The Way I Loved You

“Let me get this straight,” Jason started, putting down his fork. We were currently having lunch, and as soon as we settled into our seats, I launched into a rant about my job. “You’re planning on quitting your job because your manager, whom you just met a few hours ago, is an overly tanned bitch?”

“Well, even if she wasn’t super tanned, I’d probably still leave.”

He mulled over my words, thinking of what to say next.

I haven’t known Jason for a long time, but I still considered him one of my closest friends. He was never one to beat around the bush. He’d always call me out when he sensed that something was wrong, or when I’m trying to hide something. He’s never been anything but honest with me, and that’s why I always went to him for advice.

I watched him take a sip of his drink, a completely serious look on his face. “Honestly, I think leaving this job would be great for you. You’ve never really been happy with it. It’s just a job for money. Besides, you only have a month left of school, so you’ll be able to find a good job with the career that you’ve chosen, and you’ll enjoy it a lot more.”

I nodded, taking in everything he said. It was everything I’ve been thinking, but it was different hearing it out loud and coming from someone else.

“You’ve been pretty miserable these past couple weeks, and I think that’s the sign you need. You’re turning twenty in a couple of weeks. You’ve been going to school full time since you started university and not taking your summers off. You’re supposed to be going out and partying and falling in love with a guy every six months,” he said.

“No,” I laughed. “No partying, no boys, and definitely no falling in love. But I think you’re right about everything else.”

After a moment of consideration, I whipped out my phone and called my boss. I didn’t need to think about this any more than I already have. It’s time that I finally follow through and do what I really want.

“Hi, Vicky? Its Pam,” I said, mimicking her fake voice. “I’m just calling to let you know that I won’t be able to make it to work tomorrow. Or ever, because I’m resigning, effective immediately. I’ll drop by to hand in my formal resignation letter. Bye.”

I hung up without waiting for a reply. There was nothing she could say that would make me change my mind, or even agree to come in to work tomorrow. I’ve done enough for that company, and now I’m done with them.

I looked up from my phone to see Jason regarding me with a look of pride, and a smile on his face. “I can already tell that you’re gonna have a good time at the game tonight,” he said.

I smiled, feeling relieved and excited. “I always have a good time at the games. Shame on you for thinking otherwise.”

He laughed. “Oh, well I apologize for doubting you.” He waved our server over, asking for the bill. “We better get going. I’m sure you’re going to need your pregame nap.”

“Ah! You know me so well,” I laughed.

I reached for my wallet, but Jason kicked my shin under the table.

“OW. What the fuck was that for?” I exclaimed, reaching for my injured leg.

“Don’t even think about paying,” he said in a stern voice. “You’re unemployed now. Save your money.”

I didn’t bother to argue. He was right anyways. He paid the bill, and we parted ways. I took the Sky Walk from downtown to the Exchange District where I parked my car.

Walking through the library, I saw a man walking about seven feet from me. As odd as it sounds, he looked awfully familiar from the back.

He was tall, slightly over six feet maybe. He was dressed in a suit. Charcoal grey dress pants, and a grey and purple plaid suit jacket. His dark brown hair looked perfectly tousled, and long enough for the curls at the nape of his neck to brush the collar of his shirt.

His shoulders were wide, tapering down to a narrow waist. My gaze drifted further south, which looked exquisite in his dress pants – the material deliciously stretching across his muscular thighs.

I was so busy ogling him that I didn’t realize that he stopped walking until my face ran into his shoulder.

“Ow,” I said, grabbing my nose. Damn his muscular shoulder.

“You okay?” an irritated voice asked.

I looked up into blue-grey eyes, which looked more annoyed than apologetic.

Holy shit. I know this guy.

He was definitely handsome. From this distance, I could see his eyes framed with long lashes, and eyebrows so perfectly arched that I was slightly envious. His nose was straight; cheekbones standing proud, and his jaw was even more defined because of his scruff.

This can’t be. The more I looked at him, the more I thought that he was James Neal.

I could see the annoyance in his eyes dissipate to boredom at the delay of my reply. He shifted his weight, waiting for my answer.

I slowly nodded, still in shock. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

His eyes flicked behind. “Next time, you might want to watch where you’re going,” he sneered.

I was completely thrown off by this. Yeah, I guess it was my fault for running into him, but he sounded so peeved, as if I did it on purpose.

“Well, I’m sorry,” I started, now pissed off as well. “It’s not like I intentionally walked into you. And who the heck just randomly stops walking in the middle of a busy walkway? ”

He shook his head in disbelief; like he couldn’t comprehend that someone would talk back to him.

“You’re the one who walked into me, and you’re the one that’s pissed off?” he spat. “Unbelievable.”

“It was an accident!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “Normal people would just apologize and –“

“Lazy!” a voice said behind me. “Why you still here?” it said with a thick Russian accent.

The asshole I walked into looked at the guy behind me and said, “I was just dealing with this girl. She walked into me and now she’s bitching at me.”

I turned to look at the man he was talking to, only to freeze. Holy shit. It’s Evgeni Malkin. They guy I cheered for game after game. The guy who’s jersey I wore to the last game the Pens had in Winnipeg where I almost got into a fight with a guy who didn’t know when to stop chirping. We won, so it was totally worth it. Representing my team and my favourite Russian is always worth it.

“Sorry, Lady,” Geno said. “Nealsy bad mood. I say sorry for him.” He then faced ‘Nealsy,’ physically turned him around and said, “Let’s go. Dan kill us if late.”

Geno gave me a nod, and gave ‘Nealsy’ a shove into the direction they needed to go. The two men walked away without another glance, as I stood frozen in one spot trying to put all the pieces together.

Lazy. Nealsy. It only confirmed my suspicion.

The ringing of my phone interrupted my thoughts. The screen told me that Angela was calling. Swiping my thumb across the screen to accept her call, I resumed my walk to my car.

“Hey Ange. Did you get my text?”

I heard some rustling in the background. She was probably in her office at work, looking for files that she ‘swears are here somewhere.’ She was an intern at one of the big accounting firms in Winnipeg.

“Yah, I did. Like you have a fucking choice but to go to the game. It’s your fucking team that’s here. I’d be a bitch of a friend if I didn’t bring you,” she scolded.

Angela is also the most vulgar of my friends.

“Yah, yah. I’m on my way home right now,” I said, still frustrated about my run-in with James Neal.

“Why the fuck do you sound so pissed?” Angela asked.

I didn’t want to talk about it with her over the phone, so I told her I’d tell her about it at home. I just said that some stuff happened at work.

“Fine. I’ll see you later,” she said. “Jessica said she’s driving, so she’ll probably get to our place before I do.”

“Sounds good. Later,” I said as I hung up and reached my vehicle.

The drive home wasn’t very long. Not even a half hour of being home, I heard the jingle of the keys from my bedroom. I was sprawled out on my bed, staring at the ceiling, still trying to make sense of the James Neal incident. That’s how Jessica found me – starfished across my bed, still in shock over the whole ordeal.

“Should I even ask?” I looked up to see her with her arms crossed and leaning against my doorway, humour flittering over her face.

I returned my stare back to the ceiling, seeing beautiful blue-grey eyes. “If you want to hear about my run-in with James Neal and Evgeni Malkin, then yes, you should ask,” I deadpanned.

Next thing I know, I’m being tackled on my bed, Jessica’s face beaming with curiosity. “Spill, bitch! And don’t leave anything out!”

Sitting up, I began the short version of the story. “Well, I just finished having lunch with Jason, and I was walking back to my car. On my way, I saw someone in front of me who looked really familiar. I got distracted, and walked into him from behind when he suddenly stopped. Geno comes out of nowhere, and drags James away, but not before he freaked out on me. I didn’t even realize that it was him until Geno called him Lazy!”

After laughing at my expense, she says, “Well, at least you didn’t just freeze up when you saw him and watch him walk away like you usually do.”

“Yah, lets not talk about that,” I said, not wanting to bring up my countless celebrity spotting’s. All of them end up with me empty handed – no autograph, no picture, and not even a hello.

Chuckling, she said, “Fine. But this story is one for the ages. How on earth did you not realize that it was James Neal – The Real Fucking Deal – that you walked into, right when you saw his face?”

This is the exact question that I’ve been asking myself ever since I got home. If I was being completely honest with myself, I sort of have a celebrity crush on him ever since he got traded to the Penguins.

I’ve watched him struggle with adjusting to a new team, and I’ve also seen him flourish, playing on the right side of Geno recently.

“Honestly,” I began. “I have no idea.”

Jessica shook her head, and said “You know he’s probably gonna see you at the game tonight. We sit right behind them.”

I groaned, hiding my face in my pillow. “Ugh. Don’t remind me!”

We heard the front door open and close, and soon enough, Angela was jumping onto my bed, still fully dressed in her office clothes. “Whuddup, mother effers?”

Not missing a beat, Jessica filled Angela in on our converstation. “Gabby walked into James Neal today, and she saw Evgeni Malkin.”

Angela bolted right up, and practically yelled, “What?!”

I rolled my eyes, already expecting Angela to react this way. I laid back down, covering my face with a pillow, while Jessica got Angela caught up with the whole story.

“Um, how on earth did you not realize it was fucking James Neal that you rammed your face into? He plays on your damn team, and he’s been all over SportsCentre recently,” Angela all but interrogated.

“I don’t know,” I replied through the pillow that was still on my face. The pillow was ripped off my face, but I refused to open my eyes. “Trust me, I’ve been asking myself that same question.”

“I pray to God that he recognizes you tonight,” Angela teased. “I wanna see the look on his face.”

I rolled my eyes, and got out of bed. “Yah, yah. Let’s make fun of Gabby’s misfortunes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a game to get ready for.”

Both Jessica and Angela got the message and left my room to let me get ready.

I whipped out my Malkin jersey from my closet and hung it on the back of my door. After a quick shower and doing my hair and makeup, an hour had passed. Next thing I know, Jessica’s barging into my room.

“Gabby, please tell me that you’re ready,” she almost pleaded.

I grabbed my Malkin jersey and whipped it over my head. “Now I am.”

A relieved look appeared on her face. “Thank God.” She paused and turned to leave my room. “At least some people can get ready on time!” she said, her implication crystal clear to the three of us in the house.

Angela has never been one to be on time, especially when it comes to going out with friends. If we make plans to go out at seven, we would tell her that we’re going out at six thirty, just to make sure that she’s not late.

Before we lived together, whenever I’d pick her up, I’d always text her saying I was outside her house, when I was really about five minutes away. Even then, I would still have to wait for her outside.

“Angela!” Jessica yelled. “If you are not ready in three minutes, we are leaving you!”

We heard a door slam, and soon Angela appeared, hastily putting her shoes on. “Fuck you guys, I didn’t take that long.”

I rolled my eyes. “Shut up and get in the car.”