Beneath You're Beautiful

**Nadia**

I wake up at 7 as usual. Since I was ten, I always wake up at 7 when I didn’t have to use alarm clock. It’s a strange habit. But as a child I used to have an alarm clock at 7 am and as went time I learnt to woke at that hour without alarm clock. It may be strange but it’s really practical.

I lay there for a few minutes but then I remember day I have ahead of me. Today will be a great day. Well that’s what I hope for. Yesterday I gave a promise to Evgeni that I’ll come. Anyways I need is hot long shower to start my day. I stagger off the bed and go straight to the bathroom while I yawn on my way there.

I get out of my PJ and coldness immediately hits my skin. I start the shower and go under water to get off the cold I feel. It takes a minute but after I felt my body completely relax under hot water I start to realize what day will be today. I should stop thinking about it. What may happen after all? I just can be hit by puck or even better by stick. All bad scenarios run through my head and my heart begins to beat faster every second I think about it. Alright Nadia, you better stop thinking about such a stupid ideas. Start thinking about clothes! What? I love clothes, one of the reasons why I become a model.

I go out and take a towel around my body. I brush my teeth and comb my hair. As I walked out of bathroom I went to my closet to find the right clothes for the todays training and for the later interview.

So I decided to wear black skinny jeans with semi long sleeve t-shirt and black leather jacket and to make it comfortable with myself I take a flag scarf and put it around my neck. For an interview I chose mini white dress with cut out at the sides and take my pink Christian Louboutin high heels.

When I dress myself I go to the room where Iľja is far asleep. This sight is nothing new for me. The best advice; do not ever wake them up! And if you do, run away as fast as you can so they wouldn’t know it were you. All my brothers love to sleep and hate anybody who wakes them up. I’m on contrary only one in our family who is morning person so ‘cause of it my dad calls me morning birdie and also because when he wakes up he always find me in the kitchen singing with radio on and preparing breakfast.

But back to Iľja! He is lying on his belly on the bed, only his lower part of body is covered with sheets while his back is shown off. Iľja is a man for woman’s eyes like I heard from some ladies. I can’t truly disagree with them. Even now he is showing off his strong muscled back. Well, but what would those ladies say about his snoring and drooling? Yeah, this is my older brother and I’m so proud of him.

For a minute I thought about to let him sleep but suddenly my stomach starts to make crazy noises so I decide otherwise and wake my big snoring and drooling brother up so he can get ready and feed me.

“Iľja, wake up. I’m hungry.” I whispered in his ear.

It’s one of his habits. Well if I can call it like that. He always wakes up when somebody is whispering. Weird I know but what can I do. You can shout, you can yell, you can bang with a pan and he would sleep like a stone but when you whisper he will wake up.

Funny, isn’t it?

Iľja groaned but never opened his eyes but I can easily say he is awake and that because of his hands which are touching my face. When they find my nose they are tugging at it what may mean that he is trying to be funny. When he finally gives up his small joke, he starts to wake up.

“What time is it?” his voice sill sleepy. “7:30 so wake up sleepy head.” He groaned again but sits down this time. His eyes are still closed and he mumbles something which I don’t wholly understand. I just caught words like so early and hell sister. I fight against my chuckle to not let him know I heard few words he said.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing, nothing baby girl.”

“That’s what I thought.” I start laughing and leave him alone. Yeah I should know better what he mumbled under his nose. I sit on the couch and switch the TV on while I was waiting for him to get ready. I watch some morning show which I assumed might be funny but I saw better when Iľja comes from his room and sits beside me.

“Shall we go or you want to watch it.”

My stomach wins over when it growled. Iľja laughed when he heard that and stands up and goes straight to the entrance where he waited for me. So now we are heading to the restaurant for a breakfast.

Iľja found a little place, very cozy, from his prior visiting Pittsburgh. When we enter the small restaurant nice scent of coffee and fresh food fill my nose. The place isn’t crowded and I was thankful for that. It looks really nice, sunny. The walls are white with yellow lights and yellow chairs. On the one wall is painted green tree and makes the room even cozier.

I looked around and admire this place. None of nosy photographers. Just one or two fans that I can see from the door how are whispering and pointing at me. Briefly, I smiled at them and wave towards them. They smiled at me and start whispering to each other again. How this little gesture can make my day.

Together with Iľja, we sit beside one table nearest the window and wait for our waitress. When she came I notice her ogling on my brother. I mentally laughed at this view in front of me. What a shame for that waitress that Iľja has no interest in her since he has his fiancé.

To make Iľja’s life a little easier I order some croissants and toast with tea and coffee our typical breakfast in restaurants. Neither of us eats a lot in the morning especially early in the morning.

When our food come, not even mentioning that ogling waitress who sneakily gives Iľja her phone number, we start eating and make a small talk. If I can calls it talking. Actually I am joking about him and that ogling creature behind bar, but he just waved his hand in the air and rolled his eyes, so we carry on the conversation. We always do that. Eat and talk.

Our mom taught us this routine. Morning was our time to be together as a family before children go to school and father to the work. Sometimes we had dinner on this style but dad often came home late or took mom to one of his dinner meeting so the whole ‘family dinner’ stayed on me.

“There will be an interview after training so be prepare for that, OK, baby girl?” Iľja informed me like it is totally new information especially that he told me that since yesterday for a five times. We were eating last piece of our food and drinking last drops of our drinks when Iľja starts this topic. He’s a good manager, sometimes pretty slow, but not often. He asks me what I want and knows exactly what’s important and what’s not, but mostly he knows my priorities.

“Yeah, of course, don’t worry I remember. I have my outfit sent there already if you forgot…” which I did when we were leaving the lobby. He was standing there asking me what I was doing and he still cannot remember.

“…how long the training will last?” I asked suddenly realize I didn’t know if I get on time to the interview.

“I don’t know but it doesn’t matter. You won’t be with team all the time only a few minutes….” I frown at him and look at him like are-you-serious-right-now?

“Why?” Alright I understand that I can’t stand the whole training but why only few minutes? It’s not like I never had training with hockey players before. What? Every boy in Russia dreamed to become a hockey player and my brothers weren’t exceptions. When I had time I used to go at their training and when I was in mood and trainer agreed I joined them. And I remember I did half of their training.

“Do not look at me like that. Baby girl, you are a half smaller, half thinner and all hot tempered than they are.” Pfft! Hot tempered? I am not hot temper. I was ready to disagree but he Iľja was faster.

“I don’t let anybody hurt you because of your competitive temperament. So only few minutes, understand?”

I nod but refuse to look at him. I must bite my tongue not to let him remember that it wasn’t the first time, but as I know Iľja he would tell me that it’s different. I scowl but fight as hard as I could.

“Don’t you dare to be huffy! Everybody would agree with me.” of course they would agree with you. It was their idea after all.
“I don’t say a word!” I said between gritted teeth. ‘But I think!’ Of course, I didn’t tell it aloud. He would kill me if I did.

We pay our bill and go back to our hotel to take everything we needed from the hotel to visit CONSOL again. Twenty minutes later we’ve already sat in a cab. Iľja is speaking with a driver about something what I don’t want to know so I’m not listening but I think it’s about politics so I rolled my eyes and right now is looking out of the window feeling pretty excited like a little girl for the first day in a school.

I told myself back at hotel that today I’d show Mr. Crosby who I
am so he won’t have any cue to act like yesterday. If he wants to hate me (my brother thinks opposite), he can do that with a reason. I think I will ask Evgeni what to do, nevertheless he knows Sidney better than I or Iľja do.

**SID**

Today when I came to the training, first who I met was Geno. From a far where I stand I could see that he is pretty excited and I think I know why.

Today might come Nadia again and everybody was so eagle to meet her but me. Even if I met her yesterday and my feeling that she is brat is lost but voice in my head is still there and I can’t help it but think of her as brat she is but nobody sees it because of her beauty. The worst of all is that she knows this fact about herself and pretending to be some crystal clear doll. I can’t stand girls like that.

“Hey Geno, what’s up?” When he saw me his mood suddenly changed. He looks like he wants to yell at me and I don’t wonder why. After all I offend his crush.

“Why you not like Nadia?”

He asks a question which confused me. She may be brat but I decided yesterday that I’d give her chance to show me otherwise even if she will continue with her act. But there is a little problem which I got to know yesterday. So Evgeni question is not totally true. It’s not like I don’t like her, it’s just I couldn’t speak with her even if I wanted to.

So here we go. I, Sidney Crosby, can’t speak with that girl. I wanted, I really did and so much but when she started to talk I just can’t do it. As I said earlier everybody was captured by her beauty but I never said that I wasn’t. It’s pretty hard not to be when she smiled at you and showed her pearly white teeth.
Maybe that’s why that feeling vanished. She looked so beautiful that I didn’t know what to say to her. Every word, which I wanted to tell, sucked in my throat.

“I do like her, Geno.” He narrowed his eyebrows at me. He looked surprised; well that’s what I am as well, to be honest. What can I say? I was surprise at what I said. ‘Since when do you like her?’ I asked myself a millionth time in my head when Geno speak out.

“Why you not say word when she here?”

It is a good question. Why I was so frozen around her? I have to change it. Today I’m going to talk with her. I hope that guy, Iľja, won’t be with her. I don’t know what she sees in him. Yeah he is her manager, but the way he looks at her is more than professional relationship. What am I thinking? It’s not like I care.
So why am I jealous?

“I’ll talk with Nadia today, if it makes you happy.” I state to assure Evgeni that I’m a ‘good guy’. He doesn’t look convinced at all but let it be and goes to the locker room. In the locker room I meet few guys, but one catches my attention.

Of course he is here. As a manager he has to be here but still. I grunted only to see that I amuse my teammates who are standing next to me. I look around the room to find a person I planned to apologize. Disappointment washed over my face when I couldn’t find her.

“She’s already in the rink.”

Iľja has to notice that I search for her. He comes towards me and claps me on the shoulder. ‘What he thinks he is doing? ‘Like we are buddies!’ I thought angrily and slapped his hand away from me. He just chuckled and moved from behind me to next to me. What’s wrong with him? Is he enjoying making me furry because that’s what he’s doing right now?

“Don’t be an asshole around her. She didn’t do anything bad so be nice. I know you want to talk with her, so do not pretend something else.” He claps my shoulder again and walks away. OK, maybe I am wrong. Maybe is Iľja only friend and nothing more.

But again why I even care?

Jordan suddenly appears in the door all sweating and panting with his gear and skates already on. After a few long breaths he shouted to the whole locker “She is doing figure skating like right now!!” and he was gone again like he came only this time he totally surprised all of us in the room. We just sat there staring at each other and on some unspoken clue all of us ran behind Jordan who has vanished back to rink a second ago.

All of us stop at the place totally frozen; we could hear some song in background which Geno knows because he sings along. My jaw drops again. How this girl manage to do so. That was the second time I’ve ever did it and even the first time was for her when I first saw her. But here she is jumping on the ice like she did it on a daily routine. As I look around I saw that she did that not only to me but to my all team. Even trainer is standing there with his mouth hangs open.

Like Nadia knew what she manage to do to me and I could bravely said to my team as well she suddenly stops and looks towards where we all stood and smiled.

“Chto ty ne mozhet sdelat'?” Geno said beside me only to get a slapped over his head. “English!” Jordan shouts to Geno’s ear. Jordan made a promise to Malkin that he’d make him stop speaking Russian and he was quite successful till Nadia’s coming.
“What can’t you do?” Iľja translates to us what Geno said. Well, I think so.

“Are you jealous, Evgeni?” Nadia shouts from the rink.

“Why?” Nadia giggles. Oh boy, how beautiful that sounds.

“I don’t know; maybe because you can’t do this!” she said and made an axel. Simple axel but still good to a girl who is just a model.

“I can!” Malkin pouted and she starts laughing. Malkin makes his way to the rink to her while she was standing there with her hand on her hip, waiting what will Evgeni do. But I don’t think she could imagine what he has in his mind, otherwise she would skate away as fast as she could.

Evgeni finally comes to her and when she is in each of his hands he quickly grabbed her and lifts her as she let out a small scream mix with laugh. After Malkin’s little show with Nadia, we afford her skating with us, which she gladly accepted.

We make some shoots and Nadia even knock Fleury down. She won 7 to 4 and now is laughing at Flower because he claims that he let her win but nobody believes him. Marc glared at our group, letting us know that he’s upset. Well he tried to be upset or better say he tried to pretend to be upset but fail miserably when he starts laughing. Nadia had fun and so we had until her manager comes and makes it stopped.

“Go get ready for your interview, Nadia. Now!”
Iľja comes down to the bench and waits for her to skates towards him what she did with low swearing which nobody but me hears as she skates besides me so I let out a chuckle. Max heard me and look at me with confuse look but I just shrugged.

“Don’t you dare to be offended! Again!” Iľja yelled at her and I could easily say that that annoyed her. “I did nothing, did I, dear brother?” Brother? She told brother? What the …? How can they be siblings? They aren’t resembled. It was then when I realize I am happy that Iľja is her brother and not only her manager.

“You don’t have to, but I know what you are thinking.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know!” she mumbles and leaves to the locker room to change, I assumed.

We practice a little more when coach called us to him. He speaks about our game, what we should improve and what we should train more when something caught my attention at the corner of my eye. I lift my head from the papers which coach was holding to the spot where that distraction came from.

Then it hit me like a stone to a head and finally even that voice which thought of Nadia as a brat disappeared. There she is. She came from the locker room and headed towards the rink looking like an angel.

“… and Sidney will shoot, right Sid?”

‘What?’ I didn’t hear a word what coach say. I don’t even try to gaze at my team as I’m still looking at the most beautiful creature in the world and I can’t take my eyes of her. Even when coach called my name.

“Oh I know where he is looking at.” I risk a glance back at my teammates and notice that everybody’s eyes are on her.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Nadia snapped and blushed.
She blushed! Oh my… is she blushing? And here I thought she can’t get more perfect, she starts blushing. Why is she so perfect? It’s started to be more and more uncomfortable for me to be on her bad side.

“I mean it! You are looking at me like at meat you want to eat.”
Everybody starts laughing and now I was one hundred per cent sure that I have to make it for her. Iľja was right. I was an asshole and I have to apologize. Doesn’t matter what it takes I have to try.
I come off the ice and walk towards her getting weird looks by my team and coach but I ignored it. All I think of is that beautiful creature in front of me who probably hates me by now. As I stand in front of her I remember why I couldn’t speak with her yesterday. She makes me so nervous. I stand there like a statue only to have her looking at me weirdly. As I cleared my throat I tried to make at least one normal sounding sentence but end up as an idiot.

“Uh… I…I want to say sorry for yesterday… I don’t know why I acted like I did… I…” Her laughs make me stop. Uh thank God she isn’t angry. But as I think more about it I started to be nervous again, not knowing why she was laughing. She has to think I’m a douche. Or maybe she’s happy I’m talking to her. No, she must think I’m a douche.

“Hi I’m Nadia, nice to meet you.” I look at her confused as she interrupts my intern battle but then I got it what she wants from me and it makes me smile. She wants to start at beginning. Well if I can call it beginning since I didn’t introduced myself yesterday.

“I’m Sidney and it’s nice to meet you too.” She smiles at me with that perfect smile, which every man wants to see and the first time I see her amazingly stunning green eyes so close, I know that I start falling hard for her even if I’ve seen her only for the second time.