Last Kiss
Chapter Eleven
I hate my alarm clock almost as much as I adore my bed. The obnoxious beeping that rouses me from my slumber is the epitome of despair. On the rare occasions that I manage to wake up a few minutes before my alarm, I always shut the alarm off, just to prevent myself from hearing the hated noise.
The morning after I fell off of Buck, I did not wake up before my alarm. Thoughts of Max had kept me up late into the night, and I found myself still thoroughly exhausted. Groaning, I rolled over and smacked my clock in a blind attempt at hitting the snooze bar. With a clatter, it was instead knocked to the ground where it beeped up happily at me, as though it was chirping, “Fuck you!”
I opened my crusted eyes in a fit of discontent and blearily looked down at the torturous device. The time read 11:00AM, and I groaned a little more. Apparently, I had somehow slept through my earlier alarm, and I only had an hour to get ready for class. With a sigh, I slowly sat up, stretching my aching muscles.
While Buck hadn’t killed me, I still wasn’t entirely up to par. My entire hip was discolored in a black-purple hue. My muscles felt stiff and sore, and I took a minute to re-evaluate my injuries. Finding nothing of immediate concern, I carefully got to my feet, rubbed my eyes again, and walked to the bathroom.
After briefly showering, I gazed at myself in the mirror. With a start, I remembered that today was the day I was having coffee with Kris. With that realization, I couldn’t refrain from criticizing my appearance. Normally, I wore my hair in a ponytail and no makeup. I didn’t exactly “dress to impress”. My wardrobe reflected my usually casual attitude; except for a few dressier outfits that I had purchased for student teaching, I only had T-shirts, jeans, and two hockey jerseys.
After a moment of hesitation, I put on minimal eyeliner and straightened the kinks out of my hair. I toyed around with the idea of wearing my Letang jersey, just to tease him, but decided that it might draw unwanted attention. Instead, I slipped on a dark red, form-fitting shirt and a pair of dark skinny jeans. A quick glance in the mirror showed that I looked nice without being overly-fancy. I couldn’t resist a smile before turning towards my hallway.
A small green light flashed in the corner of my cell phone, signaling a text. I slid it gently from its charger, making my way out to the kitchen to brew coffee. With a small yawn, I unlocked the touch screen and loaded up my messages. Besides a text from Violet, they mostly consisted of a few twitter announcements and coupons. There was only one other text in my inbox, and my heart gave an odd lurch as I realized it was from Kris. Quickly opening it up, I smiled as I read, “We still on for coffee? 2pm?”
Sliding open the keyboard, I punched in, “Oui. Je suis impatient d'y être.” Shutting the phone and setting it on the counter, I made my way over to the coffee machine and pressed the start button.
It definitely wasn’t a lie; I couldn’t wait to see Kris again. But at the same time, I was worried about the inevitable awkward silences that would engulf us. I didn’t want Kris to change his mind about me and think I was weird or unworthy of his time. I felt similar to the night before I moved to college—terrified of the unknown, but more excited than I ever thought possible to begin something new.
As I watched the coffee begin to slowly trickle down into the pot, I saw my cell phone light up briefly in my peripheral vision. I grabbed it, only to discover Kris had written a reply. “Moi aussi, mon amie, moi aussi. You have class today, yes? ”
”Unfortunately. Sociology from 12:05-1:30. Not my worst class for sure, but still. What about you?” I replied with a smile. I quickly turned the ringer up on my phone and dug around in the fridge for some sort of food. Normally, I wasn’t big on eating breakfast. Not only do I hate eating when I first wake up, but I also don’t generally like breakfast foods. While most people drooled over sausage, bacon, and eggs, I couldn’t help but turn up my nose.
I usually ate a large lunch and dinner, with a few small snacks in between. Today, however, I would be spending the time I normally ate lunch at a small café with Kris. I knew that cafés generally only sold muffins and cakes, not sandwiches and soups. If I didn’t eat now, I probably wouldn’t get a chance to until dinner. After a moment of hesitation, I reached down and grabbed a golden apple from my produce drawer. Rinsing it off briefly under the tap, I grabbed a napkin and settled down at my tiny table to eat my meal.
I had nearly finished before Kris replied, my phone announcing his message with a loud beep. “I don’t go to class. So, no, I don’t have any classes today. ;)” he had replied. I couldn’t resist; I broke out into laughter.
Shaking my head with a giggle, I quickly typed, “Alright, smartass. Let me rephrase: What are you doing today?”
This time, his reply was much quicker. “Optional skate at Consol, coffee with this awesome girl, then back to Consol for the game tonight. The usual.”
I hesitated before answering. Despite all common sense, I had nearly forgotten that he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It seemed like an impossible thing to forget, especially since I was such a huge fan of the team. Regardless, it seemed as though my mind had separated him into two completely separate people: the “Letang” who graced my television set with his beautiful skating, and the “Kris” who found his way into my thoughts. Hearing him casually mention that he was playing a hockey game tonight, of which my mind recalled was against the Hurricanes, sent a little jolt of surprise through my spine.
After staring at my phone’s screen for a few minutes, unsure of what to reply, Kris texted me again. “Well…the coffee thing isn’t part of ‘the usual’...You know what I mean. Aren’t you going to be late for class?” he had said, earning a small smile from my lips at his consideration. It almost seemed like he had only sent this text in fear that I had been offended. I shook my head at the thought; I was clearly over-analyzing and taking things out of proportion.
“Not exactly. My building is right across the street, and it’s only 11:47. Plenty of time. Aren’t you going to be late for morning skate?” I quickly replied. Despite my words, I stood up and walked out into the living room, searching for my backpack. Finding it on the chair, I stuffed a few books inside and grabbed a pen. I had nearly finished packing when my phone beeped from my pocket.
Sliding open the phone, I read, “Who said I wasn’t already on the ice? :P” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes with a grin. Despite this, I also couldn’t keep away the vivid imagery of his dark hair poking out from beneath his helmet as he glided around the cold surface. I wondered briefly how he could be texting with hockey gloves on.
I slid my bag upon my back and walked out the door of my apartment. Pulling it shut behind me, I locked it with a satisfying click. As I skipped down the stairs, I managed to reply, “Bad boy! You should be paying attention. I’m not replying to you until I know you’re off the ice. See you at 2! ;)”
With a chuckle, I made my way out of the building and into the fresh air. It was a brisk April morning, and I inhaled the beautiful scent of the wind as I made my way across the street. I hesitated for a moment before going inside, tempted to skip class and lounge outside for awhile longer. Moral judgment won out in the end, however, and I slid into the building, walking the short distance to my classroom. Taking my usual seat, I pulled out a notebook and pen, completely prepared for the lecture.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten to silence my phone, and a loud beep interrupted my stately professor’s rant about feral children. Luckily, I was ordinarily a model student, and she let my fault slide with a brief glare. I hastily pulled out the phone, putting it on silent. Before sliding it back into my pocket, I quickly read Kris’s text. “Vous êtes totalement injuste. :( I’ll see you at 2, then. You might stop texting me, mais je ne peux pas m'empêcher de penser à vous…” he had written.
I didn’t entirely understand what Kris had said, and I vowed to ask either Violet or Google Translate later. Despite that, I still couldn’t resist the giant smile that overcame my face, nor the little jump my heart gave, as I turned my attention back to the class.
The morning after I fell off of Buck, I did not wake up before my alarm. Thoughts of Max had kept me up late into the night, and I found myself still thoroughly exhausted. Groaning, I rolled over and smacked my clock in a blind attempt at hitting the snooze bar. With a clatter, it was instead knocked to the ground where it beeped up happily at me, as though it was chirping, “Fuck you!”
I opened my crusted eyes in a fit of discontent and blearily looked down at the torturous device. The time read 11:00AM, and I groaned a little more. Apparently, I had somehow slept through my earlier alarm, and I only had an hour to get ready for class. With a sigh, I slowly sat up, stretching my aching muscles.
While Buck hadn’t killed me, I still wasn’t entirely up to par. My entire hip was discolored in a black-purple hue. My muscles felt stiff and sore, and I took a minute to re-evaluate my injuries. Finding nothing of immediate concern, I carefully got to my feet, rubbed my eyes again, and walked to the bathroom.
After briefly showering, I gazed at myself in the mirror. With a start, I remembered that today was the day I was having coffee with Kris. With that realization, I couldn’t refrain from criticizing my appearance. Normally, I wore my hair in a ponytail and no makeup. I didn’t exactly “dress to impress”. My wardrobe reflected my usually casual attitude; except for a few dressier outfits that I had purchased for student teaching, I only had T-shirts, jeans, and two hockey jerseys.
After a moment of hesitation, I put on minimal eyeliner and straightened the kinks out of my hair. I toyed around with the idea of wearing my Letang jersey, just to tease him, but decided that it might draw unwanted attention. Instead, I slipped on a dark red, form-fitting shirt and a pair of dark skinny jeans. A quick glance in the mirror showed that I looked nice without being overly-fancy. I couldn’t resist a smile before turning towards my hallway.
A small green light flashed in the corner of my cell phone, signaling a text. I slid it gently from its charger, making my way out to the kitchen to brew coffee. With a small yawn, I unlocked the touch screen and loaded up my messages. Besides a text from Violet, they mostly consisted of a few twitter announcements and coupons. There was only one other text in my inbox, and my heart gave an odd lurch as I realized it was from Kris. Quickly opening it up, I smiled as I read, “We still on for coffee? 2pm?”
Sliding open the keyboard, I punched in, “Oui. Je suis impatient d'y être.” Shutting the phone and setting it on the counter, I made my way over to the coffee machine and pressed the start button.
It definitely wasn’t a lie; I couldn’t wait to see Kris again. But at the same time, I was worried about the inevitable awkward silences that would engulf us. I didn’t want Kris to change his mind about me and think I was weird or unworthy of his time. I felt similar to the night before I moved to college—terrified of the unknown, but more excited than I ever thought possible to begin something new.
As I watched the coffee begin to slowly trickle down into the pot, I saw my cell phone light up briefly in my peripheral vision. I grabbed it, only to discover Kris had written a reply. “Moi aussi, mon amie, moi aussi. You have class today, yes? ”
”Unfortunately. Sociology from 12:05-1:30. Not my worst class for sure, but still. What about you?” I replied with a smile. I quickly turned the ringer up on my phone and dug around in the fridge for some sort of food. Normally, I wasn’t big on eating breakfast. Not only do I hate eating when I first wake up, but I also don’t generally like breakfast foods. While most people drooled over sausage, bacon, and eggs, I couldn’t help but turn up my nose.
I usually ate a large lunch and dinner, with a few small snacks in between. Today, however, I would be spending the time I normally ate lunch at a small café with Kris. I knew that cafés generally only sold muffins and cakes, not sandwiches and soups. If I didn’t eat now, I probably wouldn’t get a chance to until dinner. After a moment of hesitation, I reached down and grabbed a golden apple from my produce drawer. Rinsing it off briefly under the tap, I grabbed a napkin and settled down at my tiny table to eat my meal.
I had nearly finished before Kris replied, my phone announcing his message with a loud beep. “I don’t go to class. So, no, I don’t have any classes today. ;)” he had replied. I couldn’t resist; I broke out into laughter.
Shaking my head with a giggle, I quickly typed, “Alright, smartass. Let me rephrase: What are you doing today?”
This time, his reply was much quicker. “Optional skate at Consol, coffee with this awesome girl, then back to Consol for the game tonight. The usual.”
I hesitated before answering. Despite all common sense, I had nearly forgotten that he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It seemed like an impossible thing to forget, especially since I was such a huge fan of the team. Regardless, it seemed as though my mind had separated him into two completely separate people: the “Letang” who graced my television set with his beautiful skating, and the “Kris” who found his way into my thoughts. Hearing him casually mention that he was playing a hockey game tonight, of which my mind recalled was against the Hurricanes, sent a little jolt of surprise through my spine.
After staring at my phone’s screen for a few minutes, unsure of what to reply, Kris texted me again. “Well…the coffee thing isn’t part of ‘the usual’...You know what I mean. Aren’t you going to be late for class?” he had said, earning a small smile from my lips at his consideration. It almost seemed like he had only sent this text in fear that I had been offended. I shook my head at the thought; I was clearly over-analyzing and taking things out of proportion.
“Not exactly. My building is right across the street, and it’s only 11:47. Plenty of time. Aren’t you going to be late for morning skate?” I quickly replied. Despite my words, I stood up and walked out into the living room, searching for my backpack. Finding it on the chair, I stuffed a few books inside and grabbed a pen. I had nearly finished packing when my phone beeped from my pocket.
Sliding open the phone, I read, “Who said I wasn’t already on the ice? :P” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes with a grin. Despite this, I also couldn’t keep away the vivid imagery of his dark hair poking out from beneath his helmet as he glided around the cold surface. I wondered briefly how he could be texting with hockey gloves on.
I slid my bag upon my back and walked out the door of my apartment. Pulling it shut behind me, I locked it with a satisfying click. As I skipped down the stairs, I managed to reply, “Bad boy! You should be paying attention. I’m not replying to you until I know you’re off the ice. See you at 2! ;)”
With a chuckle, I made my way out of the building and into the fresh air. It was a brisk April morning, and I inhaled the beautiful scent of the wind as I made my way across the street. I hesitated for a moment before going inside, tempted to skip class and lounge outside for awhile longer. Moral judgment won out in the end, however, and I slid into the building, walking the short distance to my classroom. Taking my usual seat, I pulled out a notebook and pen, completely prepared for the lecture.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten to silence my phone, and a loud beep interrupted my stately professor’s rant about feral children. Luckily, I was ordinarily a model student, and she let my fault slide with a brief glare. I hastily pulled out the phone, putting it on silent. Before sliding it back into my pocket, I quickly read Kris’s text. “Vous êtes totalement injuste. :( I’ll see you at 2, then. You might stop texting me, mais je ne peux pas m'empêcher de penser à vous…” he had written.
I didn’t entirely understand what Kris had said, and I vowed to ask either Violet or Google Translate later. Despite that, I still couldn’t resist the giant smile that overcame my face, nor the little jump my heart gave, as I turned my attention back to the class.