Brave the Storm

Kailyn had missed her mom before, but now with her complicated relationship with Eric, she intensely missed her mom. She could talk to her father about anything, but somehow it just felt wrong talking to her father about her love life. Some lines were not meant to be crossed and that was one of them. She was sad that she didn’t have her mother to talk to about these problems that wouldn’t judge her when she needed to cry and just hold her close. She had many good friends, male friends, she didn’t feel the need to go to them for her problems either; only when she was extremely desperate or completely torn apart like she had been over the summer. She needed a girl friend that she was close enough with to tell things to. She wanted a girl that she had grew up with and had years of trust instilled into their friendship and being in a man’s sport, her mother had filled that gap for Kailyn until she was 17 and her mother passed away.

She had Maya to tell, but ever since Maya had started going out with Zach she felt like her trust was compromised. Maya loved Zach with all her heart and there was nothing that she wouldn’t tell him. He was the only man she ever really loved besides her father and she would not be willing to lie to him if he asked about Eric and Kailyn. Not that Maya wouldn’t try to avoid the subject at all costs when with Zach, she just didn’t want to stress them both out over it. She just didn’t want everyone to know about stuff like this. It embarrassed her when people found out she had a soft spot for some guy. She especially didn’t want her opponents to know because she didn’t want to face the jabs like she had when she was dating Mike.

She was currently sitting in Eric’s back yard while his family was all here for the long weekend break all their teams had. Kailyn had been invited over so that they could all try their hands in convincing her to spend some of her summer up in Thunder Bay with their family. It sounded wonderful to her, but she didn’t know how long she could last in Eric’s presence without making a fool of herself. She had been doing this way too much already in her opinion. She seemed to make an idiot out of herself whenever he was around. She had become obscenely clumsy around him, she couldn’t form coherent sentences anymore, and above all she was giggling. Giggling. Like a high school girl with a crush on a boy band member. It was getting ridiculous. If the guys on the team were noticing these changes, they didn’t let on and continued as business as usual. They probably figure that when the two of them were ready, Eric and Kailyn would figure it out. When that would be, no one knew.
Kailyn couldn’t deny it anymore. She was head over skates for this man. She was entranced by his whole personality. Even her father loved him when he was introduced to him. Even her mother would love him, she was sure about it. Kailyn’s mother Jocelyn had wished that she would find herself a man that was handsome, had a good soul, and treated her the way she should be treated. That meant not as a princess, but as an equal.

That was what Kailyn adored most about Eric. He didn’t try to take anything away from Kailyn, he listened to what she had to say and respected her decisions and went with them if they were the best foreseeable option just like he would with any man. He treated her as a good friend that was plenty capable of taking care of herself. He realized she had survived 21 years without him by her side and she could continue to do so, though that didn’t mean he couldn’t treat her like a princess every now and then, just to make her aware that she was special to him. He had the perfect balance it seemed of treating her as a hockey playing rough around the edges tomboy and a lady.
Today he was being especially sweet and Kailyn just couldn’t take it. Today was the worst day to be here. She didn’t want to be around his family today of all days. She didn’t even want Sidney or Patrick around and they damn well knew it and steered clear. She just wanted to crawl back in her bed and pretend this day had never happened. Or another feasible option was to get wasted enough that she couldn’t even remember her own name. Either option would suffice, but the real fact about it was that she wanted to be alone.

And this was the very reason that Kailyn excused herself from the back yard and was taking refuge in Eric’s bathroom. She stood with her small hands gripping each side of the sink. She looked in the mirror and glared at her tear stained reflection. She looked like shit and there was no denying it. Normally if she put her hair up messily, she could play it off like she had been at practice or working out and she was on her way home to fix it, but not time. She had pretty much rolled out of bed and put it in a bun without so much as brushing it. She had also worn what she wore to bed to Eric’s. Everyone could tell by the wrinkles in her Shattuck Saint Mary’s pep rally T-shirt for the women’s hockey team she had received in her junior year at school. Her yoga pants were wrinkled at the ankle where they loosened from her form. At the rate she was going, she was surprised that she had managed to brush her teeth. Her mother would be very upset with her appearance had she been alive.

She turned on the water and splashed some cool water on her face to hide the fact that she had been crying from the Staals. She would feel bad if they had to be concerned about her when they were having such a rare get together with the whole family. She took the soft towel hanging on the wall and wiped the excess water from her face. Just as she had replaced the towel, there was a knock on the door. She tried to talk but it came out hoarse for the first syllable so she cleared her throat and informed the person, “Someone is in here.”
“Kailyn,” Eric’s muffled voice came through the wooden door. She could tell he was concerned and it made her wonder how long she had been in here. She walked over and turned the gold knob to let the door swing open. Eric’s face was creased between the brows and his eyes held a worried look to them. The look only seemed to intensify when he took in her poor attempt at covering her tears. He came into the bathroom and gently took her face in his hands. She refused to look him in the eye. When she wouldn’t meet his gaze, he just simply wrapped his arms around her in an attempt the comfort her.

His embrace was exactly what she needed and without further beckon, she fell against him and cried into his chest. Without a word, he picked her up and carried her to his bed room. He set her on his lap and rubbed her back as she continued to sob. Despite her awful mood, she was grateful that Eric had never let her down and abandoned her when she needed to cry. He was always there for her no matter how much she tried to keep him at a distance. She felt in her heart that Eric would never hurt her and she was beginning to trust her gut again. In that moment she finally felt she could give Eric the chance he deserved. She knew that was what her mother would want her to do.
Once she quieted down, he stroked her hair in a soothing manner and quietly asked, “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

In an equally quiet voice she explained, “It is the anniversary of my mother’s death. Seeing your family so happy made me miss her.”

Eric sighed and pulled her closer to his warm body, “I’m so sorry Kailyn. I had no idea. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No,” she said as she tucked her head in the crook of his neck. “I’d much rather stay here with you.”

“You shouldn’t say that to me Kai, it gives me too much hope.”

She looked up at him from his shoulder and met her blue gaze with his caramel ones. “Maybe I want to give you hope. Maybe I don’t want to play this ongoing flirtation game any longer.”

He sighed, “Kailyn, I know you don’t mean that, don’t mess with me.”

“Let me prove it to you. We will take it slow, but tonight I’m staying with you and I demand to be cuddled.” She said while looking up at him and trying to convey just how desperate she was. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Without looking at her, “Stay by my side the rest of the day and I’ll make it happen,” he challenged back.

“Deal,” she agreed softly.

********

Eric and Kailyn gave final hugs and farewells to the rest of the Staal family who would be leaving early in the morning to get back to their respective homesteads. From the living room, everyone split up to take their beds they had been assigned for the weekend. Kailyn moved from Eric’s side for the first time that day to take up residence in her own bedroom. She didn’t want to part from his company, but she didn’t want to make a scene in front of his family. She would rather not embarrass herself and him all in one fell swoop. It was better to talk in private when they had the chance.

She couldn’t shake the disappointment though. She wanted to spend the night cuddled up with Eric. She didn’t expect anything else; she was just simply tired of being alone. The only time she didn’t feel lonely was when she was in Eric’s company. She wouldn’t escape the loneliness tonight, she figured, steeling herself for the long hours ahead of her. Before she could get any farther than a step away from him, Eric took her hand in his and wordlessly led her to his room.

Eric’s room was plain, but she could tell someone lived in it. He had the standard hockey player orthopedic king sized bed. There was a dark wood dresser and nightstand as well. His walk in closet door was open and she could see the pile of dirty clothes in the corner. He walked to his dresser and picked out a T-shirt and a pair of boxers for her. He took out a pair of pajama pants for himself and let her change in his room while he changed in the bathroom. She let him back into the room and they got into the bed. Kailyn let out a loud groan, “This is the best bed ever, and I have to get me one of these.”

Eric chuckled, “Or you could just sleep in my room instead of the guest room when you are over.”

She sighed, “Eric, I can’t promise you anything but tonight—”

“You don’t want to tell me that, I might do something that I won’t regret tomorrow.” He pulled her to her side and into him. He gently brushed her hair off her shoulder and kissed the skin of her neck. She shuddered into his touch. Then a moment later, she came to her senses and pulled away from him a little bit. Eric followed her and pinned her under him, “Oh no you don’t. You’re all mine tonight. Tell me you want me too.”

She squirmed from under him and he grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head, giving her no way to lift his body off her. “You know how much I want you Eric.”

“No I don’t, tell me.”

“Fine,” she said while glaring up at him. “You want to know? I want you so bad it makes me ache for you. You taunt me daily and treat me better than even Sidney does. I can’t stand to be around you any more without wanting to have you to myself. You’re there for me more than anyone else. There is no possible way for me to not be in love with you. I love you Eric Staal, goofy middle name and all.”

Eric smiled cheekily, “You love my middle name.”

Kailyn rolled her eyes, “Can we just go to sleep?”

“Whatever you want,” he rolled off her and pulled her into his side once again. “And Kai?”

“Yeah?” she asked while her body relaxed against his chest and her breathing started to become regular.

“I love you.”