Open Your Eyes

Alyssa departed the bus, going over to where all the bags were being set. Just as she had a hold of her things, Tomas swooped in and grabbed them for her. “Do you need a ride home?” He asked her, and Alyssa noticed he already had all his things too.

“No, but thank you though. Aimee’s picking me up,” Alyssa informed, noticing Tomas’ raised eyebrow. “Hopefully,” she added, frowning.

Suddenly the familiar purr of Aimee’s Chevy was audible, and Alyssa relaxed a little. As Aimee pulled up and saw Alyssa flanked by Tomas, she couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling. Then she noticed something that almost made her jaw drop.

Were they wearing…identical t-shirts? Aimee’s eyes skimmed over their upper bodies, seeing the I heart Helsinki shirts flashing back at her.

How sickening.

Aimee rolled to a stop and put the car in park, glaring at the matching pair from behind her sunglasses. Tomas slowly smirked and waved, receiving the middle finger from Aimee in return. Tomas chuckled and walked toward the car, opening the passenger side door for Alyssa before heading back to the trunk.

Aimee wordlessly popped the trunk for him, allowing him to put Alyssa’s bags away. Once he had shoved the door closed Aimee had been prepared to drive off, but Tomas seemed to have other plans. He sauntered over to the driver’s side, leaning down so that his forearms rested on the open window frame.

“Nice car,” he stated, staring at Aimee’s profile. She finally turned to him, trying not to notice the way his muscles bulged under his shirt. His goddamn I heart Helsinki shirt.

“Thanks,” she replied flatly, hoping to avoid a confrontation. She had been out late the night before and she just wanted to go back home and crash.

“Was it hard to afford on a waitress’s salary?”

Aimee grabbed the manual window handle, cranking it quickly so that Tomas’s arms were uprooted and he stumbled back.

“Bitch,” she heard him mutter before he yelled “Bye Alyssa!” The brunette waved from the passenger seat, earning a glare from Aimee as she put the car in gear.

“I have to admit, I was worried for a little while that you weren’t going to be here to pick me up,” Alyssa said, settling in her seat as Aimee drove away from the United Center.

“Believe me, I was tempted,” Aimee muttered, checking her blind spot before changing lanes. Alyssa gazed at her, waiting for her friend to give her a guilt trip, but Aimee said no more.

“So, what have you been you been up to?” Alyssa tried, hoping to ease the tension.

“Nothing special,” Aimee smiled, causing Alyssa to relax significantly. “I hung out with Burish a lot, Marian came out a few times, got stabbed in the back, and ran some errands. You know, the usual.”

Alyssa grimaced, cursing herself for thinking it would be so easy to get Aimee to forgive her. “I know you’re upset with me,” Alyssa started, trying to choose her words carefully. “I wasn’t planning on Tomas and I to hit it off so well. Believe me, no one was more surprised than I was to find out he was such a nice guy.”

“Oh yeah, he seems like a regular sweetheart,” Aimee retorted.

“He really is!” Alyssa noted. “Just like Marian’s going to tell Tomas you are.” After Lyss was greeted with more silence, she continued with, “But of course, Tomas is probably going to be as stubborn as you and not listen to reason.”

“Look, I understand that you work with the Hawks and need to have a friendly relationship with all of them, and I also understand that you’ve bonded with Tomas for some unintelligible reason. I guess I was just blindsided by the whole thing. It made me feel like you didn’t even stick up for me, which I know sounds stupid and bratty, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s not stupid, Aimee. The guy insulted you and you have every right to be mad at him for that. Some people just rub each other the wrong way, you know? And I don’t think you’re a brat for expecting me to defend you. I have to admit, I was a lot more merciful to him at first than I should have been, but once I saw how nice he was being I couldn’t bring myself to go back to disliking him,” Alyssa explained, watching her friend sigh.

“I’m just kind of surprised, I guess. I thought you had the hots for Ben, and then I thought you had a connection with Marian, and then you go off and hook up with Tomas Kopecky. Which also kind of bummed Marian out, for your information,” Aimee smirked.

“Woah, wait just a second,” Alyssa halted. “Tomas and I haven’t hooked up! Nothing close, even. We’ve just been hanging out, as friends. And what do you mean, it bummed Marian out?”

“Open your eyes, Lyss. Hossa is sweet on you.”

“The man barely knows me,” Alyssa mumbled, somewhat embarrassed.

“He knows enough, apparently,” Aimee chuckled, deciding it was pointless to be mad at her best friend. “And I’m sure Tomas has enough dirt now to feed to Marian.”

Alyssa laughed, knowing that her friend had forgiven her. Aimee pulled up to their apartment, helping Alyssa with her things. “You need to take off that shirt,” Aimee ordered once they had unloaded the bags.

“Why? I like it,” Alyssa replied, pushing out her chest and looking down at herself. “Tomas bought it for me.”

“Of course he did. I saw him wearing his matching one when I picked you up.”

“He bought one for you too, “ Alyssa said cheekily, pulling it out of her bag as she unpacked. She tossed it to Aimee who deliberately didn’t catch it, letting it fall to the floor and kicking it to the side. Alyssa laughed and unpacked her camera next, jumping on the bed and motioning for Aimee to join her.

The two girls abandoned unpacking for a bit, enchanted by Alyssa’s shots of Europe. When Alyssa scrolled to the shot of herself and Tomas in front of the castle in Finland, she winced.

“Oh my God, I hate the two of you,” Aimee groaned, falling back onto the pillows. “And I also hate how adorable that picture is.”

“Okay, here’s the bottom line. You’re both my friends. You’re both my really good friends. You’re both just going to have to deal with each other,” Alyssa giggled, looking at the next picture that showed her and Tomas making faces next to a statue in some park.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t hate you both,” Aimee reasoned, causing Alyssa to rummage through her bag once more.

“I bought you something," the younger women confessed, pulling out a wrapped package and handing it to her friend.

Aimee narrowed her eyes at Alyssa, knowing that her roommate was trying to bribe her for her forgiveness. But Aimee would be lying if she said it wasn’t working. She unwrapped the package, examining the matching set of shot glasses and carafe.

“Aw,” Aimee murmured, gazing at it. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know, but when I saw them I couldn’t resist,” Alyssa grinned, receiving the hug Aimee gave her before the two women resumed unpacking Alyssa’s things.

---

Tomas had just collapsed onto his bed when there was a knock on his door.

“Fuck,” he muttered, rising to answer it. He walked through his apartment, shuffling his feet the entire way before opening his door to a grinning Marian Hossa.

“Hi,” Marian greeted jovially, walking into the apartment as Tomas just stood there.

“What are you doing here?”

“Visiting my best friend,” Marian shrugged, sitting down on the couch.

“I have jet-lag,” Tomas groaned. “If you would have called you would know that.” Tomas walked into the kitchen, heading toward the refrigerator. “If you had a brain you would know that,” he added with a grumble.

“I tried calling, but you never answered,” Marian shouted from the living room as Tomas grabbed two beers. He frowned, heading toward his bag on the counter. He found his cell phone and pulled it out, seeing that it was powered off. He cursed himself, forgetting that he had turned it off during the flight and never turned it back on.

Tomas meandered back out to the living room, where Marian was flipping through the channels on his television. The taller man held out a beer to his teammate, twisting the cap off his own and talking a large pull.

“Turn the TV off and let’s talk about Alyssa, like I know you came here to,” Tomas grunted, swallowing his beer. Marian scoffed and argued that it wasn’t true, but he turned off the television none the less.

“How was the trip?”

Tomas rolled his eyes at his friend’s stalling maneuver, but he obliged the man with his tales from Europe anyways. With each new tale that included Alyssa, Marian found his patience ebbing away.

“I’m grateful that you kept me in the game and everything, but could we not talk about how you saw her in her silk nightgown?”

“Fine, fine,” Tomas laughed, running a hand through his hair. “What about you? Catch any Aimee nightgown action?”

“Does it matter if I did?”

“Did you?” Tomas persisted, curiosity piqued.

“I thought you didn’t like her.”

“Don’t need to in order to appreciate the sight of her in lingerie,” Tomas zoned out for a bit until Marian cleared his throat.

“She’s actually really nice,” Marian told Tomas for the thousandth time, looking directly at him. “You can’t blame her for putting her guard up around you.”

“Enough about Aimee. I gave you a fighting chance with Alyssa, so you’d better capitalize on it.”

“And how do you think I should do that?”

“You’re a grown man, Marian. Figure it out,” Tomas glared. Suddenly his cell, which he had turned back on, rang loudly from the kitchen. Tomas leapt up quickly, thankful for the distraction. He heard Marian mutter and turn the television back on, leaving Tomas to his privacy.

Tomas looked at the caller I.D., grinning at the name.

“Miss me already?” Tomas teased, hearing Alyssa laugh on the other end.

“I half hoped you’d be sleeping,” she responded.

“Then why’d you call…?”

“Aimee and I are going to grab something to eat. I figured with all the meals you bought me in Europe, I could start paying you back.”

“Aimee’s okay with that?” Tomas wondered, amused.

“What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her,” Alyssa chuckled. “She’s in the shower now, so she doesn’t even know I’m calling you.”

“Well now I’m interested,” he smiled, scratching the back of his head. It was then that he noticed what he was wearing. “Are you still wearing your Helsinki shirt?”

“Yeah, why?”

Tomas glanced out into the living room, an idea forming in his head. He and Alyssa spoke for several more minutes, making plans on when and where to meet. Once they hung up, Tomas went back to sit with Marian.

“Have you eaten tonight?” He asked the older man.

“No, why? Hungry?”

“Very. I’m going to shower real quick and then we’ll go grab something? Sound good?” Marian nodded and returned his attention to the television while Tomas retreated to his room with a grin.

---

About forty-five minutes later, Tomas pulled into the parking lot of an authentic little pizzeria. The two Slovakian men walked inside, and Tomas looked around briefly before spotting Alyssa. She waved him over, and Marian felt like he could throttle his teammate.

“I wish you would have told me we were meeting her here!” He whispered in Slovak.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tomas brushed off. “You’re welcome.”

The two men approached the table, where Alyssa stood to greet them. Tomas noticed the absence of a certain raven haired spitfire, but before he could question it she came around the corner from the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks, shooting her best friend a look before pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You have got to be kidding me,” the woman mumbled.

“How did you all get that shirt?” Marian asked, slightly envious.

“Tomas bought them,” Alyssa answered, wondering if she was going to regret begging her best friend to wear the matching shirt. She had originally laughed when Tomas had suggested it, and thought it would be a funny little practical joke to play. But now she was wondering if Aimee was going to be a hard ass about it.

“Sorry,” Tomas said to his friend. “It didn’t occur to me that you’d look like the idiot who forgot his shirt.” Marian glared at him before Tomas motioned for the girls to sit down. Aimee slid into the booth on one side of the table, and since Alyssa was already sliding in on the other side, it was too late for Aimee to switch sides and sit with her friend. It would have made no difference anyways, because Tomas quickly settled in next to her and left Marian to sit next to Alyssa.

Aimee gaped at Tomas incredulously, but he ignored her. “So, what are we having?”

“Seeing as this is a pizzeria, my best guess is-”

“I meant what kind of pizza,” Tomas cut in, not letting Aimee finish her remark.

The rest of the night went similarly, with Tomas and Aimee biting each other’s heads off and Alyssa and Marian having their own soft discussion while the other two were preoccupied. Alyssa found Marian’s company as enjoyable as Tomas’s, but in a whole different way.

Tomas was funny in a smart ass kind of way, whereas Marian was funny in a sweet kind of way. She had a good time with Tomas, but all Marian had to do was look at her and she felt warm all over.

Meanwhile, Aimee was feeling hot under her collar as well. At some point during the evening, Tomas’s thigh had pressed up against hers, and neither of them had made an effort to move. Aimee convinced herself that the constant bickering coupled with the beer she had been drinking was the cause of her heated form, but subconsciously she knew the root of it was the two hundred pounds of Slovakian muscle against her side.

She could absolutely just kill Alyssa.

Once the quartet had finished their meal, Tomas and Marian footed the bill much to Alyssa’s displeasure.

“This was supposed to be our treat!” She whined.

“Our?” Aimee questioned, conveying that she had no intention to pay, regardless.

“You can get the next one,” Tomas offered as they all made their way outside.

“That’s what you’ve said every time,” Alyssa pointed out, shoving him slightly. Tomas just laughed, telling her he’d see her at the United Center for work. Marian hugged Aimee in the meantime, waiting for Tomas to pull away so he could hug Alyssa.

“Don’t you dare hug me,” Aimee warned to Tomas as their friends embraced. Tomas smiled, pinching her cheek before having his had slapped away.

“Goodnight ladies!” Tomas called out, causing Marian to repeat him.

“Goodnight!” Alyssa replied, elbowing Aimee shortly after.

“Yeah, yeah, night,” she mumbled, unlocking her car. She heard Tomas chuckle before getting into his own truck, and she waited for her friend to get settled before fixing her glare on her.

“What?” Came the innocent response.

“Wear your I heart Helsinki shirt Aimee, it will be fun,” the older woman mocked. “You fucking bitch.”

“I’m sorry! He’s probably wearing off on me,” Alyssa noted, referring to Tomas the mastermind. “But it was painfully obvious that he wants to wear off on you too.”

“Excuse me?”

“You wouldn’t have been able to fit a piece of paper between the two of you,” Alyssa teased.

“That’s a blatant exaggeration,” Aimee denied before switching subjects. “Did you enjoy Marian’s company?”

“I did,” Alyssa nodded, taking the bait. “He’s cute.”

“But…” Aimee prodded.

“But what?”

“You tell me. Would you date him?”

“Well, maybe. I mean, if he asked. I mean, I suppose-”

“Oh God, forget I asked,” Aimee stopped her from rambling. “You’re hopeless.”

“I am not-”

“Hopelessly devoted to Ben,” Aimee finished, singing to the tune of the Grease song.

“I hate you,” Alyssa pouted, folding her arms across her chest as her cheeks flushed.

“The feeling’s mutual, babe.” The rest of the ride home was silent as the girls drove home on the warm summer night, each thinking about their respective love life or lack thereof.