Here I Am

“So um, here is my house,” I unlocked my door and was grateful that I cleaned the house the day before.

Riley poked his head in before he actually entered.

“Do you like video games?” I asked him.

He grinned and nodded. “Yeah!”

“You want to go finish my game?” I asked and he was gone before I even finished the question.

“Mario!” he shouted happily. “Thanks Corey!”

“No problem buddy,” I smiled and then I was left with Delia Staal. “So,” I started. “Would you like a tour of the house?”

She smiled, taking off her coat and slipping it on the coat rack in the front hall before turning back to me. “Sure thing Corey.”

We went through my house and then we came upon the hallway that held bedrooms and bathrooms.

“You doing okay Riles?” she asked.

“Yup!” he sang.

“Call if you need me, okay?” she said.

“Sure Delia,” he answered, distracted by the video game.

She chuckled. “He doesn’t even care right now. You gave him Mario and Luigi.”

“I could always tell him there’s cake in the fridge too.”

She playfully hit my shoulder. “Then you’ll have to get him off the sugar rush and you don’t want that.”

I laughed and we continued down the hallway. “So um, here is the guest bedroom, the bathroom, and well my bedroom,” I swallowed.

She poked her head in, much like Riley did when he first came in before waltzing in and examining my bedroom. “You have very good taste in color Mr. Corey Crawford, though you lack in decorations.”

I sighed, looking around my bare bedroom. “It’s always hard because you don’t know when they’re going to trade you.”

She nodded slowly. “Don’t you have a contract now, though?” she asked, still looking around.

“You really looked me up, huh?” I smiled and sat down next to her on my neatly made bed, thank God.

She smiled. “I did and I figured I should memorize some stats too.”

My brow furrowed together. “Why is that?”

“Well,” she started off, looking up at the ceiling. “A friend of your’s called me today.”

Uh-oh. “Which one?”

“Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

I laughed. “He always introduces himself like that."

"He asked me to go to the game against the Vancouver Canucks.”

“Oh, I’m sorry Delia. It was. . .well. . . I’m not sure. . I don’t know how he got your number. .” I finally chose a sentence and finished it.

“He said your password on your phone being 5050 isn’t the strongest one.”

I sighed. “I’ll be changing that later tonight obviously. I’m really sorry about him bothering you Delia.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I said that Riley and I would be there.”

“You did?” I was genuinely surprised by her response to Tazer.

She nodded, looking out the window. “Yup. It’s been long enough and well Riley would love it a lot to see you guys play. So I said yes. He was absolutely thrilled,” her eyes held amusement.

“I have the feeling he said more than he was thrilled.”

Her devilish smirk returned. “I will never tell,” she vowed, raising herself onto her knees.

I smiled and poked her stomach. She shrunk back, squealing quietly. Her eyes widened with the realization that I knew her weakness.

“No!” she laughed, trying to get away, but I was too quick for her. I had her on her back, poking and tickling her sides and she was gasping for air. “No! Not the sides!”

I paused for only a second to let her catch her breath, but then she had the advantage. She raised herself so that she was only inches from my face and I could feel the heat on my cheeks. I then felt her ice cold fingers touch my bare skin and she raked her fingernails gently across my abs.

I shivered in delight and she smiled with satisfaction. “Not so tough now Mr. Corey Crawford?”

“Huh?” I looked at her dazed.

“Exactly,” she sang, standing up.

“That is not fair. You cheated,” I told her as we walked back out into the living room where Riley was very into the video game.

She spun around, laughing. “I did not cheat. You simply cannot play the game well enough to win,” she said and winked at me.