Sequel: Non Sequitur

Cinematic Confessions

The Cutting Edge

Autumn sat in the booth, waiting for Corey to arrive for breakfast. He had gotten in late the night before, so she wondered if he had slept in or forgot that they were supposed to meet at nine. She sipped on the orange juice that she had ordered and pulled out her Kindle to read a little more of the book Katherine had suggested to her.

A few minutes later, Corey came jogging over to the table, sitting down across from her. "Sorry, I'm late," he said, grabbing a menu to look it over. "I kinda slept through my alarm," he admitted, a sheepish smile on his face.

Autumn smiled at him. "You could've just texted me and said you weren't going to make it," she told him, putting her Kindle back in her bag as the waitress came back over to their table, and Corey ordered a coffee, not knowing what he wanted to eat yet. "You're killing me with the coffee," Autumn whined, sad that she couldn't drink some as well.

"Oh, you want my black coffee?" he grinned at her as the waitress poured him a glass, and he immediately put it to his lips, taking a big gulp. "By all means, have some," he said, holding it out to her.

"You're a jackass," she said, shaking her head.

"So I've been told before," he shrugged her insult off. "So what's new in your life? I haven't seen you in like a week," he said, having to mentally think about when he left for the road trip.

Autumn leaned her head to the side, pretending to think about it. "Well, I'm still pregnant," she said putting her hands on her stomach. "That hasn't gone away yet," she told him.

"And, you call me a jackass," he replied to which she merely gave him a big smile in response.

"Oh! There is something I wanted to talk to you about!" she suddenly remembered. Corey looked up from the menu to give her his full attention. "My dad called me yesterday," she began, and Corey became more interested.

She didn't talk about her dad too much, but she had told him a few things in the couple of months they had dated. She had grown up with her dad being the sole parent in her life, after he and her mother had divorced and her mother wanted nothing to do with their child anymore. He had supported her throughout her life, and he had tried to get her into hockey, but she didn't take to it like he had hoped. Corey was pretty sure he still lived in Ottawa where Autumn had grown up.

"He's coming to Chicago," she announced, and Corey nodded his head, though he wasn't expecting her to say that. "He says he wants to see me since I'm pregnant, even though it's with Kat's baby," she said with a laugh. "But, uh, he wants to also meet this guy that I'm dating," she added. And that was the kicker. Corey had figured that was coming.

"You want me to meet your dad?" he asked, deciding to draw this out a little. There was no way he was going to say no to her, but he figured he'd see if he could make her sweat a little bit just for his own enjoyment.

"Well, I mean, yeah, if you want to. We've been going out a couple of months, and all," she defended herself.

Corey smiled. "Sure thing, just let me know when and where," he told her.

"Well, he's coming this weekend," she said. "And I know you've got a game Friday and Sunday."

"Why, Autumn!" Corey interrupted her. "You know my schedule," he laughed. "Are you stalking me or something?" he asked with a wink as he picked up his coffee to take another sip.

She opened her mouth to respond when the waitress came back to take their orders, saving her. As soon as the waitress walked away-but not before giving Corey a nice big flirting smile-Autumn looked at Corey. "So what if I know your schedule?" she asked him. "It's kinda up on the internet, as is everything about you," she said with a chuckle.

Corey closed his eyes, shaking his head, just imaging what all Autumn had found out about him on the internet. It was one of the bad things about being a sports figure, everything he did was up online, from every embarrassing picture to every stupid thing he'd ever said, including his drunken rant at the Stanley Cup parade last year. "Yeah? What'd you find?" he asked hesitantly, opening his eyes to see her laughing.

"Oh, a lot of things," she told him. "But, we've all done stupid things, just not all of us normal people end up with their stupid moments on the internet. I know I've got my share of past moments I wish I could take back, so I won't give you a hard time for yours," she told him.

Corey wasn't expecting that. He was expecting tons of teasing, at least that's what his teammates would and had done to him. "Yeah? What have you done in the past that you wish you could take back?" he asked her, cocking an eyebrow up.

"Like I'd tell you!" she laughed.

"Hey! That's not fair! You know all about me!" he argued.

"Yeah, like when you're drunk, you are completely inappropriate in public," she winked at him. "But, don't worry, I've done things way worse than that back in college," she admitted.

"Oh? Care to give me some of those stories?" he asked her. While Autumn wasn't exactly squeaky clean, he couldn't really picture her completely wasted and doing stupid things. Then again, she'd been pregnant the entire time he'd known her so he'd never seen her drink at all. It was something he was looking forward to, though, after she'd had the baby. She'd mentioned a few times how she missed being able to sit down and have a drink, though she missed her coffee a hell of a lot more.

"If you think I'm going to voluntarily give you a college story, then you're crazy," she laughed as the waitress came back. Autumn watched as she also set their check down, and she saw a phone number scribbled on it. "Well lookey there, you've got yourself a phone number, Mr. Crawford," she joked.

"She must not have noticed the pregnant woman sitting across from me," he winked at her.

Autumn laughed. "Using your pregnant girlfriend to keep girls away from you. I bet you never expected that in your lifetime," she told him.

Corey shook his head. "Can't say it's something I've thought about," he agreed as he dug into his omelet. "So your dad, should I be worried about him?" Autumn was quiet, and Corey looked up at her to see she was looking down at her plate. "Autumn?" he prompted.

"He likes you right now from everything I've told him about you," she finally said.

Corey looked at her, puzzled. Something was off. She wasn't telling him something, but he didn't know what exactly. "Autumn, what aren't you telling me?" he asked her straightforward.

She shook her head. "Nothing," she told him. "You'll meet him on Saturday. We can go out to dinner or something," she said, moving the conversation along. Corey continued to stare at her, wondering if she had another confession. He thought they had gotten past all their secrets with him being on the Blackhawks and her being pregnant, but something was telling him that he was in for a ride when he met her father. But, she didn't seem to want to talk about it right now, and he wasn't going to push her. The last thing he needed was a crying pregnant lady out in public.

"Yeah, whatever you want to do," he said, as they continued eating their breakfast. He talked about his road trip, and Autumn talked about going shopping with Katherine and Cade, who were going overboard with all the things they were buying for the baby, but she knew they were doing it because they were so excited.

When they were finished, he walked out with her, his arm around her, as he threw the receipt that had the waitress's name and number on it in the trash. "You sure you don't want to keep that just in case?" Autumn joked as she looked up at him.

"I think I'm good with my current relationship," he told her, leaning down to give her a kiss.

When they pulled apart, Autumn said, "You better watch out, people will start thinking you like me or something."

"I like you a little," he told her. "I mean, I am meeting your dad after all," he said.

Autumn smiled at him as she ran her hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face, though the wind blew it right back where it was. "I really appreciate you meeting him. He's been asking to meet you," she told him.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "You so owe me though," he joked.

"Whatever you want," she replied.

"Why don't we put that into action after I get out of practice today," he said, wiggling his eyebrows, and Autumn knew exactly what he was going to ask for. They'd slept together a couple of times since that first time, and every time was better than the last. Autumn definitely wasn't going to deny him if that's what he wanted.

"Meet me at my place tonight," she told him. "I get off of work at six," she added, leaning up on her tiptoes to give him another kiss before she walked back down the street towards her apartment.

●●●


Autumn was nervous for her father to meet Corey tonight, but she thought she had covered it up pretty well. Clearly she was wrong. "What are you so worried about?" Katherine asked her. She was over trying to help Autumn pick out an outfit before she went to go pick up her father and take him over to Corey's.

"You've met my dad before," Autumn said as way of answer.

Katherine nodded her head as she held out a dress for Autumn, who shook her head and pushed it away. Katherine put it back in the closet as she kept going through the clothes. It was harder to find something for Autumn to wear now since her fitted clothes didn't fit her so well now that she had the start of a baby bump. "Yeah, I have met your dad. I love your dad!" she exclaimed. Al Kinsington was one of the funniest, nicest men Katherine had ever met. He loved hockey, so she and him had always gotten along really well. All of a sudden, it dawned on Katherine. "Oh my God, you didn't tell him, did you?"

Autumn didn't even need to ask her what she was referring to. Katherine and Autumn knew each other that well. Autumn shook her head. "No, I didn't," she said quietly.

"Did you warn Corey?" Katherine asked, and again Autumn shook her head. "Oh my God! Autumn! No wonder you're nervous! You're setting yourself up for disaster!"

Autumn buried her head in the pillow on her bed. "I know!" she whined. "Can you please just go in my place? Tell them I'm sick or something," she said.

Katherine pulled her up off the bed. "Oh no, this is your dad and your boyfriend, and you're going to need to be there to put out all the fires."

"Damn me being pregnant," Autumn muttered, and Katherine looked at her curiously, wondering why she was upset about that right now. "I really could use a drink to get me through the night," she explained, and Katherine laughed.

"Oh sweetheart, you could really use an entire bottle of alcohol to get through the night, but unfortunately, you're going to have to do this completely sober," she told her. "Here," she continued, holding out a loose-fitting dress that Katherine knew her friend could fill out perfectly tonight. "Put this on and go pick up your dad. Maybe butter him up on the way to Corey's," she told her. "And for Corey's sake, don't keep any more major secrets from him," she added.

"He's either going to kill me or dump me," Autumn mumbled.

"He's going to do neither," Katherine assured her. "Just get ready and go get your dad," she told her.

Autumn did just that, though she took the long way to the hotel to pick up her dad. He got in her car, striking up a conversation about how he had been watching the Red Wings-Avalanche game on tv, and how this boyfriend of hers better live up to expectations if she was pulling him away from a beloved hockey game. Autumn rolled her eyes at her father. "I can't believe you actually chose me over a hockey game," she said with a light laugh. Her father may love hockey, but he loved his daughter more-by a hair-and she knew that.

"You said your boyfriend is into hockey, right?" he asked, and Autumn nodded her head. "Maybe he'll be watching the game then," he said hopefully.

"Maybe," Autumn mumbled under her breath as she pulled into the underground parking garage at Corey's condo.

"Fancy place he's got here," Alan noted as they stepped inside the elevator and rode up to the fourteenth floor where Corey lived.

Autumn knocked on the door, and she clasped her hands together anxiously, waiting on Corey to answer the door. A few seconds passed by, and the door swung open. "You son of a bitch," Alan muttered when he caught sight of Corey, and Autumn shut her eyes, knowing that this was just the beginning of what she was sure she she would only be able to describe as a disastrous evening.

"Excuse me?" Corey asked, looking between Autumn and her father, completely confused why her old man was calling him names.

"Corey, this is my dad, Alan. Dad, this is-"

"Fucking Corey Crawford," her father cut her off. "I know who he is. He's the reason the Wings didn't win the Cup last year," he said, staring Corey down.

"Autumn?" Corey asked, dumbfounded, as he looked over at his girlfriend, who had her head buried in her hands, completely embarrassed by her father.

"I probably should have mentioned it before. My dad is a huge Wings fan, and he hates everything about the Hawks," she confessed. Corey didn't know whether he should laugh or what. Her father hated him without even knowing him because of the team he played for. She turned to look at Alan. "Dad, please don't judge him. Everything I've told you about him, you've been telling me that I picked a good guy!" she reminded him.

"Because you didn't tell me you're dating a damn Hawk," he muttered. "And, why didn't you tell me? Because you knew I wouldn't approve? Damn right, I don't approve."

"Dad!" Autumn rolled her eyes at how ridiculous her father was being. "You don’t hate Katherine, and her brother plays for the Blackhawks," she reminded him. "You can't seriously hate Corey because he plays for the Blackhawks," she told him.

Alan looked over at his daughter, not wanting to budge on his stance. He had been a Red Wings fan since he was a little kid when his Wings-loving father introduced him to the sport. Nearly fifty years later, and he was still a die hard Wings fan. "With all due respect, sir," Corey's voice rang out, and Alan turned his attention towards the goaltender he had learned to hate during the playoffs. "My job has nothing to with me and Autumn," he said, confidence oozing in his voice.

"Dad," Autumn was practically begging him to just put aside his previous judgments of Corey and give him a chance.

"Well, if my little girl likes you, then you can't be that bad of a guy," Alan said, and Autumn breathed a sigh of relief. "So, tell me about yourself. Besides that you play for the fucking Hawks," he told him.

Autumn watched as Corey easily talked with her dad, who seemed to be opening up to Corey, much to Autumn's surprise. Corey joked with him, and then they got on the topic of hockey, and Autumn sat bored on the couch. Corey was telling her dad all about the inner workings of the playoffs, and her dad couldn't be more excited with the conversation.

"Can we please go get something to eat?" Autumn asked, interrupting their conversation. She was fairly sure that they both had forgotten she was there, as they both turned their heads towards her in surprise.

"Oh, right, that's what we're here for," Alan said with a slight chuckle.

They walked down the street to a nice restaurant that was only a block away from Corey's building, and the talk was already back on hockey. Again, Autumn was tuning out until she heard her name enter the conversation. "Tell me how a big hockey fan from Canada raises a girl who doesn't like the sport," Corey said to Alan.

"I tried to get her into hockey, trust me," Alan replied, putting his hand on Autumn's shoulder as they walked into the restaurant. The lighting was low, and Autumn wondered how Corey got reservations to a place that she was sure had a waiting list a year long. Then she remembered he was the goalie for the city's beloved hockey team, and she was wondering no longer. "But, she just didn't want to have anything to do with it. She always told me it was too boring, but then she got into basketball. Now, let me tell you, basketball is a boring sport," Alan continued.

"I couldn't believe it when she told me that she didn't like hockey," Corey laughed. "It's just unheard of, especially for a true Canadian."

Autumn turned her head to look at him. "You should probably be happy I didn't get into hockey like my dad wanted. Then, I would have been a huge Wings fan, and I wouldn't have started dating you at all," she said.

Corey thought about it for a minute before putting his arm around her and pulling her into him. She looked at her dad to see his reaction, but he seemed fine with the gesture from Corey, so she relaxed into his body a little. "Yeah, I'm glad you don't know a damn thing about hockey then," he agreed with a smile on his face.

"That's not true!" she exclaimed. "I know about hockey. I just think it's a boring sport," she said as the maître d' showed them to the table.

Corey looked over Autumn's head at Alan. "I'm still trying to get her to change her mind on that one," he told him.

"Son, if you can get her into hockey, you're a miracle worker. Just don't turn her into some big Hawks fan. I don’t think I could take that," Alan said, putting his hand over his heart.

Autumn rolled her eyes. She wouldn't mention it to her father that she was already a bigger Blackhawks fan than Red Wings fan. She knew the players and she had a connection to this team. Her father may be the biggest Wings fan out there, but her heart lied with the Blackhawks.
♠ ♠ ♠
I think my creative juices are flowing again :)
I've got an idea for a new story! We'll see if it ever makes its way to you guys!
But, in the meantime, let me know what you think :)