You Can Fight Fate, You Just End Up Losing

I instantly went to the ice when we got there, inhaling the scent of the fresh cold rink. I pulled my skates from my bag lacing them as tight as I could before hoping over the boards before skating around a few laps. Eventually Tanner stepped to the side of the rink, holding a few pucks and hockey sticks.

“Let’s play” I said grabbing the front of his shirt.

“Ok, we can forget hockey” he said wiggling his eyebrows bringing his forehead to mine. “Go play somewhere else . . .”

“Tanner Luc Letang. We are playing hockey!” I yelled grabbing the stick and pucks from him. “Who knew under the best friend mask there was this perv of a boy.”

“Oh he’s always been there, just buried deep down under your best friend. Around the guys I’m constantly joking about sex Addie. It’s what guys do.”

“I know this but damn. Who would have thought that this would have happened . . .”

“Please you were around when I would say stupid stuff like this before you just never noticed because they weren’t directed at you.”

“Damn you’re right. You have always been like this” I said thinking about it. “Tanner quit being a man for a little and lets play some hockey. Beside what if she sees us together, or coach?”

“She gone all weekend” he said stepping on the ice with me. “And coach would love to be in the presence of the great one’s most talented kid. Girl or not.”

“Whoooo” I said in a fake cheer. I took a puck and pushed it around the ice. ”Tanner are you just going to stand there?”

“I like watching you, I’ve always liked watching you. You’re different on the ice, intense. But a good intense.”

“Thanks?”

“It’s a compliment” he reassured me trying to get the puck from me. “Will you stop that?”

“No, it’s fun to be better at this than you” I said with a smile. “Crosby trumps Letang it’s genetics Tan. You can’t beat me it’s not possible.”

“It’s not possible?” he said skating behind me he dropped his stick placing his hands on my waist turning me effortlessly on the ice.

“If we get caught here Tanner. . .”

“Will it matter?”

“If Kelsey or the coach sees us, yes.”

“Kelsey is out of town for the weekend remember. . .”

“And the coach.”

“Will be too distracted by the fact that you’re Sidney Crosby’s daughter to care what we’re doing. Besides he knows his daughter is a slut anyway.”

“Whoa did you just call your girlfriend a slut Tan?”

“She’s not my girlfriend anymore. You are” he said running his hands over my sides, resting his head on my shoulder. “You’re my best friend and I love you Addie.”

“I love you too Tans” I replied turning my body to face him, I placed my hands on his jaw before pressing my lips to his. “Who knew kissing my best friend would feel so good?”

“I didn’t, I thought about it but . . .”

“Wait, what? You thought about kissing me?”

“Yea, you got boobs and I was a teenage boy.”

“Oh please tell me you didn’t think about me while you . . .”

“Maybe.”

“Tanner!” I said hitting his chest hard. “I can’t believe you. You were a total sweetheart and now I find out that you would freaking . . .”

“Whoa. . . Adds. Now that I’ve kissed you and know what those lips feel like I might be doing it more often . . .”

“Tanner Luc Letang! I can’t believe you” I said feeling my face getting warm and probably red.

“Sorry Adds I’m a man I have needs.”

“This is so weird” I replied in a whisper.

“Why?”

“I don’t know but I feel all self-conscious now.”

“Why?”

“Because you . . . I am not hot enough for anyone to do that . . .”

“Hell yea you are. You got real hot Addison.”

“Shut up Tanner. . .”

“What? You got hot, your legs are hot, your ass is hot, your rack I mean damn. . .”

“Stop it!”

“You’re even hotter because you don’t think you are . . .” he said kissing me firmly his hands resting at the small of my back and the nape of my neck.

“I thought we were playing hockey, not discussing your apparently teenage fantasy of me.”

“Hey now, you can’t blame a guy. Why do you think that we stopped having sleepovers?”

“Ewww Tan. I don’t want to think about you getting a hard on when we were, what 12, because of me.”

“Why not? Because I guarantee that it will happen again . . .”

“Because if you would have made a move when we were younger things would have been so much easier. We could have skipped the shitty relationships of high school and college and just been together.”

“Sorry I didn’t think that you would want me to. You were too pretty Adds. “

“I’ve only been in love with you since I was like 5 Tanner. I don’t remember ever not being in love with you.”

“You waited too long to tell me.”

“I didn’t want to mess up our friendship. It was a silly crush, and when you stopped sleeping over I thought that you just didn’t want to be my best friend anymore.”

“No, I wanted to be more than friends . . . I thought that you didn’t want to be anything more than friends.”

“Well we were both wrong” I replied placing my hand on his jaw. “Tanner, you were a perv when we were kids” I added with a laugh.

“Please it’s not like you didn’t check me out too Addie.”

“Yea, you started working out more in high school and you got all muscular. It was hard not to notice your new hotter bod.”

“Yea? My new hotter bod huh? Has it gotten better since high school?”

“Fishing for compliments Tanner?”

“Well . . .”

“I mean I haven’t really seen your body in a while. So I can’t accurately compliment you Tan.”

“I saw you in that light blue bikini this summer Addison. And in that lacey number after we went to the club at the beginning of summer. You are completely worth the fantasies.” I felt myself blushing again.

“Stop it Tan” I said trying to get away from him. He quickly grabbed my waist pulling me back towards him. Spinning me to face him too fast, I ran into him loosing my balance, falling into his arms. “Holy hell Tanner.”

“You alright there Adds” he laughed.

“Are you trying to feel me up?” I asked noticing that his hands were just under my chest.

“Maybe” he said with that trademark Letang smirk. He lifted me up slightly so I could stand again, before kissing me firm and rough, his tongue running along my bottom lip and then parting my lips softly. I couldn’t stop the moan from escaping, this felt so right and honestly no one has ever kissed me like this. I understood that bubbly tingly feeling that people talked about, finally. “Addison, you’re incredible.”

“Thank you Tan.”

“You know it’s Halloween weekend right?”

“Yea.”

“You have a costume?”

“Yes” I smiled.

“What’s it look like?”

“Hot, and practical for the weather. It’s a little chilly here.”

“How hot? Am I going to have fight off my friends?”

“Possibly. But I didn’t want to really look too hot considering up until like an hour ago we were still just friends. So it’s not too hot.”

“But you’re naturally hot and throw any semi-hot outfit on then . . .”

“I think that was supposed to be a compliment.”

“Yes.”

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see then. Is there a party?”

“Yea, the guys are having something at the hockey house.”

“Why exactly do you never hang out at the hockey house again?”

“Because my place is way better, it’s a mess over there and you know I’m kind of . . .”

“A neat freak” I said finishing for him.

“Yep little bit. But there is a party with the guys and I’m sure there will be girls in skimpy costumes. . .”

“Skimpy costumes yeah!” I said in fake enthusiasm.

“I know you hate not being covered up. You avoid bathing suits outside of our families yards. I don’t know why you’re self-conscious. You’re hot Addie. Hot as hell. Hotter actually. You are actually melting the ice right now.” I laughed, he smiled pulling me into a tight hug.

“Shut up” I mumbled into his chest. “Can we play some hockey or what Tan?”

“Fine we’ll play.”

“Yeah” I said skating away from him.