Let's Get Carried Away

The trip to Pittsburgh was short lived and soon after the game was over the boys were quickly showered, back on the bus, and shuffled onto a redeye flight back to Vancouver. It was a little bittersweet to have to say goodbye to all of my friends again. Once Em and I started to get all emotional, Sid forced us to bid each other farewell and shoved me out of the locker room with Jordan, who had offered to walk me to the bus area. The walk was short and neither of us said a word until we neared the bus.

“Please don’t shut me out again Chels,” Jordan had said as he pulled me into a hug. When he pulled away he kissed my cheek and then walked away, leaving me in a daze. I didn’t even get the chance to say a simple goodbye.

It was nearing two in the morning by the time Max and I dragged our bodies through the front door of our shared home after a seemingly long flight.

“I’m not even going to shower,” I grumbled as I dropped my bag to the floor and started pulling it by the strap. Max mumbled something in return, but I was so tired that I couldn’t even process what he was saying. Like I was moving in slow motion, I went to my room, left my bag by the door, and changed into my pajamas. Once I slipped under the covers of my bed, I felt as if I melted into the mattress itself. I could feel myself falling into a slumber, when I heard the creek of the wooden floorboards. I sat up a bit and squinted my eyebrows at the dark figure that was slowly creeping towards my bed. As the figure got closer, heat crept up to my cheeks when I could make out the toned chest and bulging muscles. I spaced for a moment as I took in his attire, or well, more like lack thereof.

“What are you doing?” I mumbled. Max lifted the covers of the unoccupied side of the bed and then slithered in under the sheets.

“I couldn’t sleep.” I turned to face him, the left side of my head pressed against my pillow.

“You just went to bed though.”

“I know.” He started to move closer to me and even though I wanted to tell him that he was invading my personal space, I couldn’t deny the warmth his body was giving off.

“Why can’t you sleep then?” It was a struggle to keep my own eyes open, surely he must be tired. I took the drawn out silence as his refusal to answer my question, so I closed my eyes and started to doze off.

“I can’t stop thinking about you and our date tomorrow,” Max purred into my ear. I snuggled closer into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. It was one of those “aww” moments where your heart starts to race and you feel as though your cheeks are on fire. Thank god my face was hidden, or else Max would have noticed the effect his words had on me.

“Go to sleep Lappy.”

I couldn’t tell what he said after that because everything went black and I was fast asleep. When I woke up the next morning Max was no longer beside me and the house was relatively quiet. I rose from bed and twisted around to crack my back. After I got the satisfaction of both hearing and feeling it pop I drowsily walked out of my room and down the hall. I peered into Max’s room and found that his bed was made and the room was empty. It took me awhile, but I trudged to the opposite end of the house and into the kitchen. A bright yellow notepad stuck out like a sore thumb on the counter near the fruit bowl. Glancing over it, Max’s scribbled handwritten note let me know why he was gone when I woke up.



I slumped into the nearest kitchen chair and stared at the floor, still trying to wake up. Flashes of the dream I had before I woke up made me want to slam my head against the kitchen table. It had nothing to do with Max, or even Vancouver for that matter. It was centered on the guy that had plagued my mind for months. All night I relived that sudden, heated kiss between Jordan and me at the arena. As I thought more and more about the dream while I sat at the kitchen table I groaned aloud. While I was sleeping in bed next to one man, I was dreaming about another. There was obviously something wrong with that.

One kiss. That was all it took.

The thought of going back to bed and falling asleep crossed my mind. I needed something to do that would clear my head, but I realized that it would be utterly useless.

I’m wide awake now.



“Can I please just wear jeans and a pullover?” I whined to Max from across the hall. It didn’t take long for him to appear in my doorway. I softly laughed as I watched him fumble with the tie I had picked out for him. Earlier he had complained that he didn’t know what to wear, so I picked out his outfit to shut him up. He got even fussier, but stopped when I told him that as a trade-off he could pick out what I was to wear for the evening.

Max huffed and nearly threw the tie on the ground, obviously frustrated. It was slightly amusing to watch him get so angry, considering that he always wore ties on game days and managed to put them on without a problem.

“You would think that you’d have that whole tie thing down to perfection,” I mused, earning a glare from him,

“It’s called a clip-on tie, saves me the hassle.” From this I got a good laugh. He shot me another glare and attempted to put on his tie once more. “And I don’t give a shit what you say, you’re wearing the dress.”

I grabbed the thin deep-red material off of the hanger and held it up against my body. It barely reached my knees and I was sure that it would be even shorter when I put it on.

“This is something a girl standing on a corner would wear,” I stated matter-of-factly. The corner of Max’s lips curled upward.

“I think you’ll look beautiful in it,” he complimented.

“Everyone and their mother will be able to see my ass,” I hastily shot back and tossed the dress onto my bed. This dress was something I would never be caught wearing. Hell, I wouldn’t even wear it to a club.

“All the more reason you should wear it.” He winked and looked me up and down. The look he had on his face was downright creepy and I felt as though he was already undressing me with his eyes.

“Fucking wanker,” I muttered as I put my hair up in a ponytail. Max’s loud laughter filled the room, causing me to look up at him.

“Did you seriously just call me a wanker?” he said in between laughs. I nodded my head and after few moments started giggling. “You watch way too many British shows.”

I watched as he pulled on his tie, grunting when he still couldn’t get it right. “C’mere,” I finally told him and motioned for him to come closer. I took the tie out of his hands and fixed it for him, smoothing out his jacket when I was done. Max reached up and put both of his hands over mine, trapping them against his chest. He gazed into my eyes and started to lean in towards forward. I smirked as he got closer and closer.

“I don’t kiss before the first date Maxy.” I pushed him back and shooed him out of my room. I closed the door behind him and locked it as a precaution. Knowing him, he would try and sneak a peek while I was getting dressed. I then grabbed the dress off of my bed and stared at it, having a silent battle with myself about whether or not I should even wear it. In the end the dress won and I put it on. Just like I had thought, it was extremely short and clung to my body, exposing every imperfection. It made me extremely self conscious and even while I was alone doing my make-up and hair I kept pulling it down. After I finished putting myself together I walked out into the living room, where Max seemed to be pacing back and forth across the wood flooring. I cleared my throat, drawing his attention towards me.

“Chels, shit, you look amazing,” his mouth hung open in surprise. His eyes roamed over my body, just like he had done earlier. He took a few strides towards me and then softly kissed my cheek. “You ready?”

Max guided me out of the house with his hand pushing on my lower back. The car ride to the restaurant was filled with small talk, mostly about how his morning skate went and the game against Toronto tomorrow. Just like he had told me it would be, the restaurant was this small hole-in-the-wall place not too far from the arena. From the outside it looked like the building was crumbling to pieces, but the inside was absolutely stunning. Chandeliers and dim lighting fell over the booths and rich paintings of scenes from Italy and the countryside were displayed all over the walls. “So gorgeous,” I managed to utter in awe as Max ushered me into a booth near the back. Menus were quickly placed in our hands and a bottle of wine was served.

“This is fancier then I thought it would be. I’ve walked by here so many times, but I’ve never actually walked in,” Max looked around the room in approval. “I’m glad we dressed up for tonight.”

“Or in my case, dressed down.” Max rolled his eyes at my comment and flipped through the menu. I did the same and when the waitress returned I still hadn’t decided. Max ordered some sort of pasta meal that I hadn’t ever heard of. The waitress turned to me and pursed her lips as I continued to stare at the menu. If only we were at Olive Garden, then I wouldn’t have this problem. I’d just choose the salad and soup combo thing and life would be perfect. “I’ll just have this,” I pointed to a random pasta assortment and she wrote it down and went on her merry little way back to the kitchen. Max reached across the table for my hands and I happily obliged.

“So I heard something pretty interesting at practice today.” The tone of his voice sparked my interest and I ushered for him to continue. “Mase is having a baby.”

“Aww!” I cooed. “He and Megan are going to be such great parents.”

“That’s not what everyone else in the locker room thinks,” he chuckled.

“What? Why not?” Mason was such a sweetheart and from the way I’ve seen him act with Bieksa’s kids, it was plainly obvious that he was going to be a great dad.

“They were just messing around with him,” he corrected. I was still interested to hear what they were saying though.

“Like?” I pressed.

“Well, some of the guys kept making fun of him and Burr, saying that the baby will have two fathers. Oh, and Burr thinks Mase should name the kid Raymond Raymond,” Max laughed at the recollection. I couldn’t help but giggle. Those boys were something else.

“So,” Max coughed. “What about you? Do you want kids?”

My eyes widened a bit. Wasn’t this topic supposed to be one of those forbidden things you never ask on a first date? “I, uh, I haven’t really thought much about it.” Max nodded his head, accepting my answer. I didn’t really want to ask him, but I felt like it would be the polite thing to do. “What about you?”

“I want a boy and a girl. That way I can have my little hockey prodigy and ice princess.”

Thankfully the waitress interrupted our conversation by placing our food on the table. Max and I said a few things here and there between bites and when we finally finished our meals, I was extremely full.

“Save room for desert?” the waitress appeared out of nowhere and asked. Max and I both shook our heads at the exact same time and politely declined. “Well, I’ll leave your check here then. Have a nice night!”

“Ready to go?” Max slid out of the booth and held his hand out for me. He pulled me up and we walked to the front desk, he paid for our meal, and made our way through the maze of people to the door. It was rather chilly outside and the breeze was harsh enough against my skin to cause goose bumps along my arms and legs.

“Here,” Max quickly slid off his jacket and held it out for me to put on.

“Thanks,” I smiled. He grasped my hand and started pulling me across the parking lot. “Uh Max, the car is over there.”

“I know. We’re going for a walk.” Once we got to a small trail, I could hear the distinct sound of moving water and the further we advanced the louder it became.

“Where in the world are you taking me?”

Max let go of my hand and moved to where he was walking behind me. He put his hands lightly over my eyes and I couldn’t see a thing. “We’re almost there,” he whispered into my hair.

Our pace slowed quite a bit and suddenly we were no longer walking on dirt, but wood. It seemed as though we were walking right above the water and when Max let his hands fall from my face, my suspicions were confirmed. I walked away from Max and towards the railing.

“This is so beautiful.” I was completely mesmerized by sound of the water and the way the trees and moon reflected upon it. Max put his arms around my waist and his head on my shoulder.

“One of the best spots in Vancouver,” he admitted. “I come here a lot to think.”

“About what?”

“Life,” he joked, emitting a small laugh. “No, mostly to get myself focused before a game.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back against him. “It’s so peaceful.”

Max slowly spun me around and pushed my back up against the railing. I opened my eyes and reached up to cup his cheek. “Perfect place for a first kiss,” he huskily whispered as he took yet another step closer. He stared at me for quite some time, his eyes bouncing back and forth between my eyes and lips.

“Well, are you going to kiss me?” I breathed out. He made no reply and instead leaned in towards me. I could feel his hot breath against my lips and out of instinct I closed my eyes. His lips we on mine in a matter of seconds and almost immediately something didn’t feel right. I’m sure he sensed that too, because he pulled away shortly after and scrunched his eyebrows together.

There was this intense build up to the kiss, yet when his lips pressed against mine there was no spark, no connection. I felt nothing. I leaned in and kissed him again, thinking that a second kiss might be different. I tried to pour every ounce of passion into the kiss that I had and the way Max gripped my waist only showed that he was just as desperate as I was to believe that there was something there. When I pulled away though, it was exactly like the first.

“Anything?” I shook my head and bit down on my bottom lip. Max slumped his shoulders and took a step back, creating a small gap between us. “Oh,” was his only response as he dejectedly turned to face the lake and rest his arms along the railing. I ran my hands threw my tangled hair and suppressed a groan. This has never happened before.

I turned to face the railing like he did, but we avoided looking at one another. I stared at the moon’s reflection on the water and I could almost hear Em’s voice in my head, yelling at me ‘I told you so!’ with a sick, twisted grin. You would think that disappointment would set in. Here I was kissing this gorgeous hockey player that any other girl would kill to spend the night with and I didn’t feel an ounce of disappointment. I didn’t know what exactly to say to Max. It wasn’t like this was a onetime thing where I’d never have to see or talk to him again. I didn’t have some sort of backup plan or friend to come pick me up. No, I had to go home with him.

I rocked back and forth on my heels, waiting for him to say that we were leaving.

Talk about awkward.



“So you’re telling me that you kissed Max and felt absolutely nothing?” Em asked me incredulously.

“For the fifth time, yes!” I pressed my shoulder up to my ear to hold the phone in place as I grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. Max had gone to practice fifteen minutes ago and as soon as he walked out of the door I called Em to dish about last night. Things between Max and I were extremely awkward during the ride home last night and this morning was only slightly better.

“That’s bananas.” She couldn’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that there were no sparks between Max and I.

“And the worst part? I felt relieved after it was all said and done.” I popped open the bottle of water and trekked back to my room.

“Wait, what?” I could only imagine the look on her face.

“I know. It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Yeah it does,” she snorted. “You’re still hung up on Jordan.”

“Am not. I just— ”

“No Chels, you are. I know you. You might think that you’re over him, but you’re not. You were physically attracted to Max, but because you’re so conflicted with your feelings for Jordan, there was no way you could see Max as anything other than a friend.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “I hate this Em. I really fucking hate this. Everything always comes back to Jordan.”

“Yeah well, this is what love does to you. It fucks your shit up.” I heard Sid call out in the background ‘hey!’ and Em added to appease him, “in a good way!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You guys are so cute.”

“Oh shut up!” she yelled into the phone. I heard a door close and suddenly all was quiet on the other end. “Maybe this whole thing with Max is some sort of sign from the universe.”

“Getting all philosophical on me now?” I joked and she muttered back ‘screw you’ before continuing.

“I’m serious. You always say it yourself, everything always happens for a reason. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but maybe this is a sign that you and Jordan are supposed to work things out.”

I threw myself onto my bed and flipped onto my back. “What does ‘work things out’ even mean?”

There was a pounding on the door, coming from Em’s end. “Hold on,” she told me. I heard the door open, Em yell out ‘what!”. There were a few boys in the background, one of them moaning about wanting Em to make spaghetti.

“Chels, are you still there?” I replied that I was and there was more talking in the background between Em and one of the guys, though this time she talked directly into the phone.

“Yes, I’m on the phone with her. No, we’re having girl talk. Stop whining—oh for god sakes. Here.” There was a pause and there was a bit of commotion on the other end of the line.

“Hello?” I asked when I heard the door shut.

“Hey Chels.” I immediately pulled the phone away from my ear and took a few deep breaths. Of course it was him. I put the phone back to my ear.

“Jordan,” I breathed out. My mind was blank and I had no idea what to say.

“I miss you.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but I could hear him clearly. I could feel a small smile making its way onto my face as I sat in silence for a few seconds, listening to the sound of him breathing. It was almost like the months apart, distance between us, and the crazy encounter we had a few days ago didn’t even matter. I already knew my response before I could voice it.

“I miss you too Jordy, a lot.”

“When are you coming home again?”

I would be on the night flight back to Pittsburgh if I could, but I settled with a far more honest answer, “I don’t know.”

“Come here for Christmas,” he asked. I tried to think of what my schedule will be like around the holidays and I think Jordan took my lack of a response as a no because he continued, “everyone is coming here for this holidays this year. They’d love to see you again, Parker especially.”

I couldn’t help but grin at the thought of seeing Parker again. He was the most adorable toddler on the face of the earth. It had been far too long since I had last seen Jordan’s family and I would love more than anything to spend time with them. “I would like to say that will, but I have no idea what my work schedule is going to be like Jord.”

“Oh, okay.” His voice wasn’t as peppy as it was before and I knew that he felt like I was rejecting him.

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try my best.”

“So,” Jordan cleared his throat, “We play Vancouver in a week or two. Do you think that we can meet up for lunch or something?”

Of course, I’m sure he already knew my answer.

“I’d like that,” I softly replied. Maybe Em was right. Maybe this was how everything was supposed to play out.

“I can’t wait then.” He seemed far more excited now than he did at the very beginning of our conversation. A heard a beeping noise and after pulling my phone back and checking it, I realized that it was coming from his end. “Shit, Em’s phone is like two minutes way from dying.”

“She hardly ever charges the damn thing,” I knowingly replied. More than half of my calls to her always go straight to voice mail. “But I’ll let you go.”

“I wish that you were here Chels.” The sadness in his voice seemed to weigh heavily on me. At that moment, every part of my being wished that I could be in Pittsburgh. I wished that I could see him in person and throw my arms around his tall, lanky frame. I could feel the back of my throat start to burn and my eyes began to sting.

“Me too Jordy,” I managed to say without my voice cracking.

“Before I go, I just want to tell you that I— ”

Then there was nothing but the dial tone.