands up her sides and pulled her into his body. One hand made its way behind her neck, taking hold of her hair and the other made its way to her upper back. He could feel the zipper of her dress beneath his hand and convinced himself not to pull it downward as their kiss continued.

He pulled away for air as her fingers found their way beneath his shirt and began tracing his muscles. Not being able to control himself any longer, his own fingers pulled the zipper down her back. He looked into her eyes as he touched her shoulders and gently started to slip her thick straps down her arms.

He was about to divulge her body when he heard a deep voice call for him. Confused, he looked around trying to find the owner of the voice.

“Staalsy.”

He felt his body rock as his eyes fluttered.

“Staalsy.”

The voice grew sterner and he could tell that the person was next to him.

“Wake up, Staalsy.”

His eyes snapped open as a fist slammed into his upper arm. “What the hell was that for?” he asked, rubbing his shoulder.

“You were being annoying.”

“I was asleep,” Jordan said with a scowl. Suddenly realisation hit him. “I was asleep.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair and closed his eyes. His head fell back onto the head rest behind him. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong with you?” the voice asked from his left.

Jordan looked at the teammate next to him with a raised eyebrow. “There is nothing wrong with me, Pascal, but thanks for asking.”

“While you were sleeping, you muttered some things that were incoherent,” the older man explained. “Was it a good dream?”

The blonde rolled his eyes and ignored the question. “How much longer are we going to be in the air?”

“I have no idea,” Pascal shrugged. “I haven’t been paying attention to anything except you and your stupid mumbling.”

“That was sweet of you to wake me up, by the way.”

“Anytime, Staalsy.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“If I say no, will that stop you?”

Jordan gave the man an annoyed look. “Probably not.”

“Fine, go ahead then.”

“How did you know when you fell in love?” he asked in a low voice, just loud enough for Pascal to hear.

“Why, are you in love?” Pascal asked with a laugh.

“Look, Duper, I’m serious. How did you know when you fell in love?”

“Honestly, you’ll know when it happens.”

“Thank you, Mr Wisdom,” Jordan said with another roll of his eyes.

“You know, Jordan, Pascal is right.”

Jordan glanced up at the man who was now looking over the back of his own seat. “Did you hear the whole conversation?”

“Basically,” the man shrugged. “Why are you asking about love anyway?”

“I just want to know what it feels like.”

“Trust us on this one, Staalsy, you’ll know when it happens. When I fell in love with Anne, it was just something that I came to realise. It’s not like it gets pinned up on the walls of your apartment.”

“God, I feel like such a chick,” Jordan mumbled, dropping his face into his hands. “How different is love from like?”

Pascal let out a chuckle and patted the blonde on the shoulder. “Love is stronger, for sure, right Craig?”

The man nodded. “You’ll figure it out, but it might take time.”

“What about when you fell in love with Carole-Lyne?” Jordan asked, looking at the French Canadian.

“It’s like Craig said, it was something I came to realise and after some time had passed I bought her a ring and proposed.”

“I’m not that committed,” Jordan said, rubbing his hands down his face. “There is no way I’m proposing to anyone anytime soon.”

“But you have someone?” Craig asked.

“Uh, not really,” Jordan admitted.

“Then why do you want to know?” Pascal questioned.

“Just curious,” Jordan shrugged.

“Who is she?” Craig inquired.

“What do you mean?” Jordan cocked a brow.

“You said you don’t really have someone, which I’m guessing means that you are into someone.”

“She’s a friend,” Jordan hinted.

“That ginger girl you always seem to be with? Simone, right?”

Jordan nodded and felt his cheeks turn a different colour. “Can we stop talking about this?”

“Hey, you brought it up,” Pascal said, holding his hands up in surrender.

“One final thing,” Craig interrupted. “If you’re really serious about this girl, take it slow and show her who you really are. She needs to know how important she is to you.”

Sitting back into his chair as the plane descended to the ground, Jordan thought about what the men had told him and Craig’s final words.