The Sake of the Show

Things had gotten very weird for Corey after things unfolded with Blair, namely because nothing had changed. Things weren’t awkward, per-say, but he felt stumped because he wasn’t sure what move he was supposed to make. To make matters worse, he’d confided in a teammate about his dilemma, and suddenly the entire locker room was mocking him for his current stressors. All aside from the younger Patrick, who seemed to despise him with an even greater vengeance.

He didn’t realize how grave the situation was until one day after practice, when Nick Leddy subtly leaned in and said, “I gotta know... was she good?”

Corey felt his vessels begin to burst. “Dude, shut the hell up.”

Nick laughed lightly, throwing his arms up defensively. “Woah, man. Sorry. I was kidding.”

He knew that the young defenseman wasn’t kidding. He rolled his eyes at him, ripping off his gear with a huff as he hurried and changed. For the umpteenth time, he considered strangling one of his co-workers.

That night, the Blackhawks didn’t have a game so Corey found himself at Blair’s apartment. This was something that was occurring nearly every day now, a silent agreement that the two would see each other in one way or another. He either ended up at her place, or she wound up at his. It was nice, and comfortable.

Blair was sifting through ingredients in the kitchen when he let himself in. She grinned, waving a box of noodles at him. “Hey there, Cor. I was just about to decide on what to make tonight. Are you cool with pasta and cream sauce? I’ve got a massive craving for it.”

“That’s fine with me,” Corey smiled at her, gently taking the box of noodles from her and setting it on the counter. “How about you let me cook tonight?”

Blair felt herself grown weak at the knees as he smiled at her, so she gripped the counter for support. She nodded dumbly at him, watching as he took the ingredients and began to prepare the dish. She couldn’t stop herself from standing there in the kitchen, watching him as if he were the most attractive man she’d ever seen. Which, he was. His lower lip was sucked between his teeth as he tossed the noodles into the boiling water she’d already prepared.

Blair frowned at the hat on his head, instinctively reaching up and plucking it from his head and placing it on backwards. She murmured distractedly, “It’s covering your face.”

Corey looked at her for a moment, feeling all of his inner conflicts worsen as he smiled at her. He wasn’t sure what he was allowed to do around Blair, seeing as neither one had made any effort to define what exactly they were after their little rendezvous. Both Sharp and Jon had been coaching him (Jon had taken a strong emotional involvement in his case) but he felt hesitant. He wanted to take easy steps to avoid any further mishaps like before.

Blair went to grab the cloves of garlic, preparing to peel them when Corey covered her hands with one of his. “Babe, I’m cooking. That means you should go relax. You had a stressful day today.”

Blair’s day had indeed been stressful. She had to squeeze in two people complaining of chronic tooth pain, therefore she had to deal with a waiting room full of crabby people eager to put her to the blame. She made a face at him before sighing reluctantly, not really wanting to go sit in the living room and deprive herself of getting to watch him getting busy in the kitchen.

Corey smirked at her once he’d achieved victory, watching her release the garlic cloves. Blair padded over to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer before sitting on the stool of the island counter. He cocked an eyebrow, “Are you going to watch me?”

Blair nodded shyly, biting back her grin as she twisted off the cap and took a swig. The taste was bitter compared to her usual wine, but it was needed. “Is that alright?”

“The pressure is on,” He chuckled lightly, giving her those crinkled eyes that made her feel some type of way that she couldn’t really place. She shook her head, shook away the silly notion as she pointed at the index card on the counter.

“Recipe’s fool proof, love. You mess this up, and I won’t let you near a kitchen again.” Blair teased, idly sipping her beer as he turned a light shade of red.

They fell into an easy conversation after that; Corey was attentive as she told him about her sister, who’d called that morning. Anna Bailey was convinced she would be giving birth sometime within the next week, and it pained Blair that she wouldn’t be there for the special event. “I’m hoping that this summer I’ll be able to take a leave of absence from work and see the baby. I suppose I should see my parents, too.”

The subject of family never came up between Corey and Blair before, so the moment she gave him a window of opportunity, he dove for it. “Are you close with your family? You and your sister seem a lot alike.”

She shrugged, swishing the contents of her bottle. “My sister and I have grown closer from when we were kids. But she’s always been the favorite daughter. My parents and I have never seen eye-to-eye. I was always a wanker of a daughter, skipping class and being mischievous.”

Blair winked at coyly, giggling at the memories. “But my parents were pretty upset that I came here for university, and since I’ve stayed in America they aren’t pleased. I’m personally happy there’s an ocean between us.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’m glad you chose to stay here. My life would be boring if I had never met you.” He laughed. “I’m so glad Pat broke that tooth and made an ass out of himself.”

“I agree.” Blair said. “Remember when you got sassy with me on the phone?”

“I’m still so embarrassed about that!” Corey groaned. “I thought I was going to die when I saw you. I felt so horrible.”

Blair giggled. Her beer bottle was now empty, and the sauce was simmering on the stovetop nicely. “Why’d you feel so bad? You didn’t say anything that bad, you were just a feisty bloke.”

“Because you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.” Corey told her, locking his eyes with hers. He censored himself effectively, choosing not to mention the part that her smile had been like a sucker punch to the gut. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Corey...” Blair trailed off, unable to bat the smile off her face. “Thanks.”

Corey leaned over the counter with his elbows, his hands within grabbing distance from hers as he eyed her. “By the way, that reminds me. Thursday’s Valentine’s Day, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to grab dinner or something.”

When Blair started giggling, Corey was afraid he was about to get rejected. “Are you asking me to be your date?”

“Yes, Blair, I’m asking you to be my date.”

“In that case, of course. I was wondering if you were ever going to ask me on a proper date.” She chided playfully, standing up and walking around the counter. She purposefully bumped her hip against his as she walked by him, examining the sauce and the noodles. “Looks done to me, champ. Look at you! You’re becoming a master chef.”

“I was just afraid you would say no,” Corey admitted, placing a hand on the small of her back as she reached to grab the strainer to drain the noodles. She gave him a look, rolling her eyes as she efficiently drained the noodles.

“You’re insane. I think I’ve made it obvious by now that I adore you, Corey.” Blair told him simply, giving the noodles a toss before putting them back in the pan. She dipped her finger in the sauce, sucking it off with a noise of enjoyment. Corey thought he was going to drool. “Oh god, the sauce is perfect. Well done.”

He blinked a few times before he pulled his mind out of the dirty place that he’d been sent to, fully convinced that she was toying with him again. Blair had a cute demeanor, but beneath it all he knew she enjoyed doing the little things that made his mind turn to putty. “Glad that I was able to pass your test, Miss Bailey.”

She snickered at him, quickly gathering their plates and silverware. Corey felt like he was at home as he sat at the table across from her, the two of them eating over quiet conversation. It felt as natural as breathing, the two of them swapping stories about insignificant things that made such an ordinary event feel special and intimate.

After dinner was over they cleared their plates before graduating to the living room, Blair immediately slinging her legs over Corey’s lap as she leaned back against the couch cushions. Corey automatically grabbed one of her feet, kneading his thumbs into the ball of her foot. Blair purred quietly, wiggling her toes in contentment as he massaged them. “Does that feel good?”

“Your hands are heaven-sent,” Blair cooed, cuddling deeper into the couch cushions as she sighed happily. “You are so perfect, I swear.”

Corey felt his cheeks reddening again. “You’re just saying that because of my hands, you little devil. You’d be a completely different woman if I wasn’t doing this right now.”

“Nonsense,” Blair leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before she collapsed back against the couch. “The hands do help, though. My feet are sore.”

He went to switch feet, but Blair cut him off cutely. “No no, not yet. Don’t be cheap with the foot rub!”

Corey playfully narrowed his eyes at her as obeyed her command. “You’re becoming a spoiled brat, already.”

“You love it.” Blair stuck her tongue out at him. Corey declined to comment, much to Blair's dismay. After a pause he busied himself with her feet once again, finding himself stressing and getting heart palpitations as he thought about the perfect Valentine's date he now had to plan.