Sparks Fly

With my heart beating out of my chest and my palms so sweaty I could barely hold my bag, I walked out my front door and towards Jeff’s car. It was a black SUV, which most of the players drove. I opened the door and got in the passenger seat.

“Hello.” I said. “Long time no see.”

Jeff chuckled. “Yeah.” he paused and looked me up and down. “You look....beautiful”

Thankfully it was dark outside and in the car to hide the blush that swept across my face. “Thanks.” I looked at what Jeff was wearing. He had on a pair of dark jeans and a red polo shirt that made it easy to see his arm muscles. It took all of my strength to restrain myself from reaching over and touching them, and possibly doing more than that. “You look great too.”

“Thanks.”

Most of the ride consisted of awkward silence. There were dull sounds coming from the radio, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I just kept looking over at Jeff. Eventually I broke the silence. “So...where are we going?”

Jeff smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. “You’ll see.”

I was extremely curious. A few minutes later we pulled up to a house. Once we parked in the driveway, Jeff got out and opened the door for me. He held out his hand and I took it as he helped me out of his car. We walked up to the front door and Jeff took out a key to open it.
“This is your house?” I asked

“Yep.”

I my heart began beating faster. I was about to enter Jeff Skinner’s house. We walked inside and I looked around. It seemed like a pretty normal house; rooms, furniture, plants, etc. it wasn't anything extravagant, but I liked it. “Nice place you got here.”

“Thanks.”

Jeff began walking towards the kitchen, and I followed him.
“I was gonna take you out to dinner,” Jeff said. “which is why I offered to pick you up. But I thought this would be more special.”

“You’re making me dinner?”

“Well I’ve already made most of it. Just a few more minutes and it’ll be done. You can go sit in the dining room if you want I’ll be right there.” he pointed towards a room right off the kitchen.

I walked into the dining room and sat at the table. It was already set with nicely decorated plates and there were unlit candles in the center of the table. Jeff must've been getting the food because something smelled really good. A couple of minutes later Jeff came into the dining room with the food and matches to light the candles. He lit the candles and put food on each of our plates. It all looked so good. Jeff sat down and we began eating.

I began the conversation. “So...quick question.”

“Fire away.”
“What’s up with the bamboo? I noticed it when I walked in.”

Jeff laughed and it showed off his dimple. It made my heart skip a beat. “It came with the house. I just kept it because it decorates the house but doesn't require a lot of water which is good since I travel a lot.”

“Okay, makes sense now.”

“I’m glad I could clear that up. Now I get to ask you a question.”

“I guess that’s only fair.”

“Can you tell me about yourself?”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah. I like you and I want to know more about you.”

He made me blush, yet again. “Okay.”

I told Jeff about how I moved from New York to North Carolina when I was young, how Charlotte and I met in middle school and have been best friends ever since, about college and how I wanted to become a teacher one day, and other things. It seemed like I was talking for hours, and Jeff just sat there, listening like everything I was saying was the most interesting thing in the world. “...but enough about me. What about you?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t found out everything about me on the internet.”

I laughed. “I’m not that creepy. I’ve only read your bio on the Canes website.”

“Alright then, where should I begin...” Jeff told me about growing up in Canada, and how he was a hockey player and a figure skater when he was young, how he has 5 siblings who also played hockey, his days playing junior hockey and about his first couple of years in the NHL. I was fascinated.

“That’s all so cool.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

We ate and talked for what seemed like forever. When we finished dinner, Jeff brought in dessert. It was all so good. I felt like I couldn’t eat another bite.

“So,” Jeff said once the table was cleared and the candles were put out. “wanna watch a movie or something?”

It made me glad that he didn’t want the night to end, because I didn’t want it to end either. “Yes I do.”

We walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Jeff had a large TV which was the centerpiece to the room. Jeff took out a pile of DVDs and handed them to me. “Your pick.”

I looked through the DVDs and one caught my eye. “Oh my god, you have the Avengers?! I love this movie! Let’s watch this.”

Jeff laughed and took the DVD from me and put it in. A few minutes later the movie was starting and Jeff was sitting next to me on the couch. It was awkward at first, just sitting next to each other. Both of us were too nervous to make a move. Eventually, Jeff got up the courage and put his arm on the back of the couch behind me. I slid closer to him, my heart racing. Jeff moved his arm from the back of the couch to my back and he pulled me closer so I was leaning on his chest. His heart was racing too. I curled up on the couch and Jeff pulled me in even closer. I looked up at Jeff and he smiled at me. He caressed my face with his hand. I sat up a little and Jeff pulled my face closer and connected his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and sweet. We pulled apart, both of us blushing.

“Sorry about that,” Jeff said “I don’t usually kiss a girl on the first date.”

I giggled. “You are too cute. Don’t be sorry, I wanted you to kiss me.”

“Okay, good.” he had a dopey smile on his face that was so adorable. “So...would you mind if I kissed you again?”

“Not at all.”

Jeff took my face in his hands and connected his lips to mine again. This time it was less soft. It was more urgent, passionate. Jeff moved his hands down to my waist and pulled me into his lap so I was straddling him. My hands moved from his face to his chest. Jeff pulled me in closer to him if that was even possible. We pretty much forgot about the movie at that point. With each kiss the intensity seemed to increase. His lips were soft, his mouth was warm. I ran my hands through his hair and his hands were pressing me up against him. He hesitated for a moment before his tongue found his way into my mouth. A low moan escaped my lips. As my tongue collided with Jeff’s I heard a soft moan come from him. If he pulled me any closer to him, I wouldn’t have been able to breathe. I could’ve stayed in his arms for hours. Eventually we pulled apart, breathing heavily. I looked at Jeff, who still had that dopey smile on his face. I looked over my shoulder and saw that it was getting late.

“I hate to say this, but I think I should go. I have class tomorrow.”

Jeff sighed. “Alright. I’ll take you home.”

We walked outside to the car and we headed to my house. About halfway through the ride Jeff reached over and held my hand. When we pulled up to my house, I had a pit in my stomach, like I didn’t want to go home.

“Tonight was amazing.” I said

“It really was.” Jeff pulled me in for another quick kiss.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Yeah. Oh, wait! You should come to the game tomorrow. Charlotte too. I can leave you tickets at will call.”

“That would be awesome.”

“Great. So I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Hannah.”

“Goodnight, Jeff.”

I got out of the car and walked into my house and up to my room. I got into sweats and a t-shirt and took off my makeup. I didn’t have a text from Charlotte yet, so they must’ve still been on their date. I laid down in bed and eventually I fell asleep with the biggest smile on my face.