Cinematic Confessions

Corey had immediately gone to Autumn's apartment when he got back from his road trip. It had been pretty late, and she had tried to stay awake until he got there, knowing he was coming over, but she had unintentionally fallen asleep. So, Corey had climbed in bed with her when he finally arrived, and held her close as he fell asleep.

The two of them woke up in the same position, only Autumn had turned over so she was now facing Corey. Her eyes fluttered open as he kissed the top of her head. "Hey," she said, her voice still filled with sleep. "How was your trip back?"

"It was good, but I'm glad to be here now," he told her. They had ended the road trip on a good note, getting a 1-0 win over Edmonton the night before.

Autumn smiled. "I'm glad you're back, too," she said, leaning her head forward and kissing his chest.

Corey kept his arms around her, sliding his hands underneath his t-shirt that she was wearing, and rubbing her lower back softly. "You excited for tomorrow night?" he asked her, and she buried her face in his chest as way of answer. "You know it's going to be fine, right? You're worried about this for nothing," he told her.

"I know," she sighed. "I just…I don’t know how to explain it. I guess I just don't want to go there and have people talk and then you start wondering why you're dating me or something," she mumbled.

Corey started laughing loudly, and she glared at him. "I'm sorry, baby, but that's just ridiculous. I love you," he told her, looking directly into her eyes so that she understood he meant his words. "I'm not going to wonder why I'm dating you. I know why I'm dating you. I love you," he repeated. Autumn gave him a small smile, but didn't say anything. "Hopefully we're at a good table," he commented.

Autumn hoped the same thing. While she was friends with Brianna and Abby and a few other wives and girlfriends on the team, there were several other WAGs that she simply didn't get along with because they just didn't give her the time of day. Sometimes she felt as if she was back in high school and not in the "in crowd". "Yeah, me too," she told him.

"We've got practice in the afternoon, but I'll pick you up around six so we can get over there," he stated.

She nodded her head. "Sounds like a plan. What time do you practice today?" she asked him.

"Two," he said. They had gotten back in the middle of the night so Coach Quenneville had made practice an afternoon one instead of in the morning. "So, I've got a few more hours with you still," he added. He planned on spending a lot of time with her in this stretch of home games they had. He still had to come up with something to make up for screwing up on the road trip, but he hadn't thought of the perfect thing just yet. Hopefully, she just appreciated spending time with him for the time being.

"Good," she replied. "You think we can spend the night at your place tonight?" she asked him.

He looked down at her and nodded his head. "Yeah, whatever you want."

"Your bed is bigger and more comfortable," she explained, referring to his large, king size bed at his condo.

"You know you're more than welcome to stay there whenever you want. Even when I'm on the road," he told her. She had a key to his place, so he wouldn't have cared if she wanted to stay there when he was away. If he thought she'd be up for it, he'd just ask her to move in with him. But, he knew she would think that was moving too fast so he kept that suggestion to himself for now.

She nodded her head. "I know, but I like it better when you're there. I work til ten tonight, but I'll come by afterwards, okay?" she told him. He nodded his head as he moved his fingertips up so they were running through her hair, just enjoying their time together.



Autumn had never been more nervous for a function in her life. She had been to several formals before, always excited to get all dressed up and go out and have a good time. But, she was downright scared to go out to the Blackhawks charity dinner that night.

She had asked Katherine to come over and help her get ready before Corey got there. She had helped Autumn curl her hair and get all settled in her dress and shoes they had bought a few days ago. "Are you sure I look okay?" Autumn asked for the third time, as she cocked her head to the left, looking in the mirror at herself. She was still self-conscious about her pregnant belly, and she placed her hand on it as she turned sideways.

"Autumn! Stop it! You're gorgeous!" Katherine insisted. "Corey isn't going to know what to do with himself!"

Autumn gave her a smile. "Thanks, Kat," she told her as she went to the bathroom to finish up her makeup.

It was just before six when she heard her front door open, and she knew Corey was there to pick her up. "Autumn?" he called out.

"In here," she yelled back, and seconds later, Corey appeared in the bedroom doorway.

"She's being totally ridiculous and staring at herself in the mirror to make sure she looks okay," Katherine told him with her arms crossed over her chest. "She looks great," she said, walking into the bathroom and grabbing Autumn by the arm, dragging her out into the bedroom. "But, why don't you tell her what you think?"

Corey stood there with his mouth slightly ajar as he looked Autumn over. Her hair was curled slightly, just like it had been the first time he had met her in Starbucks. Her makeup wasn't showy, but definitely accentuated her eyes. His eyes travelled down her body to her dress, which to Corey, looked absolutely perfect on her. A smile spread across his face. "You look beautiful," he told her, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you," Autumn said when he moved back.

"You two have fun tonight!" Katherine told them as the three of them made their way out to the living room. "I can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow," she added to Autumn before she and Corey made their way out to his vehicle.

Corey could tell Autumn was nervous the entire drive. He reached over and held her hand to try to calm her down. He knew the stress wasn’t good for her or the baby, and he really didn’t want this event to be the cause of it all. “Autumn, babe, it’s going to be fine,” he told her for what felt like the fiftieth time that night.

She nodded her head. “I know,” she said softly, but he knew she wasn’t convinced. They spent the rest of the drive in companionable silence before finally making it to the venue at about 6:45. He got out of the car for the valet and went around to the other side of the car to meet Autumn.

He held her hand as he placed a kiss right behind her ear, whispering, “You look beautiful.” That brought a smile to her face as they walked inside, and Corey hoped she calmed down at least a little bit.

He was immediately greeted by a couple of his teammates, but he kept his hand on Autumn’s back to keep her included. She smiled politely, but didn’t really contribute to their conversation. She was happy when Abby Sharp came up from behind her, pulling her away for a minute. “You look stunning!” she complimented, looking Autumn’s dress up and down.

“You look amazing,” Autumn responded, taking in Abby’s gorgeous black and white dress.

“Have you looked to see where you’re sitting? Patrick and I are at table twelve,” she told her.
Autumn shook her head. “Corey and I haven’t even looked yet,” she said.

“Come on, we’ll go take a look,” Abby replied, ushering Autumn away from Corey, who patted him on the back to let him know she was going with Abby and would be back in a moment. They went around the tables, looking for Corey and Autumn’s names on placetags, and Abby was the first one to spot them. “Oh, you’re right behind us!” she exclaimed, pointing out their names and then turning around to the round table right behind that one and showing Autumn hers and Patrick’s names. “Bri and Seabs are next to us. Who are you next to?” she asked, moving around Autumn’s table to see.

Autumn followed her, seeing that she and Corey were sandwiched between Duncan Keith and his wife and Andrew Shaw and his girlfriend, Vanessa, who Autumn had met at a game earlier in the year and didn’t exactly get along with. “Duncs and Kelly will be fun,” Abby told her. “Just ignore Vanessa,” she added, knowing that Vanessa wasn’t the most pleasant human being on the planet.

Autumn smiled. “Thanks,” she told her. “I think I’m going to go and try to find Corey,” she said, and Abby nodded her head, heading off to find her own husband who she had separated from after he got pulled away right after they had first arrived.

Autumn found Corey easily and he smiled at her as she walked up to him and the group of people that surrounded him. He slid his arm around her and welcomed her into the circle, most of whom she recognized. Brent and Brianna had found their way there, and Autumn knew Kris Versteeg and his fiancée, though she’d never formally been introduced to her. But, she had heard nothing but good things about Brittany.

“Look at you!” Brianna exclaimed as she saw Autumn.

“Me? Look at you!” Autumn replied. “You look amazing, especially for having a baby just a couple weeks ago!” It was true, Brianna looked exceptional, and she doubted anyone could tell she just had Ryan just a short while ago.

Brianna leaned over, lowering her voice. “Gotta love Spanx,” she laughed, and both Autumn and Brittany joined in. They continued with the small talk until it got time for the banquet to begin and they all sat down at their tables.

Brittany and Kris completed Autumn's table of eight, and Autumn settled in between Corey on one side of her and Vanessa sat on her other side. Autumn looked down at her plate as the waiters began coming around and serving their first course of salad. She really didn't want to talk to Vanessa, but she knew it was inevitable.

As soon as the salad was served, Vanessa turned her head to look at Autumn. "Well you're pregnancy is coming right along, isn't it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Autumn's belly.

Autumn grew self-conscious, putting her arms over her stomach. "Yeah," she mumbled, nodding her head.

"So you and Corey have been together for how long? Is he, like, just going to be instant daddy when it's born?" she questioned, nodding her head in Corey's direction. Autumn turned to see if Corey had heard, but he was deep in conversation with Kelly and Duncan and wasn't paying any attention to Autumn or Vanessa.

"Uh, no," Autumn shook her head. "It's not my baby. I'm carrying it for my best friend and her husband," she explained. She wasn't sure how Vanessa could be so out of the loop about this. Every one of Corey's teammates knew the back story of Autumn's pregnancy, so she assumed Vanessa would know it as well.

"Oh," Vanessa scoffed. "Well that seems complicated. I'm surprised Crow would even get involved in that mess. Good for him for being a part of a soap opera storyline," she laughed at her own joke, while Autumn squirmed in her seat. She really wanted this conversation to end. She looked on the other side of Vanessa to see Shaw laughing at something Brittany had said, and she really wished she was in on their conversation instead. "We'll see how long he lasts," Vanessa muttered.

"Excuse me?" Autumn questioned, raising an eyebrow at Vanessa.

"Sorry," Vanessa said, putting a hand on Autumn's forearm, but Autumn moved, letting Vanessa's hand drop. "It's just, Crow's a good guy, I'm sure he's just sticking with you because he's not going to be the type of guy to ditch a pregnant girl. I'm just wondering how long he'll stick around after that thing is gone."

Autumn stared at her in disbelief. Who did this woman think she was? She thought about arguing with her, but she didn't want to make a scene at the benefit dinner. This was about Corey and the Blackhawks, and she didn't need to make a scene in the middle of it. So, she just sat back in her seat and put her fork down, barely touching her salad.

Corey had finished whatever he was saying to Duncan and Kelly and he turned his head to looking at Autumn. He leaned over, putting his hand on her thigh. "You not feeling good?" he whispered in her ear.

"Huh?" she asked him.

He motioned towards the salad plate that was barely picked at. "You didn't really eat. You sick?"

Autumn threw a smile on her face. "I'm fine," she told him as he rubbed her leg with the pad of his thumb. Kelly started a conversation with her then, and she tried to forget about Vanessa and the words she had said to her.

They made it through the meal with no more one-on-one talks between Vanessa and Autumn, though Vanessa would make off-handed comments occasionally throughout the dinner. Music started playing and a couple of people made their way out to the makeshift dance floor.

"C'mon, Dunc!" Kelly tried to persuade her husband to go out there with her. "Please!"

Duncan shook his head. "I am not making an ass of myself out there," he said.

"Yeah, you do that too much in the locker room," Shaw joked.

"Don't worry, Kelly, Corey doesn't dance either," Autumn told her. She remembered several weeks ago trying to get Corey to dance with her in the kitchen, and he adamantly refused, telling her that's one thing he doesn't do.

Corey glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before realizing this was his chance to make a big gesture and try to make up for what had happened on the last road trip. Without a word, he stood up, holding his hand out for Autumn. She looked up at him, confused. "Autumn, will you dance with me?" he asked her.

She continued to stare at him in disbelief for a few more moments. She looked at Kelly, who was beaming, and looked a little jealous that she wasn't the one being asked to dance, but was excited for Autumn. "Yes," Autumn finally said, taking Corey's hand and standing up.

He led her out to the dance floor, joining the few other couples that were out there. He knew as soon as he walked out there that everyone's eyes would be on him, but he tried to not let that phase him. He knew this would make Autumn happy, and she deserved that. He pulled her close to him as they danced to the semi-fast song easily. He wasn't the best dancer, but he wasn't making a total fool of himself.

He could hear people yelling and whistling at him, and he shook his head, laughing. Autumn had a big smile on her face as she danced with him. Soon, the song turned slower, and he put his hands on her lower back, pulling her close to them as they began swaying to the music. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," he spoke into her ear.

She smiled up at him. "You're welcome," she told him.

"I hope you're having a good time," he added. He knew she had been hesitant to come in the beginning.

"It's getting better," she paused. He looked at her curiously, realizing she had more to say. "You missed the little conversation Vanessa and I had at dinner," she revealed.

"What happened?" Corey asked her, suddenly becoming protective of her. He and a bunch of other guys on the team had tried to tell Andrew that Vanessa wasn't good for him. She didn't seem to be the right type of girl for him, and if she said something to Autumn to hurt her, Corey would want to hurt her right back.

Autumn shook her head. "It's nothing," she tried shoving it off.

"Autumn," Corey said, looking in her eyes. He wasn't going to just let this go.

"She just said something about if you were going to stick around after the baby is born," she tried playing it off like it was nothing, but Corey could tell that Vanessa's words stung.

Corey stopped dancing, but Autumn squeezed his shoulder, forcing him to move once again. She didn't want anyone to think something was going on. "You know that's not true, right?" he said seriously. "I'm not leaving you. Ever."

Autumn smiled at him, knowing he was speaking from his heart. "I know," she told him.

"Do you?"

Autumn nodded her head. "Yes, Corey, I know that."

"Good," he told her, leaning down and giving her a big kiss, forgetting they were in front of a crowd of people.

Just as he was pulling away, he heard Brent from behind him call out, "Get a room, why don't ya?"

Corey rolled his eyes at his teammate as he chuckled. "I'll kiss my woman if I want to," he retorted with a joke, looking down at Autumn and smiling. "Is it time for us to get out of here yet?" he asked her hopefully.

Autumn shook her head. "Not yet, big guy. You owe me a few more dances yet." Corey dropped his head, knowing she was right. This was his way of making everything up to her, and she was going to get her fair payment.