Long Time No See

"Come on, Mom," Leslie protested. "Seriously. I haven't seen the kid in four years. He probably doesn't even remember me. Do I have to go?"

"Even if he doesn't remember you, once he sees how gorgeous you are, he'll never forget you again." Leslie rolled her eyes. "Besides, Andree and Bryan have been good friends of ours for a long time now. You and Jonathan grew up playing in diapers together." Leslie narrowed her eyes. "What? He has always been a nice boy and I'm sure he's still the same. His parents raised him well. Now quit whining, and let's go."

Leslie sighed and followed her mom out the door. Her mom unlocked the car and Leslie sat in the passenger seat, and buckled up her seat belt. Her mom turned on the car and pulled out of the driveway.

"Can you turn on the air conditioning? It's so hot," Leslie asked. Her mom turned on the air and Leslie looked out the window. "So who's gonna be there, anyway?"

"Lots of people," Her mom replied, turning onto the highway. "Mostly the Toews' family and close friends. We count as close friends," Her mom pointed out. \

"It still doesn't make sense. You and Dad see Andree and Bryan all the time, but seriously, when was the last time I saw Jonathan? I only saw him once in a while when our families would get together. We never talked or hung out outside of that," Leslie said. "And Dad doesn't have to come."

"Your father is working, and I don't care when the last time you saw him was, Leslie." Her mom sighed, and moved over into the right lane to get the right exit. "His parents are good friends, and the family has always been good to you. You're going to be pleasant and congratulate him on his accomplishments. Okay?" She said sternly, and Leslie knew it wasn't a question, it was an order.

"Fine."

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the Toews house and parked on the street along with lots of other cars. Leslie looked around at the familiar brick house with the big front porch. It was on a nice street, with green grass and lots of area separating the houses. Leslie got out and closed the door behind her. She definitely knew the house well. She had been here many times when she was little, but when Jonathan turned 14, he appeared less and less at family get-togethers. When she turned 14 a year later, they both stopped going altogether (the outings turned into parent-only get-togethers) and started hanging out with their own friends.

Then Jonathan left for Shattuck... And of course, when he turned 18, he got drafted (3rd overall!) and turned into a big shot hockey star. So far in his four-year career, he had won a couple of trophies, a gold medal, and now the Stanley Cup. It's not that it wasn't cool. But would Jonathan really have time for - or remember - small-town Canadian people from his hometown? Leslie didn't think so.

Leslie followed her mom up the steps and waited as her mom rang the doorbell. She thought about it. She had seen him, once, when he came home three years ago for Christmas. He had been at the grocery store, with a ton of people around him. She hadn't talked to him, and he hadn't seen her. He came home every summer and Christmas, and the odd time throughout the year, obviously. But she had never seen him, except for that once.

"Hey, guys!" Andree, Jonathan's mom, answered the door, grinning. "Come on in!" She hugged Leslie's mom and then looked over her shoulder at Leslie.

"Leslie! I haven't seen you in a while. You look nice!" She exclaimed. She pulled Leslie in for a hug, then motioned for them to come in.

The Toews' house wasn't small, but it wasn't overly big either. It was big enough though, apparently, to hold about 50-60 people. Leslie waved to her mom, then walked past the front porch and into the living room, looking around for anybody she knew. She saw nobody familiar, except for Bryan Toews, who was leaning against the fireplace and talking to a few people. She sighed, and slipped past the crowd to find her mom again. She found her talking with Andree and a few older ladies.

"Hey, mom," Leslie said quietly.

"Oh, hi, Leslie! This is Andree's sister, and a few ladies that she works with. Say hi," her mom said. Leslie smiled and nodded at the ladies.

"We're going to go grab some snacks," one of the ladies said. The three of them, including Andree's sister, turned and headed towards the kitchen.
"
"Leslie, dear, Jonathan was just here," Andree informed her. "He went to talk to someone else, but we want you two to say hello! It's been years!"

"I know," Leslie smiled.

"Isn't that him over there?" Leslie's mom asked. She pointed to a tall young man standing next to Bryan. He hadn't been there when Leslie looked before.

"Oh, so it is! Come with me," Andree took Leslie by the hand and pulled her through the crowd. Leslie's mom stayed behind to talk to someone.

"Jonathan, honey," Andree said, taking the young man's arm. He turned around and smiled at his mom. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. Leslie couldn't help but notice how they outlined his body perfectly. "Do you remember Leslie?"

"Yeah, mom, of course. Hey." Jonathan reached out and they shook hands. Leslie noticed how strong his handshake was, and tried not to stare at his arms. He was a lot cuter than she remembered. "Long time no see."

"Yeah," she replied. "It's been a while."

"You two catch up. Bryan, would you come help me in the kitchen?" Andree called to her husband. She smiled, then walked away with Bryan in tow.

Leslie looked back at Jonathan nervously, and they both smiled awkwardly. Jonathan headed toward the couch in the corner, and Leslie followed.

"So, how you been?" Leslie asked after a moment of silence. Wow, stupid question.

He laughed and scratched his head. "Pretty good, I can't lie. It's nice to be home though."

"Yeah, I bet. How do you feel about all the commotion you've caused around here?" She teased.

He shook his head. "It's crazy. I'm not really used to the whole 'center of attention' thing."
"
No way. Aren't you this insanely amazing hockey player who everyone knows back in Chicago?" Leslie was surprised.

"I guess so," he shrugged. "But I have teammates who are better suited for the spotlight. I just play hockey because I love it."

"You sound like a commercial." Leslie grinned.

"It's true," Jonathan said, laughing quietly.

"And you just happen to be amazing at it?" She asked.

Jonathan looked at her curiously. "Do you watch the games?"

Leslie felt stupid. "Uh, no. Not quite. I mean, I've been to some games and stuff," She said. A smile appeared on the corners of his lips as she tried to explain herself. "And I saw the gold medal game. I'm really into the whole Olympic thing. Me and my parents watched it together..." She blushed as he looked at her, smirking. "Okay, okay! I don't know all that much about hockey, alright? But you just won the Stanley Cup, and I know enough about that to know that you have to be somewhat good."

"Hmm," he said, "I'm trying to figure out if I should say thank you to that."

Leslie laughed.

"So, how have you been? I don't remember the last time I saw you." He said.

"I think we were in diapers," Leslie said. He looked at her awkwardly, then started to laugh. "Kidding. I think we were like 14? At Christmas time, maybe?"

Jonathan shook his head. "No, I think it was the summer before I left. Mom had a barbecue for me."

"Oh, right! I remember. You were surrounded. That must have been the start of the craziness right then, eh?"

"I guess so. It was a week or so after I got the call to sign my contract, right?"

"I honestly can't remember," Leslie frowned, opting to change the subject. "Do you like Chicago?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I do. The people are really great there, they give us space, you know?"

"Not like here," Leslie grinned.

"No, not like here," He agreed. They held each others' gaze for a moment before Leslie tore her gaze away, glancing at the floor.

"So-"

"Jonathan, some of your cousins just arrived. Come say hi," Andree appeared out of the crowd.

"Okay," Jon replied, glancing at Leslie. "I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure."

Jonathan smiled and stood up.

"Oh! Wait," Leslie called after him. He turned back towards her, raising an eyebrow. "Me and my mom are leaving soon. We had only planned to stay for a little while."

"Oh. I understand."

Leslie nodded, smiling at him halfheartedly. "It was nice to see you."

"Yeah, you too..." he replied. He seemed to be debating something. Leslie waited curiously, until he finally pulled out his cell phone and looked at her questioningly. She took it and smiled, entering her number.

"There." She handed it back to him.

"Jonathan!" Andree called from across the room. He turned to look at his mom, and then smiled at Leslie one more time before disappearing into the crowd.

Leslie found her mom in the kitchen.

"You ready to go, sweetie?" her mom asked, grabbing a piece of pineapple.

Leslie nodded. "Yeah."