‹ Prequel: Stay in Your Arms
Sequel: Last Time ›
Status: Completed
Diamonds in the Sky
Four
Just after ten the next morning, Sean knocked at the door of 5C. Elise opened the door with a welcoming smile.
“I don’t have your number to call. Hope this isn’t too early,” Sean said.
She ushered Sean inside. “Not at all. I just need a minute and we can go.” She disappeared down the hall to what Sean knew was the bedroom. He helped himself to an apple from the kitchen counter and a bottle of water from the fridge before walking into the living room. Zoe had expertly decorated the apartment in the short time she had lived there and while she had removed most of the personal things she had had with her when she lived there, she had left behind the touches that let you know it was her space. A large framed photo of Max lifting the cup centered one wall, flanked by several only slightly smaller photos covering the wall from end to end. Sean was looking them over when Elise entered the room.
“That’s you?” Elise asked as she entered the room, pointing at the picture of Sean mid fight, laying out a supreme smackdown (in his opinion, of course) while playing for the Rangers.
Sean nodded. “Yep, that’s me. Those too,” he said, pointing at one of him celebrating a goal by doing on ice pushups when he played for the Kings and another of him just after a fight with blood running down the side of his face, again as a Ranger. “Job hazard,” he explained.
Elise grimaced slightly. “I never did understand the fighting.”
“I was good at it.”
“I can’t believe that I didn’t put together sooner that was you but honestly, I haven’t really stopped to look at them.”
“That one is Hank,” he said pointing to one of the goalie making a spectacular save at the Winter Classic. “Did you meet Danny in Charlotte?” Elise nodded. “He’s Zoe’s favorite Flyer so of course she has a picture of him,” he said with a nod of his head at Danny’s picture mid goal celebration.
“They’re all great shots.”
“She spent a lot of time finding the right ones,” Sean explained. “Those are all Max,” he said, pointing to several in turn. One was him celebrating what would become his stanley cup winning goal for the Penguins, the other two both of him as a Flyer, one of him taking a shot on goal, the other his teammates mobbing him to celebrate a goal scored.
“This one?” She pointed at one of Scott on his ass at the blue line.
“That’s a genuine Hartnell Down,” Sean chuckled. “Hartsy sighed that one for her special.” He tapped the frame and Elise looked at it more closely.
“To Mrs. Talbot, Thanks for the best #HartnellDown of my life. Winky face, Scott Hartnell #19,” she read aloud. Sean snickered. “Wait, a winky emoticon?” Sean nodded. “There’s a story here?” Elise asked him.
“Zoe met Scott a few months before she met Max and they hooked up for a weekend. Somehow though, that is not at all awkward for them and they joke about it, as evidenced by this picture.”
“Oh my God. Are you serious?“
“She’s no angel but neither is Max. It’s part of the reason they work.” Elise nodded.
“Who is that?” she pointed at another picture.
“That’s Zoe’s favorite player. He played in Charlotte in '97 and she’s been following him ever since. That picture is after he scored his one and only career hat trick. And that one,” he pointed at a different picture, “is Bolts doing what he does best, kicking ass,” Sean said of the picture of the enforcer standing over another player post fight. “They dated and are still pretty close actually. She spoils his kids and she gets along really well with his wife.”
“Interesting. Would it be safe to assume those four skyline photos in the bedroom are Charlotte, Philly, Montreal, and New York?”
“That would be correct.”
Elise nodded. “This is a great building. The apartment is fantastic. I’m lucky Max and Zoe have it and let me borrow it until I can find my own place.”
“You should see the view from my place,” he replied cockily. He immediately regretted the words. “I just mean that I have the top floor so it’s not obstructed like some of the views from here,” he finished lamely.
“Maybe I can cook you dinner one night, as a thank you for showing me around and I can see the view?” Elise suggested. “I bet the city looks amazing at night from your floor."
Sean smiled. “I’ll take you up on that. What do you do anyways?”
“I’m a senior portfolio manager with Merrill Lynch.”
“That sounds....smart.”
Elise laughed softly. “It does take a certain amount of brain power, Mr. Avery,” she teased.
“I know about hockey. And I'm very opinionated about fashion. Beyond that, you’ve got me. I’m more brawn than brain. You however have managed to encapsulate both beauty and brains.”
Elise blushed. “So, Central Park?”
“You ready to go?”
“You’re not going to tell me what we’re doing today?”
Sean shook his head. “I’m the tour guide, remember? All you have to do is enjoy yourself.”
“I don’t think that will be hard. Its Central Park after all.”
“I don’t have your number to call. Hope this isn’t too early,” Sean said.
She ushered Sean inside. “Not at all. I just need a minute and we can go.” She disappeared down the hall to what Sean knew was the bedroom. He helped himself to an apple from the kitchen counter and a bottle of water from the fridge before walking into the living room. Zoe had expertly decorated the apartment in the short time she had lived there and while she had removed most of the personal things she had had with her when she lived there, she had left behind the touches that let you know it was her space. A large framed photo of Max lifting the cup centered one wall, flanked by several only slightly smaller photos covering the wall from end to end. Sean was looking them over when Elise entered the room.
“That’s you?” Elise asked as she entered the room, pointing at the picture of Sean mid fight, laying out a supreme smackdown (in his opinion, of course) while playing for the Rangers.
Sean nodded. “Yep, that’s me. Those too,” he said, pointing at one of him celebrating a goal by doing on ice pushups when he played for the Kings and another of him just after a fight with blood running down the side of his face, again as a Ranger. “Job hazard,” he explained.
Elise grimaced slightly. “I never did understand the fighting.”
“I was good at it.”
“I can’t believe that I didn’t put together sooner that was you but honestly, I haven’t really stopped to look at them.”
“That one is Hank,” he said pointing to one of the goalie making a spectacular save at the Winter Classic. “Did you meet Danny in Charlotte?” Elise nodded. “He’s Zoe’s favorite Flyer so of course she has a picture of him,” he said with a nod of his head at Danny’s picture mid goal celebration.
“They’re all great shots.”
“She spent a lot of time finding the right ones,” Sean explained. “Those are all Max,” he said, pointing to several in turn. One was him celebrating what would become his stanley cup winning goal for the Penguins, the other two both of him as a Flyer, one of him taking a shot on goal, the other his teammates mobbing him to celebrate a goal scored.
“This one?” She pointed at one of Scott on his ass at the blue line.
“That’s a genuine Hartnell Down,” Sean chuckled. “Hartsy sighed that one for her special.” He tapped the frame and Elise looked at it more closely.
“To Mrs. Talbot, Thanks for the best #HartnellDown of my life. Winky face, Scott Hartnell #19,” she read aloud. Sean snickered. “Wait, a winky emoticon?” Sean nodded. “There’s a story here?” Elise asked him.
“Zoe met Scott a few months before she met Max and they hooked up for a weekend. Somehow though, that is not at all awkward for them and they joke about it, as evidenced by this picture.”
“Oh my God. Are you serious?“
“She’s no angel but neither is Max. It’s part of the reason they work.” Elise nodded.
“Who is that?” she pointed at another picture.
“That’s Zoe’s favorite player. He played in Charlotte in '97 and she’s been following him ever since. That picture is after he scored his one and only career hat trick. And that one,” he pointed at a different picture, “is Bolts doing what he does best, kicking ass,” Sean said of the picture of the enforcer standing over another player post fight. “They dated and are still pretty close actually. She spoils his kids and she gets along really well with his wife.”
“Interesting. Would it be safe to assume those four skyline photos in the bedroom are Charlotte, Philly, Montreal, and New York?”
“That would be correct.”
Elise nodded. “This is a great building. The apartment is fantastic. I’m lucky Max and Zoe have it and let me borrow it until I can find my own place.”
“You should see the view from my place,” he replied cockily. He immediately regretted the words. “I just mean that I have the top floor so it’s not obstructed like some of the views from here,” he finished lamely.
“Maybe I can cook you dinner one night, as a thank you for showing me around and I can see the view?” Elise suggested. “I bet the city looks amazing at night from your floor."
Sean smiled. “I’ll take you up on that. What do you do anyways?”
“I’m a senior portfolio manager with Merrill Lynch.”
“That sounds....smart.”
Elise laughed softly. “It does take a certain amount of brain power, Mr. Avery,” she teased.
“I know about hockey. And I'm very opinionated about fashion. Beyond that, you’ve got me. I’m more brawn than brain. You however have managed to encapsulate both beauty and brains.”
Elise blushed. “So, Central Park?”
“You ready to go?”
“You’re not going to tell me what we’re doing today?”
Sean shook his head. “I’m the tour guide, remember? All you have to do is enjoy yourself.”
“I don’t think that will be hard. Its Central Park after all.”
♠ ♠ ♠
It's short, I know, but next update makes up for it. :)Bonus points to anyone who can figure out who Zoe's favorite player is..... It really is my favorite player and I've really been following him since 1997, when he played in the echl for my hometown team. I have a game worn Sabres jersey of his that I was lucky enough to get signed during the last lockout when he played for a different echl team.