A Ship in Harbor is Safe

“When’s the last time you talked to Athena?”

Jordan rolls his eyes, “it’s been about two months.”

“Two months? Jesus, Jordan! Do you have any idea if she’s still alive?”

He shrugs, “it’s not my problem, Jared.”

“I’ve been calling her and I can’t get ahold of her.”

“Leave her a message and maybe she’ll get back to you.” Jordan shrugs, leaning back on the couch, “she’s got a busy life now.”

“Mind explaining what the hell’s going on, Jordan?” Jared demands.

“I’d rather not,” Jordan says

Heather slowly sits down on the couch, handing Jordan a beer.

“Dude,” Jared says. “C’mon.”

“I gotta go,” Jordan says. “Try calling her again, I guess.”

“Jor—”

Heather looks away from the television, “should I ask?”

“Jared’s throwing a hissy fit.”

“About what?”

“He can’t get ahold of Athena.”

She nods slowly, taking a sip of her beer.



“Oh my God,” Athena pants as she slows to a stop, resting her hands on the back of her head.

Sidney slows to a stop, turning around. “You burnin’ out on me, already?”

“How do you do this?” She smiles, breathing heavily. “I can’t run like this.”

“Only a couple more miles to go,” he smiles, “c’mon.”

Athena scoffs, resting her hands on her knees, “that’s a sick joke, Crosby.”

“Oh,” he smiles, “we’re on a last name basis now?”

She shakes her head, looking up at Sidney, “I don’t like you very much right now.”

He just laughs, “you volunteered yourself for this, Fischer.”

Athena shakes her head, slowly standing up straight. Her eyelevel still only reaches Sidney’s shoulders. “I didn’t sign up for ten miles.”

“We’re halfway there.”

“Let’s walk the rest of the way back.”

Sidney shakes his head with a smile on his face, “you agreed to go on a run with me. Not a walk.”

“Sid,” Athena whines, sticking her bottom lip out. “I can’t feel my legs.”

After a moment, Sidney sighs. “You’re lucky I like you so much.”

Athena smiles, “I tell myself that every day.”

Sidney chuckles as he turns his back to Athena.

With a smile on her face, Athena stands on her tiptoes and drapes her arms over Sidney’s shoulders. She jumps up and Sidney catches her legs, just in time. “Are you really gonna jog home like this?”

“That’s the plan,” he smirks.

Athena throws her head back, laughing. “You can’t be serious, babe. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“What’re you trying say? I’m not strong enough to jog five miles with you on my back?”

“I’m saying that with the weight of a full grown human being on your back, you’re gonna get worn out quickly.”

“So,” Sidney speaks as he jogs, “you’re saying I don’t have the stamina?”

Giggling, Athena shakes her head. “You and I both know you’ve got the stamina.”

“Okay, then,” Sidney laughs.

She rests her left hand flat on Sidney’s chest, feeling his heartbeat under her hand. Extending her arm back, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and carefully holds it in her hands. Resting her chin on Sidney’s left shoulder, Athena unlocks the screen and reads through her missed notifications.

“Anything important?”

Athena shrugs lightly, “Jared keeps calling me and texting me.”

“Maybe you should call him back or something? It could be important.”

She scoffs, “Sid, Jared is the annoying little brother I never had. He’s probably just calling to bother me.”

Sidney shrugs, watching Athena lock the screen to her phone again.

Tucking the device into her pocket, she smiles. “How excited are you for the big game?”

“What big game?” Sidney smirks, glancing over his shoulder.

Athena smirks, patting Sidney’s chest.

“Oh, you mean the Winter Classic?” Sidney chuckles. “How excited do you think I am?”

She squeals when Sidney squeezes the back of her right knee.



“You know, it’s really hard to move around the kitchen with you pretty much wrapped around me like this,” Athena whispers, leaning her head back into Sidney’s shoulder. She rests her right hand on both of Sidney’s hands, carefully stirring the boiling, chopped potatoes.

Sidney smiles, “you don’t need to move around the kitchen. You’re stirring boiled potatoes.”

Athena scoffs, trying to look over her shoulder. “You’re a boiled potato!”

“What?!” He laughs.

“Plus, I’m not just boiling the potatoes. They’re gonna be mashed potatoes as soon as you leave me alone and go start the steaks.”

Sidney tucks his chin slightly, “oh, please don’t wait for me.”

Athena giggles when Sidney pulls her flush against him.

“Whoa,” he slowly steps back, barely loosening his grip on her waist. “Phone’s ringing.”

With a smirk playing her lips, Athena slowly reaches into her back pocket and retrieves the vibrating device. Sliding her finger across the screen, she uses her free hand to hold the phone to her right ear. “Hello?”

“Athena, darling.”

The young woman clears her throat, feeling her muscles tighten, “um, hey Mom.”

Sidney slowly steps back and leans against the island counter.

Athena sets the large wooden spoon down on the glass top stove and moves off to the side, leaning her back against the counter. “What’s up?”

“I was just calling to check in. I sent you a small box of photos and I never heard back from you about them.”

She nods, “yeah, yeah. I did get them.”

“How’d you like them? I figured since you two started hanging out again it’d be nice to… reminisce.”

Athena nods again, “yeah, it was great.”

Sidney smirks.

’It’s my mother, she mouths, rolling her eyes.

He chuckles, shaking his head and walking to the refrigerator.

“How is Jordan doing by the way? How are things between you two?”

She shrugs, “haven’t talked to him in a few months, Mom. I’m not quite sure how he’s doing, to be honest.”

“Jesus Christ, then what have you been up to?”

Rolling her eyes again, Athena shrugs. “How much do you know?”

“Enough,” Amelia says quietly. “Linda gave me a bit of an update.”

Athena purses her lips, feeling her nostrils flare. “Yeah? So you know that I’m in Pittsburgh?”

“Yes,” Amelia says. “And Linda mentioned something about Sidney?”

“Yeah, we’re living together now.”

Amelia laughs, “what? You haven’t even known the man for a year and you’re shacking up with him?”

Her jaw tightens before she can stop it.

“Listen, I get that he’s a sweet kid. But can you really know that for sure if you’ve only known him for eight months – give or take?”

“Mom, I am not having this conversation with you right now.” Athena says quietly.

Amelia chuckles, “honey, I’m trying to stop you from making a huge mistake—”

“Mother,” Athena growls into the phone, “did you not just hear what I said?”

Sidney slowly looks up from the steaks, furrowing his eyebrows.

Athena glances up from her hand on the counter, quickly letting her gaze drop again.

“Athena, you listen to me,” Amelia says. “You’re gonna do whatever you wanna do at the end of the day. No one, including me, or anyone else is gonna stop you. You’re hardheaded that way – a bad combination of your father and I.”

Athena licks her lips, “get to the point, Mom.”

The smile is audible in Amelia’s voice, “honey, I just wanna see you happy.”

“That’s a total contradiction to everything you just said.” Athena shakes her head. “If you wanted me to be happy, you’d let it be.”

“Sidney is a nice boy, I like him. I can see what attracts you to him.” Amelia says quietly. “I just don’t want you messing up your relationship with Jordan.”

“I don’t either, Mom, but… it’s complicated, okay?”

Amelia’s chuckle holds a certain weight, “that’s life, darling. It usually comes with more complication than it’s worth.”

“Okay.”

“Things will never be the same between you and Jordan if you stay with Sidney.”

Athena scratches her forehead lightly, “I’ve accepted that.”

“Fine,” Amelia lets out a defeated sigh.

“I have to go.”

“I’ll talk to you later, darling.”

“Alright, bye, Mom.” Athena slowly hangs up, setting her phone on the counter.

Sidney looks over at Athena when she stands next to him at the stove, stirring the potatoes again. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” she smiles. “I’m great.”

Leaning down, closer to her face, Sidney smiles, “you sure?”

“Positive.” Athena whispers, gently leaning up and pressing her lips against Sidney’s.