Whatever It Takes

Andrew let out a low groan as he entered the dentist office early on a Saturday morning. On his last visit, which was only two weeks ago, he found out that he had a cavity that needed to be taken care of. He was one of those people that hated the dentist. He would rather take a puck to the face rather than visit the dentist, even if it was just for a routine cleaning. His mother always teased him over the fact that he was a grown man, living on his own and still being scared of the dentist.

After signing in at the front desk, the receptionist handed Andrew a clipboard with an insurance form that needed to be filled out. The elderly woman handed him a pen before he dragged his feet over to the waiting room to fill out the form. The waiting room was a bit crowded, which was normal on a Saturday since no one had to take off of work. His eyes scanned the room and realized he was left with two options, sit next to the mother and her toddler who looked like he was on the verge of crying, or sit next to a pretty girl who was busy reading a book. The pretty girl it was.

Once sitting down, Andrew tried filling out the form but no ink came out of the pen. Already feeling frustrated from a tiring week, he scribbled in the corner of the paper to try and get the ink to come out. He was exhausted from their two away games that he had in the past three days, so his pen not working just made him feel twice as irritated as he would normally be.

“Here, you can borrow my pen,” the pretty girl next to him said, holding out a pen in her hand. Andrew’s head quickly picked up once he had heard her accent. He stared at her for a moment before she spoke again. “What? Never been offered a pen before?”

“Not from someone with that accent,” Andrew admitted, taking the black pen from her. “Thanks, by the way.” His voice was a lot deeper than hers, much rougher was well. It was a big difference from her softer tone.

The girl chuckled, “You’re acting like you’ve never heard a British accent before.”

He shook his head, forgetting about the form he had to fill out. “Only in movies,” he shrugged. “It sounds twice as cool in person. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you originally from?”

“Nottingham,” she answered, “it’s about two hours away from London.”

“What are you doing in Chicago? It’s not exactly a big tourist spot if you’re not from the area.”

The girl closed her book, realizing that her conversation with him would last longer than she had expected. Not that she minded, he was attractive and he didn’t hit on her right away like most guys have in the past. “I moved here about seven months ago for work. My cousin’s wife used to work for the Splash Magazine and she got me a job there. Home in England hasn’t been all that great the past few years so I needed a change.”

“How do you like it around here so far…?”

“Emilia, with an E.” She smiled, holding out her hand.

Andrew took her hand and gave it a light shake, “I’m Andrew.”

“Andrew,” she beamed, “it suits you. And to be quite honest, I haven’t been able to go out much. I’ve been busy with work and I only have two friends here,” she said shamelessly.

He felt like such a teenage girl for admitting this, but once she had said his name he could feel his insides turn to mush. He didn’t know if it was because of how beautiful she was, or her accent, or even a combination of the two. No one had ever said his name as smoothly as she did. It was angelic, sophisticated, and sweet. If he heard his name being spoken by anyone with an accent, it was from his foreign teammates, and they were nowhere as near as attractive as Emilia was.

“Well do you think that I could show you around sometime?” He questioned, “If you’re not busy, I’d like to show you around if you’re up for it.”

Who was he kidding? There was no way in hell a girl like her would go out with him. He didn’t think he was ugly, but he also didn’t think he was the best looking guy around. He had one too many scars on his face and there was a little area on his forehead that was swollen from a game the night before.

She gave him a shy smile, feeling flattered that after being in the States for almost a year, she finally got asked out without the guy creeping her out. The first time a man had asked her out, he asked Emilia if she wanted to learn the difference between American and British men. It felt odd being asked out at the dentist’s office with all these people around, but because she thought he was so handsome she didn’t mind one bit.

“I’d really like that, but I’m going to be busy with work for the next week because we’re publishing a new magazine. Today is my only free day and it’s on such short notice for you.”

That day was on short notice and he already had plans to hang out with a few friends. He didn’t want an opportunity like this to slip out of his hands and he couldn’t wait a whole week to see her.

“We can do today if you’re still up for it,” he offered.

She agreed, “Alright then, tonight it is.”

The door that led to the operation area opened up and a dental assistant stood there in her scrubs and clip board in hand. “Emilia Hurst,” the dental assistant called out, her eyes scanning the room as she waited for someone to stand up.

“Well, that’s me,” Emilia stood up, throwing her purse over her shoulder. She bent over and grabbed the pen from Andrew’s right hand before grabbing a hold of his left hand. “Call me in a few hours. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”

Emilia handed the pen back to Andrew before disappearing with the dental assistant. He began to fidget in his seat, surprised that she had agreed to go out with him. He smiled down at his left hand and quickly added her number into his phone just in case her number got erased from his hand. After saving his number, he texted one of his closest friends and teammate, Bryan Bickell.

Andrew: Can’t hang out tonight. I just scored a date with a hot British girl.

Putting his cell phone away, he realized that he still had to fill out the insurance form. Using the pen that Emilia had left him, he filled out the page before handing it back to the receptionist. Once he sat back down, he began thinking of her. She wasn’t his typical type of girl, and knew that if she didn’t have that accent he wouldn’t have been as interested in her. It wasn’t like he found brunettes unattractive, he just preferred blondes. His cell phone buzzed from his pocket, knowing that it was Bryan, Andrew answered the message.

Bryan: They have British girls in Chicago?

Andrew: Yeah, she moved here for work. I’m gonna show her around town. Where should I take her?

Bryan: Try the Skydeck. I took Amanda there once and she never let go of me.

Smiling, Andrew thanked Bryan before putting his phone away. His name was called out from another dental assistant, making Andrew internally groan. He just wanted his appointment to be over with so he could call Emilia. While he sat in the dentist chair, his mind kept wondering off to her and how normal she seemed. He knew hockey wasn’t famous where she was from, so he was hoping that he could go on a normal date for the first time in a few years.


Emilia laid in her full size bed as her legs dangled off on the side of the bed. Her cell phone was pressed against her ear as she listened to her three year old daughter ramble about her day. Emilia had a cousin named Nathan who was just a few years older than she was. He had two boys a little older than Ellie and they spent a lot of time together. Nathan and his boys belong to the Hurst family just like Emilia and Ellie, only Nathan and his family were born in the States.

“You be good for Uncle Nathan and Aunt Ashley, alright love?” Emilia spoke into her phone, “be a good girl.”

Ellie sighed, “I know, mummy.”

Emilia asked her daughter to hand the phone over to her uncle before they said their goodbye’s to each other. She heard Ellie’s loud squeal, which was most likely because her older cousin Max decided to tug on her hair again.

“So, I heard from Ashley that you have a date tonight,” Nathan said without a greeting. “Since when do you go on dates?”

She couldn’t help but laugh at her cousin’s blunt comment. “Apparently since today. He’s handsome and was polite to me. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date, I think I deserve it. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to neglect Ellie.”

“I know that,” he said assuring. “You know you’re a great mom. It’s just that the last guy you dated was an ass to you once he found out about Ellie.”

“That was different. I was lonely and I wanted a boyfriend. This time, I’m just going with the flow to see where things go. I don’t expect this new guy to be Ellie’s father, he’s still alive and you’re doing a great job as a substitute.”

“Bless your heart, I’m glad I could be second place,” he laughed. “Just be careful, yeah? Ellie doesn’t need a little sibling just yet.”

Emilia rolled her eyes and hung up on her cousin. Looking at her watch, she realized that Andrew would arrive at her apartment soon. She walked to her closet and pulled out her favorite pea coat before she left her bedroom. Instead of feeling nervous for her date like she thought she would, she felt excited. When Andrew had called her later in the day to confirm their date, they ended up talking on the phone with each other for a little over an hour before they finally hung up. Emilia spent half the time laughing at Andrew’s silly comments and the other half saying words at his request because he loved how they sounded with her accent.

While she waited for Andrew, she decided to clean up her kitchen to pass the time. She knew her kitchen was already clean, but it was a nervous habit that she had picked up from her father. She wished she was easy going like her mother and brother. Ten minutes later, she heard a knock on the front door. She yelled as loud as she could to let him know that the door was unlocked while she quickly put her cleaning supplies away.

“We’re you cleaning?” Andrew laughed once he found Emilia in the kitchen. He could smell the clean scent of some lemon cleaning product.

“Yes,” Emilia said, quickly washing her hands. “It’s what I do when I’m nervous.”

He smirked down at her as he picked up her coat that rested on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. He held it open for her, helping her put her coat on. “Is that like a British thing?”

Emilia smacked his chest for his smart comment before grabbing her purse and ordering Andrew to follow her so they could continue with their date. She locked up her door before the two of them headed to the parking garage, where she was greeted by his sleek, new black Jeep. It sure was a lot better looking than her older Mazda.

“So what is this tour going to consist of?” Emilia asked, looking up at Andrew who was busy driving.

He smirked down at her as he made a right turn. “There’s this place called the Skydeck I want to show you. Then I thought we could walk around and I could show you some of the shops and restaurants in the area. Remind me to show you this one breakfast place, their pancakes are amazing.”

“Sounds quite promising,” she laughed.

“You sound relaxed for a person who’s never been to the Skydeck before,” Andrew observed.

She looked over at him with her sparkling green eyes and all he could do was smile at her. “I don’t even know what the Skydeck is. It sounds like a club or something of the sort.”

“Oh you’re in for a real treat.”

She didn’t understand what he had meant by that but decided to not say anything. While the radio softly played, Andrew couldn’t help but quietly sing along since his favorite song was playing. She laughed as he even danced in his seat a bit, which only encouraged him to continue. After all, girls like guys who make them laugh, right?

“Well here we are,” Andrew said as he began to parallel park next to a parking meter. Emilia took a good look at their surroundings to try and figure out where they were. She knew that they were in a part of the city that she had never been to before because she had never been near the Chicago River. After stepping out of the car, she quickly crossed her arms across her chest to try and keep her warmth.

Andrew dug in his pants pockets and pulled out a few quarters to feed into the meter. Before Emilia could pull out her wallet to offer some of the quarters she had, he turned around and placed a hand on her lower back. “Come on, it’s this way,” he said, with his hand guiding her in the direction of where the Skydeck was. She liked how his hand felt on her body. It wasn’t in a sexual way but she couldn’t help but smile at how good it felt to have a man’s big, strong hand on her.

“What is this place?” Emilia asked once they stepped into the building. Andrew gave her a small smile as he walked over to the elevator and pushed the up button.

“You’ll see,” was all Andrew said before stepping into the elevator. Emilia was a little skeptical, but stepped in the elevator anyway. As the elevator made its way to the very top of the building, she decided to take off her pea coat.

Andrew glanced down at her attire and smiled. She was wearing the same outfit that she was wearing at the dentist office. He may be over thinking things, but this just showed him how laid back she really was when it came to dating. It was a first date and they hardly knew each other, so they both didn’t see the need to desperately try and impress each other.

Once the elevator doors opened, she followed him out and took a look around the room. “Andrew, where are we?”

“Take a look,” he said, pulling her towards the view. Just like how he expected, her eyes widened in terror once she realized what the Skydeck really was. She even managed to drop her purse and jacket on the floor as her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach.

“Christ, Andrew! Are you mental?” Emilia scolded as she tried backing away. He quickly grabbed onto her arms to make sure she didn’t try to run back into the elevator. “I didn’t expect to die on our first date!”

“Emilia, it’s safe,” Andrew laughed, pulling her back in the glass box. He lightly pulled her body towards his, making her automatically shut her eyes to avoid seeing just how high up in the air they were. Her hands clung onto his sweatshirt as she was close enough for him to feel her shake in fear. “Stop being a baby and just look at the view. I promise it’s worth it.”

She reluctantly opened her eyes as he tried to turn her body towards the city. Andrew was right, the view was worth it but she wasn’t going to admit that to him. The city lights lit up the streets as the sun was just about set. In the cold January weather, snow was still resting on the roof tops of the Chicago buildings.

“I’ve seen better,” she shrugged with a smile as one of her hands let go of his sweatshirt. He smirked at her and gave her a light nudge, making her panic at the fear of falling from the building. He laughed heartily at her, poking fun at her for being so scared. “Andrew, you’re being quite rude. You don’t laugh at a girl when she’s scared!” She scolded, pointing a finger up at him.

His hormones got the best of him when she had said his name again. His grip on her waist tightened, making her inhale sharply so that her chest was only inches away from his. They stared intently at each other before Andrew cleared his throat. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Emilia’s lips curled into a smile. “You better keep your promise, I don’t like being let down.”

Without saying another word, Andrew turned Emilia’s body around so that they were both facing the city. He wanted to pull her body right against his, but he knew it would be too forward for a first date. His hand still rested on her waist, which didn’t seem to bother her since she made no attempt to push his hand away. He began pointing out some of the other big buildings in the area as she carefully listened.

His mouth was only a few inches away from her ear. With the combination of how close his lips were and how deep his voice was, it nearly sent Emilia over the edge. The fact that she hadn’t been with a man since Ellie was born didn’t help either. She wanted to push him against the wall and have her way with him as many times as they could before they would get kicked out. The only thing that was stopping her from being physically satisfied was that she didn’t want to ruin things with him.

“How am I doing so far?” Andrew questioned.

“Better than you think you’re doing.”