Is This Really Happening?

“Welcome, my dear, to casa de Toews,” Jonathan said as we entered his condo. To say I was in awe was the understatement of the century. “Let me show you around,” he chuckled as he pulled me further inside. He showed me all around the apartment, conveniently saving his bedroom for last.

“This is your room?” I asked in astonishment. I turned to him and he nodded. “It’s huge! I see why they call it the master bedroom,” I chuckled as I went over to sit on the bed. “Good Lord this is comfortable!” I exclaimed as I rested my head on the pillows. I heard Jon chuckle and felt the bed shift next to me.

“I’m glad you think so; because you’re sharing it with me tonight,” he said as he kissed my head. I opened my mouth to protest, but he put his finger to my lips, silencing me. “Don’t even think about arguing. You’re my girlfriend, and last time I checked, it was okay for a boyfriend to share his bed with his girlfriend, even just for one night.” I smiled widely.

“I love the sound of that; being boyfriend and girlfriend,” I said and kissed him deeply. We were then interrupted by pounding at the front door. Jon sighed and went to get it, leaving me alone in his massive bedroom.

“What do you want Kaner?” I heard him ask. I then climbed out of bed and went over to the bedroom doorway, trying to listen in on the conversation.

“What? A guy can’t come and visit his best friend when he wants to anymore?” he asked, sounding offended. I heard Jon sigh again.

“I have my girlfriend over, Kaner,” I heard him reply, and it brought a smile to my face.

“Since when do you have a girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell me? Who is she?” he asked. I took that opportunity to walk out into the living room shyly. When Patrick saw me, his eyes lit up. “You did it! You asked Jean out! Wait, is Paul okay with this?” Jon chuckled as he came to me and put his arms around my waist.

“Paul’s the one that told me to ask her out, of course he’s okay with it,” he chuckled.

“Well,” Patrick said as he looked at his watch, “it’s only 9; do you guys want to go over to Seaby’s with me?” he asked. Instead of answering, Jon looked down at me.

“It’s up to you babe,” he said. “We don’t have to go if you feel too tired. I’m fine with just staying here.” I nodded and then pondered it for a minute or two.

“Sounds like fun, let’s go,” I said to Patrick, who smiled and opened the door. “Just as long as I get some sleep tonight,” I added, looking up at Jon, who held his hands up defensively.

“What did I just say? I’m perfectly fine with just staying here with you, remember?” he asked, and I laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door after Patrick. The drive to Brent’s place was pretty quiet, but it was okay; I was already ready for bed, but I liked the team.

When we got there, Patrick didn’t knock; he just went right in. “Come on in guys!” Brent shouted as we walked in the door. “Jean! What are you doing here?” he asked once he saw me. Instead of responding, my shyness took hold and I just stared at the floor, words escaping me. To my relief, Jonathan wrapped his arms around me protectively.

“Guys, I believe you all know Jean, my girlfriend,” he announced to the room, walked me further inside. There weren’t that many people there; just a few teammates. But I was still nervous; I always got nervous when I was around people I had just met or only known for a day or two.

“Jean, relax,” Patrick Sharp said. “You look so high-strung right now; like someone is going to kill you. Relax, no one is going to lay a finger on you, I promise,” he said as he pulled me over to the couch where Duncan Keith and Dave Bolland sat.

“I know, I know; I’m sorry. I’m still working on the whole shyness thing. It’s a work in progress,” I replied, leaning back into the couch. “And, seeing as I’m actually speaking right now, I’d say I’ve made a lot of progress in my 18 years.”

“Would you mind elaborating on this ‘progress’?” Kaner asked, putting air quotes around progress. I chuckled and nodded.

“When I was really little; when my parents still carried me around, I was so painfully shy that I would burst into tears if someone tried to talk to me; even if I was still in my mom or dad’s arms. It was awful,” I said, shaking my head.

“Yep, I can see the progress!” Brent exclaimed, and everyone laughed, including myself. Then a can was shoved into my face; a can of beer. I saw that it was Kaner’s hand, and I pushed it away.

“No, thank you. I don’t drink,” I said as I continued to push the hand and can away. When everyone started laughing, it pissed me off. “Okay!” I exclaimed, standing up and facing everyone. “Here’s where I get serious. I’m usually a pretty chill girl, but there are three things that I will absolutely not budge on; drinking, smoking and drugs. If that becomes a problem, I’m out,” I said sternly. My tone shut everyone up instantly.

“Well, how about we crank up the old ps3 and play some games?” Seabs asked after a good minute or two of dead silence. “What games do you like to play, Jean?” he asked.

“What do you have?” I asked, and he motioned over to the cabinet next to the TV. “Ooh! You have Soul Calibur 4! I love that game! I’ll beat all of your asses to a pulp,” I said as I put the disc in. We played for a good four hours, and, true to my word, I kicked everyone’s asses, including Jon’s. We didn’t leave Brent’s until 1:30 in the morning.

“That was so much fun!” I said as I changed into some of Jon’s clothes to sleep in; in the bathroom, of course. I then crawled into bed, Jon following suit. “Thank you,” I said, turning to face him.

“No, thank you,” he replied. “We’ve only been together a day, and I already really, really like you. Now, get some sleep; you have to go home tomorrow and get ready for school.” That thought put a frown on my face.

“I don’t want to think about school,” I mumbled. “That means being far away from you,” I said and he kissed me.

“We’ll figure it out, I promise,” he replied as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.