And So I Know

It was Tuesday before Brie could work up the nerve to text Derick. After an enjoyable two hour lunch with the girls, Felicia gave her Derick's number, again telling her to use it how she wished.

She had seen the girls again Sunday at Kate's apartment, meeting up to watch the Rangers play in Columbus. They ate and drank wine, Felicia with sparkling grape juice in her wine glass, talking and laughing throughout.

She had considered waiting until he was back in New York to talk to him but the team wouldn't be back until late after a game Friday in Pittsburgh. That was when she decided to text him.

Once she made the decision to text him, she still had to gather the courage to actually text him. She stared at the screen of her phone for most of the morning before leaving the office to meet Kate for lunch, where they went over a few final details for her wedding.

Now almost the second week of April, the date in June was quickly approaching. Since their professional relationship had become personal though, Kate seemed to worry less about the things that could go wrong and she called less to talk about the wedding and more to just catch up.

When Kate's phone rang midway through the meal, she smiled apologetically at Brie, explaining quickly that morning skate was over and that Brian was calling before they got on a plane for their next road city. She stepped away from the table to answer.

That was when the courage kicked in and Brie grabbed her phone. She breathed in deeply and let it out slowly before typing a message out and hitting send before she could think about it.

Derick had just sat down on the bus after a good practice, joking with Carl Hagelin when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and an unfamiliar number flashed with a text message. He slid open the message and a smile slid across his face.

Hey, this is Brie. Do you maybe want to meet for coffee Saturday?

It took him only seconds to reply.

Nine?

Brie let out a held breath at his reply.

I'll see you there.

She thought about continuing the conversation but everything else she wanted to say she needed to say in person. She saw Kate walking back inside and slipped her phone back into her purse.

"Sorry," Kate said as she slid back into her seat.

"It's fine," Brie smiled. "But can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is it hard, Brian being gone on the road like that?"

"Sometimes. It was harder in the beginning, especially before I made the decision to move here. It took time, and it was an adjustment, but we found our way. We had to learn to make time for each other, to learn how to share our lives without actually sharing our lives. But it was worth it, all of it, to be here now."

"Do you get bored?"

"When I first moved to New York, I did. I didn't work, I didn't know anyone. But I made some friends and I got involved with doing some volunteer work. That helped. This year when Lennon came, and now Felicia, I feel like I have it all. Well, unless someone signs elsewhere or gets traded."

"Traded?"

"A fact of life when you sign up for this. Trade deadline day is the absolute most nerve racking day in existence. And free agency. Brian's contract is up at the end of this year. We don't know yet if the Rangers will resign him. We just have to hope he plays well enough that they want him back."

"That sounds....intense."

"Yeah, I guess it is a little. Lennon is in the same boat; Dan's contract is up this year too. But you know, we just do what we can to help them forget about it and not stress over it."

"Wow. I had no idea. It all sounds so scary."

"I guess it is a little but you know, you can either just go with it or worry. I just go with it."

"You just go with it? The woman who called me about a backup wedding cake?"

Kate laughed. "I gave up worrying about things I can't control like Brian's career. Worrying about things like a backup cake is where I channel that energy."

Brie laughed along with her. "I just didn't know there was so much involved, you know? I thought they show up and play but being around you three girls has made me realize there are so many other moving pieces in this. I didn't even understand what Lennon meant about Dan being a healthy scratch at first. I thought if you were on the team, you were on the team and played. But there is so much more to it than that."

"I admit I was overwhelmed in the beginning. Brian and I met in the summer so he was training but that was usually first thing every morning. The rest of the time we had together. When he came back for training camp and I was at home, it was tough and we almost didn't make it."

"Really?"

Kate nodded. "When it was training camp, I was okay. We talked every day, sometimes two or three times. Then preseason games stared but that was still alright. When the season got started though, that's when it became real, especially when they hit the road. I didn't realize what I was getting into and I broke up with him. Brian never gave up though. He gave me space but he kept letting me know he cared and finally, when I couldn't stand missing him anymore, he was there and we've been together ever since."

Brie left lunch, heading back to her office, her mind swimming with the things Kate had said at lunch. She had not considered any of the things Kate had told her at lunch. She, and Lennon and Felicia all seemed like their lives were perfect but the truth was, under every part of the easy confidence they exuded, was the fact that at any moment, their entire world could be pulled out from under them and they'd start life over again, in a new city, maybe even a different country depending on the circumstances.

And that scared her.

Maybe she didn't have a lot of friends in New York but she did have a job she loved, and her own little life she was building. As much as she wanted someone to share it with, and as much as she was attracted to Derick, the hard truth she was now staring down was that any life she built with Derick, was a bubble that could burst at any minute.

And that was a bubble she didn't know if she wanted to jump into.