Effortless

Kris Letang’s POV

We had an optional skate on the second full day Dianna didn’t talk to me. I didn’t go, which I have only done twice in my entire life. Once, when I literally could not stop puking, and the second when Luc died. I should have gone, blown off some steam, but I couldn’t face the guys just yet. So, I slept in.

Don’t worry though the guys made sure to make an appearance anyway. I was woken up by my TV in my bedroom. Max sat on the floor turning on my PS3, Marc sitting next to him and Sid walked in eating a bagel.

“We heard you fucked up,” Marc-Andre stated while picking out his character.

“Yeah, Christina slept over at Dianna’s last night, bro. What’s going on?” Sid followed mouth full of bagel.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, guys”

It was true. They knew why I didn’t too, but here they were forcing me. I know it was good if I talked about it, I always felt better after I did, and I just really need to put all my efforts into getting Dianna to talk to me.

“Well, you don’t get a choice, champ” Max butted in reclining against my chair.

I told them what had happened and how Dianna was chill about it until I refused to tell her who Alex was. Sid made a noise like he had touched a hot stove and Marc reinforced my mistake by asking, “And she didn’t hit you?”

“Listen, man, I know it’s just us that knows what happened with you and Alex, but no matter who you date from here on out you’re gonna have to tell them. I had to tell Christina about my ex-girlfriends and she told me about her boyfriends. It how it works. Dianna doesn’t seem like the type of girl that would say see you later over this.” Sid advised.

If it were only that simple. I didn’t want to lose Dianna. Ever. Yet, how could I know she wouldn’t just leave when I explained myself.

“Give her a chance, Tanger, we can tell how much you like her. Seriously, it’s almost nauseating, just go over to her place and don’t leave until she sees you. It’s romantic and it’ll clear things up.” Marc suggested and then killing Max’s character. Max through his controller at him.

Since, Dianna wouldn’t answer me. I texted Nora.

Dianna’s POV

I was sitting in my room eating the chocolate that Christina and Vero had brought for me. Watching as Vero painted Christina’s right hand with a dark green nail polish.

“Sid still won’t tell me what went down with Kris and that girl,”

I loved Christina, she knew that mentioning “her” name was forbidden.

“I mean, I tried to get it out of him. We are dating and everything, but he insisted that this was one of the instances where he had to keep it to himself. All I know is that she and Kris ending was super messy”

Before I could answer, Nora came bursting through the door in only her bra and underwear, hair in towel.

“Kris just texted me,” she panted.

“What did he say?” I asked, my heart was pounding.

“He wanted to know if you were home,” her phone beeped again. “He just texted and said he wants to come over to see you,”

So, he wanted to come talk to me. I suppose he would tell me who this Alex girl was, but to be honest, I don’t think I cared to know. I was more upset with the fact that he treated me the way he did and that he wouldn’t tell me. How can I ever know that he won’t keep something else from me in the future.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to talk to him yet. Tell him I’m out.” I responded reaching over and grabbing a raspberry filled chocolate.

“Dianna, come on, if he is willing to talk about it maybe you guys can finally move past this,” Vero piped up putting the cap back on the polish bottle.

“It’s not just what happened with this girl or why she is still contacting him. It’s about the fact that he treated me the way he did. That he was going to keep this from me. I mean, I have told him everything and to dismiss me like I’m some random person. I don’t know but it really hurt.” I was super emotional lately, obviously, but it was how I felt.

“Why not tell him that,” Christina said, her face full of compassion.

“Whatever, tell him I’m here then, Nora,”

The girls left with tight hugs and making me promise to call if I needed anything.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I made sure that I brushed my teeth and I hid all the Oreos and chocolate. He didn’t need to see my tangible sadness.

I opened the door and Kris stood there in a pair of grey sweats, a Pens hoodie, and a Buc’s baseball cap turned backward. Damn him for looking hot.

I stepped aside and let him in, there was a bit of snow on his shoulders.

Kris’s POV

She opened the door and she wore those stupid, black stretchy pants that showed her toned legs. Her hair was up and her sweater’s V-neck set off her pale skin, and the column of her throat. When my eyes met hers, I could see the red around the rims, and I knew that she had been crying. The red set off the blue and it looked like the sunrise over the ocean. You know what they say, Red skies at morning sailors take warning.

“You can sit,” her voice indifferent.

I took my sneakers off and sat down on the couch. Her apartment looked exactly how it always did. I was hoping that it would mirror mine and it would be a mess. This was Dianna though, she never let her emotions known unless she wanted them to.

She sat on the other end of the couch. We had a whole cushion between us. I didn’t like that , but I wasn’t going to push her I was here to beg forgiveness. So, I decided to start with the most simple thing I could think of.

“ I’m sorry, Dianna” I looked up at her. She wasn’t looking away from me or down, her eyes bore into mine.

“That’s not really all I wanted to hear, Kris…” she responded, tucking her foot under body.

“Listen, Dianna, you know you’re my girl. You know, that I would never do anything to hurt you,”

“But you did” she interrupted me.

“Alex she’s”

“Don’t say her name here,” she crossed her arms. I realized right now how mad she was.

“ She isn’t anything to me. Her and I were together a year and a half ago, things ended badly.
She thinks that I’m some lost puppy without her, when clearly I’m not. I haven’t talked to her in months.” I wanted to explain the whole story. Tell her what had happened between Alex and I, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I could see her telling me to get out.

“Kris, that is only a fraction of what I’m mad about.” She said, and her arms crossed. If she could send anymore signals that she was mad I’m sure she would.

“What’re you mad about then?”

“ Yeah, I’m pissed that some random ex is calling you. I don’t care that you have had some past with some girl. Everyone has a past with somebody. I get that. Whatever happened between the two of you happened. Yeah, I’m interested in what happened because obviously she isn’t clued in on the fact that it’s completely over. What I’m really pissed about is that you would dismiss me,”

It made sense to me now all the things that the guys said. Dianna wasn’t that person to give a fuck about past relationships. She was too logical for that. I treated her badly though. I abandoned her and pretty much told her to shove it when she started to ask completely legit questions.

I reached out to her and I could see her struggle not to lean in towards me. So I physically moved closer to her. No more cushions between us. I pulled her hands into mine. They were so petit and little, they fit perfectly into mine, as cliché as that sounds.

“Dianna, I’m so sorry. Please, I just, you know me,” I’m really terrible at explaining myself.

“What are you scared of, Kris?”

There she went again, seeing my soul.

Dianna’s POV

He was stumbling over his words. I knew that if I started in French it would make it a millions times easier for him, but I wasn’t feeling that generous.

When I asked him what he was scared of, he just stared at me. I knew I had hit the nail on the head. Something was bothering him. This Alex girl was bad news and obviously something happened that he didn’t want me to know. It was deeper than that though. So much more than that. She had left a pain that ran so deep that he couldn’t move past it.

It was another reason to hate this bitch.

“ I don’t want to lose you, Dianna.” He reached out and put his large hand on my knee.

I willed myself not to crawl into his arms. I shoved my lip between my teeth and prayed that he would stop with the sad brown eyes.

“Dianna, I can’t lose you”

I had to remind myself that I still didn’t have an explanation.

“Kris, I don’t want you too and you won’t. But I can’t have this looming over my head. Always wondering and never knowing why this girl is calling you or why you thought you needed to run like that? I’m sorry, but I can’t just forget this. “

“I don’t know what to say, Dianna”

His response is not what I wanted to hear.

Kris Letang’s POV

Her eyes flashed at me, like a dark cold wave that knocks the wind out of you. If she was closer I’m sure she would have punched me, but she surprised me. She leaned forward across the cushion that separated us. I thought she was going to kiss me. Her hand cupped my throat and her mouth was so close to mine I could almost feel them. She was there for maybe 10 seconds. Memories flashed in front of my eyes and I wanted her. I knew that of course but her being so close to me made my chest hurt.

Instead of kissing me, she spoke, her voice low and her lips grazed mine when her words left her mouth.

“Get out.”