Christmas Came A Little Late

His mouth hung open cutely as a light snore escaped his parted lips. I ran my fingers through his knotted, almost kinky, thick brown hair. He was in great need of a haircut, but I knew that no matter how much I nagged him about it he wouldn’t get it cut until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

That’s how Evgeni Malkin is.

You can tell him to do something, but he doesn’t. He likes to be stubborn and hard-headed. That is just how he is. And that’s one of the many things I love so much about him. The three years we have been together has been full of arguments and making up. His more outgoing party boy style greatly clashes with my quiet, shy and patient personality.

Evgeni’s arm lay loosely wrapped around my mid section. I smiled at his sleeping position and rolled over onto my side, facing him. My small hand came in contact with his bare pale chest. His skin was warm underneath my hand. I trailed my newly manicured nails down his chest to where the sheets were just covering up his bare lower half.

His breathing become raged as my fingers toyed with the sheet just above his manhood. I knew he was awake by the way his body jerked slightly and his arm tightened around my waist. He would never admit it, but he loved when I teased him in the mornings. Early in the morning, like a lot of men, he was vulnerable and easily turned on. Over the years it became well known to me that he was a big fan of morning sex. Surprisingly, that was one thing we never argued over and had in common.

Continuing my teasing session, I moved so my completely bare body was pressed hard against his side. My lips trailed from his collarbone up to where his earlobe met the side of his head. He made a grunting noise, making me giggle, and pulled my body to lay flat against his chest. Our chests meshed together perfectly, and we could easily feel each other’s body parts.

“You finish what you start.” Evgeni whispered huskily into my ear, his Russian accent the strongest it has been in awhile. His eyes were finally open, and his dark orbs stared into my bright green ones. I smiled at him seductively and took his lower lip between my teeth, pulling it out a little and then planting my lips firmly onto his.

“Oh don’t worry, baby,” I mumbled against his soft, plump lips. “I definitely plan to finish you off.”

*****

The steam from my coffee rose up, blowing in my face, to give it some warmth. I gladly kept my hands wrapped tightly around the cup to keep them warm. Evgeni for some reason insisted on keeping his house freezing. Technically it wasn’t considered freezing, but it was enough to keep goose bumps risen on my arms and legs.

I took a long sip from my hot coffee as I looked out the large bay window in Evgeni’s living room. His neighbors next door were a family of four. There were two little boys that liked to play in the snow during the day. I liked to watch them once in a while, usually imagining what it would be like if those were Evgeni and mine’s kids.

“You look cold.” Evgeni commented as he snuck up behind me, wrapping his muscular arms around my small waist and pulling me into his chest. I rested my head on his now covered shoulder and placed a free hand on top of his.

He buried his face into the crook of my neck and kissed the exposed skin. “Maybe if you turned the heat up I wouldn’t be so cold.” I said jokingly. I could hear him sigh against my neck and felt him pull away from me.

He walked away from me, obviously not wanting to hear me nag him anymore, and into the kitchen. I took one last drink of my coffee and followed him. Evgeni sat at the little table he had in his kitchen and dug into the pancakes I had set out for him. As I washed the few dishes that had collected and put away the clean ones I could feel his eyes following my every move. Even after a three year long relationship the sexual tension between us was high and the love we felt for each other was strong.

Once I had finished the dishes and Evgeni was done eating I quickly pulled my coat on over my pencil skirt and blouse and grabbed my purse. Evgeni watched me curiously and followed me to the front door.

“Where are you going?” He asked, sounding annoyed that I was leaving him unannounced. It was the only day he had off all week and I knew he had planned to stay home with me all day.

I gave him a sad smile and kissed his cheek. “Work. Ev, I told you last night that I had to work today.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against. I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed his lips. “But it’s Christmas Eve.” He protested. Sometimes leaving him was like leaving a child with a babysitter. He never wanted to be without me.

“I don’t have time for this, baby. I love you and I’ll be back tonight for our dinner.” I quickly shouted as I walked out the door to my car. There was no other way to leave. I had to make it quick, like ripping off a band-aid.

*****

Evgeni watched the snow fall through the window of the diner he sat in. Maxime Talbot and Jordan Staal sat across the table from him, wondering what he was so deep in thought about.

“Don’t hurt yourself there, Geno.” Max joked, commenting on how hard the 6’3” Russian hockey player was thinking.

Jordan and Max both barked a laugh as Evgeni glared at the two over grown teenagers. He may be Russian and barely be able to speak or understand English, but he did know when people were being immature.

Jordan shoved a few French fries into his mouth and then looked at Evgeni curiously. “Seriously, Geno, what are you thinking so hard about?” People take Jordan to be the insensitive partying playboy type, but his parents raised him right. He does have a caring and sensitive side.

Evgeni finished chewing his food and took a long drink of his water before turning to answer Jordan’s question. “What do I get Rachel for Christmas?” He asked, referring to his girlfriend of three years. Over the years he had gotten her pretty much everything she could want and she always made sure he knew how much she appreciated it. He was running out of ideas now needed some help.

*****

The three hockey players rushed into the little jewelry store, racing to get out of the snowy, cold weather that had fallen over Pittsburgh. It was extremely bright inside, most likely to make the jewelry look shinier, and luckily warm. A lady came up to the small group asking if she could help them. When the boys told her not yet she gladly smiled and left them to continue their search.

Jordan and Max both went straight to where the engagement and wedding rings usually are, figuring this would be the perfect time for Evgeni to finally propose. But Evgeni didn’t catch onto what they were doing. He went to where the necklaces and bracelets were kept under a glass case.

“Malkin, get over here.” Max shouted, not caring if he drew too much attention to them. Evgeni went to where Max and Jordan were and looked to see what Jordan was pointing at.

Evgeni took a second to admire the beautiful engagement ring. It was definitely perfect but Rachel. The diamond was small and the band was just plain and a white gold color. But he wasn’t looking for engagement rings. There was no way he was ready to commit to Rachel for the rest of his life. He knew he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for such a big step in his life.

“What about this ring?” Jordan asked, motioning for somebody to pull it out for Evgeni to look at. “It’s perfect for Rachel and exactly what she would want.”

“Uh, no.” Evgeni set the ring back down and pushed himself away from the display of rings. “I not ready for that yet.”

Max and Jordan both shared a look. They weren’t ready for marriage either, but that’s just how they were. Evgeni definitely was the type to settle down and start a family young. They both knew Rachel would be devastated when Evgeni didn’t propose to her. The two boys had been around when she had told a few of the girlfriends of guys on the team that she was sure he was going to finally propose.

*****

I had managed to convince my boss to let me leave work a little early. During my lunch break I had talked to Evgeni and knew he planned to hang out with guys on the team until I had gotten off work. I wanted to have a nice dinner ready for when he showed back up at the house. And I needed to finish wrapping his gift.

Sadly his gift was not much. But what does a girl get a guy that has everything he could possibly want? After a lot of trips to the mall and a lot of thinking time I finally settled on getting him a bunch of little things. Mostly shirts, movies and a nice Rolex watch. It wasn’t much, but it was the best I could do.

For dinner I settled on making chicken parmesan with garlic bread and cookies and ice cream for dessert. It was Evgeni’s favorite meal and simple to make. Once the dinner was out and cooling off I quickly ran upstairs and changed into a nice pair of jeans, blouse, and a pair of heels. Underneath I put on a new purchase I had made at Victoria Secret’s. If Evgeni was getting me what I thought he was getting me than there would definitely be celebrating afterward.

Just as I was coming downstairs Evgeni stepped inside the house. He pulled off his jacket and threw it on the back of the couch on the way to the kitchen. I met him inside the kitchen and quickly gave him a hug. He pulled me into a sweet kiss, slow, gentle and perfect. I pulled away first, my hunger over coming the need for sex. Even though it was very tempting.

“Come on, let’s eat first.” Evgeni grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the dining room table where I had candles lit and food placed neatly on our plates. One week while the team was away for games I had gone crazy and decorated the whole house in Christmas decorations. So everything was all comforting and perfect inside. It gave a nice happy feeling to the moment.

“So how was your day with the guys?” Conversation was light as we ate our food and sipped on wine. Throughout the dinner Evgeni had been lacing and unlacing our fingers while my foot kept playing with his leg. The dinner was casual yet romantic and perfect.

“Good. I got you present.” He smiled largely at me and pulled a little square box that was black and had a red bow tied around it. I smiled as he pushed it towards me and stood to pick up our mess, insisting that I open right away. The excitement built up inside me to the point where I was ready to explode.

I stood up and grabbed the present. “You clean this up and I’ll go grab your present.” Just as I was leaving to run upstairs Evgeni grabbed my arm pulled me to him, placing a quick kiss on my lips and then pushing me towards the stairs.

It wasn’t long before we were sitting in the brightly lit living room by the tree we had put up just a week earlier. Evgeni had insisted that I open my first, but I told him to go first. He seemed to really like the things that I got him. And luckily he didn’t mind that I didn’t get him anything too exciting.

“Having you here is good enough.” He said sweetly, holding his hand in mine. “Now open present.” I smiled at him sweetly before slowly untying the red bow. What was hopefully inside it was going to change our lives and really push us toward our future together. I knew I was ready for it and didn’t want to wait any longer.

Evgeni watched me with a big, almost goofy, smile on his face. I giggled at his excitement and pulled the little black velvet box out. It was the perfect box for the perfect engagement ring. Slowly I pulled the box open, a smile ready to spread across my face. Just when I saw what was inside the smile quickly fell from my lips. The second it left my face I forced it back on. Hopefully he hadn’t seen the frown that took place of the smile for just a split second.

“Wow, baby,” I said at a loss for words and extremely disappointed. The pair of expensive looking diamond earrings sat in the box looking beautiful. They were great and I loved them, but they weren’t what I was hoping for. “They’re great.” I forced out, trying to hold off the tears that wanted to fall.

*****

Evgeni lay in bed, trying to catch his breath, with Rachel lying against his chest. Her head was turned so he couldn’t see her face, and that worried him slightly. Rachel loved to cuddle after sex, and all she was doing was lying numbly against his chest. He ran his hand up and down her hip and kissed her exposed neck.

“What wrong, Rachel?” He asked, genially worried. She turned and faced him, a very forced looking smile on her face.

Rachel leaned over and kissed his lips before going back to her side of the bed and lying down for the night. “Nothing. I’m just really tired. See you in the morning, baby.”

*****

Two sleepless nights, and I was finally ready to crash. The last two days had been terrible for me. I had done a lot of thinking, and finally came to a decision that I wasn’t exactly happy about. Just thinking about what I was about to do made me want to break down crying. Though I hated the decision I had come to, I knew it was for the best.

“Evgeni, we need to talk.” I whispered sadly as we sat in a fancy restaurant not too far from CONSOL. The Penguins had just finished playing a game against the Coyotes. They had come out on top, winning 4-2.

Evgeni set his wine glass down and looked at me worried. “Bout what?”

I laced our fingers over the table top and let out a sad sigh. Evgeni obviously knew he wasn’t going to like what I had to say, and I hated knowing what I was about to do to him. “Things aren’t really working out between us anymore.” There was more I wanted to say, but Evgeni spoke up before I got a chance to continue.

“What not working? Everything been great lately.”

He let go of my hand and pushed his chair back from the table a little. I watched as he let out a big sigh and ran a hand through his thick hair. It still needed a haircut.

“You didn’t propose, Geno.” I finally said. It had been a few minutes of silence, and what I wanted to say wasn’t coming out right. At the time, I knew I sounded like a whiny little bitch that didn’t get what she wanted. But for three years I had been putting up with Evgeni’s drunken nights, and parties, and non stop traveling, and tons of arguing.

“I just not ready for it.” That was the main problem.

“Yes, I know that, Evgeni.” My voice had gone from sad and caring to frustrated and annoyed. “That is my main problem with all of this. We have been together for three years. If you aren’t ready to marry me after that long, then are you ever going to be ready for a life with me?”

He was silent, not knowing what to say. Though he had that problem a lot due to his bad English, I knew that wasn’t the case this time. “Rachel, I don’t know.”

And that’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear. Evgeni just watched me sadly as I stood up and pulled on my coat. He knew there was no stopping me now, that I had made up my mind for good.

“Ev, baby, I love you more than anything in the world, you know that. But I can’t do this anymore. I’ll have my stuff out of the house by the time you get home from practice tomorrow.” With that said I left.

*****

It was obvious to the guys on the team that Evgeni wasn’t himself. He was pretty much useless at practice and wasn’t putting any effort into it. In the locker room he took forever to undress and shower, and the whole time he had a frown on his face. Sidney had tried to get him to smile by joking around with him, but it was no use. Nothing could cheer him up.

Instead of going out for lunch with the guys Evgeni went straight home. He was hoping that he could catch Rachel before she left. Maybe convince her to take him back. Inside though, he knew she wouldn’t take him back. He could get down on his knees and beg her to, but she wouldn’t. That’s just how Rachel is. She’s stubborn headed and once she makes a decision there’s no turning back.

By the time Evgeni made it home and got inside all her stuff was gone. Her draw was empty, along with her side of the closet. In the master bathroom the two shared all her perfumes, makeup, soaps and shampoos were gone. She didn’t leave any personal belongings behind whatsoever. But she did leave the decorations she brought at the house, still in their places.

Evgeni pulled a beer from the fridge and popped it open before taking a seat on the couch and turning on the TV. The TV hung above the fire place on the wall. Sitting underneath it were a few pictures of Rachel and Evgeni goofing off, along with a few cute ones that were nauseating to some people.

Evgeni found himself drinking himself into a drunken stupor. He wanted to forget about Rachel and the pain he was feeling in his heart. But he knew there was no way he could. He had to get her back. He needed her more than anything. And luckily, he knew exactly what he needed to do if he wanted to keep her in his life.

*****

It had been two weeks since I left Evgeni, and I was the most miserable I had ever been in my life. I was lonely without him. I hated going to bed without him, or knowing that he would not be holding me throughout the night. And most of all, I missed his company. I missed how he would randomly kiss or hug me. I missed how he would love to joke with me. I missed his sexy Russian accent. I missed everything about him.

It was starting to seem like I made the wrong decision. There was no way I could be happy without him. I needed Evgeni in my life.

*****

Evgeni swayed from side to side nervously as he stood alone in the elevator. The little box that sat in his pocket felt like it weighed a ton and was burning a hole through his jeans. The nerves that were running through his body almost made him sick. Suddenly he was wishing he took the stairs up to her apartment. It probably would have been quicker.

As the bell finally dinged, letting him know he was at the floor he wanted, Evgeni was about ready to turn back and forget about the task he had come for. She would say no. He was sure of it. But he had to at least to try. Over the weeks he had done a lot of thinking. Hockey had always been his only love in life, and the fact of having somebody else to love more scared him.

But he was finally ready. He was sure of it. Nothing was going to make him stop now.

*****

Just as I stepped inside and pulled my heels off from work there was a knock on my door. I groaned loudly and threw my heels down annoyed. It had been a long and rough day at work, and I was in great need of taking a hot bath, eating Chinese takeout and going to bed for the night.

I quickly pulled the door open, ready to yell at whoever was bothering me. But when I saw Evgeni standing in front of me I quickly closed my mouth. He stood with his hands in his pockets, the watch I gave him for Christmas on his wrist. I wanted to smile at that, but thought otherwise.

“What are you doing here, Evgeni?” I stepped aside, letting him into my apartment and shut the door behind me. He moved inside and stood just where the kitchen met the living room.

“I come to get something.” He said, sounding extremely nervous. I watched as he placed with something his pocket.

As I watched him hesitantly I pulled my hair down from its tight bun and ran my fingers through it. “Ok, what do you need? I thought I left everything that you would need or want.” My mind started to race, trying to think of what I had grabbed that he could possibly want.

“I want you.” He said confidently as he pulled a familiar little black box from his pocket and held it out to me, opening it up to reveal a simple, beautiful diamond ring. I gasped and looked at him sadly. The time he decides to propose is when he doesn’t really want to, but feels as though he needs to. “Please say yes.” He mumbled, sounding unsure of himself.

“Evgeni, I can’t.” I pushed the box closed and pushed his arm back down to his side. “You’re just asking me because you feel you have to, and that’s not how I want it to be. I can’t agree to marry you when you really don’t want me to.”

He put the box up and pulled to ring out for me. I watched as he slipped it into the palm of my hand. “I want you to marry me, Rachel. You make me think.” He stopped for a second to get his words straight. Something he had to do a lot. “I need you, and can not imagine life with no you. I ready for marrying you. Promise.”

His words sounded serene, and I was pretty sure he wasn’t lying. But I still questioned him.” Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“You promise?” He took the ring from me and slipped it onto my finger.

“Yes, Rachel. I want marry you.”