No Place I'd Rather Be

Chapter Three

Back in Anaheim, James rushed to the arena just two hours before puck drop. He heard an earful from his coach and his captain but none of that mattered to him. What mattered to him was plugged right into his cellphone, waiting to get dialed and hear her voice again. He had her named stored as "Jo" with a heart emoji that she had added on along with her picture. Everything about her had his heart beating faster.

They won against the Ducks. Everyone was in good spirits. Soon, they were all on the plane, headed back to Pittsburgh. James slept through the whole trip but woke up an hour before landing. He looked out the window, his leg shaking. He was anxious to land so that he could leave Jo a text. He wasn't able to text her before they left since he had to get ready quickly so they could get back home sooner.

He was the first one out, his hands already bringing his phone to life.

Back in Pitt. Miss you already.

James thought about it for a second. Did it sound too needy? Too desperate? He took a deep breath and just sent it. The worst thing she could do is not reply. Within a matter of seconds, his phone vibrated. He opened the text and immediately a big smile on his face appeared.

Coachella misses you already. I miss you too. Call you later.

It was the middle of the night when they got home and he was going to make sure that the first thing he did in the morning was to call her.

He felt a nudge against his arm. He looked up to see Matt Niskanen with a questionable look on his face.

"What's got you smiling at this hour? Late night booty call?" His teammate joked.

James shook his head and let Matt think whatever he thinks. He didn't want to say anything about Jo just yet to anyone. He didn't want to let everyone know how fucking crazy he was feeling about her after just one day. Most of all, he didn't want to let everyone know about them when he wasn't sure where their relationship was going to go.

Matt took his silence as a confirmation. "You know they were ready to break down your hotel door when you didn't show up with the rest of the team."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I went out with a couple of friends." James explained.

"Are any of those friends the one texting you?" Matt pushed.

James shook his head no.

"It's no one. Just glad we won tonight."

Matt said nothing more and walked on by.

-

"I'm graduating in two months." Jo told James over the phone. They had been talking for almost an hour and a half and both had no plans on hanging up any time soon. They got to know each other more and learned more about one another more than people knew about each other in years.

James learned that Jo was born and raised in Los Angeles while Jo learned that James was a proud Canadian boy. They went into discussion about the difference between the countries and Jo expressed her want to go to Canada. He also learned that she was a fashion student, graduating from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. He explained how it was all about hockey for him growing up. He talked about getting drafted, getting traded, and even having a tv crew follow him for 36 hours.

James found himself laughing and smiling the whole way through and got disappointed when she announced that she had to finish a couple of pieces for her final. He understood and let her go. As soon as he hung up, he started counting the days until their next game in LA.

The weeks went by and they still kept in contact. Sometimes, Jo would send him pictures of the marvelous pieces she had put together. James was amazed at how talented Jo was at turning pieces of fabric into clean cut clothes. He would joke sometimes and ask her if she could make him a pair of jeans. Likewise, James also sent her pictures. He sent her pictures of his food or the tv show he was watching. He never sent her any pictures of himself since he had never really taken one himself. Without ever asking, she would sometimes send pictures of happy self--all off which James saved on his phone. Within a month, they got to know each other on a personal level that no other man or woman in their lives has ever gotten to.

-

Jo looked at the clothes that had accumulated on her bed. She screamed into her hand, frustrated that she just couldn't find anything that she wanted to wear. She wanted to look nice for James since his team has a game against the Kings. He promised that they would have a couple of drinks after which meant her outfit had to transition from sporting event to a night out in the city.

That's the crazy fashion student speaking. Stop over thinking it! She thought.

As much as she didn't want to look too casual, she settled for a loose, plain white tee, dark washed jeans, and her go-to sneakers. She braided her hair loosely on one side and quickly applied her makeup. She was out the door, thirty minutes early than the usual time she gets ready.

Jo was extremely excited to see James after a month or so of not seeing him. During their time apart, Jo googled his name. She tried to stay away from looking him up but she wanted to know more about him. She ended up with hundreds of information. From his birth place, his height and weight, to the breakfasts he has with his teammate, Paul. She watched videos of him on youtube and learned about his sort of "bromance" with his other teammate, whom they call Geno. She even landed on a video where she saw him fighting a guy during one of his games.

From all the stuff they talked about over the phone, she knew that the information she got online didn't compare to what he told her. The internet doesn't know James like Jo knew him. She felt the familiar tingling deep within her stomach, the palms slightly sweating from the thought of him.

She was falling fast and yet she had only seen his face once.

-

They lost against the Kings but that fact was far from James' mind. He was physically in the game but his mind was in the stands, where Jo was sitting. Section 102, row D, seat 1. He made sure to remember where she was sitting so that he could simply look up and find her there. He wished that he had gotten her a jersey but seeing as she would be the only one in a Penguins jersey in a sea of Kings fans, he was glad he didn't. He didn't want her to be attacked by the extremely die hard fans on her first game. She might never want to attend his games if that happened to overwhelm her.

After the game, he quickly sent her a text from the locker room to meet him in the visitors lounge. Once he was done with the brief interviews and his shower, he got dressed and jogged to where he would find her.

He had to remind himself to breath when he saw her. It felt like eternity since the last time they had seen each other. The picture on his phone of her face wasn't enough for him. Seeing her in the same room as him was everything he had imagined since the day they had parted.

Jo didn't hesitate to run up to him and give him a big hug. He hugged her back, equally as tight. Paul had seen the mystery girl run up to James and just had to see what that was all about. Before the couple knew, Paul was extending a hand to shake towards Jo.

"Uh, Jo, this is Paul. Paul, this is Jo." James awkwardly introduced them to each other. He was taken back a bit when he saw Paul come in between their moment.

"Joe? Like the guys name?" Paul joked. Jo shook her head and explained it the way she did with James the first time they had introduced each other.

Paul quickly left after that, leaving Jo and James to finally have their alone time. They took a cab and stayed quiet the whole ride. They didn't bring up the game. Not that there was anything to talk about since they were both there to see what happened. They sat close to each other, hands interlocked and rested on James' thigh. Jo leaned her head against his shoulder while James tried to think of the right words to say.

True to his word, they had a couple of drinks at a local bar. They talked like old friends and shared kisses like lovers. James didn't want to admit that he was falling for her so fast because it felt unnatural, too unrealistic. He knew that if he told her how he felt, she would run away in fear. He held back what he felt and just lived in the moment he had with her.

"Hey, when's your graduation?" James asked. He nearly forgot to ask her. He wanted to make sure that he would be there to see her on her big day--just as much as he wanted her to be wherever he would be if and when they win the Stanley Cup.

"It's next month, on the twelfth." She stated. James took a mental note. She hoped that he would be able to make it but didn't want to pressure him to go. She knew that playoffs were starting and she didn't want to interfere with his work. All she knew was that whether he was there during her graduation or not, she would watch every single game until they won.

She knew how badly the Penguins want to win. She learned that the Stanley Cup was the greatest accomplishment in any hockey players' life. She knew how much it would mean to James to win the Cup with the team that gave him another chance to prove that he was a good player. James had told her about how he's been off his game as of late and how he could feel the organization slowly giving up on him. Jo said nothing but words of encouragement and hoped that it would be enough.

"I'll be there." James declared. He would do everything that he possibly can to be there for her.

"What about playoffs? I don't want you missing any games for me." Jo reasoned. "We can always celebrate my graduation after you guys win."

"If we win." He said rather glumly.

Jo put down her bottle of beer and placed a hand on his forearm in comfort. She looked at him with worry in her eyes. James felt the coldness of her hands from the bottle and looked at her.

"Win or lose, you're still one hell of a hockey player, James Neal." She said in all honesty. She didn't need to watch a hundred games to see the skill James had on the ice.

James believed her. He trusted that what she said was what she really felt. He was appreciative that, in the midst of all the chaos in his life and the downward spiral he felt his career was headed, there was someone in his life other than his family that still saw the potential in him.

Their night was cut short since he had to go back with the rest of the team and head back to Pittsburgh. They shared another kissed--a goodbye for now. He promised her a hundred times that he would be at her graduation and she promised to save a ticket for him.

-

They took two separate cabs. One headed to the airport and the other headed to an apartment close by.

On the plane, James couldn't help but stare at the pictures he had of Jo in his phone. He tried to fight off a smile as he saw her cheery face. The guys would've given him shit for it but luckily, they were all asleep--not that he would've given a single shit if they made fun of him for being hung up on a girl he really, really liked. He checked the calendar app on his phone and added her graduation date on it. He turned off his phone and closed his eyes with only Jo filling his dreams.

-

Back in her apartment in LA, Jo laid in her bed and touched her lips. She already missed his lips against her own. She felt addicted to him. Her heart beat faster and her body tingled at the thought of him. What was happening to her? Why was she feeling this way so fast? She knew the answer to those questions. James was it for her, as mad as it sounds. He was kind to her. He gave her the attention she didn't even know she needed. He was a man of his word and was supportive. He was dedicated and just everything a girl could ever want in a guy.

Jo couldn't help but think, why on earth would James Neal want a girl like me?. She shook those thoughts out of her head. She turned to her side to get more comfortable. She closed her eyes and whispered a goodnight to the guy that was now a thousand miles away from her.
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Sorry for the delay. Hope you guys enjoy this one!