A Secret You Can Keep

With a groan, I forced myself to sit up in bed, exposing the once warm skin of my upper half as I did so. The cold washed over me, tempting me to cuddle back under my blanket and go back to my sweet dreamworld.

Instead, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and rubbed my tired eyes. Patrick kept me up far too late last night, insisting on texting every thought in his head and pouring out his nerves about the upcoming games. I always loved that Patrick was able to confide in me though, so I didn't complain. I fell asleep knowing that my cousin was already waking to get first come first serve on the half pipe.

For a moment, I contemplated giving Spencer a call but I already knew she'd be busy with her snowboarder friends. It came with the territory and it was something I got used to pretty early on in her career. However, I did send out a quick text to Patrick before making my way into the bathroom that was connected to my hotel room.

Spencer had tried to put up a fight with Team USA to let me share a room with her but they refused, insisting that they would only house members of the team and that I would have to get my own hotel room. That wasn't a big deal until we realized every room was booked in her hotel, as well as most of them in the city. So of course, I got stuck on the other side of the city alone.

The scalding hot water cascaded down my skin, relaxing and melting my muscles as it did it's job. I washed away yesterday's left over make up and scrubbed my skin before stepping back into the cool air. If the shower didn't succeed in waking me, the cold prickling at my wet skin sure did.

Wrapping my plush towel around my body, I grabbed my phone. With a sigh, I saw that Patrick didn't reply, or even read my text yet. Pursing my lips, I tossed the sleek iPhone onto the unmade bed and began rooting through my clothing, looking for something to wear. With a slight smirk, I wondered what kind of trouble I could get myself into in Sochi today.

I was always the girlier one when it came to Spencer and I. She was constantly far more concerned about sports than she was hair and make up. I often found myself wishing I had some sort of talent like Spencer, who seemed to be good at just about anything and everything in the athletic department. She simply assured me that someday I would find something I loved as much as she loved snowboarding. But at almost twenty three years old, I sort of doubted I would ever understand her passion.

I hugged my solid black peacoat closer to my body as I crossed the street. My breath formed clouds in front of me as I struggled to understand street signs, causing me to regret not taking lessons in Russian before the trip. Finally, I spotted a word that I comprehended quite well: Pizza.

As I was waiting at the corner to cross the road once again, my phone began blaring in my coat pocket. I smiled, raising the smartphone to my ear.

"Hey Spence," I greeted my cousin just before the crosswalk light turned blue, allowing me to cross safely.

"I told Jonathan Toews I would go skating with him today and I have no idea what to wear," my cousin's frantic voice filled my ear and I heard her shuffling things around in the background. I let out a short laugh.

"Go simple," I advised her, pulling open the door of the Russian pizza shop. "Yoga pants, a hoodie and some Nikes. And leave your hair down," I told her as an afterthought just as I suddenly realized I had no idea how to order off of the menu. My front teeth but down on my lip in pure annoyance.

"I'm not sure why I even agreed to hang out with a hockey player anyway," Spencer mumbled. My eyes instinctively flicked to the right, just to see another pair of eyes staring back at me. He smiled, making his way towards me.

"Speaking of hockey players, I gotta go," I said just before I hit 'End' without bothering to listen to her reply.

"Hey," Sidney said cheerfully, grinning down at me. I returned his smile. "It's Ariel, right?" He asked and the smile melted off my face instantly. My eyes squinted as I glared at him.

"Ariella, actually," I informed him, as I turned completely away from him and back to the menu. It was meant to be a hint that we were done talking, but he clearly didn't take hints very well.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. "What are you going to get?" I threw him a side glance. I shrugged, once again pursing my lips.

"I dunno," I mumbled in response, my eyes reading over the jumble of Russian letters once again. "I can't read the menu." This earned a genuine laugh from Sidney.

"I can have my friend help you, if you'd like," Sidney offered politely. I just shrugged, still not taking my eyes off of the menu. He called over another man, who sent me a suggestive smile. "Geno, this is Ariella, could you help her order?"

"Of course," Geno drawled, baring a heavy Russian accent. "What are you eating?" I shrugged again.

"Just pepperoni pizza and a pop would be cool. To go please," I said nonchalantly, now picking at my manicured fingernails. I made a mental note to find a nail salon in Sochi and to figure out how to ask to get my acrylics filled.

I barely listened ask he spoke rapidly in his foreign tongue as I pulled out my wallet. Getting my Visa card ready, I realized I hadn't converted my American dollar bills over yet. I made another mental note as Sidney watched me closely.

"I got it," the Russian hockey player offered, pulling out his own wallet. I smiled sweetly, looking up at him under my thick eyelashes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sidney roll his eyes and shift his weight onto his other leg.

"Thank you so much," I gushed, leaning towards Geno. To be perfectly honest, it was rare that I wouldn't let a guy pay for my meal if he chose to. Why pass up free food?

My pizza didn't take long to cook, and it was handed to me along with a Pepsi. I sent yet another grateful smile at Geno, who had just finished feverishly texting away on his cellphone.

"Thanks again, Geno," I said, pulling him into a quick hug before turning to Sidney, who was now sitting at a table eating his own food. "See you around, Sidney."

"Yeah, see ya," he mumbled, looking back down at his plate.

As I walked towards the door, I heard Sidney asked why Geno got a hug and he didn't. I laughed to myself in sync with Geno's booming laugh and stepped back into the cold.

When I finally arrived back to my hotel, a large body was instantly blocking my pathway.

"Where have you been? I called you like seven times," TJ exclaimed, grabbing onto my shoulders and holding me at arms length. He examined me up and down a few times before he released me. Rolling my eyes at him, I went to step around him.

"I went to get lunch, chill Teej," I told my college friend as he followed me closely to the elevator. I could smell his expensive cologne, which indicating that he must have just gotten out of the shower.

"You gotta be careful, Ari," he shook his head with a solemn look adorning his features as we stepped into the metal death trap on ropes, "Russian people are weird. They could kidnap you and keep you here forever. Personally, I'd miss you. I don't know about everyone else though."

I scoffed, hitting the button for the seventh floor. "You'd die without me." He laughed, wrapping his long arm around my shoulder. I stumbled a bit as he leaned most of his weight on me.

While TJ and I were known to bicker quite a bit, we only did so because we were close. He was a junior in college when I was a freshman. Neither of us attended school after that year. TJ went onto the NHL and I realized that college was yet another thing that just wasn't for me. But we made sure to keep in touch and both made occasional visits to Grand Forks.

"I didn't think you were coming up," I mumbled under my breath as I entered my hotel room, pushing random articles of clothing out of the way as I did so. I bit my lip, slightly embarrassed at my mess. TJ simply shrugged before falling backwards onto the bed.

"I don't have anything better to do," he replied, earning an eye roll from me. I kicked off my boots and laid on the bed beside him. Instantly, he pulled me into his body, allowing me to rest my head on his chest. I closed my eyes in bliss, enjoying the warmth that was radiating from his body.

"You're coming to my first game Thursday, right?" He questioned as his fingers began to rake through my long, dark brown hair. I managed to nod as I slowly began to drift to sleep land.

"Yeah, but I don't have any USA hockey wear," I told him sleepily, hoping he'd get the hint. His chest vibrated as he chuckled.

"I'll make sure to arrange something." That was the last thing I heard before the world went black and I fell asleep cuddled up to one of my best friends.