Won't Give Up Easy

*Callie*

As her cheerios swam in a bowl of milk, Callie knew she was grinning like an idiot. What had happened last night left her in a state of being high. She had come home, slipped out of her dress and fallen into a deep sleep.

She awoke in a great mood and wondered if Jon had caught her hint last night. She wasn’t going to give in easy but she didn’t want to leave him high and dry either, the choice was essentially up to him. A part of her hoped that when remembered her when he got back and came to her apartment and made her forget every crack she had in her life. Another part of her wanted him to stay far away for his sake just as much as hers. Lord knew he had to focus on the game and not what would be a hassle of a relationship. This, all of her ex’s clearly stated, seemed to be a sure thing when it came to her.

As she tried to clear her head of her past, Callie’s roommate came stumbling out of her bedroom in nothing but her robe. Unfortunately for Callie, she had first handedly seen what festivities Patrick and Kennedy had partaken in after her and Jon’s departure. Luckily, Patrick had been quick enough to throw the blanket on the couch over them. She had to remember to burn that blanket.

“Looked like you had fun last night.” Callie mentioned rather dryly. “Too bad it wasn’t in your room.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about it happening again. At least not with him.” Callie turned to her roommate with raised brows.

“You two seemed to hit it off last night and he’s obviously adores you. You should keep him around, he could be good for you.” The input earned Callie a scathing glare. They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Callie, being the only of the two suitable to answer the door, got it. There was a man holding what looked to be a dozen red roses. She thought they were a bit much, simple flowers would have sent her in over the moon all the same but still her heart melted. This was Jon, it had to be Jon. “I have a delivery to this address.” The man stated. Callie gladly signed for it and grabbed the roses before parading into the kitchen.

Kennedy noticed. “So, I guess you got laid to last night. I knew he was showing you his penis.” The comment didn’t bother Callie as she reached for the card. What it said made her jaw drop.

“Thanks for the great night, Kennedy. Hope to be having more. –Patrick”
Kennedy read it over Callie’s shoulder and appeared smug before whisking away the roses and card.

“You’re right. Maybe I should keep him around.”

Callie knew she shouldn’t have completely expected the flowers to be for her but she couldn’t trample down the disappointment and the jealousy. To keep from snapping at her childhood friend, she simply walked into her room and closed the door. She knew better than this, why was she letting one hockey player get under her skin already?

Jon didn’t have to take the hint if he didn’t want to. Despite the interest he had shown in her, it was too soon. Hadn’t she been telling herself she wanted to be friends before they even tried anything.

Callie should have known they’d be from Patrick, who literally seemed head over heels for Kennedy.
While a part of her was completely happy for her roommate, another part of her felt like it died a little. It was the stupid hope that maybe someday, someone would whisk her off her feet in a fairytale story, and in her head, flowers, were always the first step. Callie shoved the thoughts out of her head and got ready for what would seem like a long day.

*Jon*

The second he found out that Patrick was having flowers delivered to Kennedy, Jon stopped his own from going through. He had wanted to make Callie feel special and receiving flowers the same as Kennedy wouldn’t do it. That was two days ago

Jon knew that maybe sending stuff to her door wasn’t the most brilliant idea; maybe he should wait and show her his adoration in person. He could do that, he knew he could, but the wait would be the worst part of it all. He would call her to ease the lull.

He smiled as he thought about how he had to weasel her phone number out of Jeremy, convincing him that Callie was more than just a conquest. The whole ordeal lead to a long lecture on the flight to North Carolina, where they would be playing the Hurricanes that night. It was worth it in the end, getting Callie’s number, now he could bug her until she fell in love with him.

The dial tone rang as he walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the pretty southern city of Raleigh; it was still pretty warm in the south, so he wore nothing but jeans and a t-shirt, he’d have to change before heading to the RBC Center. Callie’s own pretty voice filled his ear as he heard her voicemail. He could do this.

“Hey, Callie, it’s Jon. I’ve just been thinking….” Everything Jon planned to say flew out of his head, and the words just came out. He didn’t seem to have control anymore.“I’ve been thinking about you. Don’t think I’ve let you get away. When I get back….” He trailed what he would do when he got back, he didn’t even know. “Well, you’ll see.” Jon hung up.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid. She probably thinks I’m psycho now, I didn’t explain how I had her number. What am I doing with my life?” Jon mumbled to himself. He thought maybe he should call her back, explain things a little better.

“Acting whipped.” The answer came from Patrick, who despite his growing, was still a snarky bastard. They were roommates on this trip like they were every trip. Jon hadn’t heard him wake up from his pre-game nap.

“Like you’re one to talk, Patrick. A dozen roses?”

“You’re just pissed I beat you to it.” Patrick rolled his eyes and walked back inside. “And don’t you dare call her back. The message you left her wasn’t creepy. It was weird, but it was good.” Having his long time friend assure him, despite all the teasing, put Jon at ease. Maybe he wouldn’t fuck this up.

*Callie*

She stopped herself from listening to the message a third time. Every fiber of her being wished she hadn’t ignored the call without looking when she was finishing her article. It’s just she hated being taken out of her zone. It had been two days. Callie had been sure that it was over and it was time to give up.

And then this, she mused, if it had been from anyone else she would have filled a restraining order. The loud shrill that was her phone rung through her office, she picked it up without glancing, hoping it would be Jon, wanting to talk to her before his game.

“Hello.” Callie could feel a grin tugging at her lips.

“Callie. It’s been a while.” The voice at the other end of the line had her disgusted, gone was her smile, gone was her mood. Taylor King had been the only guy that had ever broken her completely. When she had officially dispelled him for her life at 16, he had made it clear he wasn’t done with her and years later, just when she thought it was safe, he was on the other end of the line, making good on his promise.

Callie had been about to hang up. “Don’t hang up.” He pleaded. It was the same voice he used when he begged her to sneak out and have sex with him. “We need to talk.” He murmured into the phone.

“No, we don’t. I said everything I had to say when I was sixteen.” She felt like she was going to explode. “And when I said that I didn’t ever want to hear from you again, I meant it.” With that, Callie disconnected the line. Later, she would call her phone provider and have the number blocked.

Suddenly feeling like a teenager again, Callie sunk into her plush chair. Feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time came rushing back to her, how could she have been so stupid? She asked herself for what seemed like the billionth time. Knowing it was in her youth, Callie was well aware that it had been time to let it go, and for the most part she did but the memories stayed.

The beginning of her relationship with Taylor had been like nothing she’d ever experienced. She had never been in a real, serious relationship and he had treated her like a princess. He showered her with attention and for the first time, she hadn’t felt like the unloved child that she had been at home.

In order to keep all of the attention, she kept him to herself, not only keeping it from her family but ensuring that her closest friends never met him. A part of her was always afraid that he would meet her amazing friends and see that she was nothing but ordinary. Things between them were good for a while.

Disaster struck, Callie and Taylor had been together for a while when he made a stupid choice that would change her life. Looking back, Callie felt tears fill her eyes. It was something she would have to live with everyday, but it had been the right decision at the time and it had led her to the life that she loved now.

Putting the past into the back of her mind, she attended back to her article. After deciding it was good, she sent it to Jeremy and collected her things to go home. She would arrive at her apartment with enough time to order a pizza and catch the Blackhawks game. That made Callie smile, if anything could make her feel better it was hockey, it had always been that way.

*Jon*

Jon felt high on the way home from the airport. They had won all but one of the preseason games and now he had a week until the home season opener. Winning was great but he knew that a part of the excitement was finally being in the same city as Callie.

For the past week and a half, they had been playing phone tag, leaving voicemails and texts for each other. After he finished his post game interviews in Carolina, Jon had received a message. He felt himself let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. Her soft voice came on the line, she talked about how she watched the game and how great she though he had done. He still had it saved, he didn’t have the heart to delete it.

The last message he left her, he talked about how excited he was to come back to Chicago and how he would be seeing her as soon as possible. Her response left him smiling, he heard her laugh. “Well, we’ll see if I want to see you.” She wasn’t anything like anyone else he knew. She would give and then take; she kept him on his toes. Everything in him hoped that she let him try and keep up with her.

He had two stops to make before he could go to her. His midday flight brought him back to Chicago in the afternoon on a Friday. Exactly three weeks since he had the luxury of walking into her office. It seemed like forever ago. Somehow in the short time, even without the physical interactions, she had managed to tangle herself into his every thought. Jon wouldn’t let this one slip away.

*Callie*

Callie had been prepared to snuggle up in her bed with junk food and a Harry Potter marathon for the night. She was tired from the run she had taken after work. Her muscles were sore but she felt great, especially after her hot shower.

Now clad in her pajama shorts and her faded vintage Blackhawks shersey, she was ready to ensue her weekend of laziness. A knock on the door annoyed her. Why couldn’t whoever it was go out on a Friday like a normal person and leave her to the adventures of three young wizards. She pulled the door open a little more roughly than intended and had to catch her balance.

What stood before her made her heart swell. Jon stood there; he was smiling at her, one pretty blue flower in his hand. Callie felt her eyes go wide. “You couldn’t know that.”

“Know what?” He asked. Callie was shocked. She honestly thought that she had said it in her head. Her eyes lifted back to him, he was giving her a soft smile.

“Forget-me-nots are my favorite flower.” The small smile broke into one so large his whole face seemed animated. He stepped forward into her. Callie stepped back, not realizing what he meant to do. Jon inserted himself into her apartment and filled the doorway. He leaned forward and touched his lips to her, sweet, gentle.

“I thought it would be appropriate.” He whispered against her lips. He kissed her once before pulling away and shutting the door behind him. “What were you planning on doing tonight?” For the first time he seemed to look at what she was wearing. Callie blushed. It wasn’t that she was wearing anything entirely indecent but they way his heated glance made its way over her was electric.

Jon noticed her Blackhawks shirt. He smirked at her and gave her a wink, which caused her to blush even deeper. “I actually was going to just sit in bed and start a Harry Potter marathon.” Callie would be willing to change all of her plans if he asked, not that she wouldn’t give him a hard time for it.

“Sounds fun, lead the way.” He motioned a hand for her to go forward. His eyes were expectant and excited.

“Who said you were invited?” Callie inquired with a straight face. Jon looked deflated. He didn’t press the issue and reach for the door.

“Oh, I, uh, guess that’s a bit too friendly… Another time…” Jon stammered. It was adorable. She grabbed his hand and pulled her deeper into the apartment. Shock crossed his face.

“I was just kidding. Of course you can join me, just no funny business.” The look of relief on his face was priceless.

“Scouts honor.” He raised his hand. Callie just laughed; somehow she was sure that he had been too busy with hockey to be a scout. She led him through her apartment, past the kitchen and living room, down the hallway to her room. For once she was glad she decided to clean her room. When they entered, she swept her arm across the doorway, noting his grand entrance.

Jon’s eyes flicked over everything. Something about his massive frame being in her room, it did things to her hormones. He didn’t exactly fit into place but it was still sexy. Having him lay in her bed and not jumping him might become a difficult task.

*Jon*

Her room smelled just like her, the soft vanilla scent that permeated her office and the air around her. Pictures were everywhere, just like in her office as well. But her room was different, there were goofy fun pictures, no posed shots, they were all moments. She had a bookshelf; it was stuffed with books, all different sizes. He wondered what she liked to read.

Callie had a vanity; the sides of the mirror were flooded with pictures, of course. But chapsticks, loose change, papers, books with dog eared pages, and now the flower he had given her cluttered the surface. Her room was neat but it was homey. To the coat that lay on the chair in the corner, to the pens that littered her desk, to the scarf hanging of the doorknob that led to her bathroom, Jon could see that this was her.

Jon watched as she walked towards her bed, she wore these tiny little shorts that would definitely make not taking her right there hard. Her hand lifted to her hair to shake it out. For the first time he noticed the number of the back of her shirt. It wasn’t his, it was Patrick’s. He was actually jealous.

“You’re wearing Patrick’s number.” He voiced. He noticed she blushed, like she had forgotten.
Callie quickly gained her composure and looked him dead in the eye. “Sorry, Toews. It’s just his blonde curly hair, his pretty blue eyes, those dimples. They just get to me.” She laughed and winked at him. Jon was jealous. He knew they were just friends and he shouldn’t worry but he couldn’t help it.

She would be wearing his jersey from then on and she would certainly be screaming his name when it came to be time. As she snuggled under the covers, he walked over to the other side of the bed and lay next to her, on top of the covers. She looked at him. “He gave it to me a before you left for the road trip, said I needed some Blackhawks gear to wear while watching from my room. I was going to get some myself but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to take it from him.” Knowing that made him feel better.

For a while, they watched the adventure of the Hogwarts students. The entire time, they kept accidentally bumping into each other, looking away when the other caught them staring. Half way through the first movie, Jon had gotten hot and needed to take off his hoodie. When he tossed it to the chair in the corner, he caught her looking at him in his t-shirt. Callie noticed she had been caught, color flooded her cheeks and she looked away. Jon let it go.

*Callie*

Callie woke up curled up into Jon’s body. He smelled amazing. She didn’t have her eyes open but she knew he was still on top of the comforter. Although, the arm wrapped around her was not only under the blanket but also under her shirt. The feel of his rough hand on her waist sent shivers down her spine. It was almost too much.

She very carefully maneuvered herself out of bed. When she was out of his reach, she turned and looked at his sleeping form. He was peaceful and beautiful. He almost looked like a child. Jon’s arm reached out to grab the pillow she had slept on and snuggled it close to his body. Callie felt jealous of a pillow.

With that, she left the room and made her way to the kitchen. Kennedy’s room was open. She wasn’t in it. A sense of relief flooded through her, this would give her and Jon time to think. It would give her the opportunity for her to tell him that they just needed to be friends right now. Callie knew he was going to be disappointed for now but she wanted to give him the option to bail. It really was just for the best.

*Jon*

When Jon woke up he was alone, the thought of Callie leaving him disappointed him to no end. They had fallen asleep last night and he had awakened just after the sun rose and turn off the TV and went back to bed. She reached for him, his heart soared. If he could have that every night for the rest of his life, he’d be fine.

He laid there for a minute thinking about what would happen to them, what were they now? The smells of breakfast drifted into the room. He heard his stomach make a noise and decided now was the time to address the issue. When he walked into the kitchen, she was still in her shorts and t-shirt.

On the counter, there were sausage, bacon, hash browns, and a huge stack of what looked to be chocolate chip pancakes. She smiled at him. “There are drinks in the fridge. How do you want your eggs?” She asked, she was too happy for a Saturday morning but he loved it. Jon looked out at the spread of food one more time, this woman was ridiculous, she was amazing, and she was his. Or she was going to be, really soon.

“Put away the eggs and eat with me. This is more than enough, how long have you been awake?” He asked her. She seemed a little off put that she didn’t get to make him eggs. He chuckled, oh yeah; no way he was letting her go.

“I haven’t been awake long, maybe an hour and a half.” Jon couldn’t help it. He just went up to her and hugged her tight. At first, she was stiff but then she hugged him back and dug her nose into his chest. He relished the moment. That moment would be something he would always remember.

Callie let go of him first and led him to the small table just outside the kitchen area. Two places had already been set. She went back and grabbed as much food as she could. When she was at the table, he physically picked her up and placed her in a chair. She looked like she was about to complain but he silenced her with a look. He wasn’t going to have her wait on him hand and foot; he hadn’t been raise to make a woman his slave. So he grabbed the rest of the food and headed to the fridge to grab whatever she had to drink.

Jon should have known better, inside there were so many bottles, they lined an entire row on the door of the fridge. Her fridge was stocked to the brim with a bunch of food, it was a wonder it wouldn’t explode. “What do you want to drink?” he asked behind the fridge door, still confused with all the choices.

“Pomegranate juice.” She said simply. Jon grabbed that and the chocolate milk and walked over to her. She was just smiling at the chocolate chip pancakes she had on her plate as he set down the jugs. She was quite adorable. He noticed she hadn’t started and figured it was because of him.

“Quite an assortment you have in there.” He commented, she blushed and took a bite of her pancakes. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she looked at him. Jon was just about to take a bite and instead of answering, she just watched him

It was blissful; it was pretty much the best pancake he had ever had. It didn’t even have syrup. He was Canadian and there he was, enjoying a pancake without syrup. Jon was almost positive he made a groaning sound because she giggled. When he looked at her, she was beaming. Callie was happy that he was enjoying her food. That made him happy.

“Where’d you learn to cook like this?” He asked.

“I went to somewhat of a high school for careers and such. I got into a culinary program.”

“But you don’t cook professionally. You write, by the way, when do I get the privilege of finally getting to know what goes on in your head and read it?” he asked. Callie just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I figured out the summer before my junior year that writing about sports was what I wanted to do but I couldn’t quit. I don’t quit. I was extremely busy that year to say the least.” She smiled again, as if remembering made her happy.

“What’d you do that made you so busy?”

“Well, that year I ended up doing my program, 2 AP classes, my regular course work, being an editor for the yearbook, and pumping out two articles a week for our school newspaper, was a stats girl for our wrestling team, and ran unified track in the spring.” Callie smiled again.

“You make me feel stupid and lazy.” He admitted. She furrowed her brows. “I’m kind of jealous about how such a young you could do all those things. When I was sixteen, all I did was play hockey and blow my way through class.”

“Don’t feel stupid. I did those things because I wanted to. You played hockey because that’s what you wanted to do. You’re amazing at it.” Having her compliment him, basically made his entire day. They ate the rest of their food; chatting about school, hockey, college, and everything they could to avoid the subject. When they were done and he was cleaning the dishes, while she leaned against the counter, he knew it was time.

“What are we, Callie?” He looked at her as he began to load the dishwasher.

She kept a straight face. “I think we should be friends.” The words cut him. After everything she only wanted to be friends. Callie must have seen the pain in his face. “I didn’t say that nothing would ever happen between us. I just think we should give each other the opportunity to think about what we’re doing before jumping head first into a relationship.” She reasoned it all and that didn’t help. What he felt for her was irrational. He wanted to be with her, not matter what. Couldn’t she see that she was the only thing on his mind? That he would do anything for her to starting feeling the way he did for her?

“I want to jump head first in a relationship with you. I want to be with you more than you can understand, Callie. Don’t friend zone me.” He was one step from begging her.

Callie’s face softened. “I’m not going to, it’s just good if you get to think, you don’t know a lot about me. Being friends will help you get to know things and if you find things you don’t like, you get to walk away with your hands clean. Just trust me.” She sighed, frustrated. Jon saw that this decision hurt her as much as it did him. That was the only reason he would accept it, because she felt what he felt, he saw it on her face.

Jon put the last dish in the dishwasher, closed it, and walked to face her. He put his hands on both sides of her hips and trapped her. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me.” He murmured as he leaned in to brush his lips against her throat. He heard her gasp. She didn’t move away, that was a good sign. “You’re going to fall in love with me and wonder why you ever wanted to be friends.” He kissed where her pulse was racing and pulled back to face her. Her face was flushed and her breathing was just a bit of it usual beat. He did that to her and nothing excited him more.

“We’ll see about that.” He just smiled at her and backed away.

“Well, as friends, we have plans today.” He told her. She just glanced at him, expressionless. It still didn’t deter him. “I’ll be back a little before lunch. So get ready.” She was still just standing there, a little shocked. Jon just pressed a kiss to her forehead and left.

He knew Callie wouldn’t be a walk in the park. He wondered if it would ever be easy with her.
Probably not but if she was, he wouldn’t enjoy it. She was something else. He didn’t know what about her made her the way she was. The only thing that concerned him is that she talked about him finding out something that would make him not want her. Whatever it was, she was wrong. He couldn’t possibly find something about her that he didn’t like.