The Right Thing

November was supposed to be a quiet month for Sidney. If all went as planned, it was the perfect month for me to visit. The league had cancelled games through the end of the month and I could tell that it was wearing on Sidney. There was no doubt that he wanted to be on the ice more with each passing day. He was starting to consider Europe, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He knew that there was a possibility that there would not be a game played before the end of the year and the longer the lockout went on, the more the possibility of a cancelled season would loom.

He and Pat, the agent I had yet to meet, were talking about the choices that Sidney had of playing elsewhere. The fact was that the cost would likely be too much. His concussion history made insuring him difficult and expensive. Pat reminded him that the chances of getting injured in Europe and missing the rest of the season in Pittsburgh would also be a risk he’d have to take if he wanted to play. He didn’t need to mention the fact that an injury in Europe in 2013 could ultimately risk his chances when it came to playing for Canada come 2014. It wasn’t a risk he wanted to take, but he was starting to feel like he had no other choice.

I knew that Sidney was discouraged and there were days that I was certain I would see a crack in his carefully constructed façade. But he kept himself together, always calm and collected. Always willing to be the voice of reason when no one else wanted to be. It was so rare to see his temper flare that I sometimes wondered what sort of inhuman self-control he had.

But at home, currently the Lemieux’s guest house in Sewickley, he was much more candid than he was with the press or the fans. With me, when we were cooking dinner or doing the laundry, he was more likely to let his true feelings come out. He would get riled up and speak his mind. He’d snap at the coverage on television, clearly more bitter than he wanted people to know. And as much as I hated to see him suffer, I was glad he felt comfortable enough with me to let it out when he needed to. I was glad that he didn’t feel the need to censor himself when he was with me.

I saw the frustration in him. Every once in a while, in a quiet moment, I saw the sadness. I saw a man who missed something that he loved dearly, trying to be optimistic when there seemed to be no light at the end of the very long tunnel. Rarely, when he got really riled up, I would see the anger in him. His jaw would become set and his eyes would narrow. I wouldn’t have generally found anything attractive about aggression, but it was different with Sidney, especially given that it wasn’t directed at me. I couldn’t help but feel the fire in the pit of my stomach when I saw his hands ball into fists, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. He so rarely really showed passion when we weren’t tangled up in each other in the dark. It seemed almost dangerous in the light of day, seeing that spirited behavior come out of him.

It was hard to resist, and he knew that I felt that way.

I’d flown in on Halloween, my mother’s favorite holiday. One of Sidney’s friends was throwing a party and Sidney wanted me to go along, but I decided to opt out. We weren’t ready to go through the introductions and make everything public. We couldn’t be sure that we wouldn’t be outed by morning thanks to the use of smartphones and Twitter. It just wasn’t the right time for me to meet his friends and teammates. We’d know when it was.

It wasn’t for lack of trying on his part. He did his best to get me to back down, trying to convince me that we could pull it off, it was a costume party after all. But I reminded him that I’d promised him November. That was going to be our month, 30 days when I was there just for him. It was still October and I was without a costume for the party.

I won in the end, though Sidney wasn’t happy about it.

“How about this,” I suggested as he worked at his costume, “I will drive you, go to dinner with Sebastian as planned, and when you’re ready to leave or too hammered to function, you will call me for a ride.”

“You would be my designated driver?”

“I would.”

“You’d pass up margarita’s for me?”

“No. If it was Mexican night you would be shit out of luck.”

He scowled.

“He’s boycotting Halloween and its tacky and consumerist nature. And he’s doing so along with several other pretentious assholes who probably just didn’t get invited to any awesome parties. We’re going to dinner as a group and Sebastian will need a ride because he’s going to have to get horribly drunk to get through it.”

“Why?”

“Because he loves Halloween. He loves tacky things and any holiday that Hallmark makes a cheesy card for. This bright idea was spurned for the purpose of impressing one particular pretentious asshole with great pecs.”

“Don’t ever do that.”

“Boycott Halloween over a guy’s chest?”

“No. Don’t ever change yourself to make someone like you.”

“I haven’t had to so far,” I replied with a smirk.

He smiled. “So, do you think his plan will work?”

“Are you really asking about Bastian’s private life?”

Sidney didn’t generally care for the gossip that came along with a friend like Sebastian. He tended to space off whenever I felt the need to vent and it didn’t bother me. Half the time I hated the drama that seemed to follow Sebastian around but years of friendship made it a part of my life as well.

“His happiness seems important to you, so why not?”

“His happiness is important, mostly because he meddles less when he’s getting laid.”

Sidney laughed.

“And no, I don’t think it will work. He’ll try too hard, drink too much too fast before we’ve even gotten the appetizers, and we’ll be forced to leave in an apologetic rush before the dessert menu arrives. Then we’ll stop at the nearest convenience store for a bag of bottom-shelf Halloween candy to binge on while he forces me to watch season three of Sex and the City until you call and save me.”

“This has happened before?”

“Many times. He sets his sights on someone and does all he can to get their attention. When it doesn’t work or they aren’t interested, he gets a little wrapped up in his self-loathing and pulls me along for the ride.”

“So you have it all planned out.”

“Every minute of it. I could write up an itinerary detailing exactly how many minutes into the evening he pounds his first mojito and immediately orders his second. He’ll tell a couple of jokes that fall flat within the first fifteen minutes of the evening. He’ll have another mojito, three in an hour, and tell a dirty joke. One person will laugh and he’ll head off to the bathroom to text me and tell me it isn’t working and that the tremendous chest of the man across the table isn’t worth the effort.

“He’ll come back, finish dinner quietly, allowing the others at the table to carry the conversation, and we’ll leave before dessert. That is always something he blames on me, watching my girlish figure. At least one of the fabulous gays will look me up and down in a way that tells me he thinks I should probably start skipping dinner and not just dessert.”

Sidney shook his head as he worked at the belt of his costume.

“What about you? Do these guys throw a good party?”

“They do. Rented some dive on the South Side to make sure it’s a private party, but there are always a few crashers that make it through the doors. They’re usually fun, there are just a lot of blondes.”

“Hey! I’m blonde, you jerk!”

He chuckled. “They’re blonder. And drunk. And all dressed as sexy or slutty versions of every imaginable costume on the market. I once had a slutty nun try to grind with me and I nearly ducked behind the bar to pray the Rosary.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive dancing with a few of them to keep up appearances.”

“What appearances?” he scoffed. “That I enjoy taking broad-spectrum antibiotics?”

“You won’t catch anything dancing with them.”

“Not even hell from you?”

“Oh, is this the time in the relationship when I get crazy possessive and act jealous when other women so much as look at you?”

“Generally.”

I patted him on the chest, pressing up onto my toes to capture his lips with mine.

“Sorry, babe. It’s not gonna happen.”

“Why not?”

“Because I trust you.”

“Do you trust them?”

“Not at all, but I doubt they could overpower you. I have firsthand knowledge of how strong you are.”

“They travel in packs. Like wild dogs.”

“Then point across the room, say “Hey is that James Neal?” and then you run like the wind.”

“That’s the best advice you have?”

“It is. Sadly I cannot always be there to protect you. Besides, you’ll be wearing a mask and that will help.”

He sighed, but he’d promised his friends he would be there. Aside from that, he’d promised himself that he would do more normal things. Parties on Halloween made it onto the list of normal things that the average 25-year-old man would do.

Sidney was all decked out, his Zorro mask sitting on the dresser.

“Have you ever met these friends of Sebastian’s?” he asked as he took a seat at the end of the bed.

I was shimmying into the black dress that I’d elected to wear for the evening. I would have rather been slipping into a costume, but I’d promised Sebastian to support him in his quest.

“No. I guess he works with one of them.”

“The one with the pecs?”

I laughed. “No. I think they work in the same building. They bumped into each other in the gym.”

“Bumped into each other or Sebastian waited for an opportunity, lingering near the free weights for a while?”

“It’s like you know him,” I replied as I stepped into my heels.

Sidney looked down at my feet and chuckled. “I thought you were boycotting Halloween.”

I flexed my ankle and looked down at the shoes I’d chosen. Bright blue pumps covered in black sugar skulls. The perfect Halloween shoes when I couldn’t really wear my Halloween garb.

“I would never boycott Halloween. This is my quiet form of protest against their protest. If I can’t wear a costume, I will wear my love of the holiday on my feet. I’m only going to protect Sebastian from himself.”

I proceeded to wag my finger at him, the ring I was wearing catching the light. A sparkling spider worn on the hand that I used to lift my glass to my lips; the Halloween haters at the table would be seeing plenty of it.

“Kind of wearing it all over, I guess.”

“As good as that dress looks on you, accessories as well, I think I’d rather see you in costume,” he said with a suggestive wag of his eyebrow.

I sat down next to him on the bed, the mattress sinking and forcing us towards one another. I leaned against him trying to avoid mussing my hair against his caped shoulder.

“Maybe if you behave tonight, we’re talking best behavior here, you’ll get to see me in one.”

“Really?”

“Maybe. But only if you aren’t terribly hammered and you haven’t done anything that they’ll put in the papers in the morning.”

“I’m thinking this party is sounding kind of lame.”

“You’re going to the party. I’m going to this horrible anti-Halloween dinner. But come November, who knows what will happen for you.”

He looked at his watch. “November is only about six hours away.”

“In other words, Cinderella needs me to pick him up at midnight?”

“Yes, and I’m ignoring the Cinderella crack. You’re better than that.”

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“No, you’re more creative than that. You didn’t even go for the obvious. Sidney-rella. It was staring you right in the face.”

I turned my head to see that he was smiling like a bandit. He clearly hadn’t been bothered by my comparing him to a Disney princess. On the contrary, he seemed to get a kick out of it.

People didn’t seem to realize that he was playful at his core. He loved to laugh even when it was at his own expense. It was one of the best things about him, the way he would volley back and forth with anyone. But there was always something different about our banter, something special about the way we communicated even when we were messing with one another, teasing or playing.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked, moving to rise to his feet.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You’re sure we don’t want to call in sick?”

“We both made promises and we’re going to follow through.”

“But come November…”

“I’m all yours,” I assured him.

He stood up in one smooth motion and pulled me behind him. His lips crashed against mine, his right hand wrapped in the hair at the base of my skull. It was his last ditch effort to keep me from leaving the house. He knew it wasn’t going to work, but that didn’t stop him. I took a step away from him.

“I have to grab my purse. I’ll meet you in the car.”

He gave me another quick kiss, less searching, just a note, a moment to top off the ones before. Without a word, he headed down to his SUV leaving me alone for just a moment. I sucked in a breath, I’d been determined to be bold, teasing Sidney was meant to be the start, a hint of what I had planned. But carrying through wasn’t something I’d considered.

It wasn’t always easy to be brave; I wasn’t generally the type to be audacious.

I dug quickly through my suitcase which had yet to be unpacked since I’d arrived in the late afternoon, having given both Sidney and myself just enough time to get ready to leave for the night. I found the things I was searching for and pushed them to the bottom of my purse. I took another deep breath, resisted the urge to toss them out of my bag and back into my luggage, and then took off towards the stairs.

I caught a glimpse of his mask still lying on the dresser and grabbed it on my way past. I slid into my jacket at the door and locked the house behind me, headed for Sidney’s car.

He was waiting in the driver’s seat. I’d known he wouldn’t let me drive, at least not on the way there. Maybe after the party, but beforehand he needed to clear his head. Driving helped him do that. He liked to sit back, turn on the radio, though never too loud, and drive in no particular direction. It was relaxing for him.

“Have everything you need?”

I nodded and held up his mask. “It seems that you don’t.”

“I was testing you,” he quipped as he pulled out of the drive.

He sent a honk towards the main house, the lights on and waiting for trick-or-treaters, at least the brave ones willing to approach the biggest house in the neighborhood. They were the ones who lucked out, Nathalie and Mario giving out full candy bars to the kids who showed up.

Within the week I would be meeting the rest of the Lemieux family, that much had already been discussed. Sidney needed to prove to Lauren that I existed, and the other three were all looking forward to an introduction as well. I wasn’t nearly as nervous about it as I had been initially.

Sidney reached out and took my hand as he drove towards the city. I tucked my purse near my feet, and settled back into the seat with my hand in his resting on the console between us. We didn’t talk as he drove towards our destination, his eyes focused on the traffic around us. He spoke up as the city drew closer.

“Do you think Sebastian’s night will have ended by midnight?”

“I do. I think we’ll probably be back at his apartment and on our third episode of Sex and the City by then.”

“That’s a short dinner.”

“Very.”

“You’re still not looking forward to it.”

“Not at all.”

“What would you rather be doing, aside from me?”

I laughed in spite of myself. “Maybe getting a root canal.”

He merged into traffic headed towards the bar where the party was being held. It was only a couple of miles from the restaurant where I was meeting Sebastian and his gaggle of Halloween hating gay men and even closer to the loft where Sebastian lived. It was nice to know that no matter what stage of the night I was trapped in at midnight, Sidney wasn’t too far away. A couple of turns and a trip across a bridge and I’d be back with him by the first of November.

I glanced to my right as he pulled up to the curb in front of the bar. It was roped off, a large bouncer standing outside the door. I doubted many people would get past him, though I could assume that a few uninvited females, given certain wiles, would make it past him to party with the local celebrities.

Sidney put the car in park as I gazed out at the sidewalk. There were only a few people outside, no line of people waiting outside the door.

“Ready for your party, Zorro?”

He shook his head slightly then stepped out of the car. A watched him walk around the car and eventually joined him on the sidewalk, my jacket wrapped tightly around me to guard against the chill in the air. I stood in front of him, his mask in my hands.

“Turn around,” I instructed.

He pushed his hands into his pockets and turned his back towards me.

“You’ve got to help me out, you’re too tall.”

I heard him chuckle and he bent his knees slightly. I took a moment in tying the mask around his face, being more meticulous than I needed to be.

“Can you see?”

He nodded before turning back towards me. “I think I’d rather not be able to see when you tie things around my eyes.”

He wasn’t smiling, but I could read his expression even from behind the black fabric covering the top half of his face. He retrieved his hat and sword from the back of the SUV and handed the keys to me. Half of the people in the bar wouldn’t even recognize him, but I would have. I would have recognized the way he walked, the way the muscles in his shoulders and upper back were always pulled tight, straining against even his most comfortable shirts.

I resisted the urge to kiss him and I could see that he was doing the same. He shifted his costume, his hands going directly back into his pockets. Always protecting himself, always just a little uncomfortable with the world around him.

“Midnight. Meet me here at midnight,” he reminded.

“It’s a deal.”

I rounded the vehicle and opened the driver’s side door.

“Wyn?” he called from the sidewalk.

“Yes?”

“I’ll see you in November.”

I repressed a giggle and slipped into the car, pulling away from the curb and heading for the restaurant before Sidney had even stepped foot in the bar.

Sebastian was waiting for me in the parking lot of the restaurant. He looked nervous, the usual when he was about to embarrass himself. He gave me the once-over and sighed.

“Don’t even start, Sebastian,” I warned. “You know how I feel about Halloween. I am willing to donate my night to your cause, but I will not be subjecting myself to a completely Halloweenless evening.”

“We’re trying to make a good impression.”

“No, you are. I’m here to drive you home and pour you into your apartment when this is all said and done.”

“And then you stay with me and help me lick my wounds.”

“I’m not licking anything. I have to pick Patrick up at midnight.”

“Ah, the elusive boyfriend who keeps drawing you back here.”

He stepped forward and offered his arm to me. I sidled up next to him and he started us on our path into the restaurant where the others were undoubtedly waiting for us to arrive. Sebastian had a thing about being fashionably late. It drove me crazy as I was always punctual, never late for anything. He enjoyed making entrances.

“Where are you picking him up?”

“A friend’s Halloween party.”

“Are you sure you won’t be licking anything tonight?” he quipped.

“You are disgusting.”

I stepped away and followed him into the building.

For a group of men so offended by how tacky Halloween was, they had chosen the gaudiest restaurant in Pittsburgh. The walls were painted a shade of red that reminded me of blood and the floors were covered in green tile. It was all topped off with gold chairs and mismatched wooden tables. It felt like we’d walked into a bad joke and I felt horribly overdressed for the occasion.

There were three others that we were meeting up with, all somewhere near our age. Sebastian had a thing for young businessmen, drawn to a little bit of money and a lot of personality. He had a type, but it so rarely worked out for him.

I didn’t have a lot of room to speak, Sidney and I had been seeing each other for less than six months. It was the longest relationship I’d ever been in, the only time I’d ever been in love. I couldn’t judge Sebastian or his methods. Though I doubted he needed to be seeing anyone who so willing went to dinner at the place we were being forced to endure it.

They were friendly enough. Charlie was handsome and blonde, attractive in a male model sort of way. He was also woefully aware of that fact. He was the one that Sebastian was targeting. The other two, Nathaniel and Oliver, were both coworkers of Sebastian’s.

Charlie, like the partially-fictional Patrick, was in finance. From what I could gather between glances to my left to gauge how much that Sebastian had had to drink, he worked in stocks and bonds. It was all tragically boring and Charlie used his charming smile to make Sebastian think it was interesting.

Sebastian ordered his second mojito as I asked the waitress to refill my water. I wondered if Sidney was having any fun. If nothing else, the décor had to be a little less nauseating. Bastian took two long drags from the glass; too long.

“Wynnie’s boyfriend is in finance,” Sebastian said, smiling at his target.

“What company?”

I was tempted to steal Sebastian’s drink and down the remaining liquid from the glass. I was a horrible liar. I didn’t have the slightest idea of where to begin.

“I’m not sure. He doesn’t like to talk about work all that much and I can’t say that I’ve ever asked.”

Charlie didn’t seem to be buying it. But then again, he was far too busy staring at the way Oliver’s shirt clung to his shoulders to pay much attention to anything on the side of the table where Sebastian and I were sitting.

The fact that his crush was ogling his coworker wasn’t something that Sebastian had missed. He finished off his drink and ordered another. I took a deep breath as our dinner arrived. It was a hybrid restaurant, the menu a mixture of Italian, French, and American but the men at the table insisted that we order appetizers for the table and share them all. I wasn’t really hungry for sloppy-joe sliders or chicken quesadillas with bacon. I picked up a mozzarella stick and nibbled at it as they all dug in.

Sebastian wasn’t really eating, saving room for Halloween candy no doubt.

We suffered through the conversations that we weren’t particularly involved in, Charlie flirting with Oliver while Nathaniel paid closer attention to his phone than to anything else. Sebastian finished off his third drink and I excused myself to use the restroom, knowing that Sebastian would likely be on his way to do the same.

I sent Sidney a text as I slipped into the furthest stall from the door.

-Opinion on starting November a little bit early?

I reached back and undid my zipper, slipping out of my dress and working on replacing it with the garb that I’d slipped into my purse earlier in the evening.

It was only a little before nine, but I had no interest in eating candy and watching terrible television with my best friend. He’d get through it just fine. He wasn’t so crazy as to think that things were going to work out with the douchebag at the table. He could eat candy alone, drink wine and watch his favorite TV show until he fell asleep on the couch. He’d wake up with a headache in the morning, bad enough to regret the night and to keep him from trying to pick up a guy at the gym again. At least for a while.

He didn’t need me to hold his hand.

But I needed Sidney before I lost my mind.

-Dinner that bad?

I chuckled. He had no idea.

-It’s pretty terrible. Pick you up in thirty?

I adjusted the fishnets I’d been wearing. Under the dress they’d looked fitting for Halloween. But the dress was folded at the bottom of my purse. I no longer looked like a classy woman paying homage to a silly holiday. I looked like I worshiped at the altar of slutty costumes. I tied my coat at the waist once again.

Sebastian would no doubt meet me in the hallway and we’d leave the restaurant quietly. We’d turn down dessert, thank them for the great evening, they wouldn’t notice that the hemline of my dress was no longer quite visible below my coat. They wouldn’t notice the smile that I was trying to hide at the thought of Sidney’s reaction to a bold move I hadn’t even expected I would make.

Sidney sent me a text in the affirmative as I stepped back into the hallway, tossing my phone into my purse.

Sebastian was waiting, as I’d expected he would be.

“This is the worst.”

“I’ve witnessed worse. This is mild,” I replied.

“Let’s go get some comfort food.”

“I’ll take you home, I’ll even stop and help you pick candy, but I’m picking Patrick up early.”

“Just can’t control yourself, huh?”

“I’ve missed him, and as much as I love you, I’m not willing to wallow in your misery tonight.”

“I respect your decision. And if he’s as handsome as you’ve described, I’m terribly jealous.”

“He is, and you should be.”

He led the way back into the main restaurant and made our excuses. I took a step back, standing closer to the door as I always did at the end of one of his terrible group dinners meant to light a spark a conversation with a guy who actually had no interest in him.

Nathaniel attempted to argue with Sebastian but it was more for show than anything else. He was still much more interested in his phone than anything else. Charlie was too wrapped up in making eyes at Oliver to notice, and Oliver seemed just as smitten regardless of the fact that he knew of Sebastian’s interest and intent with the dinner.

Sebastian was a little tipsy, 3 drinks in a short time and the shots I was certain he’d taken beforehand were too much for him to drive on. He’d taken a cab to the restaurant. As much as he wanted to think that this dinner would go differently than any of the others had, he’d known that it wouldn’t be the case. He knew the schedule as well as I did, but he hadn’t been betting on my changing the schedule on him and exiting early. He was used to me falling asleep on the loveseat when he fell asleep on the couch, hungover on candy or cheesecake. It wasn’t going to be the case.

He also never would have guessed as to what I’d been doing in the bathroom, changing clothes with thoughts of Sidney racing through my mind. The things I wanted to say and do as soon as I saw him. The control it would take for me not to do so.

“Will you be alright without me tonight?” I asked as we got into the car.

“We’re not 16 anymore, Wynnie. I’ll be fine. I’ve got some ice cream in the freezer ready and waiting.”

“But we always get our comfort food together,” I argued. “You never have food in your apartment.”

“I’m not an idiot, Bronwyn. You don’t come here to see me. You come to see him, even if he is this mysterious and faceless man that you’ll never allow me to meet. There was no way in hell that you were going to fall asleep on my couch when you could be in his bed.

“And if this is the car he drives, I’d kill to see what his house is like.”

I held back a laugh as I pulled out of the parking lot and towards Sebastian’s apartment a mere few blocks away.

I had seen the house that he owned, but he had yet to move in. It was always something with Sidney, another detail that needed to be added or something that needed to be changed. The house just wasn’t ready and I had no idea when it would be. When it was, Sebastian would certainly be on the right track, the house was huge and beautiful. He would be duly impressed.

“I’ll be fine,” Sebastian promised.

“If you’re certain.”

“I am.”

He fiddled with some of the buttons on the dash. Sidney would be annoyed. Everything was always just to his liking. He’d never admit to being picky, just particular. I couldn’t really see the difference, but he was adamant about it. But either way, he liked things a certain way. He would have to readjust everything and he would do so while rolling his eyes.

“Thank you, by the way.”

I looked quickly to my right, catching a glimpse of him before I turned my eyes back to the road.

“For what?”

“Doing your duty as my best friend and suffering through things like that. Especially on your favorite holiday.”

“It’s not my favorite,” I argued.

“It’s hers, I know. That’s what you’ve always said. But you rarely even celebrate any other holidays to speak of. You hate Thanksgiving—“

“It’s a ridiculous premise,” I replied as I pulled up in front of his building.

“Christmas?”

“I celebrate Christmas.”

“You open a few presents and give a few others. But you don’t actually like it. You like Halloween. You dress up every year, you always find a party to go to. And here you are, without a party and without a costume. So, thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

He chuckled and leaned across the console to wrap me in a hug. He pulled away and I straightened my coat before he could catch a glimpse of what I’d almost revealed.

“Have a good Halloween, Bronwyn.”

I smiled. “I plan on it.”

He slipped out of the car and I waited until he was in his apartment building to pull away from the curb and head on my way. Traffic heading back towards the bars was terrible, but after circling the block a couple of times, I was able to find a parking space in front of the bar.

I was a good ten minutes early for our pick-up time, but I wasn’t going to rush Sidney on his exit. I was sure he was finishing up a last beer and saying goodbye to a few friends. I decided to wait outside the car, leaning against the passenger side and watching the door.

I heard a low whistle from the building and looked to see the bouncer eyeing me. “You can come on in, sweetheart.”

I snorted a laugh. “I’m not on the list,” I called in reply.

“I can overlook that.”

That was how the girls that Sidney liked to avoid like the plague, or rather like they had the plague, got into clubs to schmooze where they didn’t necessarily belong. They needed to start posting female bouncers at the door. Short skirts just wouldn’t be enough to get them in if they had to pass a fellow woman at the door.

“I’ll just wait here.”

I leaned back again, my arms crossed. A few people stepped out of the bar and headed down the sidewalk. None of them were Zorro. But before long, he joined me outside, grinning as he moved across the sidewalk and towards me.

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” he said, moving as close to me as he would risk on a public sidewalk. There were too many people wandering around, too many who could see us together.

“Not so bad yourself, though the mask isn’t the best look for such a pretty face.”

He tossed his head back in a laugh. “I was kind of hoping that you’d show up in costume and come join the party.”

I wiggled an eyebrow at him, my lame attempt at being suggestive. “Wanna know a secret?”

“You know I’m good with secrets. I keep ‘em like a champ.”

I untied the belt on my coat, popping the buttons quickly and casting glances down the street in either direction. I stepped forward, making sure that Sidney’s stocky form would block me from view. I pulled the fabric out and away from my body, revealing what I’d put on underneath.

“I think I’ll be the judge of whether or not you do anything like a champ.”

He took me in and stepped forward. “Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s your costume?”

“I told you if you were good you might see me in one. Now you have.”

“I can’t let you in public wearing that.”

“That’s the point.”

“I’m not sure I can get you home wearing that,” he murmured, biting down on his lower lip.

“Well, this ref says you’re going to have to.”

I closed my coat and headed back towards the driver’s side of the car, but he stopped me in my tracks, his hand wrapped around my forearm. I could see in the light of the streetlamps that his eyes had narrowed under his mask, darkening as they went.

“I’m driving.”

“I’m the D.D.”

“I had two beers and those are long gone. I’m driving.”

“I thought the refs made the rules.”

“They enforce the rules. And you can enforce as many as you want when we’re home. But right now, I’m driving or I’ll make you pull into the nearest hotel to have my way with you.”

I laughed and slid into the passenger seat. He joined me in the car, trying not to look in my direction in the dark. “Wouldn’t that look good in the papers? Sidney Crosby dressed as Zorro gets a hotel room for himself and hooker on Halloween night.”

“Hooker?”

“Fishnets, fuck-me-pumps, and a trenchcoat?” I quipped. “I’m lucky I didn’t get picked up standing there waiting for you.”

“You’re too classy to look like a hooker.”

“I’m just unclassy enough to get invited in by the bouncer.”

“Oh really?” he asked, staring at the road, both hands on the wheel.

“Really. He even called me sweetheart.”

“I bet he says that to all the hookers.”

I laughed, the sound filling the car. His hands tightened on the wheel as he shot a quick glance to the right. I tried not to be obvious as I shifted in my seat, I was nearly as uncomfortable as him and no amount of crossing and uncrossing my legs was helping. The added friction of the motion was actually making it worse, but I was struggling with sitting still.

“Do you want me to not talk so you can concentrate?” I asked, my voice growing quiet. I looked away from him, muttering towards the window, “This was a bad idea.”

“This was the best idea you’ve ever had. It’s just that I haven’t seen much of you in weeks and…” he trailed off. “Just distract me from the obvious. Tell me about tonight.”

“It was terrible. As I’d suspected it would be. It basically happened in the way I predicted.”

I went on to tell him about Charlie’s interest in the tall man with brown hair at the table who wasn’t Sebastian. Sidney knew the restaurant that I’d described, telling me that he and Max Talbot had been on a double-date there years earlier. It turned out that the miniature sloppy-joes that I’d so vehemently avoided were quite good.

“How’d you get out of wallowing with Sebastian over the whole thing?” he asked as he pulled out onto the road that would get us to Sewickley as quickly as possible. His knuckles were still white, his hands wrapped tight around the wheel, keeping them from wandering.

“He was prepared for it.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I was. It was a very grown up move. Not really like him.”

“I’m sure a lot has changed since he moved here.”

“No, this wasn’t the first time we’ve done this here. It was just different. He said it was because he knew that I’d want to be with you on my favorite holiday.”

“We’ve got a couple of hours left of it.”

“And we are in costume.”

He smiled in the darkness. “We certainly are. And I must say, I wasn’t expecting it.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Color me surprised.”

He didn’t chance another glance towards me as the house finally came into view. The drive had felt excruciatingly long, and I knew that the time from the car to the guest house was bound to be worse. Mario and Nathalie were home with their family, the porch light off now that the kids were all supposed to be home and coming down from their sugar highs; it was a weeknight after all. We certainly couldn’t lose all semblance of self-control in the yard, our luck we’d set off a motion activated light and someone would have to come check the premises. The last thing I wanted was for anyone but Sidney to see me in my cheesy and terribly classless referee costume.

I certainly didn’t want Mario to see it; I was finally getting comfortable around them and being so close to their home, in the yard technically. I didn’t want to ruin that. I’d been down that awkward path with Sid’s father and didn’t want to walk that line again.

“Take your shoes off,” Sidney directed as we got out of the car.

“What?”

“This isn’t the time for some slow walk up to the house. Take your shoes off and give them to me. I’m right behind you.”

“Why the rush?” I teased as I handed him the shoes.

I was stuck between him and the side of the car before I could react. His body pressed against mine. He pulled the mask off of his face, his eyes boring into mine. “You know damn well why.”

His voice was low, gravelly. The sound sent a chill down my spine as my knees threatened to give out on me. I’d missed that sound, it was all a part of my big plan, to get him all worked up. I’d assumed that there’d be plenty of it in November; I knew how Sidney was feeling, the frustration going through him every day. But I wanted to be the aggressor for once.

I was failing.

His eyes and the husk of his voice made it nearly impossible not to start pulling off articles of clothing where I stood.

“Go,” he commanded again.

I followed his directive, knowing that he was right behind me with the key to the guest house. I felt just how much of an effect the costume and my slight teasing had on him as he pushed up against me, unlocking the door around my frame.

We didn’t make it far, not even to a comfortable piece of furniture.

Neither of us cared.

It wasn’t quite November, but I was all his.

“What kind of penalties do I have to worry about?” he breathed as he hovered above me, stripped to the waist.

I ran my fingernails across his abdomen, the carpet rough beneath me, the costume not giving much protection from the floor or the heat emanating from the man kneeling over me.

“I’m pretty lenient,” I murmured as his lips crashed into mine. I allowed my lips to part, not wanting to deny him anything in that moment.

He pulled away, having thoroughly searched my mouth. He spoke low and slow, his lips inches from my ear, “Not even roughing?”

I shook my head. “That’s my favorite kind.”

He let out a slight groan, a combination of a sigh and growl that seemed to get caught in his throat. “You’re sure about that?”

“I am.”

“That’s brave,” he warned.

“I’m up for it.”

“So am I.”