Family Reunion
Five
I’m just slipping on my shoes when John knocks at my door. I walk over, opening the door to see him smiling at me in a suit. “No tie?” I joke. He shakes his head, pulling one out of his pocket.
“I don’t care how many times I have to wear one, I’m never gonna learn how to tie a tie,” he says, almost embarrassed. I shake my head, laughing under my breath and grabbing the tie.
“If you want me to tie it you’re going to have to bend down because you are too damn tall,” I say, trying and failing to push him down to my height by his shoulders.
“Maybe you’re just too damn short,” he counters as I knot the tie around his neck.
I scowl at him and he snorts out a laugh, slinging his arm around my shoulders and walking out the door.
We walk down to the lobby, his arm not moving from around my shoulders. Once we get out to the street where he parked, he guides me to his car, a sleek white Range Rover. John opens the passenger door for me, extending a hand to help me up into the car.
I take his hand and he boosts me into the car, closing the door behind me and walking around to the other side then getting in the driver’s seat. “Ready?” he asks, glancing me over. “I’m sorry. You look good, Eela.”
I feel my face heat up as he smiles and turns to go looking for something in the back seat of his car. He faces forwards once again with a bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley in his hand. “You don’t even understand how hard it was to find these things.”
“John…thank you,” I say at a total loss for words. “You didn’t have to do this.” He shrugs and hands me the flowers, starting the car and driving out of the parking lot.
“I wanted to show off. You can thank Backy for that little tidbit of information,” he says shyly. I look over the flowers, not trying to supress my smile.
“I like Backstrom already,” I say. John smiles, his eyes still on the road though he glances at me for a second.
-
We get to the restaurant and I see Karl walking in with his fiancée, Mandy who John told me about on the way here. I know little about her but I already know I’m going to like her.
John comes around and opens the door for me and guides me into the restaurant right behind Backstrom.
Backstrom- John tells me his first name is Nicklas- looks behind him and smiles at John then notices me. He stops, “You’re Eela, I assume?” he asks. I smile and nod.
He shakes my hand, “Good to meet the girl Carly can't talking about." I look over at John, seeing a blush redden his cheeks, so I grab his hand to reassure him. He looks down at our connected hands and twines our fingers together almost automatically, his blush only becoming more prominent.
I walk with John, and Nicklas back to the reserved table for the team in the back room of the restaurant. Braden, as well as Karl and Mandy are already back here and seated at the closer end of the table and surrounding them is another two players who John tells me are Marcus Johansson and Alexander Semin, here alone.
Braden sees us come in and walks up to us, “Welcome to the team, Eela. John, we have a slight argument do you think you could help us out for a second?” John looks at me, almost asking permission. I smile and nod, shooing him and Braden off.
“How long have you two been going out?” Nicklas. I turn around and see him behind me, leaning against the wall.
“This is technically our first date but…” I trail off. He nods in understanding. “So I heard you’re a Swede who knows the official flower of Finland and told John for me.” He shrugs modestly and takes a sip of his drink I hadn’t noticed in his hand. “Thank you, for that, by the way,” I say.
We’re called to the table by who I recognize as Alex Ovechkin, and Nicklas leads me back to John. He smiles at me before walking back over to his side of the table. I look at John to see him having already pulled out my seat for me, “Thank you.”
He bows his head in recognition and pushes my seat in as I sit down, then takes his seat on my right. I glance to my left and see Braden. He notices me and looks over, smiling as he continues to talk to Karl across from him. “Everyone, everyone. I think we have new lady to welcome.”
As their captain says this, all eyes fall on me. John smiles apologetically, placing his hand on top of mine under the table. I look at our hands, one on top of the other, John's thumb brushing over my knuckles, and look back up at him. But his attention is back on his captain as he continues in heavily accented English, “Eela, you from Finland, yes?” I nod. “And you’re Tuukka Rask’s sister. Welcome to the team."
-
The welcoming continues for a few more minutes between Alex and me until the waitress comes in to take our drink orders. John keeps his hand on top of mine for most of the night, but I pull away once our food comes so I can use it. After our plates are collected and everyone else is finished eating, John glances at me while, instead of just laying his hand on top of mine, actually holds it, interlocking our fingers and squeezing my hand with a smile. I smile back up at him as the conversation around us continues.
Eventually, some of the guys start leaving, aware of the apparent fact that the last one left has to pick up the bill. John must have forgotten about this because he lets Alex and his date leave and we’re the last ones left just as the waitress comes in with the receipt.
She hands the bill to him and he looks at it, shocked. “Cheap ass bastards,” he mumbles, pulling out his wallet and dropping his credit card on the table for the waitress to collect. He looks at me, “Why didn’t you drag me out? They told you how it goes down!”
I smirk, shrugging, “I forgot.”
“I’m going to call bull shit on that one," he counters, inspecting our connected hands resting on my leg. “Good first date?”
I nod, looking back up at him next to me. We stay seated silently until the waitress comes back with his credit card and after he leaves a tip, we get up and go back out to his car.
-
“Well I would love to see you again soon, Eela,” John says teasingly, walking me to my hotel room’s front door. “But you know, I don’t have an exact idea of just how long you’re planning on staying.”
I sigh, facing him, “As long as time permits.”
“That’s helpful,” he mumbles. “We have practice tomorrow and first cuts for camp so I’ll be busy till about one but do you want to go to lunch afterwards?”
“Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon then?” He smiles and nods, pausing. “What?” He shakes his head, his eyes no longer on my eyes but lower, focused on my lips. I blush, my face heating up and probably turning bright red. But, John doesn’t notice as he leans down to my height and puts his lips against mine. I stand on my toes, so he doesn’t have to lean down as much, my hands pressed against his chest. But as quickly as the kiss came, it leaves as he pulls away.
“Night, Eela,” he says, pecking my lips one time, lingering for a second longer.
“Good night, John.”
“I don’t care how many times I have to wear one, I’m never gonna learn how to tie a tie,” he says, almost embarrassed. I shake my head, laughing under my breath and grabbing the tie.
“If you want me to tie it you’re going to have to bend down because you are too damn tall,” I say, trying and failing to push him down to my height by his shoulders.
“Maybe you’re just too damn short,” he counters as I knot the tie around his neck.
I scowl at him and he snorts out a laugh, slinging his arm around my shoulders and walking out the door.
We walk down to the lobby, his arm not moving from around my shoulders. Once we get out to the street where he parked, he guides me to his car, a sleek white Range Rover. John opens the passenger door for me, extending a hand to help me up into the car.
I take his hand and he boosts me into the car, closing the door behind me and walking around to the other side then getting in the driver’s seat. “Ready?” he asks, glancing me over. “I’m sorry. You look good, Eela.”
I feel my face heat up as he smiles and turns to go looking for something in the back seat of his car. He faces forwards once again with a bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley in his hand. “You don’t even understand how hard it was to find these things.”
“John…thank you,” I say at a total loss for words. “You didn’t have to do this.” He shrugs and hands me the flowers, starting the car and driving out of the parking lot.
“I wanted to show off. You can thank Backy for that little tidbit of information,” he says shyly. I look over the flowers, not trying to supress my smile.
“I like Backstrom already,” I say. John smiles, his eyes still on the road though he glances at me for a second.
-
We get to the restaurant and I see Karl walking in with his fiancée, Mandy who John told me about on the way here. I know little about her but I already know I’m going to like her.
John comes around and opens the door for me and guides me into the restaurant right behind Backstrom.
Backstrom- John tells me his first name is Nicklas- looks behind him and smiles at John then notices me. He stops, “You’re Eela, I assume?” he asks. I smile and nod.
He shakes my hand, “Good to meet the girl Carly can't talking about." I look over at John, seeing a blush redden his cheeks, so I grab his hand to reassure him. He looks down at our connected hands and twines our fingers together almost automatically, his blush only becoming more prominent.
I walk with John, and Nicklas back to the reserved table for the team in the back room of the restaurant. Braden, as well as Karl and Mandy are already back here and seated at the closer end of the table and surrounding them is another two players who John tells me are Marcus Johansson and Alexander Semin, here alone.
Braden sees us come in and walks up to us, “Welcome to the team, Eela. John, we have a slight argument do you think you could help us out for a second?” John looks at me, almost asking permission. I smile and nod, shooing him and Braden off.
“How long have you two been going out?” Nicklas. I turn around and see him behind me, leaning against the wall.
“This is technically our first date but…” I trail off. He nods in understanding. “So I heard you’re a Swede who knows the official flower of Finland and told John for me.” He shrugs modestly and takes a sip of his drink I hadn’t noticed in his hand. “Thank you, for that, by the way,” I say.
We’re called to the table by who I recognize as Alex Ovechkin, and Nicklas leads me back to John. He smiles at me before walking back over to his side of the table. I look at John to see him having already pulled out my seat for me, “Thank you.”
He bows his head in recognition and pushes my seat in as I sit down, then takes his seat on my right. I glance to my left and see Braden. He notices me and looks over, smiling as he continues to talk to Karl across from him. “Everyone, everyone. I think we have new lady to welcome.”
As their captain says this, all eyes fall on me. John smiles apologetically, placing his hand on top of mine under the table. I look at our hands, one on top of the other, John's thumb brushing over my knuckles, and look back up at him. But his attention is back on his captain as he continues in heavily accented English, “Eela, you from Finland, yes?” I nod. “And you’re Tuukka Rask’s sister. Welcome to the team."
-
The welcoming continues for a few more minutes between Alex and me until the waitress comes in to take our drink orders. John keeps his hand on top of mine for most of the night, but I pull away once our food comes so I can use it. After our plates are collected and everyone else is finished eating, John glances at me while, instead of just laying his hand on top of mine, actually holds it, interlocking our fingers and squeezing my hand with a smile. I smile back up at him as the conversation around us continues.
Eventually, some of the guys start leaving, aware of the apparent fact that the last one left has to pick up the bill. John must have forgotten about this because he lets Alex and his date leave and we’re the last ones left just as the waitress comes in with the receipt.
She hands the bill to him and he looks at it, shocked. “Cheap ass bastards,” he mumbles, pulling out his wallet and dropping his credit card on the table for the waitress to collect. He looks at me, “Why didn’t you drag me out? They told you how it goes down!”
I smirk, shrugging, “I forgot.”
“I’m going to call bull shit on that one," he counters, inspecting our connected hands resting on my leg. “Good first date?”
I nod, looking back up at him next to me. We stay seated silently until the waitress comes back with his credit card and after he leaves a tip, we get up and go back out to his car.
-
“Well I would love to see you again soon, Eela,” John says teasingly, walking me to my hotel room’s front door. “But you know, I don’t have an exact idea of just how long you’re planning on staying.”
I sigh, facing him, “As long as time permits.”
“That’s helpful,” he mumbles. “We have practice tomorrow and first cuts for camp so I’ll be busy till about one but do you want to go to lunch afterwards?”
“Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon then?” He smiles and nods, pausing. “What?” He shakes his head, his eyes no longer on my eyes but lower, focused on my lips. I blush, my face heating up and probably turning bright red. But, John doesn’t notice as he leans down to my height and puts his lips against mine. I stand on my toes, so he doesn’t have to lean down as much, my hands pressed against his chest. But as quickly as the kiss came, it leaves as he pulls away.
“Night, Eela,” he says, pecking my lips one time, lingering for a second longer.
“Good night, John.”