Ferris Wheel

“I think a-”

“Clair, shut the hell up. Don’t you have work?”

“Nope. I took off today.”

“Right, after I told you. Fantastic.” She chuckled. I laid out the shirt and sighed.

“I don’t know what to wear!”

“I thought you didn’t care about this date….that’s what you told me.” Clair flipped through the hockey magazine sitting on my nightstand.

“I don’t.” I snapped. But sighed. “I didn’t.” She smirked at me.

“Just help me pick out a damn shirt. James is going to show up to the rink and I’m not gonna be there.” She laughed, mocking a diabolical laugh, and jumped to my aide.

After a little help from Clair, I had chosen a cable knit sweater and a tank top as a shirt. I already had on black jeans and a pair of Uggs that Clair insist I have.

“Now get going! You’re gonna be late!” I grabbed my keys and everything before rushing out to my car. Getting in, I rushed to get it started and nearly sped the entire way to the rink.

I was late and James was walking towards his car, shaking his head.

“James! Wait!” He stopped and turned back to me, almost shocked that I was there. “I’m sorry - I was getting dressed. I’m sorry.” He grinned at me.

“Well, let’s go then.” I gave him a smile and walked to his side. “You look nice.”

“Thanks.” I giggled quietly. “You look nice.” He smiled again.

“So, do you like fairs and ferris wheels?”

“I do. I used to go to the Fourth of July fair with my mom every year when I was a kid.” I smiled at the memory.

“Where did you live?”

“Butler. I never wanted to leave Pennsylvania and I never did.” When we got to his car, I reached for the door handle, but he beat me to it and opened the door for me.

“Milady.”

“Show off.” He chuckled but nodded, acting guiltily caught. I shook my head and slid into the slick black Mercedes.

“I am.” He closed the door and hurried over to his side of the car.

“This is an expensive car.”

“I’ve got money.” James shrugged. “Oh, and don’t expect to need that tonight.” I looked at my lap and chuckled at the sight of my wallet.

“Whatever you say, hockey puck.” James laughed as he started the car.

“Hockey puck? I’ve never heard that one before.”

“Are you being sarcastic?” I accused, giving him a sly smirk.

“No, I’m being serious. No one’s ever called me hockey puck before.”

“Well, get used to it.” He laughed again and nodded.

“Alright, Coach.” I snickered at him.

“I get called Coach by a bunch of kids, you calling me Coach isn’t going to faze me.” He laughed.

“Christmas.”

“Go ahead. The boys call me that too.” He sighed, but smiled.

“I’ll figure something out. Don’t you worry.”

“Oh, I won’t.” We pinballed back and forth - about pointless things - until James pulled up to the fair.

My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped. I hadn’t been to a fair since I was around ten, and that was because my friend’s mother felt bad and brought me along.



“How long’s it been since you were last at a fair?” James asked.

We were walking through the fair, my mind spiraling in the lights of the rides.

“Um...I don’t even know. It’s been forever.”

“Really?” I nodded, taking a piece of cotton candy from the stick in his hand. “It’s gonna be here for a bit, do...do you wanna come again? My teammate and his wife are coming and...you know.” I giggled, covering my mouth.

“Um-I’d have to see about the day.”

“I can do that!” I laughed and took another piece of cotton candy.

“So, you wanna ride the ferris wheel?” I giggled.

“Do I - ack!” James scoffed. “Of course I wanna ride the ferris wheel!” I laughed and took his hand to pull him towards the machine.

When we got to the ferris wheel, the man smiled at us and let us on the car. I sat and stared out of the car, over the fair.

“You really like ferris wheels?” I jumped and looked behind me at James.

“I love them. You-you know that feeling,” I sat to face him. “where your feel like you’re on top of the world?”

“Yeah,” He nodded, smiling. “I won gold at the World Junior Championships with Canada in ‘07.”

“That’s a ferris wheel for me.” He looked at me. “I know it’s childish, but-”

“It’s not childish.” James said. “It’s a good feeling. A feeling that everyone needs to feel at some point.”

I leaned back against the back of the seat.

“How old are you, James?”

“26. How old are you?”

“21.” He nodded to himself. “What’s your favourite colour?”

He opened his mouth, but closed it and laughed. “My favourite colour?” I nodded. “I...don’t know.”

“You don’t know your favourite colour!?”

“I don’t get asked that!”

“I’m sure some little girl or boy has asked you what your favourite colour is.”

“I ask them what theirs is and say that’s mine.”

“Do you have a favourite colour, James Neal?”

“I don’t know.” I fake gasped. “What’s yours?”

“Light blue with a hint of blue velvet.” I said, mocking a sultry voice.

“You’re making that up.” James laughed.

“So what? It’s still a pretty colour.”

“That’s a real colour?”

“Any colour’s a real colour.” I shrugged. “Come on, there has to be a colour you prefer.” He sighed but smiled at me.

“I prefer black and yellow to orange and black.”

“Good enough for me.” He chuckled. “What’s your favourite...hm…” James laughed at me. “Your favourite place in the world.”

“My favourite place in the world? That would have to be my place in Whitby.” He nodded to himself and tilted his head. “Do you like coaching?”

“I do,” I nodded. “I used to play, but I began to coach.”

“Why don’t you play anymore?”

“I ruined my shoulder in the State Champ game. Doc told me I’d never play again.” James frowned. “So I chose to coach. It’s just as fun.”

“Sometimes.” He said.

“You still get the satisfaction of winning.”

“And the heartache of losing.”

“It’s all in the name of hockey.” James nodded at me.

The ferris wheel ride ended and soon, me and James were sitting at a table, debating on what we should get to eat.

“I can’t eat that!” James cried.

“You’re on suspension right now, you can eat whatever you want!” I argued, also yelling.

“Not when I have workouts tomorrow.”

“Your trainer won’t know.” I cooed.

“He always knows.”

“You’re a pussy, of course, you tell him!”

“I do not! I am not!”

“So are!”

“Not!”

“Are!”

“Not!”

“Are!”

“Not!”

“You so are!” James tackled me onto the ground and began tickling me. My laugh turned into hysteric screaming and James was laughing just as hard.

“Excuse me!” James froze in his actions and looked up. A mother stood over us and she was glaring at us. “My children are trying to play and you are ruining it.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” I snickered at James, causing him to jab at my side. I yelped and slapped a hand over my mouth. “I-”

“Mom! That’s James Neal!” We looked over at a pair of boys, each wearing a Penguins jersey. Ironically, the boy who screamed was wearing a Neal jersey.

“What?” The boy ran over and jumped on top of James and I, causing James to drop his weight onto me. I groaned and threw my head back. James chuckled and muttered an apology into my ear.

“Joshua, get off him!” The women lifted her child off James’s back and apologized to us. James laughed and got up, pulling me with him.

“It’s okay. I’ll sign something for you guys.” The boys began grinning and giggling as James took a pen from their mother and signed a paper they had.

When the little boys bounced away, with the mother apologizing for probably the fifth time, James smiled at me and began laughing.

“Well, that’s not how I pictured this date going.” I giggled and hugged him.

“I’m not gonna lie, James,” He nodded me on. “This was the best date that I’ve ever been on.”

His smile broke into a large grin and he hugged me tight.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, but I’m not exactly done yet.” My eyebrows furrowed and my mouth slowly opened. “It’s a surprise, come on!”

He took my hand and jumped - like a five year old - up and down as he pulled me with him towards another part of the fair.

When we arrived at our destination, James turned to me.

“Cover your eyes.”

“What?”

“Cover your eyes.”

“No, James. What are you doing?”

“Something! Just cover your eyes!” I sighed, but before I could cover my eyes, James’s large hands came around and covered my eyes.

“James!” My hands flew up to cover his, trying to pull his hands off my eyes.

“Trust me, please?” James asked. “It’s gonna be really cool if you just close your eyes.” I sighed and let my eyes close. James’s hands moved and I could tell he was smiling: he gave a small chuckle-laugh when he smiled.

“Okay, wait there for one second,” I heard him rush off and I groaned, but kept my eyes closed.

After ten minutes - or what felt like ten minutes - James still hadn’t come back.

“James?” There was silence. “James, where are you?”

“I’m right here.” I gasped, jumping, and whipped around to him, forgetting about keeping my eyes closed. “Aw! Close your eyes!”

“You scared me!”

“Sorry,” He gave me a sheepish smile. “I got it though, so close your eyes, again, so that we can get on with the surprise?” I gave him a slightly annoyed smile but closed my eyes, turning my nose up slightly at him.

“Good,” He placed a guileless, closed-mouth kiss to my lips, causing my mouth to fall open. He chuckled and took my hand to lead me to whatever surprise he had planned. I followed him obediently until he stopped and put his hands on my shoulders to stop me.

“So, um, I know it’s cheesy, considering who we are, but I figured we could go skating…” I opened my eyes and my mouth opened in a grin at the clean ice and skates sitting on the boards. There were four sticks leaning against the outside of the rink, two being James’s size with Neal written on the shaft.

“It’s perfect.” He smiled crookedly and took my hand again to pull me towards the rink.

“There’s more sized if they don’t have yours.” He told me, picking up the skates sitting at the boards.

“These should fit.” I smiled, sitting up on the boards to kick my shoes off and pull the skates on. I struggled to tie the skate and James had to catch me a few times before I fell back onto the ice.

“Here! Let me help.” I laughed as James pushed my hands away and went to work tying my skates. “You’re gonna fall and hurt yourself if you keep that up.”

“You’re here to catch me.” I giggled.

“Sure, sure.” He smiled at me, causing me to smile back.

After securing both skates, he helped me off the boards and told me to grab a stick. He took one of his and skated onto the ice, picking up a puck from a small pile near the entrance of the rink. I quickly grabbed the other Neal stick and skated after him, nearly checking him out of the rink.

“Hey! Play fair!”

“You’re the one who forced me to cover my eyes!”

“That’s not grounds enough to check me over the boards.”

“You kissed me.” I stole the puck and began to stickhandle it around our feet.

“Look at someone being a show off.” He laughed. But he took the puck back without a problem and iced it down to the other end of the ice. I laughed, but James wrapped an arm around my waist and he pulled me against him.

“I’m hoping it won’t be the only time I kiss you.”

“James, I just met you.”

“And I don’t think my teammates have hated me this much in my life.” I chuckled. “I don’t know what you did to me, Noël, but you have got me wrapped around your finger. Cookie candles and all.”

“James,” I pulled at his arms, but he was stronger than I was. “James, we have to talk about this.”

“Okay.”

“Alone. Not in the public eye.”

“Where?”

“My place, your place, somewhere where we’re alone and can really talk about this.” He smiled at me.

“Fine. You beat me in a shootout, and we’ll go to my place. I bet you, we go to your house.”

“James, we don’t have a goalie.”

“That is where you’re wrong, petit fille.” I turned and couldn’t stop my smile as Marc-André Fleury walked up to the rink. “You must be Noël. Nealsy here doesn’t shut up about you.” James blushed deep red and dropped his head. I looked over at him and laughed.

“He recruited me to come do this shootout thing.”

“You knew?”

“No, I wanted to do a shootout with you, I just didn’t know what about.” He gave me an embarrassed smile.

“He’s a real charmer, isn’t he?”

“Get in the damn net, Flower.” James shoved him towards the net and I giggled to myself as the two chirped at each other.