Keep the Girl

Isabelle wanted to believe that things had gotten better between her and Shane since the hockey game but in all honesty, they were as distant as they had ever been. He had become obsessed with his new job and she was consumed with her schoolwork. He had an annoying habit of making her stress level worse with his expectations and his dismissal of her frustrations.

One night, about a month after the game, Isabelle had reached a breaking point where she had just needed to vent to someone about everything. So she called Kris who let her cry on the phone to him for over an hour and all the while was completely understanding and supportive. After that night, she found herself calling Kris more and more and even having him call her sometimes. It was therapeutic for them to talk out their fears and frustrations with each other and have each other listen and validate the concerns.

She knew she was playing with fire by increasing her contact with her ex but Kris had always been a kind of an addiction for her. She thought she had cured herself of the habit but like any good junkie, one hit was all it took to bring the cravings back. She told herself that it was just because she and Shane were going through a rough patch and when things got better between them she would slowly wean herself back off of Kris. The problem was, she was beginning to wonder if things were ever going to get better between them.

“What would you do if someone ever tried to steal me away from you?” Isabelle asked Shane that night as he was preparing dinner.

“Well that’s a silly question.” Shane laughed.

“Why’s that?”

“Because nobody could ever steal you away from me.” He declared flippantly. Isabelle frowned. “What made you ask?”

‘Because I think I’m still in love with my ex who is trying to steal me away and I don’t want you to kill him if he succeeds’ She thought to herself.

“The book I’m reading, the main character is being seduced by another man and her husband is just sitting back passively even though he has his doubts about his wife’s faithfulness. I don’t understand how he couldn’t fight to keep her if he really loves her.” Isabelle said, lying so convincingly that she almost had herself believing it was the truth. In reality, her book was about a serial killer.

“Well, why should he waste his time fighting for her if she clearly doesn’t want to be with him?” Shane shrugged as he brought the plates over. She closed her book and set it aside quickly before he could see it.

“So you would let me go?” She asked, surprised to be disappointed.

“What’s the saying? If you love someone, let them go? But it doesn’t matter, does it?” He cast a warning stare in her direction. She shook her head, not trusting herself to sound truthful if she spoke. He smiled and leaned over for a kiss. “That’s my girl. Now, why don’t you try reading some happier love stories next time so we can avoid these conversations?”
And with that, he dug into his dinner, effectively ending the discussion. “So, what are you going to do without me for two whole weeks?”

“Well, I was thinking about going and visiting an old friend of mine.” She said, hiding her guilty look with her wine glass.

She had already decided she was going to Chicago. Spring break was coming up at the University and she was going to have a week off of work and school. During this same time, Shane had recently informed her that he was going to be attending a medical conference in Amsterdam. He gave no invitation for her to join him and she made no offer. The time apart could be good for them. It would them a chance to think about things and refocus their attention on the relationship. Of course for Isabelle, there was one very important thing she had to know first.

“Oh ya? Well, that should be fun.” He smiled, not asking for further details.

Isabelle was stunned. She couldn’t believe how easy he was making it for her to screw around behind his back. In a way it frightened her that he seemed so clueless. She was afraid that he already knew she was messing around and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to call her on it. But if he did, why didn’t he call her on it when she asked? It was set up just right for him to let her know he knew and yet he let it go by like it was nothing. Maybe he really was clueless. Either way, it made her nervous……not nervous enough to second think her trip but nervous…….
_______________________________________________________________________

Isabelle had decided, for reasons that didn’t seem quite as good now, not to tell Kris that she was coming to visit him. She had checked the Blackhawks schedule and found that he was in fact going to be in town for the week and so she thought she would surprise him with a visit. As she got off the plane at O’Hare, she began to question how good of judgment she used. As she made her way to baggage claim, she pulled out her cell and dialed his number.

“Hello?”

“Are you busy?” Isabelle asked, suddenly starting to regret her decision not to tell him she was coming. What if he had another girl? What if he had a little Chicago booty call to keep him satisfied when she wasn’t around? Or maybe he found someone else because she was taking too long to make a move….

“Isa? You there?” He called out.

“Yes, I’m here. Sorry.” She apologized, not realizing she’d zoned out. “Are you busy?”

“No, I was just going to get something to eat. Why?”

“I’m at O’Hare and need a ride.” She admitted sheepishly.

“……..why?.........”

“Because I came to visit you stupid!” She exclaimed. There was silence on the other end for a minute. “Kris?”

“……..Give me a half hour. I’m on my way……..” And then he hung up.

Isabelle looked at her phone. He didn’t sound real thrilled that she was here and she was beginning to regret her decision to come at all. True to his word, he called her back about a half hour later and told her how to meet him in the parking garage.

“If you don’t want me here, I can turn around and get right back on a plane.” She told him as he loaded her bag into his SUV.

“Did I say I didn’t want you here?” He asked.

“No, but you’re giving me an attitude.”

“Well a little warning would have been nice!” He exclaimed as he backed out of the space. “Where’s Shane?”

“Amsterdam. He’s there for a two week medical conference.”

“Does he know that his girlfriend has left him?” Kris asked, trying not to get his hopes up. This didn’t have the feel of a final decision trip.

“I haven’t left him.” She confessed.

“Of course not.” He laughed bitterly. “Don’t even tell me it’s complicated anymore. It’s become like bad catch phrase.” She complied and sat back in her seat, watching the city outside her window.

She’d never been to Chicago, never even been in the States before. It felt a lot like Toronto. As they made their way back into the city, Kris stopped at pizza joint to pick up the dinner he had clearly ordered before she so rudely interrupted.

“You’ll like Chicago-Style pizza.” He told her as he handed her the box.

“Is it deep dish?”

“Nah, this is better.” He said, pulling back into traffic. She lifted the lid.

“Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions, and Peppers.” She said, slightly amazed.

“That’s still your favorite right?” She nodded.

“Ya, I haven’t had it in years though. Shane is allergic to mushrooms and hates the rest. We always get Pepperoni.” She looked at Kris in slight disbelief. She knew that Kris wasn’t crazy about mushrooms, but would eat them on pizza if she wanted them. “Why are you doing this?” She gestured to the box.

“I told you I’d buy you dinner if you ever came to Chicago.” He reminded.

“Oh well, how romantic of you.” She said sarcastically.

“Hey, I did romantic in Toronto and all it got me was an empty bed the next morning. I thought I’d try a different approach this time.” Kris shot back at her.

Isabelle had no response. A few minutes later he pulled into the underground parking garage of his building. They took the elevator up to his apartment on the 15th floor. Her jaw dropped a little as she entered his place.

“This is beautiful, Kris.” She said taking it in.

The front hall opened up into a large open area where living room, kitchen and dining table were. In the living room there were floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city and the lake and led out to a small patio. The kitchen was nicely done with granite counter tops and a breakfast bar with stools. Kris set the pizza box down on the bar and went to the fridge to grab a couple beers while she continued to look. The bedrooms were on each side of the living room down a small hall with their own master bathrooms.

“Is this all yours?”

“You don’t think I can afford it on my own?” He raised an eyebrow. She just looked at him. “My room’s to the left, my buddy Ladd has the room to the right. He’s out with his girlfriend tonight so we don’t have to worry about him.” He explained. She nodded and wandered over to the stools where he was sitting. He served her a couple slices of pizza. “So why are you here?” He asked while they were eating.

“I told you. Shane’s in Amsterdam-“

“Ya I know what you told me but it doesn’t answer my question. Your boyfriend’s in Amsterdam, so you decide to come to see me. Why? I thought after everything in Toronto you weren’t interested.”

“I wasn’t.” She admitted. “When I left that hotel room I had no intention of ever seeing you again…..and then you sent me flowers and invited me to the game-I swore I was only going to see you play in an NHL game. That game set off so many memories and I thought I could get over you--I thought I WAS over you…….I’m not.” Isabelle’s voice shook at the end, showing how vulnerable she was at that moment.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to figure this all out.”

“How long do I have to make my case?” He asked.

“A week.”

“Well then I guess I better get started.” Kris said, rising from his barstool and walking over to her side.

He held out a hand to her. She took it looking him right in the eye. Pulling her off her stool, he led her slowly down the hall to his bedroom. He stopped in front of the bed and placed a soft, feather light kiss on her lips.

Isabelle closed her eyes and let out a whispered breath. She put her hand on his cheek and brushed her thumb over the slight stubble there. He took her by the hips and pulled her closer to him with one hand and wrapped the other in her long hair. Soft teasing kisses soon gave way to harder, more passionate kisses. The hand she had on his cheek fell down to his waist and pulled on his shirt. He pulled his lips back long enough for her to pull the shirt over his head. In response, he snapped the button on her jeans and unzipped them. He reached his hands in and slowly peeled them off her hips. Isabelle, thinking that he was moving too slow, removed her own shirt.

“Pants off.” She breathed. Kris willingly obliged. As he was lifting her up into the bed, she looked into his blue eyes and saw something that she hadn’t seen in years: a burning desire so intense that it made her shiver. She clung to him tightly, desperate to escape into his arms.

“God, I’ve missed you so much.” Kris mumbled, his breath hot on her skin. Frantic kisses covered her neck and chest. The sense of urgency in their movement was thrilling and there was a rediscovery of each other’s bodies that made her feel 17 again……..

*********************** Kris’s body was heavy on top of her and she was certain he was the only thing keeping her from floating away with ecstasy. Isabelle bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. He saw this and leaned down.

“Shhh.” He hushed, his lips brushing up against the side of her head where he laid a gentle kiss.

She arched her back as he began to move above her again. They were in her bedroom, trying desperately not to get caught by her sister who was asleep down the hall. Her parents were out of town, her mom having gone with her dad to a conference so they could have a date weekend. Kris was not supposed to have even been over at the house, let alone be in her bed doing sinful things to her. She had managed to bribe Maggie into not saying anything about Kris being over with some new makeup and a promise to show her how to use it but if she saw this……..

Her body started to tingle all over and her back arched even more. It was not fair how amazing Kris was in bed. For only being 18 and for only having ever been with her (so he said) he had knowledge of a much older and experienced man. She looked up into his blue eyes and shuddered. He could look at her sometimes and make her feel like she was the only girl in the world and that no one could even compare to her. As she moved her hand up his chest, she caught the glint of the jewel on her hand as it shimmered in the moonlight.
Kris had come over earlier for dinner and had stuck around and watched TV with her and Maggie until the younger one went to bed. When it was just the two of them, he turned to her with a box in his hand and nerves written all over his face.

“It’s not a diamond.” He warned as she opened the box. “But, it’s my promise that someday it will be. A promise that someday, I won’t have to make ‘someday’ promises.” He pulled the small ring out of its velvet box and placed the silver band on her finger. It had a small sapphire in the center and while it wasn’t much, Isabelle also knew that it had cost him more than he probably should have spent.

“I love it.” She said, tearing up as she leaned over to give him a kiss. She then stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling up the stairs to her bedroom where she could thank him more thoroughly………**************************

As the gasps of desire died down and the tremors of excitement were settling, Isabelle laid her head on Kris’s chest and listened to his heart slow. Kris placed a kiss on the top of her head and whispered into her hair.

“I love you Isa.” And in his head he added, Come back to me.
_______________________________________________________________________

Isabelle rolled over on to her back stretched out like a content cat. Last night had been just as amazing as the night back in Toronto and her body had a satisfied ache to it as she lay in his bed. She reached out to him and horror set into the pit of her stomach when the sheets on the other side were cold. She propped herself up quickly and looked around the room. For a minute, she was terrified he had done to her what she had done to him till she saw the piece of paper on his pillow.

Isa,
Had morning skate, be back by 11am. There’s coffee in the pot.
Love,
Kris

Isabelle took a peak at the alarm clock and then rolled back over with a contented smile. She still had an hour or so until Kris was to return. She pulled Kris’s pillow over closer to her and sighed. This was the most comfortable she had felt in a long time and it was only serving to add to her confusion as to what the right decision was.

Isabelle awoke again later to the sound of voices just outside the bedroom. She stretched out and then looked around for something to cover herself with. She found a long sleeve shirt of Kris’s on the floor and hoped it was clean as she put it on. Looking down at the length she cursed to herself as she released that Kris’s short stature meant the shirt didn’t cover her quite the way she had hoped. Looking around at the mess of clothes they had distributed on the floor last night, she saw a pair of his boxers and cringed. Not wanting to even think about wearing those, she decided to say screw it and just went out in his shirt. A decision she somewhat regretted when she walked into the common area and saw the man who must have been his roommate sitting at the breakfast bar eating a bowl of cereal. Isabelle sighed and walked past him as if she didn’t even notice that she was barely dressed.

“You must be Isabelle.” Ladd announced as she made her way into the kitchen. She gave him a lot of credit when he made no obvious attempt to leer at her.

“You must be Andrew.” He nodded, his mouth full of cereal. The two stared each other down before she caved. “Go ahead, you can judge me.”

“Who I am to judge you?” He shrugged. “I don’t know your situation. You could be in an abusive relationship and you can’t leave or your boyfriend will kill you.” He said as if it was no big thing.

“You got to lay off those daytime soaps, Laddy boy, they’re corrupting your mind.” Kris said, slapping his buddy on the back as he walked by. Andrew just shrugged again. Kris wrapped his arms around Isabelle waist and placed a kiss on her shoulder. “Good morning.” He mumbled into her hair.

“Good morning.” She whispered back, turning her head for a kiss. Kris tugged at her lips slowly with his own. It was a tortuous kind of kiss because she knew that he was going to pull back and leave her aching for more.

“Go get dressed. I want to take you around town.” Kris ordered.

“Can I at least get a cup of coffee first?” She whined.

“Go get in the shower. I’ll make you a cup of coffee and maybe if I really like you I’ll make you something to eat.” He said, rolling his eyes. Isabelle raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you seriously telling me that after last night you aren’t head over heels in love with me?” Kris smiled wickedly and rubbed his hands along her bare legs.

“Maybe I need some reminding.” He suggested.

“Hmm, maybe.” She smirked at him and then pulled herself out of his grasped and disappeared down the hall into his bedroom. Kris took a deep breath to settle himself and then reached for a mug. He saw his roommate sitting there smirking at him.

“Enjoy the free show?” Kris asked. Ladd just continued to smirk.

“So that’s Isabelle.” He said. Kris nodded as he poured the coffee into the mug.

“Do I dare ask what you think about her?”

“Let’s just say I’m beginning to understand why you want to steal this woman away.” Andrew replied, draining the milk from his bowl.

“I never should have let her get away.” Kris muttered under his breath as he added in a few heaping spoonfuls of sugar.

“So what are you going to do today?”

“I’m gonna show her around town, maybe take her shopping. I’m gonna take her up to the Underground Lounge tonight.”

“You sure you want to do that?” Ladd asked with a raised eyebrow. “You know your gonna get a lot of attention up there.” The Underground Lounge was a small speak-easy kind of bar up in Wrigleyville and they both knew from personal experience that there was no going undetected in that neighborhood.

“Trust me, Laddy Boy, I know what I’m doing.” Kris reassured as he stirred the now beige colored liquid in the mug. Andrew just looked at him. “Now, is there anything in this apartment that I can make for breakfast?”

“Bowl of cereal?” Ladd suggested. Kris sighed and picked up the mug.

“Isabelle! Hurry up, we’re going out for breakfast!”
______________________________________________________________________

“We need to buy you a dress.” Kris declared as they were walking up from the L Station onto to State Street. They were coming back from being up by the lake on the North side. Isabelle looked at her companion, confused.

“Why do I need a dress?”

“Because we’re going out tonight.” He replied, as if it were obvious.

“I have a dress for going out.” She informed.

“That green dress? That will never do for where we’re going. You need something a little less sophisticated.” Isabelle stopped in her tracks and looked at him.

“Okay, how the hell do you know what dress I brought?”

“I went through your suitcase.” He admitted with a shrug. “I needed to know what kind of clothes you had so I knew if we needed to go shopping while we were out today and clearly you do.” Isabelle’s eyes were wide as she listened to him.

“You went through my clothes?!” She exclaimed.

“It was a fact finding mission! I wasn’t trying to dig up anything.” He defended. “And might I add, when did your taste in clothes get so old? You’re 27, why do you dress like your 47?” She straightened up, insulted.

“What’s wrong with my style? I think I dress very appropriately.”

“Ya for an old maid.” He scoffed. “Do you and Shane never go out?”

“We go out.” She defended weakly.

“Where?”

“We go out to dinner a lot.”

“Out to dinner.” Kris shook his head. “That’s it? He never takes you anywhere else? You guys don’t go out to the clubs and bars or to a movie or something that our grandparents don’t do?” Isabelle shifted on her feet. Shane rarely took her anywhere that didn’t serve some kind of purpose for him.

“Can we not talk about this?” She sighed. Kris nodded and took her hand.

“Come on, lets go get you a new dress.”

Isabelle should have known better than to let Kris pick out a dress for her. He had gotten so excited when she had tried on the one he had chosen that she didn’t have to heart to tell him that she felt uncomfortable. As she put the finishing touches on her makeup she took another look at herself in the mirror.

The dress was short, black and tight. The skirt barely covered her butt and necessary parts and clung tightly to her hips. It stayed that way up through the rouched top that had an asymmetrical neckline with long sleeve and the other arm was bare. She had matched the outfit with a pair of ridiculously high black pumps. She left her long blonde hair down and pulled back with a thick black headband. Dark eye makeup finished the whole look. She walked out into the bedroom where Kris was finishing getting dressed.

He was wearing a pair of dark washed jeans that fit his ass perfectly. Isabelle took a second to soak it in. There were few things sexier to her than a man who knew how to wear a pair of jeans. She watched him pull a black tee with some kind of faded logo on the front over his head and then slip into his shoes.

“You ready to go?” He asked, turning around to look at her. She nodded. “Good.” He walked over and took her hand as he led her out of the room. “Laddy boy we’re leaving!” He called out to his roommate who was sprawled out on the couch.

“Bye! Don’t get arrested!” He called back to them. Kris rolled his eyes and led them out of the apartment. He flagged down a cab for them, not wanting to drive since he wanted to drink.

The Underground Lounge was one of the coolest bars in the city as far as Kris was concerned. It had been a speak-easy during the days of prohibition and it had maintained that kind of feeling almost a hundred years later. It was small and intimate but it wasn’t some place to go for discretion. He had gone there many times, sometimes with his other friend and teammate Patrick Kane and sometimes with others and every time he went he was recognized. Kane was actually the one who had introduced him to the place since he lived in the area.

“I’m warning you ahead of time that I might have to deal with some fans.” Kris said as he helped her out of the car. He had weighted the pros and cons of bringing Isabelle here. He wanted her to see and know that he wasn’t ashamed of her and he wanted people to know he was with her but he also didn’t want her to get upset with him being bothered by fans.

“I’m out with an NHL superstar. I expect nothing less.” She said, smiling at him as he led her inside.

The bar was busy. Not completely packed but there were definitely a lot of people there. When they walked in a certain energy came over the group as they recognized a celebrity. No one approached them right away but they were definitely being watched.
Kris had gone up to the bar to get refills on their drinks, leaving Isabelle alone at the table. She heard the guys in the booth behind them talking as she waited for him to return.

“She not the best he’s ever had but she’s at least in the top five. I’d want to take her out to show her off.” She heard one of the guys say.

“Ya it must be nice to be an NHL star and have girl falling all over him cause you know that she wouldn’t give him the time of day if he wasn’t.” Isabelle closed her eyes as she realized they were talking about her and Kris.

“I heard him saying she was a college professor.”

“Ooo Steeger’s hot for teacher. God if I had had a professor’s like her in college I might have actually gone to class.” The two guys laughed.

Her breath caught in her throat. It all made sense now. The reason for the new dress and make up, he just wanted to show her off and use her for his own personal status. God she felt so stupid. She had been so blinded by her fantasy of being back with Kris that she hadn’t even considered the idea that he had changed. She thought that it would be just like
it had been when they were 18. She had never thought that he would be just like Shane.
_______________________________________________________________________
“Fine, that’s the 7th ‘fine’ I’ve gotten since we left the bar. Can I have a new word?” Kris said as Isabelle huffed into the apartment.

“Asshole. That’s a new word.” She snapped as she pulled off her high heels.

“I think I liked fine better.” Kris muttered under his breath.

“You know I don’t appreciate being shown around like your little trophy, alright? Just because I have blonde hair and big tits doesn’t mean you get to act like I’m something you won.” Isabelle pointed the shoe in his face. He reached over and grabbed her wrist to bring it down.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you dressing me up as your little whore and then parading me around town for everyone to see what a great catch you are. You know at least when I’m wearing my own clothing I can defend myself and who I am. I have never had anyone make me feel as cheap as you did tonight.” She told him through clenched teeth.

“I find that hard to believe considering who you go to bed with every night. You sold out who you were for comfort and security. At least I stayed true to myself.” Kris declared, poking himself in the chest. Isabelle threw her arms in the air.

“You are not the same man! The Kris I knew and loved was not some playboy who ran around town with whatever tight skirt would give him the time of day! God you were supposed to be different from Shane but you’re just the fucking same as him!” She screamed.

“You’re going to comparing me to your douche bag of a boyfriend?”

“If the shoe fits.” She spat. Kris used the wrist of hers that he was holding to gain leverage as he shoved her away.

“If I’m such an asshole then why don’t you just go?! I lost you once, I think I could it again.” The words hung heavy between the two of them. They had an air of finality that left both of them feelings uneasy.

“Isa…” Kris took a few steps towards her, his tone softer, almost apologetic. “It’s been a long night. Let’s just go to bed and we can talk about it again in the morning when we’ve both had time to think about it.” He suggested.

Isabelle looked at him warily but followed him into the bedroom. It was going to be a long, sleepless night ahead of them.