Feel

Amy woke to the morning sunlight streaming through her window. After taking a moment to adjust, she grabbed her phone to check the time, and was surprised to see she had a new message.

Hope you're feeling better. Thinking about you.

Amy read the message from James over and over, a stupid smile spreading across her face. She was still incredibly disappointed about not getting the jobs, but the small act of kindness made her smile.

***

The next weekend was the Penguins' brother and sister road trip. They would be flying out to Vancouver, then on to Edmonton, before flying back to Pittsburgh in a span of three days.

Amy was packing her bag when she heard a tap on the door. She looked up to see Paul, and stood up to face him.

"What's up?"

He paused before speaking, as though he was choosing his words carefully. "Flower is bringing both Jacques and Pierre," he began, and Amy had a feeling she knew exactly where he was going with this. "Jacques won't have anyone to sit with. I thought I'd sit with him, and since Nealer couldn't get anyone to come, you could sit with him," Paul finished nonchalantly.

Amy raised her eyebrows at him before rolling her eyes. "Okay, but you could be a bit more subtle."

Paul laughed and shook his head. "This time I didn't plan it. It just seemed to work out... But if you want to sit with Jacques you can. Or you can sit with me, and Jacques can sit with James. I just figured it was a good idea since you guys are good friends now, and you see me every day." He shrugged. "Plus, I actually would really like to chat with Jacques. Haven't seen him in a while."

Amy sighed heavily and nodded. "Fine." She sounded irritated, but the truth was, her heart fluttered at the idea.

***

Amy followed behind her brother onto the plane, greeting some of the siblings she already knew, and smiling at those she didn't recognize. When they reached Marc-Andre and his brothers, Paul turned to her as if to ask her, again, if it was alright if he sat with them. Amy nodded and Paul slid in next to Jacques, giving her a small wave. The three brothers had all greeted her with smiles and they exchanged quick pleasantries before she continued on down the aisle. Her eyes landed on a familiar mess of curly brown hair, and she approached him, her stomach doing cartwheels.

"Hey." She gave him a tired smile. He looked up and beamed when he saw her. She motioned to the empty seat beside him. "Can I...?"

"Of course, yeah!" James replied, gesturing for her to sit down.

"No siblings with you today?" she asked curiously. James shook his head.

"They couldn't get it off work," he explained.

Amy frowned sympathetically. "Guess you'll have to deal with me, then. Paul ditched me for Jacques," she explained.

"I can manage," James grinned.

Amy laughed, then collapsed into the seat with a sigh, immediately letting her head fall back and closing her eyes.

James laughed. "Tired?"

Amy groaned. "Didn't sleep last night." She turned her head to look at him, opening her eyes.

James nodded. "Well you have 6 hours to sleep on the plane," he offered.

Amy sighed before closing her eyes again. It was quiet save for the murmurs of conversation and the sound of people getting situated around her. The rumbling of the plane starting to move made her open her eyes again, and she glanced around, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You cold?"

She turned to James. "Kind of," she admitted. She was about to look for a blanket when James held out the one he was already covered up in. She began to protest but he insisted. She shyly obliged, and he gave her a smile.

The plane lifted into the air and Amy finally found herself settling in. She felt self-conscious with James' face so close to hers as she turned her face against the head rest, but sleep soon overtook her, and she was too out of it to care.

James woke about a half hour before the plane landed. He blinked a few times before fully opening his eyes. The plane was quiet, except for the sound of soft, steady breathing. He turned his head to find Amy still asleep in the seat beside him, her face towards him and incredibly close. He watched her for a moment; the way a few strands of her hair were falling in her face, the way she breathed so peacefully. He thought about the day a few weeks earlier, when he had held her while she cried. He continued to stare, his mind overrun with thoughts, before he closed his eyes again to try and get a few more minutes of sleep.

When the plane landed, the two of them, along with everyone else, woke abruptly. Amy's eyes shot open and she looked around, gathering information about where she was from her brain. She looked beside her and a smile graced her face as she watched James rub the sleep out of his eyes. He glanced at her, his eyes a light blue-green in the dim light, and smiled. His hair was a perfect mess and his voice was gruff with sleep as he spoke.

"Hey."

Cue the irregular heartbeat.

"Hi." She smiled back. "Good sleep?"

He analyzed her face, his eyes traveling every part of it, and she suddenly felt shy. He smiled crookedly, the one corner of his lip turning up, and he met her eyes again before replying, "Yeah. You?"

"Mhm." She looked away, and waited silently for the cue to get up, praying her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.