Whatever It Takes

“Welcome, come in!” Abby Sharp greeted Arianna and Patrick, as she pulled the front door fully open to invite them in. All the Hawks were currently gathered at Patrick and Abby’s home for a barbecue since the weather had turned out to be so unexpectedly warm. Patrick and Arianna greeted their host back as they walked through the door and gave Abby a hug.

“Oh looks like the two love birds managed to pull themselves away from bed and make an appearance, how nice of you to join us” Sharpie said with a smirk as he came down the hallway from where the kitchen was.

Arianna blushed slightly at the comment as she let out a nervous chuckle while Patrick just shot him an annoyed look. Truth was, Patrick would have much rather spent the day in bed with Arianna but he had promised Sharpie that they would come from a month ago.

“Okay, so now that Pat has gotten that off his chest…” Abby said as she shot Sharpie a look, “you guys can leave your bags and wallets and stuff in the guest bedroom upstairs on the left. And whenever you guys are ready, come on out outside,” Abby explained with a warm smile.

“Thanks,” Arianna responded as she smiled back at Abby and began to make her way up the stairs, Patrick following behind her. She could feel the warmth of his hand as it lay on her lower back as they climbed to the top.

As Arianna opened the guest bedroom door and walked in to put her things down, she suddenly heard the door close behind her. She swiftly turned to find Patrick leaning with his back against the closed door. His eyes shone with mischievous ideas as his mouth was curled into his signature smirk.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could just stay here…” Patrick began as he made his way towards her. The lights in the room were off, leaving the room dim, as the only light coming in was from behind the sheer curtains. “Think of all the things we could do…” he continued as he stood in front of her, his hands grasping at her waistline.

Arianna bite her bottom lip to keep from giggling, as she placed her hands on top of his. She gave him a small smile as she leaned in and let their lips graze one another gently before giving in and kissing him. His mouth pulled into a smile against her lips as he pulled her in closer.

“That sounds great…” Arianna began as her forehead rested against his. Patrick held his breath for a second, excitement filling him, as he believed to have won her into the idea.

“But there is no way that anything is happening in Sharpie and Abby’s house, especially when people are expecting us downstairs,” Arianna told him as she moved away and gave him a knowing look. Patrick sighed as he let himself exhale, feeling deflated as his dreams were crushed.

“Good try though,” she told him as she patted him on the chest and moved to get her bikini out of her bag. “I’m going to change and put this underneath my clothes. I’ll meet you downstairs?” she asked sweetly as she gave him a smile.

Patrick nodded, as he turned his back to her to face the nightstand. As he reached to take his wallet out of his back pocket, he suddenly felt an arm wrap itself around his waist. He could feel her body pressed up against his back as he moved his hand to graze over hers.

“Try again at home though,” she breathed out against the back of his neck, her voice raw and soft. She leaned forward and placed her lips against the back of his neck for one final kiss before walking away to go get change.

Fuck, Patrick thought as he tried to compose the tingle he felt run down his spine, she knows how to get to me.

***

“So, did Ari enjoy her birthday yesterday?” Jon asked Patrick as he took a sip of his beer. Seabs and Corey listened in as they stood in a circle with them, each one intrigued to hear about the previous day. They currently stood in Sharpie’s back yard, the sun in the sky setting as the night crept upon them. Patrick smirked in response and shook his head in disbelief as he took a sip of his drink.

“Yeah she had a good day…you’re not getting more out of me so don’t try,” he told the guys as he began to chuckle. He felt a tingle erupt inside his body as he thought back to the night before.

“Kaner not talking about scoring with a girl? You must have it bad,” Seabs teased as he nudged Patrick with his arm. The boys laughed as Patrick shook his head, “Shut up,” he retorted as he nudged him back.

“Oh, getting defensive…another sign he’s for sure in love,” Seabs continued as he smirked at the guys. The guys all looked to Patrick for a response but only got a chuckle in return. Patrick brought his cup to his mouth and took a long gulp of his drink. He wasn’t ready to share that detail with everyone yet.

“Well maybe Ari can shed some light on this situation for us,” Jon commented as Arianna suddenly appeared from behind Patrick. He turned his body to see what Jon meant and was instantly filled with happiness to see her beside him. She smiled at him warmly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in to him.

“What am I helping shed some light on?” she asked curiously as she took Patrick’s cup out of his hand and smelt it to see what he was drinking.

“We’re curious to see if Patrick has fallen in love with you yet or not,” Seabs said bluntly, eager to place them in an uncomfortable position in hopes of making them blush. Arianna glanced up at Patrick who looked down at her with a knowing smile. It was that same smile she had come to know so well; a private smile between them that shared a million secrets no one could ever see.

“Maybe,” she said coyly as she took a sip of Patrick’s drink that was still in her hand, “I’ve heard from a few guys I’m quite lovable”. The guys chuckled at her comment as Patrick laughed and leaned down to place a kiss on her head.

“Hungry?” Patrick asked her as he looked back down at her after giving her a kiss. “Starved,” Arianna admitted as a blush crept onto her cheeks as she placed a hand on her flat stomach.

“Let’s go and see what Sharpie is cooking up,” Patrick told her as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the barbecue.

***

“Honestly, when will I learn to take more food?” Arianna sighed as Patrick took the last bite of her hotdog out of her hand. She laughed as the ketchup smeared itself across his lips as he finished chewing. They stood alongside the side of Sharpie’s pool, far enough from the crowd that they were perfectly alone.

“You won’t,” Patrick respond as Arianna reached up and whipped the extra ketchup from his mouth, “and that’s what keeps making your food taste so good” he finished with a devious smile.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a light shove in response. He quickly grabbed her wrist as it made contact with his chest and pulled her in closer to him. His other arm laced itself around her waist as he removed his hand from her wrist and placed it lightly on her neck.

Arianna could feel the heat on her face as the connection of his fingertips on her skin made her body ignite with fire. She laid her face into the crook of his neck as she closed her eyes and embraced the feeling. Nothing had ever made her feel so alive like when she was with him. It made me her question how she had ever gone a day without this before.

“I love you,” Patrick whispered into her ear as his hand caressed her neck gently while the other tightened its grip on her waist. She smiled instantly as she heard those words. Ever since last night, every time those words left his mouth, she couldn’t help the smile that came.

She pulled away from his neck and looked up at him, into those baby blue eyes she dreamt of every night. She lifted herself higher as she curled her tiptoes for height, her hands pulling his face down to hers gently. Their lips met and sparked a wildfire in her heart, as her chest began to race with emotions.

“I love you,” Arianna told him as they pulled away from their kiss. Patrick had pulled her in to him completely, both arms now firmly wrapped around her waist blending their bodies into one. He looked at her as she spoke those words so certainly, his face beaming with happiness and delight.

As Patrick opened his mouth to say something, suddenly Seabs and Sharpie appeared out of nowhere. They came running from behind Patrick, swiftly pulling apart the love struck couple. Seabs held Patrick back as Sharpie swiftly lifted Arianna into his arms like a baby.

“Sharpie, put me down,” Arianna tried to say sternly as she burst into a fit of giggles. Sharpie swung her in highly exaggerated motions from side to side, walking closer to the ledge of the pool.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t do that,” he began as he gave her a devious smile. He stopped walking and Arianna suddenly realized he was holding her above the water.

“No Sharpie…” Arianna said as she glanced from the water back to him. Sharpie shrugged his shoulders in an unapologetic manner. Arianna glanced back to where Patrick and Seabs stood, both laughing as the panic filled her face. Patrick felt slightly bad, but he had to admit, this was quite funny.

“Guess you just should have answered Seabs’ question before,” was all Sharpie said. Arianna went to open her mouth to protest but suddenly felt his hands loosen around her body. Without a second thought, he threw her into the deep end, causing a large wave of water to collapse onto the ground around the pool.

Arianna felt the cold water hit her skin with a mix of shock and burn. She felt her feet reach the bottom of the deep end as she pushed herself up from against the floor.

“Assholes,” she laughed as she finally resurfaced, treading water as she slicked her hair back away from her face. Everyone was laughing as Sharpie gave her a devious smile.

“Just wait until I come out and want to give you a hug,” she told him as she swam to the side. Sharpie’s smile vanished from his face as he suddenly disappeared into the crowd. Patrick appeared in front of her as he bent down to give her a hand.

“Sorry baby, not much I could do,” he said as seriously as he could, although she could see the smile linger underneath. “Liar,” she exclaimed as she brought her hands to the ledge and pulled herself up. Patrick laughed as he helped her out, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her shoulder as he leaned down and kissed her lips.

“Let me get the baby a towel,” he teased as he walked over to the table near the barbecue. Patrick walked through the crowd of people, every so often saying hi to someone he hadn’t seen in a while.

Perfect, he thought as he saw the last remaining towel on one of the patio chairs. He picked it up and turned to make his way back to his drenched girlfriend. He was thinking about how cute she was when she tried to act mad when his thoughts were cut short, stopping dead in his tracks as he looked straight ahead.

Arianna stood by the pool, alongside Abby who was trying to help her dry up. Patrick watched as Arianna undid her jean shorts and pulled them off, handing them to Abby. He noticed how every muscle in her leg was perfectly toned, the way her skin was the color of porcelain. Her white loose t-shirt was now stuck against her perfect body. He watched as she peeled the wet shirt off, noticing every curve and detail that outlined her figure.

“Not trying to piss you off…but wow…” Nick Leddy said as he appeared beside Patrick. Patrick turned and suddenly noticed how every male’s attention in the backyard had been drawn to Arianna. He felt overcome with irrational jealousy, an overprotective instinct driving within him. He knew these guys were no threats; they were his teammates. And yet all he wanted to do was rip their heads off for looking at her like that with such lust.

“Pat?” Arianna asked, as she appeared standing before him. Patrick snapped his attention back to reality, shaking away his irrational thoughts. Before she could utter another word he wrapped the towel around her shoulders, letting the fabric drape itself down her arms and cover her body.

“Abby’s going to put my clothes in the dryer for a few minutes so I’m just going to go in and dry up ok?” she told him as she leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Stop being jealous,” she whispered in his ear, as she pulled back and gave him a knowing smile.

“I’ll try,” he felt himself chuckle as he watched her make her way inside. She really did know him better than he knew himself.

***

Arianna stood in the kitchen, the towel now falling off her shoulders as she looked through Abby and Sharpie’s fridge for a can of coke. Everyone was still outside, enjoy the crips night air as they listened to music and drank alcohol and relaxed.

“Need help?” a male voice interrupted her search as she jumped out from inside the fridge startled. Viktor Stalberg stood before her in a white linen shirt and dark faded jeans, his hair pushed back by a pair of sunglasses.

“Just looking for a can of coke,” she admitted as she closed the fridge door, “but no luck,” she stated as she leaned against the closed door. Viktor laughed and made his way to a cooler that sat in the corner of the room, opening it up and pulling out a red can.

“Here,” he said sweetly as he handed it to her with a perfect smile. Arianna felt herself blush as she accepted the drink with a smile. All the time she had come to Chicago and been dating Patrick, Viktor Stalberg was the one player she never had much of a chance to get to know.

“So, you dry yet from that little episode?” he asked her as he leaned against the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. Arianna laughed as she studied his features. Why hadn’t she ever noticed how handsome he was? No wonder they always said he was too pretty to get into a fight.

“Yeah thankfully,” she laughed as she shrugged her towel higher up onto her shoulder. “Just waiting for my clothes to finally be dry so I can change and go back out there,” she explained as he nodded in understanding.

“How come you’re not outside?” she asked curiously as she moved to the other side of the island to face him.

“Oh, there’s so many bugs out there...came in to get some bug spray that Sharpie said he had in the washroom,” he admitted with a shrug of his shoulder. “Couldn’t find any though…I think Sharpie was probably lieing,” he laughed.

Arianna laughed in response as she took a sip of her coke. She placed the coke on the counter as she looked back up to Viktor. Her eyes caught sight of something through the window behind him that displayed the backyard.

“Do you know who that is? Talking to Patrick?” she asked him as she motioned with her hand to the two girls who were currently talking and laughing with Patrick outside. Their bodies faced one another as they laughed yet again at something one of the girls had said. Arianna could have sworn she knew who those girls were; that she had indeed seen them before.

“Oh that’s Abby’s cousin and I think her cousin’s friend,” Viktor explained as he turned to look to where Arianna had pointed. “You probably met them before at Patrick’s birthday party. They were there that night,” Viktor continued as it suddenly clicked in Arianna’s head.

“Yeah that’s why they look so familiar,” she said as she could sense her body ease. When did she become so jumpy at girls speaking to Patrick? She was never like that when it came to boyfriends. Arianna told herself to calm down, as she realized she was becoming too emotional.

“I’ll catch up with you outside,” Viktor said as he began to make his way to the back door. “I hope this doesn’t come off weird for me saying this,” he said suddenly as he turned back around the face her, “but you really have nothing to worry about it when it comes to Patrick. You’re not the type of girl a guy would cheat on,” Viktor said lightly as he gave her a small smile.

Arianna nodded in response, a thankful smile appearing on her face as she watched him walk outside. She felt chills run through her bones as she realized he had been able to read her mind.

***

“So, did you have fun tonight?” Patrick asked as he and Arianna made their way through his front door. They had said their goodbyes to the gang, everyone wishing Arianna a safe flight back home as her plane left tomorrow to bring her back to Toronto.

“Yeah, I did actually. Even when I got tossed into the water,” she laughed as she shook her hair out of her ponytail. Without warning, Patrick grabbed her into his arms and carried her to the couch, her laughter feeling the silence of the condo.

He collapsed onto the couch, her body beneath his as he dragged her down with him. She felt the cool leather against her body, goose bumps forming on her exposed skin. Patrick lifted himself onto his elbows, gazing down at her without saying a word.

If both of them could give up everything in the world to keep this moment like this between them forever, they would without a second thought. This was love like neither of them had ever known.

Maybe she had found Viktor attractive tonight, but nothing would ever compare to Patrick. No one would ever be able to make her feel how he did. The way every time she was with him she felt like she finally understood what everything meant in life.

When he was with her, he was the best part of himself, a better version of the man he always wanted to be. Patrick didn’t know if he would ever be able to tell her that, as he gazed into her eyes. Nothing he ever did or said would make her understand what she meant to him.

The silence filled the space between them, leaving them both caught up in their emotions. Deep inside Patrick, it tore him apart that she was leaving and not sure when she would be back. He had become so dependent on her, something he had never been before, and it terrified him to now be forced to be alone. He wasn’t sure he could handle that after becoming so adjusted to this.

“Ari…” he began, his voice trembling, as he looked deep into her eyes, his hand pushing away a piece of hair from her face.

“Yeah,” she whispered back, as she let her finger trace his lips. She could feel herself burst inside as he spoke her name.

“These past few days together…meant everything to me…I don’t know what ill do without you…I know sometimes I’ll screw up and be an ass, but please always know how much I love you. How I’ve never loved anyone else,” he told her, his voice was raw and sensual.

“You’ve always been the only one,” she told him as she leaned up and rested her forehead against his. “There’s nothing you could do that could make me leave you now,” she told him confidently. They stood frozen like that for a few seconds, both lost in the moment.

“I love you,” she said quietly, the words falling like silk off her lips.