Fairytales & Lullabies

Kris and Max were lying in their hotel room in Buffalo. It was three in the morning and they were both exhausted. The adrenaline from the game that ended almost 5 hours earlier had started to wear off. They sat up in their beds with a news channel on, keeping them both awake.

"You have to make your move man," Max told him before changing the channel to an old sitcom.

"Why should I? It's not like I won't see her or have time alone with her. I just want to wait a little bit." Kris shifted uncomfortably around in his bed.

"You never know who might show up. You don't know her whole past. Maybe she has some crazy ex that's been stalking her and she's with us so he can't trace her."

Kris raised his eyebrows skeptically. "I highly doubt shed get a job here to get away from an ex. Plus, she told me she just wanted to be around hockey and this job was perfect."

"You should still do it soon. And I have the perfect idea for when you want to." The smirk on Max’s face gave Kris a sick feeling in his stomach.

"What is it?" Kris sat up listening to Max's idea.

"After tomorrow's game, you get a bouquet of flowers. Bring them onto the plane hidden. When she sits down next to you, hand them to her and ask. She’ll have to say yes 'cause everyone will see and she won't want to be rude!"

Kris mulled the plan over in his head. He rarely took Max's advice; and when he did, it usually turned out bad. This plan, however, was not one Kris could find a flaw in. It was something he knew Greta would like. Nothing too crazy, but it was still sweet. "Alright, you get me the flowers and I'll do it after the game."

Max fist pumped in the air before shutting the TV off. "Goodnight Kristopher. By this time tomorrow, Greta will be yours." Kris smiled, he hoped she would be.

***

Max gave Kris's back a quick slap as he walked by him to his seat. Kris sat with the few flowers Max was able find hidden in the bag in his lap. He felt more nervous than when he had played in his first NHL game.

The aisle emptied and the flow of people stopped. Kris waited for a few seconds before Tyler Kennedy sat down next to him. "Hey, Greta wanted to sit by Jordan, so we traded seats for the ride home."

Kris sighed and ran a hand through his hair before pulling out the flowers. He started picking off the petals. "Who are those for, Kris?" Tyler asked with a knowing look.

Kris held them out and sarcastically said, "For you of course."

Tyler smiled and grabbed them, "Oh Kris! You shouldn't have!" Tyler leaned across the armrest and kissed Kris on the cheek. Kris shoved him out of his way before putting his headphones on. He was prepared to sit next to Greta the ride home, not loud, nonstop talking Tyler. This was going to be a long ride.

Max came back about an hour into the flight. He stood in the aisle next to Tyler. “What’s he doing here?” He pointed at their sleeping teammate.

“Greta wanted to sit by Jordan.” Kris grumbled and turned his head to look out to the night sky.

“That’s okay. I’ve got plenty of other ideas for you to use. There’s this really good one, and all we need to find is a really large boulder…”

“No thanks, Max.” Kris shifted in his seat. “I’ll think of something.” Max shrugged and walked away.

Kris was left alone again. There was too much time for him to think on flights. He had to do it tonight. If he didn’t, he might chicken out. Kris sighed and closed his eyes. Tyler’s snoring soon interrupted. Tonight. I’ll ask her tonight. Sleep never came, but dreams of a girl still crossed his mind.

***

The plane landed in Pittsburgh around one in the morning. I was tired to say the least. I was glad to have Jordan next to me to help me stay awake. He had taught me all the tricks to beating the guys on their PSP games. I waited next to Kris' car to ride back to the apartment. He showed up only a few seconds after I had. "Ready?" he asked.

"I just want my bed back!" He chuckled at my comment and started his car. Snow was covering the ground since we had been her last. The roads were slick, making the ride home longer. I smile grew on my face. Winter was my favorite season. There was something soothing about watching the snow fall, especially at night.

We reached are destination and went up silently. The apartment was peaceful. I couldn't help but smile seeing everything again. "Goodnight Kris." I walked to my room before hearing my name.

"Greta?" I turned to face Kris. His eyes faced the ground and he ran a hand through his hair. "I was... Uh.... Just wondering if you...uh, wanted to go out to dinner tomorrow night? Or technically tonight." His face was red; I could tell he was nervous.

"Like a date?" I asked, hoping for clarification. My face started to turn red now. What if he hadn’t meant it to be a date?

"Exactly like a date." He responded with more confidence.

"Sure," I smiled at him before he wished me a goodnight. I couldn’t sleep that night. I kept replay what had happened over and over in my head. Eventually I fell asleep with only one thought on my mind; I had a date with Kris.