‹ Prequel: Here and Now
Sequel: Let You In ›
Love. Sex. Magic.
Ten
Patrick showed up at the coffee shop at exactly 6:45. He fidgeted nervously as he waited for Leia to finish with the customers in line. She smiled brightly when she saw him. "Hey, Pat!" She said. "Aria will be ready in a few minutes. You want anything?"
"No thank you," he replied, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his shorts. "Hey Leia?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I dressed to casual? She didn't tell me where were going and I didn't know what to wear."
Leia appraised his black and white checked shorts, flip flops, and a teal blue polo shirt. She smiled warmly. "You look great, Patrick. I think you'll be fine. Aria is a casual girl. She doesn't need fancy dinners and gifts. You have to impress her with you. Show her what you're really made of."
"I don't know how to do that," he admitted.
"I know I haven't known Whitney but a couple days but she obviously sees something in you. She wouldn't go through all the trouble if she didn't. Show that guy to Aria. Make her fall for the real you, the guy you show Whitney and your teammates. Because its obvious they all care about you and like you. If she sees that, then maybe she'll like you too."
"Thanks, Leia. I'll try my best." He grinned at the swell in his confidence for the date. "Do you have plans with Viktor tonight?"
"No, not tonight. Carlee has a big exam coming up that I'm helping her study for."
"Oh. I just thought..." Patrick trailed off.
"He has a date tonight?" He nodded sheepishly. "It's okay, Pat. We talk but were not exclusive or anything. He's free to see whoever he wants."
"He shouldn't want to see anyone else. You're really pretty and super nice. And you don't seem to care that he's Viktor Stalberg, Chicago Blackhawk. You seem totally unfazed by the whole superstar athlete part."
"I am unfazed by it. I wouldn't have even known he played hockey if it weren't for Carlee. It's his job, you know? It doesn't define everything about him."
"It's hard to find a girl with that kind of attitude. You're a catch is all I'm saying. Whitney would approve of you and if you think she's tough on my dates, you ain't seen nothing when it comes to Vik."
"Well he's a really special guy. A girl couldn't do much better."
“I’m still sorry.”
“Don’t be. Enjoy your date tonight, okay?” Patrick nodded. “Good, now, I got you something.” She reached under the counter and pulled out three stems of purple irises, handing them to Patrick. “You bought these on your way over because you saw them and wanted to bring her flowers. I had nothing to do with this, got it?”
“Got it.” Some customers came in and Leia took their orders and Patrick moved to a table and sat down to wait for Aria. He heard her before he saw her, her soft laugh coming out of the back of the shop. He rose to his feet when she stepped into view. Her hair was down and softly curled around her shoulders. Her two tone chiffon dress was peach on the top with a simple cutout in the back that made his mouth water. The high-low skirt was coral with lace insets along the bottom with just the right amount of sheerness to make Patrick wonder. Her wedge sandals were simple, nude colored and strappy.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Wow. You look amazing,” Patrick said. Aria smiled warily at him. “Oh! These are for you,” he said, handing her the flowers. “I uh saw them at this little shop on my way over and they made me think of you.”
“Did Leia put you up to this?”
“No! I thought they were pretty, like you.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “That’s cheesy and a line. I don’t need your lines.”
“It’s not a line. They are pretty and so are you.”
“Leia didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” he asked in confusion.
“These are my favorite flower.”
“Oh. I didn't know.”
“Well, thank you,” Aria said. “You ready?”
“Sure. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“You’ll see.”
“Do you want me to drive?”
“No, we can walk. It’s not far.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go then,” Aria said, leading the way to the door. She called out good night to Leia and set off down the street, Patrick at her side. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand but instead stuffed his hands in his pockets, not sure what to do next. Aria smiled as they walked, clutching the three purple irises in her hand. They walked along in silence until their destination came into sight.
“Navy Pier?” Patrick asked.
“You don’t like Navy Pier?” Aria asked.
“Everyone likes Navy Pier; I’ve never been on a date at Navy Pier.”
“First time for everything then, isn’t there? Where do you usually take your dates?”
“They usually want to go to the fancy restaurants.”
“Well Patrick Kane, I'm not that type of girl. I’ll be happy with a hot dog and a funnel cake from that street vendor right over there.”
Patrick grabbed her hand in his, reveling in the feel of her fingers locked with his. “Lucky for you I’m a funnel cake kind of guy.” Aria laughed as Patrick led them over, ordering two hot dogs and a funnel cake for them, along with a couple of sodas. Aria spotted an empty bench as they collected their food and they walked over, sitting facing each other with the funnel cake in between them.
“So...” Patrick trailed off, not sure what to say next.
Aria smiled. “So tell me about you, Patrick.”
“Um, what do you want to know?”
“Whatever you think I should know.”
“Okay, um, I was born in Buffalo....I have three sisters....I was drafted first overall in 2007....I played in the Olympics in 2010 and won silver and we won the cup that same year on my game winning goal.”
“Local hero then,” Aria said. “I remember when you guys won the cup. The city was electric. Leia and I went to the parade. It was fun to get caught up in all the revelry.”
“You were a fan?”
“Not really at the time. I hadn’t met Carlee yet. She’s the one that started dragging us to games. It was hard not to get swept up in the fever the further you guys went though. The whole city was possesed by what you guys were doing. Leia and I were waitressing at a sports bar to help pay the bills so we saw parts of the games on the TV’s at work. Thanks by the way for the uptick in my tips that year.”
“You’re welcome,” Patrick grinned.
“What else should I know? Any nicknames?”
“The guys call me Kaner, some people call me Pat. Whitney calls me Patty Cakes.” Aria giggled.
“That’s adorable.” Patrick blushed. “How do you two know each other? I mean, she told me who grew up together?”
“We were neighbors at home in Buffalo. Her family moved in when we were eight and we were the only kids in the neighborhood so we hung out. Erica and Whitney are the closest in age but Whitney is a tomboy at heart and she would play sports with me so we became close. It never crossed my mind that she was a girl until high school. The summer before our junior year, we went out a few times. And then her parents announced they were getting divorced and Whitney and her dad moved to Thunder Bay. We stayed in touch. I went off and played hockey, Whitney moved to New York to go to college with her other best friend Will and moved home to Buffalo after for a job. She was with me on draft day, my first game as a Hawk, winning the cup, all of it. She broke up with her boyfriend back April last year and I told her to move here so she did. Then her and Jon started dating in December and the rest is history.”
“She really cares about you.”
“Yeah; I probably don’t deserve her,” Patrick admitted. “I don’t blame Jon for whisking her away for two weeks away from me. I’m a full time job. She’s gotten me out of more than one tough spot, especially this summer with her here.”
“Yeah, you’re not much of a choir boy, are ya?” Aria giggled.
“Not even close,” Patrick laughed. “What about you? What should I know about Aria?”
“Hmm....Well, I grew up in a little town just outside of Chicago. I have a younger brother. I graduated from Northwestern back in May and now I’m working in the coffee shop until I can find the perfect job. I’m a Pisces and I love the beach, the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing. It’s just the best.”
“You know I’m a Scorpio,” Patrick said proudly. Aria tilted her head questioningly at him and Patrick grinned victoriously. “My sisters always told me to pick a Pisces, that we’d be compatible. I thought they were nuts but maybe they were onto something.”
Aria shook her head. “Don’t read too much into it, Patrick. All that astrology mumbo jumbo is nonsense.”
“We’ll see,” he said as he stood up. He collected their trash and deposited in the the nearest trash can. He walked over and held his hand out to Aria. “Come on; lets go ride the ferris wheel.”
"No thank you," he replied, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his shorts. "Hey Leia?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I dressed to casual? She didn't tell me where were going and I didn't know what to wear."
Leia appraised his black and white checked shorts, flip flops, and a teal blue polo shirt. She smiled warmly. "You look great, Patrick. I think you'll be fine. Aria is a casual girl. She doesn't need fancy dinners and gifts. You have to impress her with you. Show her what you're really made of."
"I don't know how to do that," he admitted.
"I know I haven't known Whitney but a couple days but she obviously sees something in you. She wouldn't go through all the trouble if she didn't. Show that guy to Aria. Make her fall for the real you, the guy you show Whitney and your teammates. Because its obvious they all care about you and like you. If she sees that, then maybe she'll like you too."
"Thanks, Leia. I'll try my best." He grinned at the swell in his confidence for the date. "Do you have plans with Viktor tonight?"
"No, not tonight. Carlee has a big exam coming up that I'm helping her study for."
"Oh. I just thought..." Patrick trailed off.
"He has a date tonight?" He nodded sheepishly. "It's okay, Pat. We talk but were not exclusive or anything. He's free to see whoever he wants."
"He shouldn't want to see anyone else. You're really pretty and super nice. And you don't seem to care that he's Viktor Stalberg, Chicago Blackhawk. You seem totally unfazed by the whole superstar athlete part."
"I am unfazed by it. I wouldn't have even known he played hockey if it weren't for Carlee. It's his job, you know? It doesn't define everything about him."
"It's hard to find a girl with that kind of attitude. You're a catch is all I'm saying. Whitney would approve of you and if you think she's tough on my dates, you ain't seen nothing when it comes to Vik."
"Well he's a really special guy. A girl couldn't do much better."
“I’m still sorry.”
“Don’t be. Enjoy your date tonight, okay?” Patrick nodded. “Good, now, I got you something.” She reached under the counter and pulled out three stems of purple irises, handing them to Patrick. “You bought these on your way over because you saw them and wanted to bring her flowers. I had nothing to do with this, got it?”
“Got it.” Some customers came in and Leia took their orders and Patrick moved to a table and sat down to wait for Aria. He heard her before he saw her, her soft laugh coming out of the back of the shop. He rose to his feet when she stepped into view. Her hair was down and softly curled around her shoulders. Her two tone chiffon dress was peach on the top with a simple cutout in the back that made his mouth water. The high-low skirt was coral with lace insets along the bottom with just the right amount of sheerness to make Patrick wonder. Her wedge sandals were simple, nude colored and strappy.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Wow. You look amazing,” Patrick said. Aria smiled warily at him. “Oh! These are for you,” he said, handing her the flowers. “I uh saw them at this little shop on my way over and they made me think of you.”
“Did Leia put you up to this?”
“No! I thought they were pretty, like you.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “That’s cheesy and a line. I don’t need your lines.”
“It’s not a line. They are pretty and so are you.”
“Leia didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” he asked in confusion.
“These are my favorite flower.”
“Oh. I didn't know.”
“Well, thank you,” Aria said. “You ready?”
“Sure. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“You’ll see.”
“Do you want me to drive?”
“No, we can walk. It’s not far.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go then,” Aria said, leading the way to the door. She called out good night to Leia and set off down the street, Patrick at her side. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand but instead stuffed his hands in his pockets, not sure what to do next. Aria smiled as they walked, clutching the three purple irises in her hand. They walked along in silence until their destination came into sight.
“Navy Pier?” Patrick asked.
“You don’t like Navy Pier?” Aria asked.
“Everyone likes Navy Pier; I’ve never been on a date at Navy Pier.”
“First time for everything then, isn’t there? Where do you usually take your dates?”
“They usually want to go to the fancy restaurants.”
“Well Patrick Kane, I'm not that type of girl. I’ll be happy with a hot dog and a funnel cake from that street vendor right over there.”
Patrick grabbed her hand in his, reveling in the feel of her fingers locked with his. “Lucky for you I’m a funnel cake kind of guy.” Aria laughed as Patrick led them over, ordering two hot dogs and a funnel cake for them, along with a couple of sodas. Aria spotted an empty bench as they collected their food and they walked over, sitting facing each other with the funnel cake in between them.
“So...” Patrick trailed off, not sure what to say next.
Aria smiled. “So tell me about you, Patrick.”
“Um, what do you want to know?”
“Whatever you think I should know.”
“Okay, um, I was born in Buffalo....I have three sisters....I was drafted first overall in 2007....I played in the Olympics in 2010 and won silver and we won the cup that same year on my game winning goal.”
“Local hero then,” Aria said. “I remember when you guys won the cup. The city was electric. Leia and I went to the parade. It was fun to get caught up in all the revelry.”
“You were a fan?”
“Not really at the time. I hadn’t met Carlee yet. She’s the one that started dragging us to games. It was hard not to get swept up in the fever the further you guys went though. The whole city was possesed by what you guys were doing. Leia and I were waitressing at a sports bar to help pay the bills so we saw parts of the games on the TV’s at work. Thanks by the way for the uptick in my tips that year.”
“You’re welcome,” Patrick grinned.
“What else should I know? Any nicknames?”
“The guys call me Kaner, some people call me Pat. Whitney calls me Patty Cakes.” Aria giggled.
“That’s adorable.” Patrick blushed. “How do you two know each other? I mean, she told me who grew up together?”
“We were neighbors at home in Buffalo. Her family moved in when we were eight and we were the only kids in the neighborhood so we hung out. Erica and Whitney are the closest in age but Whitney is a tomboy at heart and she would play sports with me so we became close. It never crossed my mind that she was a girl until high school. The summer before our junior year, we went out a few times. And then her parents announced they were getting divorced and Whitney and her dad moved to Thunder Bay. We stayed in touch. I went off and played hockey, Whitney moved to New York to go to college with her other best friend Will and moved home to Buffalo after for a job. She was with me on draft day, my first game as a Hawk, winning the cup, all of it. She broke up with her boyfriend back April last year and I told her to move here so she did. Then her and Jon started dating in December and the rest is history.”
“She really cares about you.”
“Yeah; I probably don’t deserve her,” Patrick admitted. “I don’t blame Jon for whisking her away for two weeks away from me. I’m a full time job. She’s gotten me out of more than one tough spot, especially this summer with her here.”
“Yeah, you’re not much of a choir boy, are ya?” Aria giggled.
“Not even close,” Patrick laughed. “What about you? What should I know about Aria?”
“Hmm....Well, I grew up in a little town just outside of Chicago. I have a younger brother. I graduated from Northwestern back in May and now I’m working in the coffee shop until I can find the perfect job. I’m a Pisces and I love the beach, the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing. It’s just the best.”
“You know I’m a Scorpio,” Patrick said proudly. Aria tilted her head questioningly at him and Patrick grinned victoriously. “My sisters always told me to pick a Pisces, that we’d be compatible. I thought they were nuts but maybe they were onto something.”
Aria shook her head. “Don’t read too much into it, Patrick. All that astrology mumbo jumbo is nonsense.”
“We’ll see,” he said as he stood up. He collected their trash and deposited in the the nearest trash can. He walked over and held his hand out to Aria. “Come on; lets go ride the ferris wheel.”