Changes

Throughout the rest of the week, Pat and I basically kept to ourselves, communicating occasionally over text. He spent most of the week basking in the triumph of the Cup and celebrating with his teammates—which consisted of several drunken nights, even more hung-over mornings, and countless doses of Advil.

I, on the other hand, opted out of the celebrations—in spite of Pat’s constant pleading—and spent a lot of my time with Grant. Together, we ventured out on long walks, lunch dates, and the casual hangout. But mostly, he made the transition into this new city much smoother and simpler, helping me become acquainted. Additionally, I had befriended the barista, Livvy, from the coffee shop. She was a sweet girl who had just finished classes at Loyola and was looking for a way to start her career.

However, Friday had finally arrived, which meant it was time to ditch Grant and finally give in to Pat’s pleads to join him at the Stanley Cup Parade.

The parade itself went by incredibly fast. But, even so, there seemed to be myriad amusing moments—including slurred speeches from some of the Blackhawks, chugs from the Cup, the Kaner-shuffle (which was accompanied by some second-hand embarrassment), and a chanting of the famous ‘Chelsea Dagger.’ Afterward, the boys and the other passengers of the trolley buses headed out to club hop, which Pat had been blabbering about all week.

As we moved from club to club, the number of drinks I had consumed was completely forgotten and I began loosen up with some of the guys. My waist was constantly occupied by one of their heavy arms, but rather than feeling suggestive, the gesture almost always came off as friendly and welcoming. It felt as though I had completed some sort of initiation and was recognized as a part of their group. They made me feel welcomed in the foreign city.

However, no pairs of arms felt nearly as comfortable as Pat’s. After being passed around by the guys and making my rounds to different groups, I continually ended up in his arms. His large muscles engulfed my tiny frame and gave me a sense of invincibility that had not been present since I had moved from Boston, since I had run away from my disaster relationship with Eric. The simple gesture of his arm weaved around my waist restored my carefree attitude and cheery personality that had been lost for quite some time.

As my actions started to blur and my speech became slurred, I was extremely thankful for my best friend that was pressed up against my side and holding me close.

“Thanks,” I murmured in his ear when he finally took a break from shouting out whatever song was blasting throughout the club. He leaned back and looked at me, a look of confusion appearing across his features.

I gave him a blank stare, unable to formulate the right words to express my feelings, but he simply nodded and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled cheekily.

♢♢♢♢

To say that club hopping after the parade had been fun was a complete understatement. It was extremely rewarding to be able to party with my teammates and Allie. Although she had met them after Game 6, most of the guys had been too distracted with our recent victory in the Finals.

But after actually meeting her and hitting up a couple of different clubs, the team definitely approved of her—some even yelling at me for keeping her to myself all the years prior. She moved from one pair of arms to the next, making sure to leave a good impression on all of the guys, but I always made sure that she ended up next to me.

After all, I didn’t want to share her completely with my teammates—I still claimed her as mine.

“You should take her home pretty soon,” Jon leaned towards me, pointing a finger towards Allie, who was currently competing against Duncan Keith in a shots contest. After throwing a line of shots down her throat, Allie threw her hands up in the air and yelped in triumph. Duncan slammed his hands down on the small table, rocking it slightly, before throwing his head back and laughing at Allie’s attempt at a victory dance.

“Do I look like Pat when he scored the goal in 2010?” Allie proceeded to throw her hands up into the air and jump around in a circle, cheering in a very high-pitched tone and waving her arms around frantically. The group of my teammates that surrounded the table laughed loudly at my expense and nodded.

I stood up and made my way over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind and forcing her to stop making fun of me. “I think you’re done with that,” I slurred.

“Aw! Kaner’s embarrassed!” Duncan called out to our teammates, throwing back one of the shots he hadn’t gotten to take during their competition.

“Hey! Shut it!” I pushed his playfully with my arm, keeping Allie in a firm grip with my other.

Allie laughed at our exchange, her back vibrating lightly against my chest, and placed one of her small hands over mine reassuringly. We swayed slightly—a result of the alcohol coursing throughout our bodies—and listened to the small chatter of the group. After a couple of minutes, I turned my head and brushed my lips against her ear.

“We should get going,” I whispered. A simple nod was her response.

“Well, guys,” Allie interrupted the current conversation that was flowing throughout the group, “Pat seems to think it’s my bedtime, so we’re gonna head out.”

They all shouted their goodbyes over the loud music and passed Allie around for hugs. I went around a bro-hugged some of my teammates, most of whom slurred suggestive comments about Allie and me in my ear, but those were simply pushed aside. As we finished our goodbyes, my arm immediately found Allie’s waist and we made our way out of the club.

We stumbled onto the streets of Chicago, using each other as balance, and made our way down the street towards our apartments. We walked at a slow pace to enjoy the warm summer air—and also to make sure we didn’t lose our footing on the concrete sidewalk. Allie sang some song quietly under her breath and flung her arm around my shoulder, pulling me in closer.

“You’re the best,” she slurred, sending me a cheeky smile that showcased the crescent dimple on upper left cheek.

“I know,” I answered playfully, “That’s why you love me so much.” She slapped me in my shoulder, but quickly nodded her head and agreed with me.

“My go-to guy,” she said, resting her head in the crook of my neck.

We continued the short walk home in silence and stopped in front of her apartment building.

“Finally!” she exclaimed, stumbling out of my grip and towards the revolving door, “Home, sweet home!” She then proceeded to slip into the glass enclosure and take multiple trips around the door, cheering excitedly.

Since it was nearing the early hours of the morning, no staff was present in the lobby. I leaned against a nearby light post and watched her, chuckling at her childish antics. After a few minutes of entertainment, Allie stopped and ran towards me, swaying side-to-side wildly.

I placed my hands on her waist and steadied her, “Alright, Al. Let’s get upstairs.” She nodded and I grabbed her hand, walking into the empty lobby.

We entered the elevator, pressed the specific button for her floor, and giggled at nothing in particular for the entirety of the ride. A small ding sounded from the elevator as we reached her floor and we staggered out into the hallway, enveloped in each other’s arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks and my loud cackles echoed down the narrow corridor.

Ultimately, our giggles subsided when we reached her door and she handed me her keys, which I fumbled with drunkenly before finally pushing open the door with my shoulder.

We made our way into her bedroom and I guided her to the bed. I slipped into her closet, opened up one of her drawers, and snatched up a large, worn t-shirt of mine that she’d stolen from my house in Buffalo.

As I entered the room again, Allie had stripped down to her underwear and was drinking a large glass of water in the bathroom. I gulped loudly, allowing my eyes to scan her body for a few moments. It was obvious that she had been working out since I had last seen her in Buffalo; her body was more toned than it had been, making her butt appear plumper and her waist tinier.

“It’s not nice to stare, P,” she wagged a finger at me before setting down her glass and strutting over to me. She plucked the t-shirt from my hand and slipped it over her head, the hem falling just below her butt. My eyes wandered for just a second before I grabbed her hand and directed her towards the bed. I pulled back the covers and she climbed in lazily, her head landing on one of her pillows.

As I turned away from the bed and started towards the door, she grabbed my wrist in her tiny hand.

“Stay,” she stated simply, her voice quiet and her eyes closed. I merely nodded, kicked off my shoes, stripped down to my boxers, and climbed in next to her.

Immediately after my body hit the soft mattress, her body was pressed against mine with her arms wrapped around my neck and her cheek pressed against my bare chest.

“Thanks, Pat,” she said sleepily.

“For what?” I questioned, wrapping my arms around her small body and pulling her as close as possible.

“You brought back what I’d been missing since Eric,” she explained, “I hadn’t been feeling like myself, but being with you changed that. I missed you so damn much.” Her words were somewhat garbled, but her voice was completely genuine. “It made me realize just how much I need you in my life.”

I smiled down at her, “I’m glad I could help.” I placed a slow kiss to her forehead, causing her to open her eyes and look up at me. Her piercing blue eyes met mine as I pressed my forehead down on hers. I pressed a light kiss to the peak of her nose.

“I need you, too,” I broke the silence that had fallen between us, kissing her quickly on the cheek. She merely nodded her head.

“I really, really do,” I slurred, pressing a sloppy kiss right beside her lips. She nodded again and broke her eye contact with me, casting her eyes down.

After a few moments of stillness, she finally looked back up at me. “Pat,” her voice was barely audible, “Come here.” And with that, I crashed my lips onto hers and pressed my hips against hers. She quickly shoved her hands into the back of my hair and pulled me closer, deepening the intensity of the kiss.

I pushed the hem of her t-shirt up and began to rub circles on her bare hips, her skin heating up under the touch of my callused fingers. My tongue ran across the soft skin of her bottom lip before bombarding her opened mouth and exploring it. My lips thought with their own mind, moving from her mouth to her neck. I sucked and nipped at the sensitive skin, before returning my lips to hers.

She pressed her body tighter to mine and rubbed our hips together slowly. I shoved my hand up her shirt and greedily palmed her bare breast. Surprised at my unexpected action, a low groan sounded from the back of her throat, causing her lips to vibrate slightly against mine. And shortly after, another moan sounded from my own lips.

“OhmygodPat,” her hot breath bounced against my neck as she left a trail of wet kisses down my jaw line.