Stay Beautiful

Corey let out a sigh as he entered his condo in Chicago. The season was over after the team’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks in game 7. He had just finished cleaning out his locker and say goodbye for the summer to the guys. He knew he should be grateful for the way this season played out. At the beginning he was just the back-up. There was no way he expected to play that much let alone become the starter for the team. Now he felt as if he let his team down. Despite knowing that the guys didn’t blame him for what happened, Corey felt the weight of the loss on his shoulders.

Setting his bag down on the floor, he made his way down the hallway to his bedroom to take a quick shower. He needed to clear his mind before deciding on what he was doing this summer. There would be a couple days spent in Chicago before heading back home to see his family.

When he came out of the shower, Corey changed into a pair of sweat pants and a plain t-shirt. As he slipped the shirt on, a picture on his dresser caught his attention. A smile formed on his lips as he grabbed the picture. It had been taken a few years ago before he left to go play for Chicago’s AHL affiliate – Rockford. The picture was of Corey and Chelsea – one of his best friends from back home.

Flipping the picture over, Corey let out a hearty chuckle when he saw what was written on the back of the photo.

Stay Beautiful 

She was always telling Corey that. He never really got why she did but she did. Turning the clear plastic frame back over, he looked at picture one more time. Suddenly something clicked in Corey’s head.

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!

Chelsea was shocked to see her long time friend standing on her door step this late in the evening. He should have still been in Chicago. His mother told her that he wasn’t coming home until the end of the week but here he was, standing outside her townhouse with a smile on his face.

“Corey? What are you doing here?” she asked. He smiled at her before pulling her into a big hug. When he let go, he entered her townhouse without answering her question.

“Corey?” she called again as she shut the door. Turning around, she watched him as he set his bag down on the floor. The television caught his attention and he couldn’t help but laugh when he saw that she was watching the Pittsburgh game. They were always her number one team.

Looking back at Chelsea, he found her still looking at him curiously. He knew she was waiting for an answer. Corey just hoped he still had the courage to do what he needed to do. Going over to his bag he rummaged around in it and pulled out the photograph he had been looking at earlier in his condo.

“Do you remember this picture?” he asked her as he handed it to her. Chelsea took the photo and smiled when she saw which one it was. It was her favorite picture of the two of them. In fact, it was on her nightstand upstairs next to her bed.

“I love this picture,” she said quietly.

“It’s one of my favorites too. Look at the back,” he said as he continued to watch how Chelsea was reacting to everything. She flipped it over and let out a giggle when she saw her handwriting on the back.

“What does that mean?” Corey asked her. Chelsea’s looked up at him and studied Corey’s face. Biting down on her lip, she watched Corey as he stared back at her. He looked so serious as if he was having an internal debate with himself.

“It’s a lyric from one of my favorite songs.” That wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t exactly the truth either. There was more to the words than the simple explanation she had just given Corey.

“Ok.”

Corey didn’t completely believe the reason that Chelsea gave him but he suddenly feared what pushing her would ruin his visit up here and make his plan backfire.

“You came here out of the blue just to ask me about something I wrote on the back of a picture?” Chelsea asked, tucking some of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. She knew that there was more to his visit then just that.

“I wanted to see you,” Corey replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Chelsea nodded her head at him and tried to ignore the butterflies that were erupting in her stomach. She tried not to read too much into what Corey was saying despite her heart wanting her too.

The two sat down on the couch in the living room just as the Penguins game was going to intermission. Corey let out a frustrated groan as the CBC started to discuss the Blackhawks-Canucks series.

“You guys gave it your best,” Chelsea said.

“I know. I just feel like I could have done more to stop that puck,” Corey said, cringing slightly as they play he was talking about what shown on the TV.

“It’s not your fault. You’re an amazing goalie and Chicago’s fans know that.”

Corey stopped looking at the television and looked over at his friend. He knew she was right. He knew that it wasn’t his fault and that the fans as well as the team knew that as well. It was just disheartening for his season to end. Chelsea gave him a smile. That simple smile seemed to wake up the fire that was burning inside of Corey. It gave him the courage to reveal the true reason for his visit.

Scooting closer to her on the couch, Corey moved some of the loose strands of her hair out of Chelsea’s face. She was biting down on her lip nervously, not knowing what Corey was going to do. He gave her a quick smile before cupping her face in his hand and leaning down to kiss her. The kiss was soft and it made both of their lips tingle as they pulled apart.

“I lied about why I came here,” he whispered.

“Why did you come here?”

“Because I felt so helpless back in Chicago, like I was missing something,” he explained hoping that she would understand what he was saying.

“What are you missing?”

“You” Corey didn’t even give Chelsea time to comprehend what he said. His lips were back on hers and he was pulling her into his lap.

“Corey, I don’t,” she stopped mid-sentence realizing that Corey was taking what she was starting to say the wrong way. It was written in his face. He was ready for her to reject him, to push his feelings aside like they were nothing.

Chelsea smiled at him before getting up out of his lap and grabbing her iPod that was laying on the end table. She searched through the songs, searching for the one she needed. When she found it, she handed the iPod and her headphones to him. Corey gave her a quizzical look.

“Just listen to it,” she replied. Taking a seat next to him she watched as he listened to the song.

“That’s the song,” he said, a smile on his face when he took the head phones off.

“Yea, the minute I heard it I instantly thought of you.” It grew quiet between the two again. Finally Corey reached over and pulled Chelsea back into his lap.

“I guess life lead me back to your door,” Corey said before leaning down and capturing her lips in another kiss.