Whatever It Takes

“Patrick, please just let me do this,” Arianna begged as she tried to grab the spoon out of his hand. Patrick swiftly pulled it away from her, holding it high in the air without thinking. Thick drops of pancake batter fell onto the counter top, while the rest began to dribble down the side of the spoon onto his arm.

“You’re such a mess,” she laughed as he quickly the dropped the spoon back down, grabbing a towel to clean his hand. Arianna swiftly grabbed the spoon and took charge of the situation.

“Babe, it’s your birthday. I can do this. It’s suppose to be a surprise,” he whined as he walked over to the trashcan and threw out the dirty paper towel. He starred at her from the back as she fussed over the mixture. How was it possible for someone to look so good in nothing but sleeping shorts and an oversized t-shirt? It drove him crazy how he was always so in awe of her, how every day he wanted and needed her more and more.

“And I appreciate that so much,” Arianna began as she looked over her shoulder to give him a smile. “But…I just think it’d be much better if I did this and avoided any problems…like you know, food poisoning,” she joked as she looked back at the pancake batter. It was hopeless; he had made it a disaster. She had been so touched to walk into the kitchen and find him (attempting to) make pancakes for her. But after one quick glance at his ingredients, she knew it wasn’t going to end well.

She gave him a sympathetic look as she held the bowl in her hands. He instantly knew what she was about to do and began to open his mouth but it was too late. Within seconds she had emptied the batter into the skin, turning on the water to help wash it down the drain.

“Whatever, I tried,” he mumbled with a slight attitude as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his head gently leaned down to rest his lips on her shoulder.

“Don’t be such a baby,” she told him as she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hands found their way into the mess of his blonde hair, playing with it casually as she glanced into his eyes.

“Thank you for wanting to make me breakfast. Just the fact that you wanted to do that means more to me than you actually doing it. So how about we do it together and just enjoy it?” she asked him.

“Alright…”he sighed lightly with a small smile as he looked into her eyes, knowing it was no use but to agree with her. Patrick knew it would be ten times better if she did it, but he had pride. He wanted to make this special for her and the fact that he couldn’t get something right irritated him, even if it was just pancakes.

Arianna smiled brightly as she stood on her tiptoes and put her mouth to his for a warm kiss. Just the feeling of their lips touching was enough to make her stomach flip. She would never get over the feelings he gave her whenever they were together.

“Okay, now let’s get to work. And take notes while I show you how to make pancakes properly,” she teased as she slipped out of his hands and gave him a mischievous smile.

“Oh don’t even go there,” he laughed as he grabbed her back into his arms. She laughed as she struggled to get free, his hands resting on her waist daring to tickle her at any moment.

“Patrick, don’t you dare. You know how ticklish I am,” she warned him as she squirmed to get away. He pulled her in tighter, their bodies pressed against each other as neither one broke their stare. They were serious as they starred at one another, Arianna suddenly sure he wouldn’t do it as she saw his eyes flash with weakness.

“Sorry Ari, it’s birthday policy. I need to torment you in some way,” he responded as a wicked smile spread across his lips and his eyes danced with amusement. Before she could say a word he grabbed her in his arms and began to tickle her. She screamed with laughter as she tried to wiggle out of his arms. Making pancakes was going to take longer than she expected

***

“Here you go, have a nice day,” the cashier told Arianna as she handed her the large shopping bag over the counter. “Thanks, you too,” Arianna responded as she gave the woman a bright smile and turned around. Patrick instantly took her hand in his and led them through the crowd of shoppers to the exit.

“Pass me your bag,” he told her as his other hand reached over and tried to pull it out of her grasp. “I’m okay, I got it,” she responded to him as she smiled and pulled down her sunglasses off her head and onto her face.

“You know, you’re pretty stubborn,” he told her with a laugh as he put his sunglasses on as well and pushed the door open for them. They stepped out onto the sidewalk, the hot Chicago sun instantly warming up their skin.

“I guess I take that from being around you so long,” she teased him as they began to walk down the sidewalk, hand in hand back towards Patrick’s apartment.

After their breakfast Patrick told her he wanted to take her out shopping since they hadn’t had a chance to go the day before. Arianna had happily agreed, instantly thinking of at least 10 stores she needed to visit. As they walked amongst shoppers and crowds of people, Arianna could sense that every now and then someone would recognize Patrick. She could feel the stares go from being in awe of him to curiosity of her. The whispers were loud and evident, at first making her feel uncomfortable.

Patrick must have caught on because soon enough he was giving her hand encouraging squeezes, helping her to tune out the buzz. As the day progressed though, she realized she had begun to care less and less about everyone else around them. All that mattered to her was being there with him, everything else slowly started to fade. If she tried hard enough, she could even make herself believe that this was all normal.

“I hope you had fun today,” Patrick told her as they made their way closer to his building, which they could see in the near vicinity.

“Of course I did! Are you serious? This has been the best birthday ever,” she responded as she reached up with her hand and touched his cheek, her big shopping bag clumsily slapping into his chest. “Oops, sorry,” she laughed as she placed her hand on the spot it hit him.

“Well, I’m glad,” he told her with a smile as he waved hello to his doorman as he pulled the door open for them. “But it’s not done yet…still one more thing we need to do before I need to leave for my game,” he informed her as they stepped into the elevator.

“There’s more? Pat, you really don’t nee-” Arianna began until she was cut off by a sweet kiss to the lips. His mouth fit onto hers so perfectly, she completely forgot what she had even wanted to say.

“I know I don’t need to, I want to. There’s a difference,” Patrick informed her as he pulled away slowly, his thumb brushing her cheekbone gently. Arianna’s mouth broke into a smile as pulled away and made his way out of the elevator, leaving her to follow him. How could this day get any better?

***

“I can’t believe Jon actually did this,” Arianna said as she leaned back into her chair and took a sip of her wine. The food was spread out across the table where Patrick and Arianna sat across from each other after finishing eating.

“Actually, I did this,” Patrick reminded her, his voice revealing slight jealousy as he heard her compliment his teammate. She gave him a look and rolled her eyes slightly at his antics; he could be so competitive sometimes.

When they had walked in Arianna was shocked to see the kitchen table set and food from her favorite Italian restaurant waiting for them. Patrick quickly explained that he had planned this all along; take it her out shopping while Jon picked up the food he had specially ordered a few days before. Jon would then bring it back to Patrick’s apartment and set it up so it would be a surprise for when she walked in. Even though it was only 4:30, they had eating supper early since Patrick had a game that night and needed to leave soon. He kept apologizing that he didn’t have a chance to bring her to a real restaurant but she told him to stop being crazy. This was so much more than she could have ever imagined or asked for.

“Of course I know you did this. I’m just saying I wouldn’t ever expect Jon to help you out with something so sweet for a girlfriend,” she explained to him as she leaned over and grabbed his hand in hers. “Today has been the most amazing birthday I’ve ever had. And it’s all because of you,” she told him with a smile.

His eyes instantly lit up, his hand squeezing hers back in return as he leaned forward over the table. “There’s still one last little thing,” he told her mysteriously as he got up from his chair and made his way into his room.

“More?” she said out loud as she took a sip from her wine glass, “Pat, you’re really spoiling me too much. You’re going to create a monster,” she joked as she took her last bite of pasta off her plate.

“At least you’d be a hot monster,” he joked as he came back in. He took a seat at the head of the table, his chair now adjacent to hers. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, the curiosity building inside of her.

Without saying a word he placed a small square velvet box down in front of her. Her eyes glanced at it quickly before glancing back at him. Patrick nodded in assurance to her as a signal that she should open it.

Her tiny hands gingerly lifted the box, trembling slightly from nerves and curiosity as she opened the lid and placed it on the table. Her throat caught in her neck as she glanced at the piece in the box. Her fingers reached inside and tenderly touched her gift.

Inside the box was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. Hung on a thin gold chain was a flat golden circular pendant. Engraved on it was a large “A” in perfect cursive writing.
“Pat…she began as she glanced up at him, “I can’t accept this...this is too much, you’ve already done so much for me today,” she began.

“Everyone deserves a gift on their birthday,” he told her simply, “I thought long and hard about what to get you Ari, I wanted it to be perfect. And then I saw this when I went looking for something with my sisters. And I instantly knew. It was so simple, didn’t need to have all kinds of things on it to make it more stunning than it already was. It was just naturally beautiful. Like you,” he told her as he glanced down as his cheeks formed a slight blush.

Arianna could feel the tears began to form on the rim on her eyes, as she cautiously took the necklace out of the box. Everything about this necklace was perfect, invoking so much love in her she never knew she could have for a piece of jewelry.

“Turn it over,” Patrick said, breaking her out of her trance. She looked at him curiously before turned the pendant over onto its other side. Engraved in the back was the number 88; his jersey number.

“Thought I would personalize it a little,” he smirked as a smile formed on her lips as she ran her thumb over the engraved number.

“Do you like it?” he finally asked, his voice filled with concern and nerves. Without a second thought she got up from her chair. She walked 2 steps until she was in front of him, pushing on his chair to shift it back from the table. Within seconds she was sitting on his lap, her body straddling his as she faced him.

Without another word she brought her hands up to his face and pulled him in for a deep kiss. His hands fell to her waist, pulling her in closer as they lost themselves in one another. As she pulled away, she touched her forehead to his softly for a quick second.

“This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever gotten me,” she whispered to him as her fingers traced his jaw line. “I’m never going to take this off,” she confessed as she moved her hair to the side, signaling she wanted him to put it on.

He took the necklace out of her hand and placed it around her neck. It fell perfect in the middle of her chest, the “A” facing forward for everyone to see. The 88 faced her chest, right next to her heart. It wasn’t meant for the world to see; it was a secret just for the two of them to know about.

He touched the pendant as it lay around her neck, “I’m happy you like it,” he told her.

“I love it,” she corrected him as she leaned back in and gave him another breathtaking kiss.

***

“Now, that’s what I call kicking ass,” Arianna laughed as she walked through the front door. Patrick followed right behind her, a smirk on his face as he shut the door. They were just coming back from his game that night, where the Hawks managed to win 4-0 against the Florida Panthers and Patrick scored a goal.

“Think of it as an extra birthday gift,” he told her as he followed her into the kitchen. She opened up his cupboard took out two glasses, filling them up with water from the fridge. He came from behind her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, her eyes shutting as she felt his lips touch her.

She turned around and handed him one of the glasses, her mouth formed into a small smile. “I’ve had more than enough gifts today,” she told him softly as she moved closer, wrapping on of her arms around his neck while the other held her glass.

He took a sip of water and placed his cup on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Without another word he swiftly lifted her off the ground and into his arms. Arianna threw her head back and laughed, shivering slightly as the cold water spilt out of her glass by his motion and landed on the exposed skin of her chest.

He carried her to the couch where he gently placed her down with her back leaning against the armrest. She instantly spread her legs out across the length of his couch, watching him intently as he silently got down and sat beside her on the floor. They starred at each other in silence as Arianna ran her fingers through his hair.

“You’re thinking about something,” she stated as she watched him giver her a slight nod and look away. He rubbed the back of his neck, a habit she knew he only did when he was nervous. “Talk to me,” she confided to him as she turned her body sideways so it was facing him completely. She pulled the pillow under her head and waited for him to let her in.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” he told her as his finally turned to look back at her, his eyes locking in on hers. “It’s just…these past few days, it really reminded me how great it is to have you around,” he began to explain as he let out a nervous laugh. A smile instantly took over her face as she heard the words leave his mouth.

“I mean I always knew how great it is when you’re here…but sometimes I forget just how amazing it really is,” he said more gently as he glanced down at his hands. “I’m not really great at expressing myself and I know I’m impossible sometimes,” he confessed as he turned his attention to her again. In his eyes she could see a new seriousness she had never seen before, instantly sending a chill down her spine.

“But you still stick around. After everything we’ve been through you’re here right now. And seeing you these past few days just made everything so clear to me…”he told her as his eyes sparkled just a tad. Arianna felt her throat go dry and her heart begin to rise in her chest. Was this going where she thought it was going?

“To be honest…even though I’ve never felt this way about someone before, I’m sure about this. About how I feel about you-” Patrick continued until Arianna jerked her head up, her hand reaching over and grabbing his arm.

“Pat, please don’t say something because you think you should or because you think it’s something I want to hear,” she told him nervously, her eyes pleading with his not to just throw around words if he didn’t mean them. She took this seriously; it meant everything to her to finally reach this with someone.

He put his hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze, never letting their stare break. “Ari, I love you. And I’m not saying it because I think I should or because I think you want me to. I’m saying it because for the first time ever I actually mean it. I actually feel it,” he confessed to her, his face a blank canvas even though his eyes revealed how vulnerable he really was.

“You don’t need to say anything back…I just wanted you to know that I love you. And that it’ll never change, how I feel about you,” he finished as he leaned his head down and kissed the top of her hand which still rested against his arm.

Arianna felt water slip down her cheek, instantly realizing that a tear had escaped from her eye. She quickly took her hand and wiped it away, as her body flipped from the chaos inside.

He starred at her with such innocence and honesty, the words having left his mouth being the most genuine thing he had ever said before. It looked like he was hesitating, wondering if he should say more. His heart racing a million miles a second as it waited to hear if she felt the same way in return.

It suddenly hit her the realization that this could work. This could be it. She had tried for so long and so hard to deny these feelings that were building up inside. But it seemed like it was no longer any use. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she finally realized he felt the same way as she did.

Without a second thought she leaned over and grabbed his face in her hands. She pulled him in closer and brought her lips crashing down onto his. Their kiss deepened within seconds, both loosing themselves in each other. She took a second to break away, as she kept his head in her hands.

“I love you too Pat,” she whispered back to him, watching as his eyes lit up and shone brightly, “I…I always have but I was just too scared to say it. I always will,” she promised him as she rested her forehead against his.

Arianna could suddenly feel the air around them change; everything felt like it had an electric pull tugging them closer together. The desire inside of her grew as she continuously looked at the man before her. He was everything she wanted and she was everything he needed. Everything just suddenly felt right. She could no longer deny what she wanted, what her body yearned for.

Ever so slowly she leaned back in and kissed him again, her hands gently placed on his neck as she felt his heart beat in his throat. Their kiss was more passionate than before, deeper than the last. Something about this was different as Arianna moved and Patrick followed her. He raised himself up to his knees as she sat up on the couch, her body near the edge of the couch.

They pulled away suddenly, their lungs searching for air as Patrick tried to regain his cool. Before he could ask what had gotten into her, Arianna undid the buttons on her sweater, shrugged off the knitted jacket, revealing her frail white sheer see-thru tank top that hung loosely off her shoulders. Patrick could feel his heart stop as he saw her white lace bra underneath her shirt. She shook her hair out of her ponytail, letting it cascade down around her shoulders.

“Ari…”he began but was stopped as she put a finger to his lips, silencing him. Without another word she got up onto her knees on the couch, reaching down and grabbing the hem of her shirt. In a second she had it off, as she placed it down beside her on the couch.

She pulled Patrick’s collar gently, nudging him to stand up. He followed her request, mesmerized by everything she did. His eyes traveled all over her body, the hunger within him igniting as he knew where this was going. He could feel his brain reel, trying to understand when she got so good at this.

She leaned up, letting her hand tug on his neck gently, signaling him to lean down and kiss her. Their lips instantly sparked as they connected; their tongues gently touching. Arianna pulled back slightly as she ran her hands down his chest, stopping at the buckle on his dress pants. She paused there for a moment, making him catch his breath as he froze in excitement.

Her fingers slowly shifted to the last button of his shirt as she undid it slowly. She continued up his shirt, undoing each button slowly. As she finally undid the top button at his chest, she pulled the shirt back, leaning forward and kissing his chest, the spot right above his heart. Her hands tugged the shirt off of him as she finally stood up on her feet on the couch cushions. She towered over him ever so slightly, their bodies gravitating towards each other as heat radiated off of them.

“Ari, are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice raw and husky as his inner desires grew and overtook any sensible notion he had. All his senses were clouded by the hunger she had instilled in him.

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” she promised him as she leaned back in towards him. All it took was for their lips to touch and Patrick was set free. Within seconds he had her lifted off the couch, his hands grasping her upper thighs as her legs instantly wrapped themselves around his waist. Their kiss was hungry and urgent; almost as if, if they didn’t have each other right then they would explode.

No more thoughts or words needed to be said. One of Patrick’s hands ran themselves through her hair while the other held her up, as he carried her toward his bedroom. Arianna ran her hand through his hair while the other ran itself down his back.

As they reached his room, they collapsed down onto his bed as Patrick laid himself on top of her. Everything in her body felt like it was on fire as Patrick kissed her neck, making his way down to her chest. Patrick let his hands roam all over her, stopping at her jeans to undo the button. She pulled his head back up to her, letting their lips meet again in a mess of lust and passion.

Nothing had ever felt so right in her entire life.