Got A Secret?

"Sidney and I? Well I guess I should have expected that question. I'm not going to discuss a relationship that I may or may not be having, it's nobodies business really I will say that. When relationships get too much attention they become strained any kind does, I mean I know even Geno and I have had problems with pictures surfacing of us, the media can take an innocent picture and turn it around. Oksana doesn’t appreciate it. All you can do, because we get so much attention is focus on yourself and your relationships really… I'm talking in circles aren't I?" Keller laughs taking a deep breath, "I'll be straight with you, there is something going on between two people on the team… Fleury and Talbot, big bromance it's sickening".

"So did you want to go out for dinner after the game?" Sidney asks coming to sit in the stall beside me. I look up from my stick which I was taping and give a small shrug. "We could do that, but we do usually go out with the guys". I point out handing him my stick to hold as I reached down for another roll of tape.

"I thought it would be nice to do something just the two of us".
I smirk at this taking the stick back locking my hazel eyes with his, taking note of the widening grin on his face.
"Why would we do that?" I tease, he had more or less informed me I was his girlfriend a few weeks ago and I had never actually agreed to it, nor had we discussed it. We carried on with our private time where we could find it, not openly declaring our relationship status since that one time in New York.

Sidney groans pulling the stick and tape out of my hands, I start to protest but find my words cut off when his lips are slammed down onto mine. Sidney brings his hand up, cupping my cheek then softly moves his lips against mine before pulling away. I take a deep breath my eyes still closed when a light kiss is placed on my forehead.

"Because I have to properly ask you out someday" he whispers in my ear making me shiver, his lips find mine once again and I move my arms around his neck automatically moving myself as close to him as possible. The only way I could possibly get closer was if I plopped myself down in his lap and I really wasn't going to do that in the visitors locker room. We had both arrived at the arena early, too hopped up about our game against Washington to stay home any longer then necessary. We also didn't want to run into anyone else who was arriving early though and had both grabbed our sticks without word taking them to the visitors room where we'd have some peace and quite for a while. That and to make out.

"What makes you think I'll agree?" I ask pulling myself away from him and standing, if we didn't leave now we'd run into some Capitals and I didn't feel like talking to Ovechkin before the game. Or run into the coach.

Sidney gives me a cheeky look; he knew I liked him just as much as he liked me. I would never deny him. "No really, you've got a bigger ass then I do, I can't see this relationship going anywhere". I tease grabbing my stick and jumping away from him as he makes a lunge for me.

"My ass? What about your thighs? I don't know if I can date a girls who's thighs rival mine." he mock sighs slinging an arm around my shoulder as we make our way out of the room.

"My thighs are killer yo, what about your lips? They could be a small country"
"Pffft" he scoffs, "you love them. Don't deny it."
I laugh and dodge his face as it comes down towards mine, "Ohhh denied!"

I throw my arm up and rush away from him down the hall towards our own locker room, dragging my hockey stick behind me. I spin around jogging backwards for a moment so I could wink at him before spinning back and rushing around the corner. If I didn't get away from him now, I'd have next to no focus for the game.

____________________________________________________________________________

"Keller, nice to see you"
"Yeah back at you Ovechkin, I got the message on my Twitter" I snort, usually the two of us sent back some bickering message but the one I got an alert for before the game was something along the lines of, 'Get to see Keller, best friend be together again. We see who win'. Of course that had gotten an obscene amount of replies, people excited to see us both on the ice even if it was to play against each other.

#KellervsOvechkin was treading now. Fuck Twitter. I rather see Crosby vs Ovechkin, but no there we were on the big screen in the arena our faces together in determination. Ovechkin and Keller, when the hell did this happen?

I shoot Ovechkin a glare before skating into position for the face-off giving Sidney a brief nod before I bent down to face my Washington counter part Jay Beagle. A 6'3 Canadian born player who wasn't looking very impressed with playing against me at the moment. I think he knew that if I signed with them he'd be out some playing time. I'd be pissed at me as well if I were him.

The puck is dropped and Sidney looses the face-off to Backstrom, which automatically puts us into the defensive mode as the Sweden born centre charges forward. Flower better be on his game tonight because this was going to be a hell of a night.

"Tell them to go over to the Washington bench and steal Ovechkin's phone" Keller scoffs from her spot on the bench interrupting my interview with Pittsburgh's coach. "I'm not allowed to fucking tweet during the game how come he can? Can I go get my phone?"

We were down by two goals and I didn't even know what was going wrong. Everything just seemed off, everyone was loosing their focus slowly and we were getting sloppy. Jordan was out for the rest of the game after taking a pretty nasty hit from Alexander Semin, I would have gladly retaliated in honor of Jordan but Semin was a big guy, he'd probably flatten me like a pancake. I wasn't stupid, I didn't go up against massive guys, like Zdeno Chara for Boston? That over grown gorilla man, yeah no way in hell. That was 6 feet 9 inches of man that I avoided with all I could. What the fuck did they feed the hockey players in Slovakia?

I growl as our one trainer informs me that Ovechkin had tweeted yet again while on the bench, taunting me about our current loosing position in the game. It was almost the end of the second period we could come back. I fly over the boards as Chris Conner makes his way onto our bench and skate my way over towards Semin who was in possession on the puck.

They were moving into our end and I was already feeling bad for Flower who I knew would be silently cursing his own existence as the night went on if we continued to loose.

UMPH
My body is propelled into the air as I'm checked from behind. I close my eyes waiting for impact as I hear a low groan as my top half lands on something a lot softer then the ice.

"Holy shit" I breath out after a moment, I look up seeing a bunch of red. The Capitals bench? Really who the fuck checks someone into the Capitals bench. I hear the whistle and attempt the swing my legs down enough to dislodge myself from between the two players I had landed between.

I hear a crack as I get my legs over the rest of the bench and stand facing a very pissed off bunch of Washington Capitals.
"Hey now, I didn't ask to be thrown in here" I say in defense holding my hands up in surrender, throwing my leg up over the side of the boards.
"See you want to be us Keller, even visit during game" Ovechkin says finally in a taunting voice. I growl and attempt to give him the finger with my gloved hand. Looking down I check for my stick to see it on the ice, looking back towards the guys something else catches my eye.

"Should tweet that Ovie, after you get a new phone that is".

With that I jump over the boards leaving him to ponder that for a moment.
He'd be pissed when he realized his phone was broken.
Probably why we don't bring them on the bench. Idiot.

____________________________________________________________________________

"That wasn't very Canadian of you" Jordan taunts from his stall, I shrug and throw my phone down after successfully tweeting. 'Sorry followers I accidentally smashed @ovi8's phone, he'll be back soon'. We had lost, I was bitter and slightly relishing the fact I had smashed his damn phone when Green checked me into his bench. Sidney was sulking the worst out of all of us, I hadn't seen him since the end of the game, he had pulled his toddler temper tantrum already and was currently in the shower. I knew better then to bug him now and was almost certain that he would post-pone our date until another night.

That's just how he was.
Lot's of people thought of Sidney as a mystery, someone who needed to be decoded. That was a lie; he didn't need to be decoded if you understood him. I strip off my gear and fiddle with my phone a bit more replying to a few text messages from my brother and Dad before grabbing some baby wipes to de-stink myself slightly before I had to get into my car. It was obvious that I wasn't going to get to shower here with all the guys milling around and taking their time, the mood sober from the loss.

"You did your best Flower" I mumble bumping into him lightly with my shoulder as he sits quietly beside me. I knew he'd be taken care of well tonight, his girl telling him not to beat himself up, doing all the right things but I couldn't help but feel bad, because he did beat himself up. I throw my arms around him giving him a tight hug, resting my head against his shoulder.

We were a team, we supported each other, I could never be a goalie just because of the sheer pressure of it all. Marc-Andre was my idol he really was. He stood alone in that net watching the game by himself. He'd stand there hoping that we didn't let the puck get away from our control and when it did it was up to him to stop it. He was the cheerful French Canadian who talked to his posts after a save, the one who would cheer me up when I was down or feeling hormonal.

I sit there for a while still leaning against Marc, arms still squeezing him. Sidney walks out a few minutes’ later eyes forward as he makes his way over to his stall already dressed and reaching for his stuff. I watch sadly as he kicks at his shoes shoving his feet in moodily. His jaw was clenched and I knew how he felt at that moment. There really was nothing worse then loosing to Washington on your home turf, nothing worse then seeing that smug missing tooth grin from Ovechkin.

Sidney starts for the door before pausing and turning on his heel, I pull away slowing from Marc as he approaches, dropping his bag a few feet away and closing the distance between us in two steps, pulling me up into his arms and crushing me into a hug.

"Come over after you shower, I'll cook" he mumbles into my hair, kissing the top of my head and releasing me. I nod dumbly as he offers a weak smile and grabs his bag from the floor before hurrying out.

"Someone's growing up" Pascal notes pulling his jacket on, there were a few mummers from the others before an awkward silence followed. I slowly begin to gather my stuff putting everything into my bag mentally calculating the time it would take me to get home, shower and dressed. Zipping up my Lulu gym bag, I start for the door before hearing that teasing French accent.

"Get some tonight Keller, post-defeat-angry-Crosby-sex".
"Ta toi, you French bastard" I call back to Marc who was chuckling lightly at his own joke. At least he'd cheered up a bit. I fight the blush from my cheeks, Sidney and I weren't having sex but it didn't stop the team from speculating about how intimate we actually were. It got annoying after awhile seeing as we hadn't really defined our own relationship. Apparently they had a bet, Evgeni won. What the bet was exactly I wasn't sure.

I walk around the side hallways as quickly as I could, dodging the Washington players as they walked by giving me smug looks. "Oh Keller, I thought I smell loser."
"Ah I knew I smelt dirty Russian" I snap pushing past Ovechkin who grabs hold of my arm, I feel myself pulled up towards him our chests touching.

"We play good together, why you throw away?" he demands, I struggle to get out of his hold feeling his grip tighten. "I'm not throwing anything away what are you talking about?"

"You stay here always be same, you play with us, we be unbeatable team. Penguins always be Crosby, make own way."
"You don't know what you're talking about" I argue, we were all a team sure Sidney was the main face, what people associated Pittsburgh with at times but I was the first girl, I was making my own way... Wasn't I?

"You be Crosby girlfriend, Crosby line-mate, Crosby teammate. They keep you for that, you play with me you be Keller, I be Ovechkin. You be yourself".

With that I finally rip my arm out of his hold and push away from him hurrying down the hall.
"You know I right Keller!"

He wasn't right... was he?

”Keller yet to make contract decision, Crosby’s teammate and rumored girlfriend taking her time and keeping the public waiting. Will Keller be a Penguin next season? And what does Crosby think of all this?”