Falling for You Was Out of My Control

Jessie's POV
Even after everything he did for me last night I still woke up in a whole world of pain.

I winced as I tried to move my numbing leg but stopped when I felt a pair of large hands case around my foot.
"Evgeni?" I opened my eyes to see him sound asleep sitting at the end of the sofa with my foot still in his lap. He just scored some extra brownie points for that one.

I had to stifle back a laugh as his head fell back against the back of the sofa startling himself awake.

"Morning," I smiled as his eyes lazily fell on me.
He mumbled something incoherent before clearing his throat "Morning," his voice was full of sleep and if I thought his accent was strong before I was wrong.

"How you feel?" he sat up rubbing his eyes before giving into a lion like yawn and stretch as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of me.
"I am ok," I went to sit up to try and prove that I was fine but couldn't stop the pain from showing on my face.
"Not move," he put his hand on my shoulder and eased me back into the comfort of the couch when there was a knock at the door.

I tried to get up but he insisted I stay and that he would get the door.

"He... Hello," I heard Anna at the door.
"Anna!" My best friend was my rock and I needed her right now.
"Jessie!" she appeared from the doorway, "oh my god what happened?" worry covered her face as I laid on the couch in amongst ice packs and pillows.
"Basketball," I sighed still rather upset about what happened.
"Are you ok?" she came over and sat on the arm of the chair by my head and put her hand on my head.
"I will be fine," I sighed before catching a glimpse of Evgeni standing awkwardly in the room.

"Oh sorry, Evgeni this is Anna, Anna this is Evgeni."
"Hi," they both looked so uneasy with each other.

"Want breakfast?" Evgeni broke the silence, "I make pancakes," I wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question but I like the sound of it either way.
"Could you make hot chocolate too?" He laughed at my enthusiasm.
"Ok, pancakes and hot chocolate," he nodded with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

"So you miss Liam huh?" she sat on the coffee table with a big grin on her face.
"Anna don't start, please. I already feel guilty enough as it is," I shifted feeling uneasy.
"What? Don't feel guilty, if Evgeni Malkin is who you are seeking comfort in then good on you."
"Anna," I sighed, "it's not like that."
"Well then what is it like?" she curled an eyebrow at me.
"I don't know yet, but don't think we have been there because we haven't. He's a nice guy and I really like him.”
"Ok ok, just let me do my thing and I will be back."
"Anna, where are you going?"

Evgeni's POV
“Hey,” I looked up from the stove to see Anna standing in the middle of the kitchen.
“Hi,” I looked behind her waiting for Jessie to appear but she didn’t.
“Ok look, if I come across as a bitch well then so be it but Jessie is my best friend and she means a lot to me and if you here to just mess around with her then do us all a favor and leave. She has been through a lot lately and whether or not she has told you about it is none of my business but if you hurt her I swear to god I will…”
“No, no,” I stopped her before she could finish because the thought of ever hurting Jessie hurt me too. “I not hurt her, I like Jessie, a lot, I know is hard for her to show but I know she like me too.”
“Of course she does,” she laughed, “I haven’t seen Jessie this happy… ever.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I think if you want to win her over burnt pancakes aren’t the way,” she laughed as I fumbled and swore over the stove.

“Look don’t let her push you away, just tell it to her straight about how you feel and she will come around.”
“Thanks.”
“Here I can finish that, you go get Jessie,” she took the spatula away and continued with breakfast.

I will admit I was a little intimidated by Anna but at the same time glad because she wanted what was best for Jessie and I could only hope that maybe that was me. I could see that she would be on my side if Jessie started being ridiculous about something but I could also tell that she would tear me limb from limb if I ever did wrong by Jessie.

“What did she say?” Jessie looked annoyed.
“She say I hurt you I die,” well she hadn’t actually got around to the saying that part but I had heard it all before.
“Don’t listen to her,” she sighed as I helped her to her feet.
“It ok, she cares,” I shrugged.

“He is a keeper,” Anna smiled as she dug into breakfast.
“Yeah but he’s not even…” Jessie stopped before she could finish what she was saying when she caught my eyes and looked away shyly.

The room was filled with awkward silence and the sound of cutlery clacking together when Jessie spoke up, “Evgeni… I am sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out like that I just, Anna always pesters me about getting a boyfriend and, you’re the first guy I have gotten close to in a while,” her voice slowly failed into nothing before offering a small smile.
“It’s ok, understand,” if I knew what was bothering her I probably could understand why she was acting this way but I kind of just said, I didn’t want her to think I was angry at her because I really wasn’t.

“Evgeni please don’t be mad,” she held onto the door frame with a death grip as we stood at the door when I was about to leave.
“It’s ok, really,” I tried to convince her everything was fine.
“I feel bad though,” she sighed.
“Is nothing, not worry,” I moved closer so she had no where else to look but at me.

“Hey,” I grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to look at me, “I not know what’s wrong, and you tell me when ready, but I promise I never hurt you,” I let my thumb trace her jaw.

I moved my hands to her hips as she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. I had already figured out that it was something she did when she was thinking.

“Is that invitation to come to your game tonight still there?”
What? Where did that come from? I am here trying to build up the courage to just kiss her and she comes up with hockey.
“I promised I would come and well I am not one to break promises.”
“Um yeah ok,” I wasn’t going to argue with her, if she didn’t want to talk about it I couldn’t make her. I just wished she would give up soon and tell me.

“I couldn’t do it ok,” I heard her whispering to Anna.
“Why not?” she muttered back.
“Because I can’t ok, I just can’t. What if Liam comes back? I mean I want to move on but I don’t know how.”
“You don’t have to know how, why do you have to know how? He loves you why can’t you see that? Even I can see that and I have known him all of 2 hours,” she sounded frustrated at Jessie.
“He loves me?”
“Yes, now please for the love of god do something about it.”

So I may have stood by the front door listening to them argue but once it was over I knew what I had to do? I just had to show her, straight up like Anna said.

I have to admit though I felt a little uneasy for the first time ever around Jessie. But I couldn’t let the feeling last very long with her right by my side as the nerves got to her.

“You ok?” I knelt down next to her as she sat on a chair next to Flower at the end of the bench.
“Yeah just my knee,” she looked down and I knew it was more than that. It had to still be about what Anna had said to her because she seemed to move closer to me without trying to be obvious.
“Ok,” I stood back up and kissed her forehead just to let her know everything was ok.

‘You might want to come get your girlfriend,’ my phone lit up as we sat in the locker room getting undressed after the game.
‘I wish girlfriend, see you soon.’

I headed up into the family suite to get Jessie to find her sound asleep on the couch.
“She took some of these and was out like a light,” Veronique informed.
“Ok thanks,” I took her painkillers and slipped them into my jacket before picking her up trying so hard not to wake her.

“Hey G are you ok?” V followed picking up Jessie’s crutches.
“Yeah I be ok.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” I would be ok, soon. When I had the chance to just tell how I felt.

I laid her down in her bed, slipped off her shoes and tucked her in, “Goodnight Jessie.”

I couldn’t help but notice how adorable she was when she slept that I found myself standing at the door watching her.

“Evgeni,” she moaned as her eyes opened slightly.
“Yeah?” I moved back over to her side.
“Can you stay with me?” she reached over for the other side of the bed.
“Ok,” I kicked off my shoes and slipped in next to her as she fell back asleep in my arms.

“I love you,” I lent down and kissed her forehead. Now if I only had the guts to say that to her when she could hear me, everything would be ok.