Secret

I spent a lot of my time thinking about what Brent asked me. The more I thought about it, the better the idea sounded. I could really use someone like Brent, someone I just knew I could trust right off the bat, someone who was genuine, and someone who liked me for me. He and I spent the entire night on the phone together, texting until I had fallen asleep.

I woke up to find the bright sun shining at me, creeping through the small cracks in my blinds. Rolling out of bed, I did my usual morning bathroom routine: wash my face and have a shower jam session. I spent an extra ten minutes in the shower shaving my legs, knowing I would regret not doing so later, considering we were going to the beach. Nervous to see Brent again, I even went the extra mile to exfoliate my legs and rub on a nice shea butter after I had dried off.

Dressed in Brent's sweatshirt and a pair of shorts, I sat myself at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal. Pulling my laptop out, I began to peruse around the internet for God knows how long, until I came across a trade rumor article that made me feel like the cereal I just ate would come right back up.

Daniel Carcillo to Chicago Blackhawks?

As much as I wanted to read it, I couldn't get myself to click on it. Calling for Tori, she bursted out of her room in a hurry.

"What's going on?!" She shouted, worried that something awful has happened.

"Look!" I screeched and pointed to the article on my laptop. Glancing at the screen, she read the article and looked up at me.

"Oh my...Keep in mind, it is a trade rumor. It could mean nothing." Tori tried to reassure me, but it didn't help.

"What if it means something?! What do I do? That would make Brent and Dan teammates! What if Dan wants to meet Brent's girlfriend, which just so happens to be his wife?!" I started to panic.

"Wait, back up. Girlfriend? Since when?" Tori sounded very surprised.

"Well...It's not official yet...but he asked me and I told him that I wanted to think about it. Are you going to be mad at me if I say yes?" I asked sheepishly.

"As much as I prefer you with Dan, no. If he makes you happy, then be with him. But keep in mind, you're rushing into things. You met him three days ago." She reminded me.

"I know, Tori. I'm just really confused right now." I sighed.

The rest of the day flew by, and before I knew it, I realized I needed to get ready for the beach trip. I decided to wear a swimsuit that had a print that was designed after the galaxy. There's something about space that really fascinates me, so naturally, I felt an emotional attachment to that swimsuit. Knowing we were going to be at the beach well over the time the sun goes down, I opted on a pair of harem pants and a grey tank top as a cover up. I really like bold prints. Some people think my outfits are ridiculous, but I love it. Grabbing a straw beach bag, I filled it with all of your beach necessities. Slipping a pair of sunglasses on my head and pink flip-flops on my feet, I was ready to go.

Tori, on the other hand, was not.

"TORI! Hurry up or we're going to be late!" I shouted at her, knowing she was probably dancing around her room, trying to decide which swimsuit looked best.

"I'm almost done! Calm down!" She snapped back at me. I just rolled my eyes and sat down on the couch. The minute my but made contact with it though, Tori emerged from her room.

"Took you long enough. Who's driving?" I asked her.

"I will." Tori volunteered. I was glad; I wasn't in the mood to drive.

Getting into the car, we turned the radio up and the windows down. A short and pleasant drive allowed us to arrive at the beach at an adequate time to find Brent, Jonathan, and Patrick already waiting there for us, along with a few of their teammates and wives/girlfriends.

Approaching Brent, I placed a quick kiss on his lips, before he wrapped an arm around my waist, leading me to where I should drop all of my stuff. From the corner of my eye, I watched Tori awkwardly say hello to both Pat and Jon. Both were completely oblivious as to what was going on, and I was thankful for that. Hiding her secret will only be a temporary solution, though. When Tori took off her cover-up, I nearly peed my pants at the sight of both boys’ jaws dropping.

We were all having a great time, laughing and chatting with one another when all of a sudden I heard a piercing scream. I look over, and I saw Tori punching Kaner with all her might.

"Fuck you Patrick!" She yelled at him. Patrick had thrown her in the water and she was dripping from head to toe.

"That's your job, sweetie." He smirked to her before approaching me.

"Oh no you don't!" I warned him. It was too late though. Patrick had already picked me up and was carrying me against my will towards the water. "Help!" I screamed through my laughter.

Right on cue, Brent came out of nowhere and pulled me away from Patrick. Patrick whined like a little kid, but he ran off to go flirt with Tori. Tori was laughing at something Jonathan had said, and I could see Patrick seemed a little jealous.

"My hero! How can I ever repay you?!" I asked Brent, milking up the damsel in distress card.

"Oh, my lady, only a kiss could make me the happiest man!" He played along with me.

"Never!" I teased him.

"Are you sure, my lady?" Brent asked me.

"Positive." I confirmed.

"Well, okay then." Brent said to me before throwing me into the water. I stayed underwater for about 10 seconds, submersing myself into the chilly Lake Michigan water before coming up for air.

"Fuck you!" I growled to him, trying to sounds angry.

"You made the choice!" Brent tried to reason with me.

"Whatever." I snapped back, giving him the cold shoulder. I wasn't mad at all, I just wanted to see if I could make him nervous.

"Are you mad at me? It was a joke, please don't be angry!" Brent pleaded. With an evil grin, I tackled him and pulled him underwater with me.

"Oh, now it's on!" Brent threatened, and before I knew it, he and I were in the most intense splash fight I had ever been in. The fight ended with me jumping into Brent's arms, placing a playful kiss on his lips.

"I won." I smirked to him.

"Uh, no. I definitely won." He retorted back.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I asked him, wanting to get something taken care of, before he and I had another competition.

"Sure," He answered, before grabbing my hand. We walked along the shore hand and hand without saying anything for a few minutes until Brent broke the silence.

"So...what's up Nat?" I could tell he was anxious to hear what I had to say.

"Well, you know how last night you asked me to be your girlfriend, and I told you I wanted to think about it? Well, I know we've only known each other a few days, and I know that we probably should wait, but I don't want to. I want to be with you, Brent." The minute the words escaped my lips, Brent's flashed a big grin and pulled me into a big hug, placing a loving kiss on my lips. I'm not sure how long we were there kissing, but it was long enough that Patrick found us.

"C'mon you two! Don't stand there sucking faces all day long! We're going to eat!" Patrick yelled to us, and I only blushed in response. Holding Brent's hand, we walked over to where we originally set up. The sun was starting to set only slightly. We all sat in the sand and ate hamburgers, hot dogs, and almost anything imaginable. I watched Patrick and Jonathan both try to compete for Tori's attention, but I knew neither of them knew about the other having the same feelings.

After eating, Patrick asked to talk to me.

"Hey Pat, what's up?" I asked as casually as I could, but I knew exactly what he was going to ask me.

"Well, I don't know what to do about Tori. I really like her, Nat." Patrick confessed to me.

"Tell her then." I stated the obvious to him.

"That's the thing. I try to all the time, but she only sees me as a party boy. We've been casual for so long, but I want there to be something more than that." Patrick sounded upset.

"Well, face it Kaner, you are a party boy. I know Tori, and I know she doesn't want to get hurt. If you try shaping up for her, maybe she'll agree to being official." I tried giving the best advice I could, but it was hard, considering there was a lot more that came into play other than Kaner's partying habits.

"I guess you're right...I just wish I was able to get to her take me seriously. Say, what is going on with you and Brent? Are you two, like, an item? He curiously asked me.

"If she knows you are serious about getting serious, she'll take you seriously. And yeah, we are." I let out a nervous laugh.

"Don't you think it's a little soon?" Patrick asked me, obviously implying that I needed to end things with Dan. I knew I did, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Yeah, I do. But I really like Brent, so I don't see why not." I knew my answer wasn't going to make up what I was doing, but I didn't really know what else I could say.

"I can see many reasons as to why not. You just met him. Brent is my team mate, and I know he is a good guy, but what you need to focus on is getting onto your own two feet emotionally. I know he's able to fill the hole in your heart right now, but you need to be able to fill it yourself. Once tou can truly say you are over Daniel, then I think you should focus on dating. I just think you're rushing this. I mean, do you like him for who he is, or do you like him because he says things that make you feel good about yourself. Natalie, I'm happy you're happy, but I don't want to see you or Brent getting hurt. You're like my little sister, even though you are older than me. " Patrick let out a laugh.

"I know what you mean. I just...I trust him. I feel safe around him. That side of you that you just showed me? That's the side you need to show Tori. Everyone loves the caring type. Deep down inside you aren't such a party boy, aren't you?" I teased him and he blushed.

"Thanks Natalie. Just please, promise me you'll be rational when it comes to your relationship with Brent." Patrick pulled me into a protective hug. He and I walked back to join our friends when we found a bonfire had started up. It was dark by now, and the fire lit up nicely. Sitting down next to Brent, he put his arm around me, and I put my head on his shoulder. The moment only lasted for a few seconds though, because before I knew it, Patrick Sharp began to tease Brent, and he got embarrassed and pulled away.

The rest of the night flew by quickly, spending it singing campfire songs, roasting marshmallows, and telling scary stories in the dark. By 9:45, we all decided to call it an early night and head off on our separate ways. After saying goodbye to Brent, I sat myself in the passenger’s side of Tori's car, and watched another awkward encounter between her and the two boys. The rest of the drive home we spent discussing on whether she liked Kaner or Tazer more. I felt bad for Tori, no matter whom she would choose, someone would end up hurt.

Once finally arriving back into the apartment, I decided to take another shower because I felt dirty from all of the sand and sunscreen I was exposed to. After getting out of the shower and into a pair of comfy pajamas, I decided to curl into bed with a cup of tea and a book, The Great Gatsby. I was in a very peaceful state of mind, that was, until the evening news that was playing in the background decided to make an announcement that would cause my happy life to explode:

"In hockey news, Philadelphia Flyers left winger Daniel Carcillo has just been traded to Chicago."

Fuck.