My prince in shining hockey armor

I was really tired. I had been working non-stop thanks to the Winter Classic and the presence of HBO. Every time I thought I was finally going to get some breathing room a new thing to do appeared, I was sick and tired of meeting with sponsors and supervising interviews or photo shoots.

We were just finishing a shoot with some of the guys and all I wanted to do was to go home, take a long bath and get some sleep. But my plans were about to be severely changed.

“You are coming tonight, right?” Kris asked me while I starred perplexed at him. I had no idea what he was talking about.

“I’m not following…”

“Max is having a ‘party’, we told you like a week ago,” he explained nonchalantly.

“I completely forgot,” I said trying to sound apologetic. “I don’t know where my head is these days.”

“I’m glad that I reminded you because you have to be there,” Kris said matter-of-factly, his accent totally emphasizing the tone.

“I’m exhausted and all I want to do is go home and sleep.” I was hoping to get off the hook but I wasn’t that lucky, Kris looked at me full of disappointment and I instantly started feeling bad.

“I wouldn’t even be fun, I would just probably collapse on the couch or something,” I tried arguing my case.

“It’s just a small get-together and it isn’t even going to end late.” I gave him a look that said that I didn’t believe him. If Max was organizing it meant that it was going to be a hard-core celebration. “Things have been good lately and we want to celebrate before the invasion of the cameras.”

“I love you guys, and I appreciate the invite but you can celebrate without me. I really need to recharge my batteries.”

Just when I thought Kris was going to let me go without more protests Sid and Geno approached us, obviously wanting to know what we were talking about.

“Are you finally confessing that you were the one that stole her car keys the other day?” Sid asked referring to a particularly bad joke the guys had played on me just a few days earlier.

“No!” Kris explained making us all laugh. “I was just trying to convince her to come tonight.”

Suddenly I had three huge pairs of eyes on me. If saying no to Kris had been difficult, with the other two there it was going to be impossible.

“Why not go to party?” Geno asked me, his voice sounding a little sad.

“I’m super tired and I want to get some rest before the HBO madness begins,” I explained trying to sound convincing but failing.

“You could stay for just a couple of hours,” Sid suggested.

“I don’t know…” I was starting to give in.

“Please,” Geno said with the cutest pleading tone. “You need fun.”

“You aren’t going to stop until I agree to go, aren’t you?”

It was a lost battle from the start so I ended up but saying I would make an appearance at the infamous party. They swore I would have fun and would forget about being tired, I could only hope that they were right.

I went home and contemplated taking a quick nap, but decided it was better to just take a shower and get ready to go. The sooner the whole thing was over with the sooner I could finally get my well-earned rest.

It didn’t took me long to get ready. I had no intentions whatsoever of putting much effort in my appearance. I just wanted to be comfortable after spending an entire week running around in heels and pencil skirts.

The drive to Max’s place was short and I found myself knocking on his door barely twenty minutes after I’ve left my apartment.

“If it isn’t my favorite hockey clueless Texan,” Max greeted me. He loved pointing out the fact that when I first arrived in Pittsburgh I had no idea how the game was played.

“I’m not clueless anymore,” I retorted as I made my way inside the house.

“You still are the worst skater I’ve ever seen,” he continued teasing me.

“That’s just because all of you are horrible instructors.” Max laughed at my comment but didn’t say anything back.

It was early so not everyone on the team was there yet. I made a little round and said hello to everyone before settling in the couch between Kris and Staalsy.

“How is my favorite crippled doing?” I jokingly asked Jordan, I hadn’t seen him much lately do his problems with injury.

“I thought your favorite crippled was Geno,” Kris interrupted before Jordan could answer me.

“I think she says that to everyone,” Flower, who had just joined us, contributed.

“Don’t listen to them Staalsy, you are my favorite,” I said smiling up at him.

“I know I am, they are just jealous.”

I was having a lot of fun joking with the boys. They’ve been right, I didn’t even feel tired anymore. And the fact that there was alcohol involved also made me relax a lot more, to the point of dancing around with Max for awhile.

Everything was perfect until Geno finally arrived.

I was meddling a ‘discussion’ between Flower and Max about the music they wanted to play next when I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I turned to find Geno’s big eyes starring at me.

“You came,” he said.

“I told you I would, and I always keep my word,” I responded making him smile.

“Good”

Just then, a somewhat tipsy Jordan decided he needed to clarify something.

“I’m her favorite,” he declared and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

Geno just looked at us with a confused look on his face that I couldn’t help but find adorable. “What?”

“I told goldie locks here that he is my favorite crippled but apparently I had said that to you before,” I tried explaining without bursting into a fit of laughter. “And to avoid further confusion we just want to state that Staalsy is my favorite.”

Evgeni kept looking at us as if I had spoken in an alien language, which of course only made Jordan and I laugh at his expression. I decided then to take pity on him and let him in on a little secret.

I motioned for him to get closer so I could whisper in his ear, “He might be my favorite injured boy but you are definitely my favorite hockey player.”

He had a bright smile adorning his face after that.

“Good know,” he answered and I winked at him.

“What did you tell him?” Jordan question, obviously feeling left out.

“It secret,” Geno told him with a slight mocking tone.

“Not fair!”

“Life isn’t always fair my dear,” I contributed to the teasing.

I was about to ask Geno to go get another drink with me when a girl plastered herself to his side. She was gorgeous, Russian beauty at it’s finest. Seeing her there, looking so beautiful, made feel a sudden insecurity that I hadn’t experience since high school. I found myself wishing I had put a lot more effort in my outfit.

Geno welcomed her into his arms and looked at her in way I had never seen him look at someone else. “Meet Oksana, my girlfriend,” he introduced her still looking adoringly at her.

“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Annabelle,” I said trying my hardest to mask the sudden shock that had taken over me.

“Nice to meet you too, Zhenya talks about you a lot,” she responded with a friendly tone and a nearly flawless English.

“I hope he says only nice things,” I commented trying to sound equally friendly.

“Always,” Geno intervened and his girlfriend simply nodded with a smile.

“Like it’s possible to say something ugly about you,” Jordan remarked. I’d completely forgotten that he was still there, but I was grateful for his words and his presence.

Before the little interchange could get awkward Max appeared out of nowhere demanding that I dance with him again. And I complied, just to step away from Geno and the scene there.

I attempted to shake off the weird feeling that had settled in me but I couldn’t quite do it. I went back to joking with the guys and chatting with my co-workers that were there but I felt more and more uncomfortable as the night wore on.

“You are acting kind of weird,” Kris declared as he poured me another drink.

“Really?” I said trying to play fool.

“Yeah, like you are not really here.”

“I guess it’s just the exhaustion taking over.”

He studied me for a long moment before handing me the drink. We walked back to the living room where some of the boys were playing video games. But as we made our way I caught a glimpse of Geno. He was standing by the stairs with Oksana in his arms as the leisurely kissed.

I didn’t process it right away. I remained by Kris’ side and attempted to get myself involved in the little tournament the guys had going on, but it was futile. My mind kept going back to Geno and his girlfriend. And once I realized that the thought wouldn’t go away I did the only thing I could do, I got out of there.

“Hey guys, I think I’m going to head home now,” I announced trying to sound nonchalant and hoping that they were too engrossed in the game to care.

“Are you serious?” Max asked.

“Yes, I’m exhausted.”

“Stay for just a little bit longer,” Jordan told me and gave me pleading look.

“I really am tired Staalsy, besides, I’m not even being much fun right now.”

“But who is gonna make fun of Max with me when he loses?” Flower asked as if it was a matter of life and dead.

“I’m sure Sid or Kris will gladly contribute.”

Fortunately I didn’t have to put up with much protests after that thanks to Kris, who intervened on my behalf, saying he promised to only keep me in the party for a few hours.

I said my goodbyes and was putting on my coat when I felt someone approaching. I hoped that it wasn’t Geno, I was certain he would notice something was up with me and I simply wouldn’t be able to explain to him what it was. Thanks to my lucky stars it was just Sid.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’m just really really tired, it’s been a tough week.”

“Let me drive you home,” he offered.

“No, I’m okay, I swear.”

“I don’t like the idea of you driving if you are that tired,” he said sounding like the responsible and caring brother he is to all of who know him. “And on top of that you’ve been drinking.”

“I appreciate the offer, Sid, but I’ll be okay, I promise,” I said trying to assure him that nothing bad would happen.

“You’re one of the most stubborn people I know, and I play hockey with a bunch of hardheaded dudes,” Sid said still bearing a look of concern.

“Seriously, you don’t have to worry about me, I know how to take care of myself.”

“Okay, but you text me when you get home,” he added using a tone that reminded of my dad.

“I will,” I promised, “Now go have fun Mr. Superstar.”

“Be careful.”

We hugged and I was finally allowed to leave. I basically shut down my mind and concentrated on getting home in one piece.

It wasn’t until I was lying on my bed; completely unable to sleep when I finally realized what was going on. It fell on me like a ton of bricks. There was really only one explanation for the feeling that had taken over me that night. I was jealous, I was extremely jealous of Oksana.

“I’m in love with Geno,” I whispered to myself in the confines of my room, when I finally understood the reason for my jealousy. I needed to say it out loud, as if to test if it was real, and it was. I might not have wanted to admit it but right then it was impossible not to finally see it.

I had fallen in love with Evgeni Malkin without even noticing it.

I was screwed.