Sweet Disposition

It was a bitterly cold January day in Philadelphia, the wind whipping outside, chilling any who dared to brave the frigid temperature. It was for this reason that Claire stayed inside, preferring the warmth of her cozy apartment to the iciness of the city outside her window. The sky was grey and overcast, hinting at the possibility of snowfall in the near future.

She stood in her living room, her gaze shifting between the wall before her and a group of paint swatches fanned out in her hand. She had been standing there for a good 20 minutes trying to figure out what colour she wanted to paint the room in as Claude sat at the breakfast bar eating leftovers from the night before. She had a look of pure concentration on her pretty face and Claude watched her amusedly as she struggled to pick a winner. The old paint swatches that she had taken out of the running lay forgotten on the coffee table. She looked adorable, her forehead wrinkled slightly in thought and frustration as she deliberated the potentials and he couldn’t help but smile as he stared shamelessly at her.

Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, chocolate coloured wisps contrasting with the fair, creamy skin of her neck. She wore a grey tank top and a pair of baggy sweatpants and he found himself thinking that he hadn’t seen anything as beautiful as the young woman in front of him.

He stood, abandoning his empty plate and quietly made his way over to where she stood. He had to ask her, it was now or never.

Claire felt his arms wrap around her waist, his lips pressing lightly to the curve of her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. She somehow managed to stop herself from jumping in surprise, considering she hadn’t heard his footsteps. A small grin tugged on her lips. “What’s up Claude?” she asked, her gaze never leaving the swatches in her hand.

“What? I can’t just hug you when I feel like it?” he defended, the grin that spread on his lips gave away the mock offense in his tone. She smirked, “Not when I know you want something from me.” He still didn’t know how she managed to read him so well, especially whenever she wasn’t even looking at him. It really amazed him how she picked up on the little things that he did that most (often even himself) wouldn’t notice.

He nuzzled her neck, the ginger scruff on his face tickling her skin. “Come to All Star Weekend with me,” he murmured, his voice mixed with nerves as he timidly added on, “As my girlfriend.”

He felt her body freeze in surprise, the swatches falling to the floor. She slowly turned in his arms to face him, his arms still encircling her waist, “You want us to go as a couple on national television?” Her voice was quiet, shock tingeing her words. Neither of them had discussed going out in public on a national scale and they had only recently begun making public outings and appearances together in Philadelphia, even then their relationship was still on the down low, sheltered by the Flyers organisation. “Oui, I don’t want to hide this anymore. The organisation knows, the team knows, the WAGs know, what’s stopping us?” She couldn’t find the words to say, looking slightly apprehensive, biting her lip as she allowed his words to sink in.

“My parents and my sister will be there. They really want to meet you cher,” he murmured. He felt her body tense at the new information. “I know I’m throwing a lot at you babe, but it would really mean a lot to me if you said yes. It’s my first All Star game and I really want you there. I want to be able to show off the girl I love to the world.” Her eyes snapped up to meet his, “You love me?” There was a hint of a smile in her voice sparked by his admission. He kissed her lips, his hand cupping her cheek. He pulled away slightly, his eyes boring into hers as he replied, “Oui. Je vous aime Claire. Je t’aime tellement.” (Yes. I love you Claire. I love you so much.) The sincerity of his words in combination with the overwhelming look of truth and adoration in his eyes only confirming his words for her.

A coy grin spread on her lips as she looked shyly up at him from under her lashes, “It’s a big step, bringing this out to the media. You sure you’re ready for this? We’re going to need to let the organisation know we’re doing this, so they’re not unprepared and angry at us.”

Claude sighed in relief, glad she wasn’t freaking out about the prospect of their relationship becoming common knowledge. “Are you okay with meeting my family?” he asked softly, “I know it’s a lot to ask with going public and all. If it’s too much I understand, I don’t want to push you into anything.” She placed her hand on his, turning her head to kiss his palm, “I’m going to have to meet them eventually. Might as well kill two birds with one stone and get it out of the way too.” His thumb caressed her cheek tenderly, “So you’ll come with me?”

“Oui, j’aimerais,” (Yes, I will.) she nodded. He grinned, kissing her softly, “Thank you.” He pulled her tightly against him, nuzzling her neck as he was wont to do. They stood like that for a while before resting their foreheads against each other. “So next time we go out together we’ll go all out on the PDA? We’ve been repressing it for so long, why don’t we just have at it? Really give them something to talk about,” he joked, kissing the tip of her nose when she rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, I’m sure the Flyers would just love a video of us fucking in the locker room,” she fired back, wrinkling her nose in distaste. He grinned deviously as his hands went further down her back to cup her ass, giving it a squeeze before sliding to the backs of her thighs and hoisting her up to his waist. He backed her up against the wall for extra support. “Don’t give me any ideas, ma belle, or I may just have to act on them,” he all but growled. She chuckled, her voice husky with desire, sliding her arms around his neck, the mood quickly switching from sweet to sexual. He groaned as she bit her lip, wanting so desperately to take her right then and there. “Putain allemeuse,” (You fucking tease) he murmured, his voice deepening with lust, “Me faire tous travaillé avant un match. Pas juste mon amour, pas juste du tout.” (Getting me all worked up before a game. Not fair my love, not fair at all.)

She laughed, placing a chaste kiss on his hungry lips and pulling away before he could try anything more, “Who said anything about playing fair? Besides, think of it as a glimpse of what you’ll get if you play well tonight.” With a teasing smirk she managed to unwrap her legs from his waist and wriggle her way out from where he had pinned her and saunter off, leaving him to stare blankly at where she had been seconds ago. He groaned, letting his head gently hit the wall in front of him in frustration.

It was nearing time for his pregame nap and as he had made a habit of since the start of the new season, he would be sharing the bed with her. Whenever they were home for a game or for a stretch of games, he could be found curled up with her either in the bed in her small apartment or in his at the Brieres’. She had taken to this new development in his pregame ritual almost immediately, just loving to be near him.

Despite their working for the Flyers organisation and the close proximity in which she worked with both he and his teammates, the two actually didn’t see as much of each other as one would think. She was busy working on regiments with his teammates, locked up in her office doing paperwork, or in the trainer’s room treating the boys while he was busy working out or at practise.

They didn’t share a hotel room on road trips, giving them the necessary space that they needed as well as the necessary space to maintain a professional relationship in the work environment. It worked for the two of them in that their employer wasn’t unhappy with their relationship getting in the way of work and also made the two more appreciative of the time they’d get to spend together in Philly. It was a good arrangement that benefitted both sides and allowed the couple to continue seeing each other without incident.

“Claire,” he called once he had composed himself, slowly turning from the wall. “Bedroom,” she replied, not even having to ask what he wanted. He was a hockey player, a creature of habit to the extreme, his game day rituals set in stone. She heard his footsteps padding through the small hallway to her room. He stopped in the doorway, a sleepy smile on his face as he admired her new attire comprised of one of his Flyers t-shirts that he had no doubt had been left behind after one of their many sleepovers at her place. The shirt fell to just above her mid thigh on her small frame revealing her shapely bare legs, leaving him to guess as to whether she was wearing underwear or shorts (hoping for the former). He felt his dick twitch at the sight of her scantily clad form.

She didn’t wait for him to join her as she climbed into bed, nestling into her side of the mattress. He chuckled as he shed his shirt and sweatpants, leaving him in his boxers. He could feel her gaze burning into him as they ran over his fit body, only just managing to stop his body from flushing self consciously. He pecked her cheek as he slid in behind her, his arm gently draping over her waist before pulling her back against his warm front. “Claude,” she murmured. “Yeah?” he replied as she placed her hand over his. “I love you too.” She could feel him grin against her shoulder before he placed a tender kiss to it. He gently squeezed her body to his a little bit tighter. It wasn’t long after that the young couple fell asleep, trying to get rest before the game that evening.