Just Bent

Amanda had been back in Chicago for a month and a half and everywhere she turned, she saw Duncan. Okay, maybe not always him specifically, but the teams Indian head logo, or giant blow ups of his teammates on buildings, or even the giant blowup of him that was a block away from her office that she walked past every day on her way to work and again in her way home. Try as she might, she was not able to push him from her thoughts.

She had left the arena in Columbus without explanation, not that she had one to give. She still wasn’t sure herself why the confession from Camille caused her to run. It was obvious that nothing existed between the two of them, that they were only friends and that Camille was madly in love with her husband. She wasn’t someone to worry about, to fret would be a roadblock in whatever was happening between her and Duncan. Something though about the fact that both had omitted the detail bothered her tremendously.

On her lunch break, she walked to her favorite corner deli and stood in line to wait her turn.

"Hey, I know you!" She looked up at the boisterous voice and found herself looking at Patrick Kane. "Amanda, right?"

"Hello, Pat," she answered politely.

"Where did you go in Columbus? I saw you during the game but not after. Your friend was with Cammie though."

"I had to leave; minor emergency."

"Nothing to do with Duncs and Cammie's history, right?" Amanda flushed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, nothing ever happened between them. I'm just a shit stirrer is all."

"Why?"

Patrick shrugged. "I like to drive Cammie crazy." Amanda rolled her eyes at him. "Why don't you come to tonight's game? I can get you a ticket with my girlfriend."

"I don't know....Wait; you have a girlfriend? But you, in Columbus..." she trailed off.

“I don’t know how to be a good boyfriend and Aria, that’s my girlfriend’s name, she dumped me a couple months ago. I tried going back to my playboy ways but I was miserable and I missed her. Before I left Columbus, Cammie sat me down and gave me a talking to. When I got back to Chicago, I wooed her until she took me back.”

“She took you back?”

“I didn’t cheat on her or anything, and I never hooked up with anyone while we were apart. I flirted, put on a good show, but none of them were her, you know? I just wasn't making time for Aria and even though she talked to me about it, I didn't listen so she basically told me to take a leap off a very tall building. It took me a month to win her back but she did finally take me back.”

“What if she hadn’t?”

“Then I would’ve been a miserable fucker and Johnny would’ve read me the riot act for being a crappy hockey player. I’m pretty sure that’s why she took me back in the end.”

“Pity?” Amanda giggled.

“Yeah; Johnny can be intensely serious sometimes. So tonight?”

“I don’t know...”

"It'll be fun. I won't tell Duncs and we can surprise him. He's been scouring the city trying to find you. Did you know there are like five hundred and eighty two Amanda's in this city?"

She laughed at his exuberance. "Alright, I'll go. What should I wear?"

"Something slutty. Show a lot of skin. I'll get Seabs to hit on you but not tell him who you are. That'll be fun."

"That is terrible. You really are a shit stirrer. And who is Seabs?"

"Brent Seabrook. Him and Duncan are really close; they're best friends, practically brothers."

"You are secretly a horrible person, aren't you?"

"There's no secret about it. Google me, you'll see." He winked and cut in front of her in line and ordered his food. He looked back at her. “What are you having? My treat.”



As promised, Patrick left her a ticket at will call with his girlfriend Aria. Amanda smiled at the other woman as she entered the aisle. “Hi,” she said nervously.

Aria stood with a smile and hugged her. “Hi, I’m Aria. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“You’re Patrick’s girlfriend?”

“Heaven help me,” she laughed.

Amanda smiled as they sat down. “When he mentioned you today, the look in his eye was something you don’t see all the time. I can tell he cares a great deal about you.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He told me about your breakup and him working to win you back. My short experiences with him in Columbus would have never led me to believe what I saw and heard today but he changed my mind. It’s obvious he loves you very deeply.”

“You have no idea how much you saying that means," Aria smiled.

“It’s the truth.”

“So you met Pat in Columbus?”

Amanda nodded. “I met Camille and she introduced me to them.”

“Good t-shirt by the way,” Aria said, gesturing to her Duncan Keith shirt.

She flushed. “It’s the only thing Blackhawks I own.”

“I’m kind of surprised Pat didn’t leave you something at will call.”

“Hey, are you Amanda?” a pretty brunette asked as she filed into the row.

“Um, yes?”

She laughed. “I’m Whitney. Johnny is my fiance and Pat is my best friend. I’m supposed to give this to you.”

“Thank you,” Amanda said as she accepted the jersey from Whitney. She expected it to be Duncan’s but was surprised when she turned it to see Seabrook on the back. She thought back on her conversation with Pat at the deli and smiled.

“You can thank him after the game," Whitney continued. "I’m supposed to make sure you stick with us and come down to the lounge after.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“The lounge is where we wait after games for the guys until they’re ready to leave,” Aria explained. “You can hang with me and Whitney. Pat has some plan but I don’t know what it is.”

“Me neither,” Whitney admitted. “What do you know, Amanda?”

“Other than the fact that he’s definitely a shit stirrer?”

Whitney laughed. “So true!”

Aria groaned. "You know what he's up to?" She asked Amanda.

"I have an idea and it starts with this jersey," she laughed, pulling it over her head. "I hope you don't mind if he gets his ass kicked later."



“Hey!” Patrick yelled out exuberantly after the game as he made his way into the lounge to find Aria. “You came! And you wore my present!”

“It would have been rude to not accept your gift,” Amanda replied.

Patrick laughed. “Come on; let me introduce you to Seabs.”

“What are you up to Patrick Kane?” Whitney demanded, her hands on her hips.

“Moi?” Patrick asked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He grinned like a cheshire cat and pulled Amanda away with him, Aria following closely. “Seabs!” he called out. A tall, dark haired man just ahead of them turned at his voice. His eyes caught Amanda’s and he smiled.

“What’s up, Kaner?”

“This is my friend, Amanda. Doesn’t she look good in your jersey?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Amanda. I’m Brent and you look very good in my jersey.” He winked and Amanda blushed.

“Amanda is coming with me and Aria to Rockit. You in?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me,” Brent told him. “You need a ride?” he asked Amanda.

“As a matter of fact, she does,” Patrick spoke up. He nudged Amanda toward him with a smile. “Have fun you crazy kids!” he called out over his shoulder as he gathered Aria to his side and walked out to the players parking lot.

“Ready?” Brent asked Amanda.

“I’m not really dressed for a night out,” Amanda said, gesturing to her jersey.

“We can stop at your place if you want and you can change.”

“You wouldn't mind?”

“Not at all. Just tell me the address.”

They arrived at the bar and grill thirty minutes later and Brent guided her through the crowd to where his teammates sat with a hand at the small of her back. Amanda had opted for simple and chic, staying in her skinny jeans and changing to a pair of boots and a simple light purple sweater. She layered several bracelets on her wrist and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Her foots steps faltered slightly as she noticed Duncan. He hadn’t noticed her yet as Brent steered into an empty space at a table with Patrick and Aria.

“You get lost?” Patrick teased.

“Quick stop at Amanda’s place so she could change since you sprung this little outing on her,” Brent answered. “Don’t you know yet that you can’t surprise girls with this kind of stuff yet?”

Pat shrugged. “I’m still learning.”

“Obviously. Aria, what do you even see in this guy anyways?”

“I don’t know,” she laughed. “I just don’t know.” She turned to Amanda. “Do you want a drink, Amanda? Pat’s buying.”

“Oh, well in that case, I’ll take the best vodka they have.”

“Hey, who’s this? When did Brent find a woman?”

Brent rolled his eyes. “Amanda, Andrew Shaw. You can ignore him if you want. The rest of us do.”

“Hey!”

“It’s nice to meet you Andrew,” Amanda said politely, holding her hand out to him.

“How do you know Brent?”

“Pat introduced us.”

“How do you know Kaner?”

“Met him in Columbus last month.”

“Columbus?”

“Yeah, in Ohio? Ever heard of it?” she teased him.

“Why are in Chicago then?”

“I live in Chicago. I was visiting a friend there.”

He nodded. “So you met at the all star game?”

Brent turned to Amanda. “You were at the all star game?”

Amanda glanced to Patrick who sat back, watching everything with a devilish smile. “Yeah, I was at the all star game,” Amanda answered him.

“So you met Duncs too, right?”

“She met Camille,” Pat spoke up. “Of course she met Duncs.”

Brent stood and looked around for his best friend on the team. Amanda caught his hand and tugged him back down into his seat. “We don’t have to bother him,” she said.

“Now we are definitely bothering him. You’re up to something Kaner and you set me up,” Brent accused him.

“Me? Never!” Pat grinned.

"Am I the pawn?"

"I'm pretty sure you're the pawn," Aria spoke up. "I'll beat him for that later."

"Thank you, Aria. So," he turned to Amanda. "Duncs, eh? Tell me about that."

"I met him at the bar my friend works at. He invited me to the game. I went. I ran out as soon as it was over and haven't talked to him since."

Brent nodded. "He said he met someone but things didn't go like he planned. He's been looking for you."

"That's what Pat told me."

“Let's fix that then," he grinned. "Duncs!” Brent yelled out. “Cm’here!”

“Oh God,” Amanda whispered. She shrank down in the booth and Brent pulled her back up and into his side, an arm around her shoulders.

“What’s up, Seabs?” Duncan asked as he walked over. He came to a screeching halt when he saw Amanda under Brent’s arm.

“I wanted you to meet my new friend, Amanda. Kaner put her in my jersey and everything at tonight's game. Wasn't that nice of him?” Duncan glared at Patrick and Brent continued. “Imagine my surprise when I found out just a few minutes ago that she met Pat at the all star game, along with you and Camille.”

“Can we talk?” Duncan asked Amanda.

“Here?”

“Wherever you want.” She nodded and Brent stood, letting her slip out of the booth. He stopped her and kissed her cheek.

“I expect you at our next home game in my jersey again,” Brent told her. “No matter what comes from this.”