I'm Addicted to the Thrill

I thought back to the moments leading up to the embrace Patrick and I shared. He had been a complete ass, and I should have expected that. It’d been an easy week at work without the team being around and with Anna not telling me new Patrick horror stories. The easy projects for the lead up to Thanksgiving were a godsend. Media needs were lacking other than the compilations of statements from players during the road trip.

Niki had been the catalyst for my change in heart. One night when Hope had been out with friends, Christine, Niki and Madi came over to have a heart to heart. We talked about Zach and Patrick, but Zach was the focus of our talks. I brought the fact that I was almost bored with how simple it was to date him. He had made plans for his sister Chelsea and me to go have a spa day, but I felt like he was forcing me into the friendship with his sister. I didn’t want to deal with a forced friendship.

Patrick snapped his fingers, and I was back in the moment. He gave me a quizzical look then let go of me. I wondered how long I had been absorbed in my thoughts.

“So how can I make it up to you?” I asked him warily. I had limits, but I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to make it easy on me.

“We could go back to your place, order a pizza, and just hang out,” he said. “Your way of making it up to me is paying for the food.”

I started laughing at how simple that was. Normally I would have guessed the demand would be more complex and embarrassing. Patrick smiled at me then motioned for me to get into the car. Having shown up at the United Center with Niki, I was thankful that he hadn’t asked to get a ride to the apartment with me. I wondered if he even remembered the way to my apartment. He did.

I opened the door to the apartment, and my stomach dropped. Chelsea and Zach were sitting on the couch with Hope and Christine. He hadn’t said he was coming over, and it seemed strange probably that I came home with the one guy he had seen me have a fight with. Zach got up and gave me a kiss breaking at after a long awkward moment. Patrick cleared his throat behind us prompting me to move out of the doorway so he could come in.

“So you all know who Patrick is. That’s Chelsea and Christine, and I’m sure you remember Hope and Zach.” I pointed to each person as I said their respective name. Patrick gave each a short wave then shook Zach’s hand. “I’m going to order some pizza. Who wants what?”

After everyone said what they wanted, I walked into the kitchen and called Pizza Hut. I placed my order and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. I hopped up on the counter sighing. This wasn’t what I was expecting when I got home.

“I thought that when you wanted to apologize, you weren’t with him still,” said a voice. I jumped when Patrick spoke and stared at him like he was crazy for sneaking up on me. He got up on the counter next to me.

“Pat, I like him, some, and I really didn’t think he would be here. You and I are friends, and we know that moving too fast would cause this all to happen again,” I told him scooting over on the on the counter. I wished I had known that Zach was at the apartment before I brought Patrick Kane.

“Dani, you and I aren’t even friends,” sighed Patrick. I looked at him and wondered what he meant by that, but instead of asking him to explain, I got up and went back into the living room.

I sat down next to Zach on the couch. Patrick walked back out taking a seat on the ground next to my legs. The rest of the group stared at us like they were expecting some explanation or for something to have happened.

“So I know how you met my brother through Christine, but tell me how you met Patrick Kane,” smiled Chelsea.

The request on how I knew Patrick was awkward. The boy in question nudged my knee. I wanted to kick him because he was not being helpful at all, but I couldn’t kick him when everyone else was watching us. I met the eyes of my friend hoping she would find a way out of it for me. A shrug of her shoulders told me I was on my own.

“She works at the United Center, and that’s how I met her,” said Patrick. He had apparently gotten tired of waiting for me to answer.

“That’s awesome,” grinned Chelsea.

“Yeah. Kaner and I just became acquainted because I work for the team. Personally, I’m fonder of Jonny and his girlfriend than I am of Patrick here,” I offered up. Hope started to laugh then covered it with a cough.

The clock on the cable box told me that I still had another thirty minutes to wait for the pizza. Food would kill the conversation, and I hoped that it would hurry up. Christine mentioned playing board games, and Hope grabbed the box for Yahtzee. Anything that would pass the time was welcome. I found that my beau and my roommate both had competitive streaks. The awkwardness of the night was dying away as we played our game in the living room. My phone went off, and I left the group to their own game forfeiting after six consecutive bad rolls.

“Hello?” I answered cautiously. Phone calls weren’t always pleasant, and I was prepared for a worse evening. Something else could always go wrong.

“Jonny and I are getting married!” said Niki in one breath. “A December wedding!”

“What?! Come over to the apartment and tell me this in person. I’ll believe it then,” I demanded. The surprise was nice, but December was so close and during the season. I expected them to have waited until after the season had ended.

“Fine. I’m almost there. This was just a warning call, but I had to tell you. Oh, Jonny’s with me,” said Niki. I could hear the happiness in her voice.

I walked back into the living room to see Hope and Zach sitting on the couch kissing. Patrick, Chelsea, and Christine were elsewhere, and I knocked on the wall to get their attention. They seemed shocked to see me, but they should’ve known that I would come back from my room eventually. Part of me wanted to slap my roommate and my now ex-boyfriend, but something else in me told me I should thank them. Zach got up and walked towards me.

“Zach, get out. It’s Hope’s place, but I think you should take your sister and go,” I hissed. Acting mad had gotten me far in life, and I was hoping he would listen. Then I turned my sights on my roommate. “You should go with him. I’ll pack my stuff and stay somewhere else for a bit. Come home later.”

Hope opened her mouth to protest, but she stopped herself and shrugged. Zach called for his sister, and she came out of the kitchen asking what he wanted. Chelsea sighed hearing that they were going. Apparently she had been having fun. I felt a little guilty kicking her out as well, but I had to get them all out of the house. Christine and Patrick walked out into the living room once they heard the door close.

“Zach and Hope are pretty great for each other,” I laughed. “Niki and Jonny are coming over by the way.”

“I’m not as good a match maker as I thought I was,” sighed Christine. She started laughing then gave me a hug.

“It’s alright. He wasn’t so much my type,” I grinned. At least I didn’t have to end up breaking his heart by telling him he bored me.

A knock on the door made me wonder who was out there. My options were the pizza guy or the newly engaged couple. The timing was better for it to be Niki and Jonny. I opened the door smiling gat the new guests. The people at the door came in smiling widely. I gave Niki a hug.

“So why are you two here?” asked Patrick. I turned to stare at him.

“I knew before you,” I taunted.