Thin Ice

The sliding door was open and the chilly November air crept slowly through the black screen like an invisible fog claiming the room. Roxanne’s two chocolate Doberman were curled up in the corner of the magnificent kitchen, obviously the warmest spot in the apartment. Roxanne was freezing and massaging the little lumps forming on her chocolate skin. She stood and shuffled her sock-clad feet and turned the temperture on the thermostat even highter. She rubbed the goosebumps rapidly hoping the friction would wear them away. Noemi walked into the apartment wielding a large shopping bag in her hand. She tossed Roxanne who was lounging on the couch a neatly folded, white jersey.

"Nice to see you too." She said unfolding the jersey and holding it up staring at it.

“You want me to wear this tonight?” she laughed.

“Yes, it'll look really cute on you." Noemi said taking a seat on the couch. You’re going to love it. There’s beer, and fighting, and I don’t know, its something you have to do at least once in your life”

“Why didn’t you take Beth? She usually goes with you, right?”

“She’s at work,” Noemi said slyly flipping through her cell phone.

“So I’m your second choice? Your safety net?” Roxanne retorted sarcastically.

“But you’re the sexiest safety net I know. Just put it on, the game starts in 40 minutes.”

“Isn’t that a long time?”

“Not if we want to park, get our tickets, and find our seats before the end of the first period.”

Roxanne looked at herself in Noemi’s full length mirror and wasn’t sure what to think. She had never worn a sports jersey before and had no clue who number 87 was. She didn’t even bother to read the name on the back. To top it all off the hat Noemi gave her ruffled her jet black hair and she felt like she was wearing a thick, knit shower cap with a hackie sack on top.

“You look cute!” Noemi said barging into the bathroom.

“Woah! What if I was naked?” Roxanne screamed.

“Oh please, I’ve seen you naked, remember the week you spent sharing my bed. Remember how we both hate to wear clothes to sleep? Remember the pillow talk?!” Noemi dramatized flailing her arms in the air.

“Oh, Shut up!”

Roxanne turned sideways so she could see how the skinny jeans and jersey made her body look. She had an ass. A great one. The kind that men turned their heads sideways for. And long athletic legs. She was well endowed with a natural 34DD rack too. She had the body women envied and tried to emulate. The jersey gripped her breasts a little too tightly and caused a small ripple in the middle of the shirt. The white jersey shone brightly against her chocolate skin.

“Damn! We look hot!” Noemi said shoving Roxanne out of the way so she could look at herself. Noemi was wearing skin-tight coral jeans with a black Penguins t-shirt and black flats. They got into Noemi’s little, red Lexus convertible and headed towards the city. Parking was only $20 and they parked at the top of the garage overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline.

“Okay so I don’t get it. You hit the little ball with the-”

“It’s called a puck.” Noemi was snacking on some nachos while Roxanne munched on her extra buttery popcorn. Their seats were fully stocked with salty snacks, cotton candy and Bud Light.

“Fine, you hit the puck with the stick and get it into the net?”

“Yeah, its a bit more complicated than that, but yes.”

“And you have to get it past the goalie?”

“Yep, see you’re learning”

“So it’s just like soccer on ice, with a stick?”

“Um...no.”

“Basketball on ice, with a goalie.”

“No. It’s just...it’s hockey. That’s all.” Noemi scoffed and put her feet on the chair in front of her.

“What the hell? How do you know where the puck is, it’s tiny!”

“That’s what she said!”

“Very funny, but seriously. Where is it?”

“Top right corner. You really have to watch what’s going on and if all else fails, on the screen.” Noemi pointed.

“Okay, well it isn’t so bad, except for it being so COLD in here!”

“The rink is made of ice Roxanne, It’s gonna be cold.” Noemi smirked taking sip of her beer.

“Well I wasn’t thinking about that, you could have at least warned me.” Noemi said tugging the sleeves of her shirt over her fingers.

“Sorry, guess when you come a lot is more like second nature, you don’t really think about it. “

The girls enjoyed the game and Noemi did the best she could by explaining the majority of it to Roxanne.

“So my friend Marvin from accounting says he’s here” Noemi said looking at her phone.

“Apparently the guys come out after the game and sign autographs.”

“Oh really? That’s cool.”

“Wanna go?”

“Why not.” Roxanne said. She felt a little silly since she wasn’t a die-hard fan yet, but she knew Noemi was excited about it. When they got to the back of section 117 there was a black curtain and they were instructed to stay behind it. The players came out and signed pucks and sticks for little boys then finally made it to them.

“Hey there.” One of them said walking up to the girls.

“Hey, you guys were great out there!” Noemi said.

“Thanks! I’m Jordan, what’s your name?” he asked. His short curly blonde hair was wet and stuck his face. When he looked up from signing Noemi’s jersey, Roxanne saw his face. He was manly, very manly.

“And what’s your name?” The tall, gorgeous man asked her.

“Roxanne.” she smiled nervously running her fingers through her hair.

“ROXANNNNEEE-” Jordan belted out holding an invisible microphone in front of his face.

“If you say ‘you don’t have to put on the red light’, I’ll punch you.” she joked, with a hint of seriousness.

“Looks like we’ve got a feisty one!” another player said walking up to join the conversation. “Hey, I’m Sidney.” Sidney was slightly shorter than Jordan and had a five o’clock shadow.

“Hey, Nice to meet you. So when did you guys start playing?” she asked them both, curious if it’s something they’d grown up with. Jordan and Sidney responded with 4 and 5 years old respectively.

“So..When did you start watching?” Sidney asked taking his time to really look at her.

“This is actually my first game.” She smiled.

“Hear that Sid? Looks like we just popped Roxanne’s cherry!” Jordan yelled obnoxiously.

“Dude, that’s so weird.” Sidney glanced around the area behind the rink where they were standing and it seemed like everybody dropped their conversations and whipped their heads around to look at them. Jordan’s face flushed with red.” I’m sorry about him, he doesn’t now how to react around a beautiful woman.”

“No it’s okay, I don’t really take offense to a whole lot. Wait-?” She smiled.

“So nice hat trick out there Sidney, it’s not all the time you get to score all the goals in a game.” Noemi smiled.

“I couldn’t do it without all the guys behind me. And that puck that bounced off my ass, Jordy over here hit it attempting to rack me, but I just happened to turn around then it uh...bounced into the net.” He smiled awkwardly.

“Nah, its just cause you have a huge, firm ass.” Jordan grinned.

“Cool story, bro. Come on guys, you both have post-game interviews!” Their media manager Jeff snapped.

“Well it was so nice meeting you!” Noemi said to the both of them.

“The pleasure was all ours” Jordan winked before heading past the large garage-like double doors.

“Oh and I hope to see you in my jersey more often” Sidney called walking away.

“Eeeek! He was so flirting with you.” Noemi squealed as they left the arena.

“Too bad I have a boyfriend. He was cute though,” Roxanne said very matter-of-factly.

“Cute, you mean total god! ” Noemi said exasperated.

"You’re single, you can look at other guys. I’m perfectly happy with Wesley.” Roxanne laughed.

“Oh please, could you stop lying to yourself for one second? You know than Wesley is just a....” Noemi trailed.

“He’s just a what?” Roxanne looked at her sternly.

“Fuck buddy. He treats you like shit. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but maybe it’d be nice to have someone new in your life. Someone, you know, nice.” Noemi replied.

“He’s not a fuck buddy, we live together.” she said. Then Roxanne was silent for a moment. She got into the passengers seat of the car and stared out the window with her arms crossed.

“I’m sorry Roxanne, but all of your friends hate him. I think that’s a sign he’s a douche. I know it. You know it. The whole world knows it.”

“I get it okay.”

“Sorry.”

The car was quiet and Noemi couldn’t handle the silence so she turned on the radio. One of the girls’ favorite songs came on and they couldn’t help but sing it together as they had often done.

“Hey! I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe.” they sang simultaneously.

As the song came to an end they both let out a sigh of relief.

“You should have given him your number!” Noemi realized.

“No, I don’t think i should have. And about Wes I’m sorry, I guess I never really thought about how you guys aren’t really fond of him”

“We just want the best for you. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“Thanks Noe.”

They had arrived at Roxanne’s apartment. She knew what she was going to do tonight. She was going to end things with Wesley. They had been on the rocks for the last few weeks and she just needed a good reason to end things. She said goodbye to Noemi and walked inside her apartment.
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Sidney

“Dude you realize you were hardcore creeping on that black girl back there.” Jordan laughed slapping me on the back.

“Did you see her? She was gorgeous!” I said slipping my wallet into the back pocket of my pants.

I could barely believe my eyes when I saw her. Her full pink lips, wavy black hair, smooth chocolate skin, and glowing hazel eyes with gold specs. I was quiet walking to our cars.

“What time is practice again tomorrow?” Jordan said starting his truck. I sat in the passengers seat and looked out the window.

“It’s at noon, eh?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. Well it’s only 11, wanna hit up the Space Lounge?” Honestly, I’d rather have hip replacement surgery than go. I’m not the partying type like Jordan was. I’d be exhausted in the morning and I didn’t to get any STDs from just walking into a place like the Space Lounge.

“I can’t bud, sorry,”

“Why not? You never come out with us.”

“Its just not my scene. I’d rather stay home, grab a beer, watch some netflix and chill you know?” I explained hopping out when we got to my place.

“No, no I don’t know.” he said, I laughed and told him I’d see him tomorrow. I shut the door and walked inside my place.
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Roxanne didn’t have the heart to break up with Wesley. She came in and he was sound asleep in their bed. He was sprawled out and his wavy, brown hair was tousled on the pillow. He had been tossing and turning. Probably anxious of when she’d be home. His ivory skin nearly blended into the cream sheets. How could she just dump him like that. Just because her friends didn’t like him that much. She thought maybe they’d warm up to him and learn to like his humor, his personality. What was she going to do, just break her lease and move out? She bit her lip and tiptoed to the bathroom. She slid her pants off and removed the jersey. She threw them both into the hamper and looked at herself in the mirror. Her long, jet black bangs framed her face and she took a second to admire herself in just her bra and panties. In no way was she conceited, in fact she was a little insecure. In this moment she thought she might actually be beautiful. Noemi’s words rang in her ear like a bell.

He doesn’t deserve you.

She looked at Wesley laying soundly on the bed. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and took her contacts out. She climbed into the bed and draped he his arm over her waist. She fought back tears. She thought that being with somebody was better than being alone. It took a few hours for her to get to sleep, but it came eventually.

In the morning Roxanne’s phone rang loudly. it jolted her up and she could barely read the caller id without her contacts or glasses.

“Hello?” her voice was raspy and she was disgusted at her own morning breath.

“Hey, what do you plan on doing today?” Roxanne had to look at the calendar on the wall to remember what day it was.

Friday

“Nothing really, why?” She asked massaging her temples. She had slept with a pounding headache from the game. The screaming and excitement was a little much for her first time.

“Great, we’re having a girls day! Just you and me, I’ll invite some White Zinfandel and jello shots. It’s gonna be great” Noemi said.

“Alright, meet you at your place in an hour?” She yawned.

“Sounds good. Bring a day outfit and a night outfit.”

Roxanne slipped out from under Wesley’s arm. She went to the bathroom and began curling her hair into ringlets. She wanted to feel as beautiful today as she felt staring at herself in the mirror last night. She dabbed on some foundation and some gold eyeshadow. After slipping on some turquoise skinny jeans and a white blouse with some color blocked, white/cork wedges she put on a long gold necklace with a penguin appliqued at the end.

When she emerged from the bathroom Wesley was sitting up flipping through channels. He stopped when he saw her and said simply,

“Fuck me,” She giggled and told him she was having a girls’ day. He pouted and she patted him on the head. After saying goodbye she picked up her messenger bag from the couch and she left. She and Noemi proceeded to have the kind of girls day you see in the movies. They had tapas at one of the best mexican restaurants in Pittsburgh. It was a little wrong, but they paid for their R&R on their production company’s dime. After lunch they had hot stone massages at The Bellagio hotel spa. Finally they received much needed mani-pedi’s.

“You like acrylic long nail?” The esthetician said in broken english.

“No thank you.” Noemi spoke for the both of them.

“Aww why not? I haven’t had my nails done in forever.” Roxanne said.

“Um...do you really want to try and light a set with fake nails?” She retorted.

“Yeah you’re right.” Roxanne replied and chose a simple hot pink polish.

After their nails dried they girls headed back to Noemi’s to change.

“So what are you changing into for the club?” Noemi asked through the bathroom door. She was already wearing a white bodycon dress with red stilettos. Her olive skin glittered next to the stark white.

“How about I show ya?” Roxanne said stepping out from the bathroom and spilling around.

“Damn! We look good! You know I’m stealing those shoes from you right?” Noemi laughed. Roxanne wore a tight, cobalt blue peplum dress and hot pink suede heels.

“Too bad my feet are three times the size of your little, hairy hobbit feet.” Roxanne joked.

“Hey! I just got those waxed today, you know that!” She said grabbing her clutch from the kitchen island.
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Sidney

I spent the most of the day just hanging out with the guys. Matt Cooke decided that they were going to have a Call of Duty championship in my house and I couldn’t really say no. They had set up a camp in the living room fully set up with hamburgers, hot dogs, wings, chips and any other fatty food you can imagine. All the defensemen played in the living room while the goalies made home upstairs in the guest bedroom. I reclined in the living room watching youtube videos while the team competed. Let’s just say I’m not the biggest Call of Duty fan. Well I am, but one time Pascal Dupuis came over and demolished my kill ratio when I was getting some beers. I haven’t played a game since. I just never really felt like having to work back up to where I was before. It was starting to get late and the party was dying down. Marc-Andre was declared the official winner and won a grand total of twenty-three hundred dollars. All of the guys put a hundred dollars into the pot in hopes of multiplying their money.

“Sid. You’re coming to the Space Lounge with us tonight!” Jordan said running over to me.

“Nah, I think I’m going to just clean up here.” I said scanning the room. There were already two large trash bags beside the trash can and tons of trash all over the place. I felt so bad for screwing up such a nice house like this but what can I say, boys will be boys right?

“No, you have to come tonight! There’s gonna be go-go dancers!” Cookie said leaning on the kitchen island.

“Really? Go-Go dancers? Come on that’s from like the 70s right?” I laughed.

“Sexy, go-go dancers!” Cookie grinned. I just shook my head and mentioned how I hated being around drunk people. That and getting recognized, mobbed, and I don’t like the media all over me if I decide to go out.

“One time isn’t going to hurt your choir boy image, goody two-shoes.” Jordan said taking a seat at the bar.

“Look you guys can do whatever you want and nobody cares, but if it’s me I can see the headlines now ‘Sidney Crosby loses control at Pittsburgh bar'. " I said frowning.

Roxanne drove to the club and gave the valet her keys. They went inside and pushed passed several people on the dance floor to the bar. They sat and talked for a few minutes then Roxanne got the feeling they were being watched. She felt the presence of someone behind her but was hesitant to look.

“Wow, You are absolutely gorgeous” Sidney said from behind Roxanne.

“Thanks you don’t look so bad yourself” She looked him up and down and he didn’t fail to impress. He wore a crisp black shirt and tie with a grey jacket and grey pants.

“We’ve met you girls before right?” Jordan asked after taking a swig of his Molson.

“Yeah, after the game the other night. You signed our jerseys,” Noemi smiled.

“That’s right, we took your virginity didn’t we?” Jordan said loudly to Roxanne, at first not realizing what he’d just said. Nobody even paused.

“My hockey game virginity, yes.” She grinned.

“So are you girls single?” Jordan asked.

“Well she is, but I’m-”

“Yeah, we’re both single!” Noemi interrupted. Roxanne looked at her sternly, but Noemi grinned knowing she wouldn’t call her out.

“Any interest in this mug?” Jordan asked holding his chin up high, slowly turning his head side to side and puffing his chest out so they could get a good look at him. The girls tried to hold in their laughs, but they escaped.

“I would never date a pro athlete.” Roxanne laughed loudly.

“Why not? You shouldn’t knock it til you try it,” Sidney said playfully, his deep brown eyes staring at hers.

“I don’t see why I’d waste my time. Come on, you’re all...whores, with all due respect.” Jordan nodded. Everybody knew Jordan was the biggest man whore on the team.

“I’m not.” Sidney protested.

“Whatever you say.” she rolled her eyes and set her empty glass down.

“Really, I have no game.” he retorted.

“You say that like ‘game’ is something to be proud of.” Noemi joked mockingly. She puffed her chest out and held out her arms like she had huge muscles.

“Well, it’s just one of those things you say, you know?”

“It’s just one of those things you say? Like women are pawns in your little game?” Roxanne retorted snarkily. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or her slight hatred for men at the moment, but it came off a lot more harsh than she meant it to.

His face was getting hot. He was standing under the fan in the club, but a bead of sweat was rolling down his forehead. He had no clue what to say to make the situation better. He tried to speak but the words didn’t come to him. He looked over to Jordan who just gave him a sympathetic grin.

“N-no, not at all. I think its an adopted term or something like that. Maybe some guys see it that way, but not me.” There was an even bigger lump forming in Sidney’s throat.

“Could I maybe talk to you for a second, alone?” He asked quietly. His eyes quickly scanned the room, but Roxanne was the only one he could think about. She nodded and led him to a dark, secluded corner nearby the bathrooms. There were no speakers and she could hear him without him yelling.

“Roxanne, I like you.” He said childishly before placing his hands on her hips and taking a deep breath, unsure of what he was doing. She had her back against the wall and he leaned into her, getting a little too close for her comfort. She was wearing heels and the top of her head came just above his chin. He wanted to pull her in and kiss her ample lips until the sun came up, but he resisted.

“You don’t even know me.” She said looking towards the dance floor.

“I think you’re beautiful and I’d like to get to know you if you just gave me the chance,” he said almost pleading.

“I know you know this but there are tons of girls dying to get into your pants. Yeah, you’re a god on the ice and a gorgeous guy and...you probably make a lot of money, but I don’t want to date you. I’m sorry, I’m sure you’re not used to rejection, but look over you shoulder, there’s a gaggle of skanks who’d give their right arm for one night with you.” She explained endearingly.

“I don’t want to go home with them. I want-" he gulped, literally swallowing his pride, "So if not athletes what kinds of guys do you normally date?” Sidney asked retreating, giving her a little more room to breathe.

“Smart, college-educated, white collar-”

“So you’re a gold-digger?” he said sharply, he wasn’t trying to be mean, but he was a little hurt after being rejected.

“Oh, please. If i was a gold-digger I would have gotten you shit-faced and married you before you could say Mario Lemieux. And I make my own money, thank you.” She leaned in seductively.

“Touche. So you like boring, vanilla guys?” He gulped, thinking he may have pushed the issue too far.

“Just because you have a normal job doesn’t mean you’re boring. I want someone who’s not gone half of the year, dealing with symptoms of a concussion, or -”

She felt his lips crash into hers. It made her head light and her knees buckled beneath her. He braced her with his thick thighs. In the background there were shrieks of disbelief from the puck bunnies. His breath had a faint spice of whiskey, but she didn’t mind. He took her breath away. His lips massaged hers and his hands grazed her skin. She felt sparks fly and smiled into the kiss, but inside she was a nervous wreck. She couldn’t tell if there were butterflies in her stomach or rocks. He kissed her deeply and passionately holding her neck gently. He pushed his body even closer to hers. They were chest to chest. She’d have to breath sooner or later and pulled away from his full, pink lips with a soft smack. For a moment they stayed silent, looking into each others eyes. She took a deep breath and shook her head. He brushed some loose hair behind her ear and laid butterfly kisses on her neck. Roxanne looked towards the dance floor and her eyes began to close. They snapped open at the flash of a light brightened her eyelids.

“I have to go,”

Sidney tried to close the distance between them even more, but as he stepped forward she had slipped away from him. He almost hit the wall. She marched to where Noemi had once been sitting.

Shit.

Sidney followed behind her like a lost puppy.

“Roxanne I’m sorry if I was too-”

“It’s fine, just help me find Noemi.” she said without looking at him. They scoured the club and Roxanne called Noemi’s phone several times, no answer.

“I see them.” Sidney smiled ear to ear as Noemi and Jordan walked out of the bathroom together. She pulled down the hem of her skirt and brushed her hair back into place. He tucked the front of his button down shirt back into his pants. Roxanne stood there wide-eyed before walking back to the bar. She ordered a kamikaze and downed it at once.

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The next morning Roxanne woke up to the typical iPhone “marimba” theme song. Without really looking at the caller ID she answered.

“Good Morning Beautiful,” the deep voice said.

“Uhm” she cleared her throat, “Who is this?”

“It’s Sidney.”

“Oh hey! What are you up to?” Roxanne glared and Wesley’s motionless body willing it not to move.

“Just getting some breakfast with the boys, but I wanted to know if um, you’d maybe want to grab dinner tonight. Only if you want to of course. I mean it doesn’t have to be dinner. Maybe coffee. Do you like coffee?” Sidney continued to ramble. Roxanne looked over at Wesley sleeping next to her. She snuck out of the bed and into the living room without saying a word.

“So. I’ll take that as a no?” Sidney questioned at her silence.

“No, sorry. Yes. I’d love to have dinner with you tonight.” Sidney could hear the excitement in her voice.

“Great, um so what kind of food do you like?” Sidney was in the cafe lobby while the rest of his line mates took a seat at a booth. He was pacing like a 16 year old girl on the phone with her crush.

“Anything really, I’m not too picky. I love exotic food, but I’m also fine with a burger or some mac n cheese.” Sidney laughed quietly.

“How about Indian?”

“Ooh I love it!”

“Well I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

“Me neither, see you later.” Sidney hung up and walked to the table where all his teammates were sitting. They all whistled and hollered and he shushed them trying not to blush in the crowded cafe.

“Somebody’s getting some!” Kris Letang said.

“I’m not ‘getting some’. She’s not that kind of girl. I’m taking her out on a real date.” Sidney defended.

“Oh so what kind of girl is she?” Evgeni Malkin asked chugging his orange juice.

“I don’t know. She’s classy, not trashy. She wouldn’t be your type.” he joked.

“Dude, you’re young. Hook up with the trashy ones while you still can. She’ll still be classy in 5 years” Malkin added. Sidney just rolled his eyes and ate his pancakes.

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Roxanne spent all day prepping for her date. “Prepping” meant watching people with no dignity rip each others hair out on Jerry Springer until an hour before he said he’d be there. She wasn’t the kind of girl to gush over a guy but it felt a little nice compared to her extremely lackluster relationship with Wesley. She actually liked feeling a little... bad. She had a boyfriend. A serious one, yet she was going on a date with another guy. She debated when or whether or not to tell him about Wesley.

She thought deeply to herself while she was getting ready. She painted her nails a girly pink and her toenails a metallic red. She went a little more natural than usual with her makeup. She only wore foundation, mascara, and light red, shimmery lipgloss. She pulled on her strapless, coral, cocktail-length dress with ruching in the middle that accentuated her tiny waist, large assets, and complimented her dark skin. She wore black, patent mary-jane pumps and carried a small silver clutch. She stuffed it with her id, credit card, keys, and lip gloss right as Sidney knocked on the door. She ran to get it. She smiled really big and he gazed at her. He looked her up and down before taking a deep breath. He wore a white shirt with a black suit, no tie. His long wavy hair was just a couple inches past his ears and tucked behind them. He wore it pushed back and with a little bit of gel. She told him he cleans up pretty nicely and he smiled, grabbed her hand, and led her to his car. He drove a large, white Chevy Avalanche with black rims. He opened the passenger’s door for her and helped her in. She thanked him as he walked around to get in the drivers seat. They made small talk on the way to Sidney’s favorite Indian restaurant in all of Pittsburgh. When they pulled up to the restaurant he stopped the car but didn’t get out.

“Okay, I have a confession to make. We aren’t having dinner here. I just wanted to pick up some dessert so we can head back to my place and make our own Indian dinner.” he said.

She couldn’t help but smile. “That sounds like a great plan to me”

“Whew, I thought you were going to be mad.”

“Of course not. It’s really sweet actually.”

“Well I was thinking that going out to dinner is so, stereotypical and boring. I wanted to make it really special”

“You’re starting to sound like a romantic.”

“Well maybe I am” he said before getting out, running inside and returning with a styrofoam box filled with Kheer.

They discussed their taste in music while flipping through some of their favorite radio stations on the way to his house. When they got to his place Sidney’s hand was glued to the small of her back until they reached the door. He unlocked it and pushed it open for her. When she stepped in she noticed two things right off the back. First, it was huge. Second, it smelt fantastic. She knew he couldn’t keep his place his nice all the time.

“Wow, you’re house is gorgeous!” She said marveling at the marble foyer and hanging her navy peacoat by the door. The outside had a large semicircle driveway and there was a half spiral staircase leading up to the loft above the entrance.

“Thanks.” He said showing her to the kitchen.

“It smells great in here! Reminds me of something but I cant really put my finger on it.” she gleamed leaning backwards over the granite island in the kitchen.

“Alright I have another confession, I might found out online how to make it smell like Williams-Sonoma in here.” he blushed.

“Oh, you’re sneaky.” she joked.

Over the next two hours they prepared baked masala wings and tandoori chicken and broccoli. They chatted about life, their careers, where they were from and found out that they have a lot in common. Both of their mothers are school teachers and they have a very similar sarcastic sense of humor and movies. When they were done cooking she made a quick trip to the restroom. While she was gone he set the table and lit some candles. When she returned he red roses in his hands.

“Wow. I wasn’t expecting these at all. Thank you so much,” She said looking up into his eyes.

“Any time.”

Their eyes were locked for a moment. He took a deep breath while remaining close her. He scanned her face for any hint because he still couldn’t decide if he should just go for it or not. He closed his eyes and kissed her despite his hesitation. It’s like he could feel her melt in his arms. She smiled into the kiss and his tongue explored her mouth. He slowly pulled away and looked into her eyes. He walked her to the table and pulled out the oak chair. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her when she sat before retreating to his seat.

She asked him about his family and he explained that he was born and raised in Cole Harbour. She told him she was an Army brat and moved around a lot. She was born in New York City, but she’s lived in Virginia, Florida, Texas, and graduated college with a film degree in Syracuse.

They enjoyed their meal and dessert before they put their plates in the sink. He handed her another glass of white wine and gave her a quick tour of the large house. They went to his living room and he found a random movie to watch on Netflix. She took her heels off and sat on the couch leaning on his chest. He put his arm around her shoulder and traced little circles on her arm. They chatted through the comedy and just enjoyed each others company.

“So have I changed your mind about not dating athletes?” he grinned with his arm around her.

“I’m not dating you, I’m on a date with you. There’s a difference.” She smirked.

“Well have I changed your mind about not going on dates with athletes?” he tried again.

“I’m not sure hockey is a real sport though, I mean it just seems so easy.” she laughed. For a second, his jaw dropped. Then he realized she was joking.

“Well if it’s so easy you’ll have to come play sometime.”

“No can do. I can’t skate.” She said.

“Oh, If you’re going to be my girlfriend you’re so learning how to skate.” he blurted out without thinking. She didn’t comment on the whole girlfriend part.

“Can I be goalie? It seems like there’s a lot less skating involved.”

“A lot less skating but a lot more pucks flying at your face.”

“It’s better than balls flying at my face all the time right?” They were both silent for a second before they burst into laughter.

Sidney was head over heels for her and you could say the same about her. Sidney loved her smile and they way it made him feel like everything was good in the world. She loved his eyes. They were deep brown and his long black eyelashes were like the curtains on the windows to his soul.

It was nearing midnight when Roxanne fell into a deep slumber during the second movie. Sidney rocked her lightly, but she didn’t wake up. He gently picked her up and carried her to his truck. He ran back inside quietly and grabbed her shoes and clutch.
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“Hey,” She said groggily walking in the door, tousling her hair. Her bangs fell over her eyes and she shook her head so she could see. Wesley didn’t turn to face her. He was watching family guy when she draped her jacket over the hook in the hall. She came and sat close to him.

“Wesley, can we talk?” he groans and flips the TV off.

“What?” He asked nonchalantly.

“I’m not sure if this is working. I mean, I don’t really think we’re a good fit you know.” She says looking into her lap. Before she knew it he grabbed her by the shoulder and gently pushed her up against the empty wall space in the hallway. He kissed her roughly and pulled her arms above her head.

“Wes...” she gasped for breath. He had kissed her with more passion than he’d ever shown in their 8 months together.

“Roxanne will you marry me?” he said pulling a little blue box from his jeans’ pocket.

“What?!” she exclaimed in surprise.

“Marry Me.”

“Wesley I was just going to say we should-”

“Spend the rest of your life with me Roxanne.” She just looked in his eyes in disbelief. She searched his eyes for a glimpse of humor, deceit, or just anything at all. He had a ring from Tiffany’s and everything. What was she supposed to say.