Good Life

“Excuse me, miss. You're not supposed to be back here.”

My eyes expand, and I swiftly turn around to see a huge security guard standing just a few feet away from me. I can tell he's pure Italian by his unmistakable accent, and he easily towers over my 5'7 frame. He's wearing a black hoodie with a Flyers logo on the front, and his Phillies baseball cap is twisted backwards on his bald head.

“Yeah, well I'm looking for my friend, so I'll just be on my way.” I joke uneasily, and continue to make my way down the hall. The security guard doesn't like this, and he's at my side within a few seconds. He wraps a powerful arm around my waist and throws me over his shoulder like a rag doll.

“Wait! I haven't seen my friend in a couple of years,” I writhe around, “Please, just let me see him.”

While he had been living out his illustrious hockey career, I had been traveling the world with my older sister, capturing pictures and memories that I would never forget about. I had traveled to places I didn't even know existed, and I had seen the highs and lows of this world. Starving children, natural disasters, even war, I had experienced it all. It opened my eyes and made me appreciative for all of the luxuries in my life.

He ignores my pleas and continues to walk. Out of the corner of my eyes I see a flash of ruddy hair and an obnoxiously bright orange jersey.

“Oh,” I squeak, “Sean!”

I shout out his name, and the security guard tries to shush me unsuccessfully.

Sean freezes in his tracks, and turns around wearily. Even though my world is currently upside down, I can tell he's not the scrawny boy I knew 3 years ago. He's grown a few inches, and he's developed new muscles that I can't help but to admire. His hair is now a darker shade of red, and it's no longer shaggy. He cocks his head to the side, and tries to get a better look at my face. Maybe this was a bad idea, he probably forgot about me. His teammates stop and stared bemusedly as I try to get out of the security guard's death grip. They probably think I'm some obsessed fan.

Hanging off the shoulder of a security guard, I sure feel like one.

Sean squints his eyes, and I watch as recognition flashes on his face. My heart stops when I see a huge smile spread across his face, just like the one he gave me three years ago before he left for Quebec. He looks a lot different, but I can tell he hasn't changed at all. He hasn't let his flourishing hockey career get to his head, and he hasn't been consumed by greed. He's still the awkward, ginger teenager I once knew.

“Ava?!” He laughs in disbelief, “Is that really you?”

“Yeah! Can you tell this guy to put me down? All of the blood is rushing to my head.” I grimace and he laughs, telling the irritated security guard to put me down. The second my feet touch the ground I'm instantly dashing down the long corridor and towards Sean's waiting arms. I leap into him, my legs wrapping around his waist as he constricts his arms around me. His teammates are now watching the scene in a combination of shock and amusement.

I close my eyes and take in that familiar scent of cologne and sweat that I had missed so much.

He sets me down and grabs the sides of my face, “What are you doing here? I thought you were traveling?”

I merely shrug, “I thought I would take a break and visit my friend.”

Honestly, I was tired of traveling and though I had met so many amazing people I had missed my best friend.

He laughs, “You should have told me! I would have actually attempted to clean my place up better.”

I snort, “Really Sean? When's the last time you cleaned anything?”

Some of the guys behind us howl in laughter at the rookie, “I like this girl! Who is she?”

I glance over Sean's shoulder to find the source of the French laced voice. My eyes meet with another red head who's smirking. Jesus Christ, this team is just full of gingers.

“I'm Ava Lockheart,” I scowl when I see him staring at my chest with no shame at all, “And I'm way too young for you, carrot top.” I say snarkily.

It had been a bad habit that I often got in trouble for as a child, my attitude could easily flare up when someone annoys me. Sean had been a victim of my temper on numerous occasions.

His cheeks redden, “I'm Claude” Is all he says before he takes off in the opposite direction, shaking his head at himself. I smirk triumphantly and Sean chuckles.

“Let me just change real quick, and I'll be back in a few minutes.” He gestures toward the locker room and I nod my head.

He stands there for a few more seconds, and he extends his arm towards me. His fingers brush along my cheek, I can still see a hint of disbelief in his big brown eyes that I love so much.

“I missed you so much, Ava.”

I press my hand against his, “I missed you too Sean.”

“So yeah, this is my crib.” Sean says later that day when we arrive to the front door of his condo.

I lightheartedly roll my eyes at his attempt of acting cool, “Moron”

I tiredly slide off my Chuck Taylors, and follow Sean inside the gorgeous condominium. I'm extremely beat from all of the walking we did. After he was done with practice he had taken me to lunch at one of his favourite restaurants, and then we had decided to explore Philadelphia. I anxiously play with my beloved Canon Rebel T3i that's hanging around my neck on a velcro strap. I had taken probably more pictures than necessary, but every time we had turned to a different corner in the city I found something more amazing than the last, and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of it.

I almost feel awkward as I stand in the middle of the condo. It's not too extravagant, and it's definitely not too small. It seems to be the right size for Sean and he looks entirely at ease as he plops down on the sectional part of his leather couch. He yawns and tugs his baseball cap off of his head, running a hand through his red locks. He waves me over when he sees me just standing around. I wordlessly obey his command and saunter towards him, plopping down right next to him. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into his warm body.

'Just like old times' I think to myself.

Sean guardedly grabs my camera, and by some miracle he figures out how to turn it on after fumbling around with it. If it were anyone else who just randomly grabbed my camera, I probably would have hit them where the sun doesn't shine, but it's Sean. I could never say no to him, no matter how hard I tried.

“Where is this?” He asks, pointing to a picture of a bunch of kids playing hockey on a frozen pond. In the picture, a kid has just scored a goal and is celebrating, while another kid from the opposing team is pouting exuberantly.

“Yakutsk... It's in Russia.” I say quickly when I notice the confusion on his face, “It was so cold there. I remember one of the residents told me that it once got to 40 below zero in the middle of July.”

“Wow, I thought Canada was cold.” He chuckles and continues to scroll through the pictures.

There's pictures of the Eiffel Tower, all the way to The Great Wall Of China. Sean seems absolutely shocked, and sometimes he looks at me with a peculiar look on his face, as if asking if I've really been there. One picture in particular catches his eye, and he stares at it for a few moments, his thumb hovering over the 'next' button. It's a picture of me with a Libyan Rebel. He's holding a rifle in one hand, a machete in the other, and the lower region of his face is covered by the Libyan flag. I remember the moment I had taken that picture, and how I really thought the guy was going to kill me, though his intentions were completely opposite. He had just wanted to examine my camera, because he had never seen anything like it.

“That was one of the most intense countries I had ever been to. They were in the middle of a civil war, trying to bring down their dictator.” I try not to ramble because when I talk about countries I've been to I get really in depth about it. I like learning the history about the place I'm visiting, and I like to learn about their culture. I knew that it often bored people, but Sean listens intently.

“You really have been everywhere.” He says quietly when a picture of my sister and I eating spaghetti in Italy pops up. My sister had taped a fake moustache to my face and is laughing hysterically as I try to flag down a waiter.

“It gets tiring after awhile though. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved seeing all of these new places, but it's nice to be here now. To just settle down, and not have to worry about missing my flight in the morning, losing my passport, or arguing with my sister. I'm pretty sure this is the first time in months where I've just sat down and relaxed.” I grab my camera and shut it off, setting it on the cushion next to me.

“I'm glad you decided to come here Ava.” His eyes close and he presses his face against the crook in my neck while inhaling heavily. I shiver when he exhales and his tepid breath hits my sensitive skin. Moments later, his breathing starts to shallow out, and I realize he has fallen asleep. I run my hand through his soft hair, it's softer than I remember it to be. It takes me only a few minutes for sleep to drag me in, and I realize that I'm more exhausted than I originally thought.

Despite my exhaustion I wake up only a few hours later when there's a luminous flash pouring in from the windows.

I get up silently, being careful not to awaken Sean who is snoring peacefully. I stretch my limbs and walk towards one of the many windows, tugging the curtains out of the way so I can see the source of the bright light. I realize that it's pouring rain, and right across from the condominium another building is being struck by lightning. I admire the rain, because all I've seen these past few months is either sunshine or snow, but no rain.

I jump when a pair of arms wrap around me, “Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.” I whisper for some reason.

Sean shakes his head, “The thunder woke me up, don't worry.”

We stand their quietly for a few moments, enjoying each other's company and the rain. I turn around in his arms and blush when I realize he's stripped himself of his shirt. I drop my head, trying to avoid eye contact with him. I'm still in shock that I'm even here in Philadelphia right now. Just a few days ago I had been in Germany, eating delicious food with my sister, and now I'm standing in Sean's condo, trying to ignore the fact that he's half naked.

There's no way I can be attracted to my best friend.

He grabs my chin and lifts my head up so I'm looking into his observant eyes, “You've changed so much Ava. You're more beautiful than I can even remember.”

God dammit, there goes my plan.

I lightly place a hand on his bicep, noticing how he's not too muscular, but he's definitely not as scrawny as he used to be.

I lose my ability to speak when he dips his head so he's eye level with me. My eyes flutter when his lips brush softly against my own. I wrap my arms around his neck, and play with the hair on his nape. His hands lower to my hips, lightly squeezing them before pressing his lips against mine. It goes from tender and slow, to passionate and hard within a few seconds. I gasp when he pushes me up against the icy window, he takes this moment to slide his velvety tongue explicitly against mine. His teeth tug at my lower lip harshly, and I bite back a moan.

I keep my eyes closed when he pulls away, both of us are panting, trying to catch our breath.

I sigh contently, “Now this the good life.”