Drunken Minds Speak Sober Hearts

"Can you believe this shit? I mean, really believe it.."

Jonathan mimics Patrick Kane and throws his arm over his teammate's shoulder. "No. I can't."

"Me either, but isn't it fucking great? It's like the best feeling in the world right now!" Kaner yells, a shout following as he disappears into the mass of people.

The captain can't help but smile as he looks around the crowded locker room, taking another swig from the champagne bottle he's clutching onto. He tilts the bottle back and forth to get a feel for how much is left. Halfway gone.

He figures he should slow down. Sit and soak it all in instead of chugging what's left. After all, he's already on his second bottle in less than 45 minutes. That's probably some sort of record for him.

He'd like to blame his almost-wasted state on the fact that he was celebrating, but that wouldn't be the entire truth. Jon was downing as much alcohol as he could to wash away Lorraine, too, wanting forget about her for a while. It hurt him to see her with someone else even though it shouldn't.

When people shot him questioning glances, Jonathan would smile and raise his bottle. They'd grin back, all thinking that he was just enjoying the moment, the win. And he was.

Good, he thinks. They'll never know.

He sits there for a while longer, slouched against the back of his stall, slowly finishing what was left. Moving his head to the left, he eyes a six pack of beer. He's not sure what kind it is, Miller maybe, but at this point he doesn't care.

He pushes himself up off the seat and walks over to the beer. He grabs two. One for now and one for.. later. He pulls the little tab up on the can and takes a sip. His face scrunches up at first, not used to the taste, but after another gulp he tells himself that it isn't so bad.

Jon looks around to see all eyes on the cup and decides that it won't be too hard to slip out the door. He knows he should be ecstatic and drinking from the trophy he just won, but he just needs a minute alone. That's understandable, right?

One minute. Just one minute. Nobody will ever know I was gone.

He's almost positive that he escapes without anyone noticing. He looks around the hallway and doesn't see a soul, so he slides down the nearest wall with a sigh. He sets his extra beer down then runs a hand through his sweaty, wet hair.

Jonathan never expected Lorraine to show up, never. How could he just leave the best thing that ever happened to him, even if it was only for one summer?

God. I am so stupid. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Truth was, Jon hated himself for it. Absolutely hated himself. He'd go back in time and change things if he could. But he knew that wasn't possible.

She was unlike anyone else. He knows everyone says that, but she really was one of kind. Lorraine looked like just another Plain Jane you wouldn't glance twice at. Well, no. That's a lie. She had those simple looks but they were striking at the same time. Tall, but not a skyscraper. Thin, but not anorexic. Smart, but not a geek. Shy, but not a hermit. She was hard to explain, yet oh so simple.

He sighs, dropping his head in his hands as he brings his knees to his chest.

"Jonathan?"

He turns his head in her direction. "You keep showing up out here, and every time I'm surprised," Jon laughs.

"I told you I was coming down after the game," she says. "Win or lose, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

Nothing is said for a moment or two. Lorraine sighs, giving up and sliding down the wall next to Jonathan.

"Are you okay? I mean, really okay? Because you should be in there celebrating and having the time of your life, not drinking yourself drunk out in this lonely hallway."

She's never seen him like this, even if they were together for only four months. It didn't take much for him to acquire a buzz, maybe just a beer, since he hardly every drank. He didn't want to slip and ruin everything he had going for him and have people looking down on him.

Jon is hesitant to answer before ultimately deciding to swallow the lump in his throat. "I didn't know you and Ben were together," he says, choosing to ignore her question.

"There's a lot of things you don't know, Jon. I wonder why that is," Lorraine replies quietly.

A moment passes.

"You know, I'd always thought it would be me and you who ended up together, but then I had to leave and fuck everything up."

"That's crazy, Jon. You're drunk, you don't know what you're saying. Besides, you couldn't have known how things would've turned out. They could be a lot worse than what they are. Why don't we go back inside-"

"No!" he yells, instantly regretting it as he watches her shrink away from him. "I know I promised that I would come back to you, Lorraine, but you found someone else. I don't blame you, though. He can be there for you in all of the ways I can't. He's a good guy, Ben.

"I wish I knew why I never asked you to come to Chicago with me, but I don't. Maybe it was because I didn't want the media to tear you up, and I didn't want to take you away from your family, from everything you've ever known. And what if you hated it here, would you end up hating me too?"

He stands up and uses the wall for support, making sure he grabs the second can of beer.

"For what it's worth, I'm in love with you."

Then he walks around her, heading for the locker room door.

Her eyes glisten with tears, thinking that maybe he hadn't meant to reveal any of that considering the state he's in, but there was no denying that it was the truth.

"W-Wait," she calls out, waiting for him to turn around before continuing. "He's not you, Jon. Nobody could be you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," she says through a sigh. "I'm saying I'm in love with you too."

He takes his hand off the handle and turns back to Lorraine. By now his beer is abandoned and his rough, calloused hands are caressing her cheek and neck. They smile at one another. But it was more than just a smile. It was a promise that they would make this work, no matter what. There would be no leaving each other behind.

Jonathan gave her a little wink before leaning in and closing the gap. They pulled away a few moments later, lacing their hands together.

He turned back to the door and swung it open, greeted by laughter and more champagne. He walked through the threshold, this time taking her with him, and then let the door close behind them.