She Makes Me Wanna

“Emily it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Veronique beamed the second I opened the door. I was a little taken aback by her bubbly personality and her lack of a thick French accent (I had begun to assume anything involving Flower had to have a thick French accent), but I smiled and stepped to the side so that she could walk into the house. I had just gotten out of the shower, and had thrown on the first outfit I could find, so I looked sloppy next to the neatly dressed woman.

“You’re Vero, right?” I asked, and she nodded, the smile not fading a bit from her face as she looked me over.

“Honey, let’s get you ready to go out,” she said, immediately ushering me upstairs and into the bathroom. She quickly found my hair dryer and brushes, sat me on the toilet, and went to work. I was confused and slightly bewildered by this woman who hadn’t known me for even ten minutes yet, and was doing my hair like we grew up together. Then again, she was dating Marc-Andre Fleury so I figured that they had to be similar, and Marc was one of the first people to really make me feel at home on the team. In less than twenty minutes Veronique had my hair falling in light curls down my back, and she sprayed it lightly with hairspray before nodding in approval.

“You have such a pretty face, and lovely hair. You should seriously show it off more,” she chirped before grabbing my makeup bag out of the closet. I felt my eyes grow wide; it had been a long time since I had worn makeup for anything other than to conceal a black eye.

“I don’t really wear-“ I started, but Veronique shushed me.

“I know that we don’t know each other yet, but trust me Emily. I’ve seen what hockey does to people, and I’m pretty sure that you don’t know the first thing about being anything other than a hockey player. Sidney called me and asked me to show you how to have a little fun, and I think the first lesson I need to teach you is how to be a woman,” Veronique said, and I felt my jaw drop slightly.

“I know how to be a woman!” I protested.

“Emily, in the least offensive way possible, I highly doubt that. I dated Marc-Andre from when we were fifteen…he still doesn’t know how to act off the ice sometimes. Hockey is a good sport, but it absorbs you completely. Just trust me on this, okay?” Veronique asked, and I sighed before nodding. Veronique then attacked my face with various brushes, and by the time she was done I felt like a Barbie doll. However, when I looked in the mirror I was shocked. I looked really, really good. She had framed my eyes in eyeliner, but instead of making me look like a raccoon I looked edgy, and maybe even a little sexy. My eyelids were dusted with a light gold shadow that made the yellow flecks in my eyes pop, and my lips were coated in a sheer pink gloss, making them look fuller. Other than that, my makeup was light and natural looking, but it was still a huge difference. Combined with my hair being done so nicely, I hardly recognized myself. Veronique then marched me out of the bathroom and towards my bedroom. We passed Sidney, who immediately froze and raised his eyebrows.

“What did you do with Emily?” he asked, and Veronique laughed. Her laugh was light and airy, unlike mine which was loud and barking.

“Just doing what you asked Sidney,” Veronique said before shutting my bedroom door behind me.

“Okay, now let me see what’s in your closet,” she said, opening the closet door.

“All you own are jeans and teeshirts!” she said, shaking her head.

“Not true,” I said, opening the other door. She nodded in approval before picking through my dressier clothes. She finally settled on a cream top, but said that I could keep on my mint green jeans, which made me happy because they were one of my favorite pairs of pants. She told me to ditch the sneakers for a pair of pink flats which I had worn a grand total of two times, and I changed almost begrudgingly.

“Okay, now you’re ready to go out,” Vero said, examining me carefully. I grabbed my glittery gold clutch off of the end table, not daring to reach for my backpack, which I usually carried the clutch in, and tucked my cellphone into my pocket.

Three hours, fifty five minutes, and twenty seven seconds later Veronique finally let me sit down. She had taken me to the mall, where she had forced me to try on almost every shirt, dress, and skirt she saw, and I was exhausted.

“For a professional athlete, you tire easily,” Veronique teased, sipping casually on her strawberry smoothie she had bought. I scowled at her before laughing and taking a sip of my own smoothie, which was blueberry.

“I have never in all my life gone shopping like this. How do you manage?” I asked.

“It’s something I enjoy doing with my girlfriends,” Veronique replied, and I thought about it for a bit. Despite the irritating nature of the day, I had to admit I was having a lot of fun. There was no talk of hockey, or of anything remotely hockey related. Instead Veronique and I talked about traveling, clothes, movies, and men. Vero taught me some things I desperately needed to know, from what looked good on my figure to how to get a guy to notice me, and some things I probably didn't want to know, like how to turn a guy on quickest and which positions were the most interesting in the bedroom. Veronique was absolutely head over heels for Marc though, which I thought was probably the sweetest thing I had ever come across, and I was also slightly jealous.

“You know what Vero? I really appreciate you doing this for me. I haven’t had this much fun off the ice in well…never,” I admitted, which caused Vero to smile broadly.

“I am really glad to hear that Emily. Your lifestyle is hard, so if I can do something to make it less stressful, or to make you feel more like a woman, that makes me happy,” Vero said, and I was overwhelmed by her kindness. I made a mental note to text Marc later and tell him that he had the greatest fiancée in the world.