The One That Got Away?

The inside of the Crosby house was equally impressive as the outside had been. Sidney unlocked the front door and let the girls inside. Megan immediately went to set her purse down in the living room, leaving Lorienand Sid alone. Sidney continued to watch the woman as she look around the interior of his house,the smile on her face and wide eyes signified she liked what she saw. She just took everything in inch by inch. Lorie was in front of him and didn't seem to notice his presence. Shakespeare let out a grunt and immediately Lorie bent down to the floor to open his cage.
"How's my big boy?" Lorie asked the cat as she opened his crate to pick him up. As soon as he was in her arms, happiness took over the cat. She held him and scratched at the nape of his neck eliciting a purr from the content cat. "Are you hungry big boy?" Lorie asked the cat who replied with a yowl. Shakespeare always was dramatic when it came to food. By this point it was taking everything in Sidney to to bust out laughing at how much she fawned over her cat. He wanted to see her reaction to teasing, so he decided to make his presence known.
"Interesting cat, eh?" he asked her and she immediately spun around to face him turning bright red. Her eyes immediately averted his by boring holes into her shoes.
"How long have you been standing there?" Lorie asked completely embarrassed.
"The entire time." he replied with a amused smile.
"I promise I'm not some crazy cat lady. I know this looks bad for me because I read a lot and talk to my cat, but I'm actually really cool." Lorie replied rambling because she was nervous. Sidney threw his head back laughing at her embarrassed banter.
"I don't know Lorie, things are looking pretty bad for you." Sidney replied laughing even harder. Lorie just rolled her eyes and continued scratching Shakespeare.
"He dosen't know what he's talking about, huh? Silly Sidney, he just dosen't have a cat like you." Lorie said while looking at Shakespeare. Sidney continued to laugh as Lorie muttered things under her breath about him. He was surprised at how easily she was able to make him laugh. She was sarcastic, had a sharp tongue, and was hilarious to listen to. She was funny without even trying, in a way her awkward nature drew him in. She was the incredibly awkward book nerd that was so unbelievably attractive and she couldn't see it.
"Is Lorie talking to her cat again?" Megan asked upon entering the room again.
"Don't listen to her either Shakespeare." Lorie said soothingly. Sidney lauged and Megan's face contorted before she promptly wiped the aggravation off her face. Sidney's phone began ringing before he excused himself to answer the call. Megan and Lorie didn't speak the entire time Sidney was gone, and when he returned his smile was much wider than before.
"That was some of the guys, they wanted to know if we would join them for lunch?" Sidney asked. Megan looked away and rolled her eyes so Sidney couldn't see.
"That sounds like fun!" Lorie smiled sweetly.
"Oh yes, Sidney's teammates are always fun to hang out with." Megan replied hiding her true emotions. Sidney couldn't tell she was lying, but Lorie saw right through her.
"Great, let's get going." Sidney said looking at Lorie smiling, completely unaware of his newfound smile. Lorie set Shakespeare on the floor and followed the engaged couple out the door. Lorie was nervous to meet Sidney's teammates, she was never good in social outings and settings. Lorie had always been told she was too awkward, or didn't understand how to "gell" in a group setting. For some reason Lorie wanted Sid's teammates to like her.
~
The ride to the restaurant consisted of small talk. The diner they went to was retro themed, Lorie tried not to think it was corny, but Sideny swore they had the best cheeseburger. The 50s diner was quaint and played retro music to tie the full effect together. Three men were seated at a large round booth in the far corner of the diner. Lorie stared down at the checkered floor, with every step taken was leading her closer and closer to an encounter she was beyond nervous for. Sidney and Megan were walking with hands entwined while Lorie followed silently behind them like some lost puppy. While Megan was pretending to be civil and sweet, Lorie knew she couldn't hold the act for long, she always liked belidding Lorie. Megan was four years older than Lorie, at twenty-six, but always felt it necessary to boss and order Lorie around. Lorie was far more mature, but maturity didn't matter to a thing like Megan.
"Hey Sid! Megan." the guys called out far less impressed with Megan's appearance. They seemed jovial, throwing straw wrappers at one another and shoving one another.
"Hey guys! This is Lorie, Megan's sister." Sidney called letting go of Megan's hand and presenting Lorie to them. His fingers touched her shoulder very lightly and Lorie fought the urge to swoon. As cliche as it may sound, sparks went through the both of them at the small innocent contact. Lorie finally looked up at the three men with their crawling eyes. Only one of them wasn't looking her over, but when she made eye contact his eyes widened. Had she meet him before?
"Lorie this is James Neal, Craig Adams, and Beau Bennett." Sidney explained pointing to each man ans he said their name.
"Hi." Lorie replied quietly.
"Hi!" all the men sang out at her. She blushed and looked down.
"Lorie Jhonson, right?" The one Lorie recognized as Craig Adams, asked.
"uh, yes." Lorie replied confused as to how he knew who Lorie was.
"Oh no, I must look like some sort of stalker. I recognized you from your book cover." Craig explained. Lorie immediately blushed again.
"You mean to tell me people read those old things?" Lorie teased. They both chuckled, while the rest of the group remained confused. Craig sensed this as he looked around the group.
"You mean to tell me you've never heard of Lorie Jhonson?" Craig asked incredulously. Lorie avereted everyone's eyes as the other shook their heads no. "Typical, the media today has its priorities backwards." He said shaking his head.
"I'm not that big of a deal." Lorie replied modestly.
"Are you kidding me? Two Pulitzer Prizes isn't a big deal?" When Craig said this all eyes were on Lorie. Even though the boys didn't know much about the literary world, they knew Pulitzer Prizes weren't something to take lightly. Megan let out a silent huff and sat down, Sidney following her, and Lorie followed him. The group fell into idle chater, and Lorie fell into the conversation easily with everybody. Lorie couldnt help but notice Megan was awfully quiet, and when she would talk the guys seemed annoyed. She sat back and watched the group interact, it was obvious the boys got along like brothers but there was definitely tension within the group. Sidney's hand sat on Megan's thigh and he would squeeze it affectionately as he talked. Lorie wasn't sure if he realized he was doing it, but that was the type of love Lorie wanted, the head-over-heals kind.
"So Lorie, when did you start writing?" James asked her intently.
"I can't pin point it, I've always had a knack for writing, but I didn't get serious until around fifteen." Lorie replied looking into James' eyes. Sidney felt a twinge as she looked at James completely focused on him and him alone.
"When were you first published?" he asked her.
"I published my first book about sixteen. When did you first become interested in hockey?" Lorie asked him genuinely.
"I've always loved hockey, even as a little kid it was one of the most important things to me. My talents don't even compare to yours though." James said with a slightly flirty edge to it. Sidney's jaw clenched and he couldn't exactly pin point why. He loved Megan, he was marrying her. Why would he care if James flirted with her sister for god sakes?
"That's very sweet of you, but playing at a professional level certainly suggests some talent, wouldn't you think?" Lorie asked slightly teasing.
"That's very sweet of you Lorie." James mocked, and Lorie blushed. The rest of lunch went smoothly and Sidney loosened up slightly, although he was still furious at James. He watched Lorie as she interacted with his teammates in complet admiration. She listened to the guys and replied with genuine answers and always managed to say the right thing. In turn, the guys hung on her every word. They never listened to Megan that intently, he couldn't help but notice. As they were leaving Lorie didn't get up immediately to readjust her shoe and James hung behind.
"I was thinking, would you maybe like to grab dinner sometime?" James sake her shyly. Lorie's cheeks immediately flushed as she exchanged numbers with James, and he promised to call. Sidney saw the exchange and promptly stormed out of the restaurant plagued with rage.