Just Another Pretty Face in the Crowd

Chapter Twelve – In Deep

“So," I started, mindlessly. "What are we going to do today?” I asked, looking at fully built man that was sitting beside me.

“Anything you want to do,” he answered flashing me his infamous smile.

“Sidney,” I warned in annoyed tone.

“Okay, if you really want to do me,” he replied in a smart ass tone.

I gasped at his perverted joke, “That’s not what I meant!”

He started laughing at me, “I know but I just had to do it. I mean you left the door wide open!” He continued to laugh.

“You’re so mean!” I said in a childish voice, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Oh, come on! I know you thought it was a little bit funny,” he said with a smirk playing on his face.

“I hate you, Sidney Crosby,” was my only reply.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Dru,” he whined.

I didn’t say anything. I just stared out the window of his truck as we drove through the city. I didn’t know where we were headed but I really didn’t care, as long as I was doing something other than sitting around in my apartment all day.

“Dru,” he said in whining voice.

I can’t help but think how it was really funny that this grown man was whining at me to talk to him. I tried really hard to hold back a smile and it was even harder to hold back the snicker that was playing on my tongue.

“Dru,” he continued to whine and finally I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Yes,” I said, questioningly. I turned to him with a smile on my face and a small laugh lacing my voice.

“I hate you, Dru Thompson,” Sid said in the some tone that I had done.

I couldn’t help but laugh at him, “Sid!”

“Nope, I don’t like you. I’m not talking to you anymore,” he said very childish.

I raised my eyebrow at him, “Oh yea?”

He definitely held onto his word because he didn’t answer me. He just continued driving down the street, heading to wherever we were heading.

I sighed, thinking of something to make him talk to me. That's when an idea popped into my head. It wasn’t too drastic for this situation but it would definitely let me know if he indeed liked me or not. I glanced over at him and he was still staring out the wind shield. I knew he was watching me out of the corner of his eye but he wasn’t about to actually let me know that.

I unbuckled my safety belt carefully, earning a strange look from him. I couldn’t help but smirk a little at that. I leaned over the middle console of the truck and gentle pecked him on his cheek. He jumped a little at the touch of my lips but quickly recollected himself.

“Do you hate me now?” I asked, sitting back on my own seat again. I was staring at him curiously.

“Hun, I could never hate you.” He glanced at me, flashing that gorgeous smile of his. A shiver involuntarily ran down my spine, but I would never let him know that.

“Okay, in that case, you need to shave,” I teased.

“Now that’s not nice,” he said pouting at me.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his cuteness. I loved his chocolate brown eyes and his smile made me weak in the knees. God, I was really falling for him. “Whoever said I was nice?” I asked smirking at him.

“You kind of led me to believe that you were,” he replied with a simple smirk playing on his lips as while.

“Don’t always believe what you see.”

“And why is that?”

“Usually there is more to it,” I replied, looking out the window. I glanced around casually but quickly realized that I didn't recognize anything. “Where exactly are we going?”

“I figured we could hang out at my place today because obviously we both don’t know what to do,” he said. “Maybe we can watch a movie or two, eat take out, and just enjoy each other’s company.”

“Sounds good to me.”

******

“Okay, here we are,” Sid said, parking his truck in a parking lot to another apartment building. It was in better quality than mine and was in a better part of the city as well.

“You live here?” I asked, jumping out of the truck.

“Yea, why would I lie about where I live?” he said with a little laugh at the end.

“I don’t know,” I said with a simple shrug. “Maybe because you aren’t Sidney Crosby and you are trying to kidnap me and sell me to sex slave traders from Colombia?”

He just looked at me like I was on drugs. “Yes! I’m secretly named José! That was my plan all along!” he shouted dramatically before he continued on his way to the building.

“I KNEW IT!” I shouted, making a few people that were walking down the sidewalk look at me like I was insane. I just brushed it off and followed him. We walked into the building. He automatically led me to the stairwell. “What floor?”

“The seventh, why?”

“I was going to say if you live on the twelfth floor that I could muster up the courage to step in the death trap of doom,” I said, eyeing the contraption that was ahead of us.

“Do you still want to do that? I mean it will be seven flights of stairs.” Sidney tried persuading me. The sad thing: it was working. I really didn’t want to walk up all those flights of stairs just to crash and burn on his couch. Let’s be honest, that’s a lot of stairs.

“I doesn’t matter right now, as long as we get up there.”

“Okay,” he looked at me, then the elevator, then the stairs. It was almost as if he was fighting with himself, debating to go on the elevator and have me spaz out or go up the stairs and have me past out on his couch for a while. “Elevator?”

I groaned inwardly but tried to put on a cheery face, “Okay, I guess.”

“Are you sure?” He frowned a little, seeing right through my facade.

I nodded my head and we went over to the elevator. He pushed the up button and we waited patiently for the elevator to come and pick us up from whatever floor it had been on previously. I gulped a little as it dinged and the metal doors slid open to reveal the cramped chamber. ‘Here goes nothing.’

We walked in and I immediate went to the wall, holding onto the railing that surrounded the entire elevator. I inhaled a little and glanced at Sidney, who was looking at me with amusement and a hint of something else on his face.

“You think you’ll make it?” he asked, amused.

“Maybe,” I said as the doors closed and that’s when the panic began to raise up. I could feel the beads of sweat on my palms and the shortness of breath in my lungs. Thoughts of the cables snapping, making the elevator drop, flooded my head. I closed my eyes tight and tried to think happy thoughts. ‘Dusty. Softball. Sadie, okay maybe not Sadie. Tony. Sidney. Sidney’s hair. Sidney’s eyes. Sidney’s smile. Oh God, I’m becoming obsessive.’

“We’re almost there,” Sidney said, softly. I opened my eyes and saw that he was now standing right beside me. I was so wound up in my 'happy thoughts' that I hadn’t noticed that he had moved. That’s when I became aware of his hand on my back. It was surprisingly comforting.

“What floor?” I asked, meekly.

“The fifth now,” he said, looking down at me with those melted chocolate colored eyes. It truly felt like I was putty in his hands at that moment.

‘Yea, I’m in deep,’ I thought.

I nodded at him and then tried to focus once again on my happy thoughts. I resisted the urge to stand closer to him and ask him hold me in that bear hug that he has.

A couple seconds later, the doors slid open and he grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the death trap. I liked the feel of his hand in mine. It was almost like they belonged together.

He stopped in front of his apartment door. 7C. He opened the door and led the way inside. His apartment was surprisingly cleaner than the typical bachelor pad. I have to say, even though he was a professional athlete, he really didn’t live like one. His furniture looked brand new but other than that there was nothing that led me to believe that he was.

I took off my pea coat hesitantly and Sidney took from my hands. I shoved my gloves and penguin hat into its pockets before he could walk away.

“Make yourself at home,” he said before he walked over to the coat closet, where he hung my jacket and then his own.

“What are we going to do first?” I asked, looking around the living room, debating which would be comfier to sit, the couch or the big plush loveseat.

“Why don’t you pick out a DVD and I go get something for us to drink?” Sidney suggested.

“Okay," I agreed, smiling nervously.

“What would you like? I have water, iced tea, and soda.”

“Iced tea, please,” I said, kneeling down in front of the DVD collection. I heard him walk out of the room. I skimmed over the titles and as a typical guy there were no chick flicks in sight. I really didn't like them myself either. I squealed with delight when I recognized one of my favorite movies. Boondock Saints.

“Find anything you like?” Sidney asked, walking back in with my iced tea and a beer, which was probably for him.

“Yes!” I said with a delight. “Boondock Saints is awesome!”

He chuckled at my delight as I handed over the DVD, “I never pegged you as one of those girls that liked gun fights and blood bath.”

“A lot of people don’t,” I said with a smile as I sat down on the couch. I reached for my iced tea and took a sip.

After popping the DVD in the player, he came over and sat down next to me. He pointed the remote at the TV and started the movie. He looked over at me, “I have a feeling you only like it because you think the guys are hot.”

I faked gasped, “Well, they are!”

*****

It was around one when the movie’s end credits started rolling. Sidney had managed to do the ‘stretch the arms’ move and by the end of the movie I was pretty much tucked under his arm, resting my head of his chest with my feet curled up underneath me.

“So," Sidney began, trying to figure out what to do next. "Do you wanna watch the sequel first or order take out?” He finally asked, looking down at me.

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“That’s so much help, Dru.”

I just grinned at him. I sat up and stretched my hairs out and twisted around, cracking my spine.

“Well, are you hungry?” he asked.

“Not really,” I replied.

“So the sequel?”

“It doesn’t matter!” I said laughing a little.

Sidney just shot a look at me, “You are not helping, woman!”

I just shrugged and looked at around the room. I hadn’t really noticed my surroundings before now. There weren’t many pictures around. The only pictures that were there were of family, from what it looked like. One wall was completely dedicated to his hockey achievements, from his first goal in the NHL to pictures of him and the Stanley Cups. Our empty drinks sat on a glass coffee table that had a couple Sports Illustrated magazines sitting on it.

“What you thinking about?” he asked, catching me looking around the room.

“Nothing really,” I said mindlessly, still panning the room.

“Sure.” I didn’t say anything back just leaned back into the sofa. I sighed a little, watching him fumble with the DVD in the player and putting it away. He grabbed the sequel and turned back to me, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m just thinking.”

“I thought you weren’t really thinking,” he said, smirking at me, catching me in my white lie.

I just shrugged, “I know this is gonna sound really weird but can we go for a walk?”

“When it’s 34 degrees out?” he asked. I could tell by his voice that he couldn't really believe that I just asked the question.

“Yes." I was completely serious about us going outside for a little. I was hoping that getting some fresh air would help settle my restless mind.

“Okay,” he said, setting the DVD down on the coffee table. “If that’s what you want to do…”

I smiled weakly at him and stood up, “Are you sure, I mean we can stay and watch the movie if you want.”

He just looked at me. “You want to go for a walk, then we’ll go for a walk.”

I nodded in reply. He handed me my pea coat and pulled it on with my gloves and hat.

He led the way to the elevator. Once again I was forced to think some happy thoughts. The only difference from the first ride was when he pulled me into a hug. His cologne hit me full force, making me smile a little as he rubbed my back to comfort me.

When we reached the first floor, he gently took my hand in his and led the way out. We walked down the sidewalk, chatting about random things like the business people that were running around with their Bluetooth glued to their ears.

“What did Dusty have to say this morning?” Sidney asked, switching subjects on me.

“Just to check up on me. To him, I’m his baby sister, even though we’re twins.”

“I’m guessing you’re the younger one,” he said with a smirk.

“By three minutes and twenty-seven seconds,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He never misses an opportunity to remind me.”

“Most twins don’t.”

“I hate that he doesn’t.”

“He still cares. That’s the important thing,” Sid said, glancing down at me.

“I know.”

We got back to the apartment building about an hour later. We rode the elevator again and Sidney did the same thing as he did before, his hands mindlessly rubbing my back. As well as, running his fingers through ends of my curly hair.

“Take out?” he asked as he pulled off his jacket as we walked into his apartment again.

I handed mine to him and nodded, “Yes, please.”

“Okay, I think I have a menu somewhere in this place. Just give me a couple minutes to find it and you can see what you want,” he said, hanging up the coats. I sat down in the living room and turned on the TV like I owned the place, not that Sidney minded much because he just walked out of the room and into the kitchen in search of the lost Chinese menu.

I was zoned in on the TV show I was watching, which I believe was something like Jersey Shore. All I know it was a retarded “reality TV show” that had people grinding against other people and getting drunk then causing drama.

I was so zoned that I didn’t realize Sidney sat down next to me with his brow furrowed together at the insanity that people call television. “What the hell are you watching?” he asked.

“I have no idea but it’s really entertaining to watch,” I replied back, not even glancing his way.

“Oh God! It’s corrupted your brain already!” he shouted.

I couldn't help but bursting out laughing at him, “It didn’t corrupt my brain.”

“Yet!” he continued shouting at me. He snatched the remote from my other side and quickly switched it something more productive, like ESPN.

“Cause that is so much better!” I said, smirking wildly at him.

“Its way better than that brainwashing shit you were watching,” he retaliated. “Besides shouldn’t you be looking at what you want to eat?” He held up the missing Chinese menu.

“Ooo! Thank you!” I snatched the menu out of his hands and scanned over it looking for Lo Mein or something of that nature. “Can we get Crab Rangoon?”

“What’s that?”

I gasped in mock horror that he didn’t know of this wonderful creation, “You don’t know what Crab Rangoon is?”

“I heard of it but I don’t know what it is.”

“Its this fried shell filled with this cream cheese and some crab stuff. It’s delicious!” I stated, my mouth watering slightly as I formed a mental picture of it in my head.

“Okay, I guess, even though it doesn’t sound healthy whatsoever.”

“Honey," I cooed at him in a mocking, pity-filled tone. "Chinese isn’t the healthiest thing to begin with.”

*****

Sid and I sat in the living room, watching the sequel to Boondock Saints, while stuffing our faces in Chinese food that was delivered not even ten minutes beforehand.

“You’re right. This Crab Rangoon stuff is amazing,” Sidney said, popping another one in his mouth.

I nodded and smiled at him, twirling the soft noodles of my Lo Mein with a fork. I took another bite, careful not to get on me. I had gotten the shrimp Lo Mein while Sidney got General Tso’s chicken. It really didn’t look that appealing but whatever floats his boat.

“What’s your favorite color?” I randomly blurted out.

“Okay, that was random.”

I just shrugged at his statement before repeating the question, "What’s your favorite color?”

“I don’t know. Green, I guess,” he replied. “Your’s?”

“Purple,” I answered before I continued on with my random questioning.

That’s how the rest of the night went. I’d ask a question and he’d expect me to answer it in return, not that I minded or anything. I figured that we were getting to know each other better this way.

I don’t know how long we sat there and did this. Eventually one of looked at the time and realized that it was about nine in the evening.

“I guess I should get back to my place,” I said. Sadness swelled inside me but I was determined not to let him know that.

“Yea, I should take you home,” Sid muttered, mindlessly.

I sighed and stood up, looking at the empty containers of Chinese food that we completely devoured. “Do you want me to help clean up?”

“Nah, I’ll get it when I get home,” Sid said, also standing up.

He gave me my coat and we boarded the death trap once again. He wrapped his arms around me protectively. The only thing he did differently was that he started kissing the top of my head, which I didn't mind one bit.

It was about nine thirty when we got to my apartment. We traveled up the stair case since I refused to take the elevator in my apartment building. I actually knew I could make this trip.

“I guess I’ll see you around,” Sidney said, lamely as we reached my door.

“Definitely,” I said with a smile. “Just don’t be a stranger. You can call or text me whenever you want.”

“I won’t, trust me.” He replied with a smirk playing on his lips.

I smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. His protective arms wrapped around my small frame while my just stuck to the general region that I could reach, his waist.

“Thanks for today,” I said, quietly. It was just above a whisper but I know he heard it. I glanced up to make sure if he did or not. His melted chocolate brown eyes were already looking down at me.

He lowered his head and his lips met mine. In that one moment, it felt like everything inside me was recharged from the small sparks that were created. Before I knew it, he pulled away. It was just a simple, innocent kiss but whatever spark it created was undeniable.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered back before he left me standing there with a massive grin on my face.