As Fate Would Have It

No sooner had I given my answer to his final question did we pull up into the parking lot of a small diner. The building looked virtually deserted with only two other cars in the parking lot that had to belong to employees of some sort. When he said he was taking me out for a drink, this wasn't what I thought he meant. We were at least twenty minutes out of town, maybe thirty. I had lost track when we started to play out little game. Did it matter? Not really. My entire night was going to be dedicated to Kris anyways, so who cared where we ended up? My eyes scanned the building for any indication of what might await inside, but nothing came to my mind.

The building was old, that was easy to tell. The white siding, that was slightly yellow stained, wasn't very appealing to the eye. The red tin roof brought a much more rural feel to the place, though we were in the middle of nowhere, so that wasn't hard to do. The lighted Diner sign that hung above the door gave off an eerie blue light, though the R at the end was burnt out and just read Dine instead. Lights illuminated the windows, but seeing inside was nearly impossible since the blinds were drawn. As Kris opened his car door, the smell of hamburgers hit my nose light a freight train. I finally realized just how hungry I was. My eyes caught sight of something out of the ordinary in that brief moment when Kris opened his door. The open sign wasn't illuminated.

Coming around the car, Kris opened my door like any true gentleman would, extending his hand to help me out. I took it with a smile, climbing out of the car into the cold. I had forgotten that the country was almost always a lot cooler than the city. With this fact also came that country air was a million times more refreshing. Taking in the crisp air, I had forgotten about the sign.

"Kris, they say they're closed," I mention.

His hand wraps around mine as he closes the door and locks his car. I look up at Kris's face to see him chuckling slightly. What was so funny?

"Trust me," Kris replied, the smirk never leaving his face.

He began to lead me to the front door of the diner. Something in the pit of my stomach told me that we shouldn't be here. Trust him... TRUST him. Did we have to revisit the fact that I didn't KNOW him? Okay well...I knew him, obviously, but not nearly as well enough as I should if he expects me to trust him. I didn't trust some of my best friends. How was I going to place my trust into someone who was practically a stranger. Then again, he was more than that. I don't know many other strangers I would be holding hands with, at night, in front of a diner that was getting creepier and creepier by the minute. As we reached the front door, Kris reached out and pushed it open effortlessly. He started into the dimly lit dinner while I stood firm on the front steps. "Kris..." I whispered, but he was also dragging me into the space.

In theory, I had no real reason to be worried. If anything were to happen, I did have a hockey player there for my protection. This guy got paid to rough. Body checks, hip checks, crosschecks, and even straight up fights. He had faced them all, and given more than his fair share. There wasn't another soul I would feel safer with. Pressing myself against his back, I felt the laugh deep in his stomach before it ever escaped his lips. "Just look," he chuckled, tugging my arm so I was now standing next to him. The sight made my free hand fly to my mouth in surprise.

This wasn't drinks. This was a full on dinner. In a way, I wanted to be mad at him. I hadn't signed up for a date, which is what this was going to be. I saw it now. I already felt like this was more than just a friendly outing, and by the looks of it, I was right. In the corner of the diner sat a booth with red vinyl seats. The table top was covered in a pure white table cloth that was topped with two candles and a dozen roses in the center. A place setting was arranged on each side, forks and spoons sitting besides spotless plates. A basket of rolls already sat off to the side with steam rising up from them. I could tell by the smell they were emitting that they were fresh out of the oven and ready to go. My mouth began to water a little bit more. I had barely eaten all day. But before I could dive into the basket of warm bread, my head whipped around to Kris. "What is all of this?"

"I promised you drinks. Who said dinner couldn't come with it? It's okay isn't it?" There was a pang of worry in his voice, but I quickly silenced it with a squeeze of his hand.

"It's more than okay. Kris...you didn't have to do this," I forced myself to say. No other guy had ever done something like this for me. The dinner's that Ian had taken me to were nice, but they had never been from the heart. He never took the time to do something meaningful. As much as I loved the nights I spent with them, they were routine. This...this was out of the ordinary, and absolutely perfect. "What is this place anyways?"

"This is where I come after a hard loss," Kris explained, walking towards the table. Letting go of my hand, he extended his arm for me to sit down, which I did quickly. "Usually it's to drown in self-pity and have a drink or two. I've never been much of a drinker," he went on, "But this place is too nice to have bad feelings associated with it. I was hoping you could change that."

Pink flushed my cheeks when he finished his story. Looking around, I can see where he was coming from. This place looked much better form the inside. It was decorated in the most charming 50's decor. The tables and booths gave off a friendly feel. The bar stretched almost across the entire place with little stools lining the outside and an army of contraptions on the other side. The booth we sat at looked to be one of the biggest in the place, though the dim lights made it hard to really assess. My eyes travelled around the entire place before they got back to Kris, and when they did, he spoke again, "I rented out the place for tonight so it's just you and me."

Before I could respond, a little blonde waitress bounced over to our table, "Hi. My name is Missy and I'll be taking care of you tonight."

-x-

Saying my date with Kris was amazing would be the understatement of the century. The hours we spent in the diner talking about nothing in particular were some of the best of my life. Hockey was the vocal point of our discussion, but what else was to be expected from a player and a crazed fan? I now know more about his life than any fan should be given access too, and he had heard my entire life story from growing up in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina to moving to Pittsburgh. We compared stories and the places we had lived. He recalled playing in the World Juniors, as well as on the Wilkes-Barre Scranton team. I rambled about my college adventures and family mishaps. By the end of the night, I had a much better sense of who Kris Letang really was, and it was someone I didn't want to let go of.

I looked down at my watch to notice the time. "Kris, it's almost one in the morning. Shouldn't we be going?" I watched as his own eyes looked down before he nodded.

"Yeah," he responded, scooting himself out of the booth before standing up and stretching, "It's going to take a while to get you back home." Reaching out, he took my hand once more as I got up and we walked out of the diner. He had paid for everything before hand, thanks to a preplanned menu and having to rent out the entire diner just for us two.

Back in the car, the ride back was much quieter. Even though I was highly accustomed to late nights, I felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier with each mile that passed. Kris took notice of my exhaustion and just smiled in the same way he always does. "Close your eyes," he whispered, "I'll wake you when we get home." He placed his free hand on my leg, which I ended up sliding my own hand under before closing my eyes. It was only moments before the movement of the car, and my own tiredness, lead me to sleep.

Reaching my apartment seemed to happen quicker than I thought. The sudden stoppage of the car is what finally woke me from my slumber. I rubbed my eyes with my free hand before glancing at Kris, who was staring intently at me. "You know, your nose twitches a lot when you sleep," Kris announced with a grin.

"Yeah. Well you look like a cat," I retorted with a smile.

Laughing, he took his hand from mine and escaped his car. Coming around the front, he also rescued me from the inside as well. As I stood up, I felt my legs get a little weak, but Kris was there to catch me before any real harm could be done. "Thanks," I offered. Once I had gained my balance, I smiled up at him, which is something I found myself doing quite a lot tonight.

"It's really no problem, but I should be going," he said, forcing a weak smile. Bending down, Kris gave me a quick kiss in the forehead before he began to move away. Before I knew what I was doing, my arms were outstretched and I was clinging to his wrist for dear life. I didn't want him to leave. He gave me a sense of safety that I hadn't felt in a long time. It was a feeling I missed, and one I craved. Turning back around, his deep brown eyes met mine, looking deeper into my soul than anyone else ever had. But why had I just reached out?

"Don't go," I whispered, letting my hands drift from his wrist into his hand. One of Kris's hands could practically engulf both of mine, but I liked it better that way. "Please," I begged.

No words were needed. The only answer I needed came in a short little nod before he hit the lock button on his car keys and laced his fingers with mine. The smile that cross his face now was a new one, but it was my favorite of all. Happiness. Euphoria. Maybe a hint of love, though it was entirely too early for that to even be an option. I lead him through the halls and up the stairs that lead to my lonesome third floor apartment. Once I managed to actually unlock the door, my free hand was shaking so badly that I could barely get the key in the hole, I tossed my things on the usual lazyboy recliner and dropped Kris's hand before heading straight for the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," I called. I needed a drink. A full glass of water was downed in mere seconds before I resurfaced in the living room where Kris was examining all the pictures that hung on the walls or stood on tables.

"Who are all these people?" He questioned.

"I'll explain in the morning," was the only answer I could manage before walking over and taking his hand again, leading him into my tiny bedroom.

All that fit in the room was my queen size bed, a night stand, dresser, TV, and my old Siamese cat that had lost all interest in me years ago. As long as I fed him, he didn't care in the least what I did. Kris seemed a bit astonished by the little room I possessed in my apartment as a whole. He kept looking around, maybe thinking the room magically expanded or something. But while he looked all around, I stripped off my jersey and stood in just a tank-top and jeans. Grabbing a pair of sleeping shorts, I rushed to the bathroom, changed, brushed my teeth and emerged minutes later. "Sorry. I'm just...all about routines," I explained, walking back into the room.

"I understand. I am a hockey player after all," Tanger had made himself comfortable by sitting at the edge of my bed. I kicked Benny, my cat, from the room before closing the door and sitting next to Kris.

"I...don't normally do this," I tried to explain, fumbling with my hands in my lap.

"We don't have to do anything. Personally, I could go for some sleep," the offer was sweet, and I nodded in reply.

Crawling up to the top of my bed, I threw the excess pillows to the ground and snuggled myself under the covers, content in the warmth. Kris was quick to join me. His arms extended and wrapped around my waist, pulling me in close to his body. He was warm...very warm. My hands landed on his chest where I could feel the muscles even though the shirt he was wearing. Looking up, our eyes met for the millionth time that night. I expected that. His next move, however, I did not.

Before I knew it, his lips had found their way to mine. They were soft, so incredibly soft . The kiss itself was that was as well. Little pressure, but enough to make my mind register what was happening. But I could tell he didn't want to push thing any farther...unless I wanted it. Parting my lips ever so lightly, I pushed back, forcing for pressure and closing what little space there was between us. He gave back, giving a little move every time I pushed the envelope. His tongue encircled my own as the kissing intensified with every passing second. Before I knew it, his shirt had somehow been pulled over his head and thrown aside. Partially because of what we were doing, and partially because it was always abnormally warm in my apartment. When I finally felt myself pull away, Kris had a hint of worry and fear in his eye, as though we had gone too far. I shook my head to make sure he knew that wasn't the case.

"Thank you for everything," I whisper, burying my face between the bottom of his chin and his chest.

"You're very welcome," Kris replied, tender with his words. He turned onto his back, taking me with him so I lay on my side, head resting on his shoulder. My fingers traced his stomach as we lay in silence. Before I knew it, his arm tightened around me, and his breathing evened out. Asleep.

There I lay, my mind racing with the previous events. My finger still tracing the body of a god gifted to the man I lay next to.

This was happiness.
This was bliss.
This...was also betrayal.