We Found Love

I found myself in the worst slump in my entire life. I went 43 games without scoring a single goal, and by the time I had scored again, it was too late. The Penguins found themselves in twelfth place in the NHL, the worst placement they had in years. The Devils did much better, going to the playoffs with the sixth seed spot again. Unfortunately, they lost to the Washington Capitals, and Emily disappeared off the radar once more. She had finished the season in about as bad of a slump as me, which meant that the NHL wasn’t all that interested in her for the summer. In fact, a lot of people were speculating that she wouldn’t get resigned over the summer since her entry level contract was up. The guys had become fed up with my depression, and were unwilling to hang out with me (except for Geno). It wasn’t until Dan called me on May 3rd that things seemed to be turning around.

I walked into his office, and sitting in the chair to the right of the door was the person I had least expected to see; Emily. Her hair was much longer than it had been, but her eyes were lacking the shine they had once had, and dark circles framed them. She was paler than she had been before she was traded, and all of the cocky confidence that she had carried was gone. She looked like a shell of her former self.

“Emily,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I stared at her. It was a tense moment, but all of a sudden the tension between us broke like a dam and Emily threw herself into my arms, hugging me tightly. I clutched her to my chest and almost choked up as I caught her familiar scent and felt the warmth radiating from her body. She began to shake, and I heard her squeak before I felt a few hot tears seep into my shirt. I shot Dan a look, and he nodded before slipping quietly out of the office.

“Sid,” Emily managed to squeak before more tears spilled down her cheeks. I brushed them away and just stared at her. I felt like she wasn’t really there and that I was going to wake up and find myself lying in bed alone. She stared back at me for a few minutes before reaching out towards me. She tugged on my hand almost sheepishly, and I instinctively laced my fingers through hers. I hadn’t seen her in months but the reaction was immediate; my heart began to race, my mouth went dry, and butterflies exploded in my stomach. Emily took a hesitant step forward, a small smile flittering onto her face, and looked up at me. I cupped her face in my hands and did the only thing I could think to do; kiss her.

Emily melted into my body, her arms winding around my neck and her hands immediately beginning to toy with the back of my hair like they had so many times before. I rested my hands on her hips and soaked in the feeling of her body being so close to mine. It was like a drug, the best antidepressant I could have ever found. We rocked back and forth, the kiss never becoming anything that couldn’t be considered chaste, but speaking volumes anyway. She had missed me just as much as I had missed her.

Emily’s Point of View

When we finally broke apart, I saw that a sparkle had returned to Sidney’s eyes, and the guilt that I had been feeling for so many months hit a peak. I knew now that his slump was my fault, that his depression and anger that Marc and Vero so often complained about was because of me, but I also knew that I could fix it. I had broken us down, but I was ready to get over my fear that he would leave me because I couldn’t have his kids right now and repair our relationship.

“I missed you so much,” Sidney whispered, brushing his thumb against my cheek.

“I missed you too,” I sighed, happiness spreading through my veins like a drug. Just then Dan knocked on the door before walking back in to his office. Sidney’s hand dropped from my face, but we both knew that Dan had seen it.

“Are you two on speaking terms again?” Dan asked almost angrily, and Sidney nodded.

“Yeah, I think so Coach,” I said, the tiniest hint of a chuckle in my voice.

“Good, well then let’s get down to business. Emily, your contract with the Devils is expired, correct?” Dan asked. I nodded.

“Yeah,” I said.

“We want you back Emily. We realized a little too late that separating you two was a bad move for this organization. We thought that the problem you were having, whatever it was, in your relationship would destroy the chemistry of the team on the ice, but moving you probably did that more effectively than your argument. Sidney never played a season like he did after we moved you, and neither did you. So, we want to bring you back to Pittsburgh. We can’t afford to have another season like this one,” Dan said matter-of-factly. I felt hope beginning to blossom in my chest.

Sidney’s Point of View

“Are you being serious? Come back to Pittsburgh?” Emily said, and I felt my heart sink.

“Yes,” Dan said quietly. A smile spread across Emily’s face, and my heart immediately recovered, bringing a smile to my face as well.

“Coach, I swear you won’t regret this. I’ll do whatever it takes to stay here,” Emily gushed, and Dan laughed.

“What, you didn’t enjoy Jersey?” he asked.

“The guys were nice enough, but I didn’t quite fit in. They’re not ready for me yet,” Emily said, and I laughed.

A Week Later

I carried the final suitcase upstairs to the guest bedroom where Emily had stayed when all of this craziness began with a smile on my face.

“So, you sure you want to stay here?” I asked, leaning against the door frame. Emily turned around, a shoe in each hand, and raised an eyebrow.

“Sidney, I don’t ever want to be away from you again,” Emily said, and I smiled even more broadly.

“Good,” I said before leaving the room.

“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?” Emily shrieked as I sauntered off towards my room, fighting the urge to crack up the entire time. She hadn’t changed a bit, and I was glad that she hadn’t. I felt her hand on my shoulder, and she whipped me around so quickly that I barely had time to register it before her lips were on mine. She pushed me up against the wall, clutching the material of my shirt tightly as she kissed me deeply. I planted my hands on her hips and brushed my tongue against her bottom lip, and it didn’t take anything more for her to grant me entrance. She pressed me harder against the wall as she plastered her body to mine and groaned in satisfaction, causing my heart to skip a few beats. She clawed at my shirt, desperate to get it off, so I broke away from her just long enough to slip it over my head before our lips were glued together again. Soon enough, I had peeled her shirt off and we were stumbling into the bedroom as quickly as we could without breaking apart.

“I’m so sorry Sid,” Emily whispered as I pulled her closer to me.

“It’s okay Em…everything’s okay now,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

“But it’s not Sid…I ruined everything,” Emily squeaked.

“Emily, if everything was ruined would you be here right now?” I asked, caressing her cheek gently. She looked up at me with watery brown eyes and shook her head.

“I still fucked up pretty bad though,” she mumbled, and I smiled.

“Yeah, we both did. But can you promise me something Emily?” I asked.

“What?”

“Never, ever leave me again. If you do, it might actually kill me,” I muttered, and a tear rolled down Emily’s cheek before she took a shaky breath.

“I promise that I will never leave you Sidney,” she said firmly, and I kissed her gently.

“Good,” I whispered before hugging her to my chest tightly. Within minutes she was sleeping peacefully, and I buried my face in her hair. There was no word that could describe how happy I was to have her back in my arms, and I knew that I wouldn’t lose her again. When Emily made a promise, she kept it.