I Feel More With Everyday That Goes By

What the hell was I doing here? I mean really because this was the last place I needed to be. Somehow I had found myself at a club with the resident enemy, the Washington Capitals. Some people may ask what was wrong with me, I was hanging out with a vast number of professional athletes. That was cool and all, but this was the hockey team I swore to hate with all that was in me.

I didn’t really remember how I stumbled upon hockey or how I came to the decision that I loved the sport of hockey. It wasn’t love at first sight, not that I could see much from the seat behind an outrageously tall man when I attended my first game. I enjoyed the nonstop action of the sport and the fact that the players were some of the hottest beings on the planet coupled with the fact that they were actually decent human beings really drew me in. Growing up with a father from North Hills, I naturally embraced the hometown team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh was known to be a serious hockey town and I came into the sport only a year ahead of Sidney Crosby’s rookie season. Sidney Crosby did a lot to help the future of hockey in Pittsburgh as well as the whole of the National Hockey League, but he also helped me grow in my love for the sport and the type of man hockey teams groomed their players to be.

I had been a sickly kid, and during Crosby’s second year as a Pittsburgh Penguin, I was admitted in Children’s Hospital. Crosby was set to visit in the late afternoon the day I was discharged. One of the nurses, I’ll never know who, told him about me and he took it upon himself to mail me an autographed rookie jersey. As you can probably guess, this sealed the deal on my love for the Penguins, if there was any doubt in the first place.

Which is why socializing with the Washington Capitals was the last place I wanted to be. I chalked it up to a failed attempt at getting my college friends to embrace the sport, namely the Penguins when I watched a game against the Capitals with Morgan. She instantly became enamored with Alex Ovechkin. Believe me, I was happy that she got to meet the man she admired so much, but did I really have to be around for it? The only solace I was granted was the ability to be around Mike Green who was without a doubt easy on the eyes. He was about the only Capital I could stand because I liked his soft-spoken nature. When he stood next to me and silently watched the Alex and Morgan interact with each other, I knew we were going to be friends.

The four of us drove to a club together in Alex’s car to meet up with the rest of the team. I felt pretty underdressed compared to Mike, who was in his post-game suit, in my dark wash skinny jeans and Capitals T-shirt. Alex at least had the tact to get me a plain T-shirt so I didn’t have to sport an enemy’s name and number though he probably didn’t know that I was making myself feel better about the T-shirt because I had my James Neal Penguins Hockey T-shirt on underneath. The Capitals shirt was bigger on me so that Alex could ensure that it would fit, so it was easy for me to get away with it. I shucked the thing as soon as the game was over. Thankfully Morgan probably warned Alex that I was a hardcore Penguins fan and he and Mike both took my team switch in good stride.

I had never been into the club scene and it was just plain awkward hanging out in the VIP section with a bunch of people I didn’t know. I was both parts disgruntled and relieved that Morgan dragged the three of us with her to dance. I didn’t like clubs specifically because I didn’t like to dance, though judging by the displeased look on Mike’s face, I wasn’t the only one hating on the dance scene. Yes, we were destined to be friends indeed. Mike humored Morgan for a few songs before he excused himself to get another beer. He took my hand and pulled me along with him. I gave Morgan a wave as I stumbled forward to follow him. Instead of taking us to the VIP bar, he got us some seats at the main bar. He ordered another beer before looking at me questioningly. I blushed and stuttered out “P-p-pepsi please.”

Mike quirked an eyebrow, “Not a big drinker?” he asked seemingly genuinely curious.

I shrugged, “I don’t like the taste of a lot of alcoholic beverages.”

“There has to be something you like,” Mike insisted.

I shook my head, “Not that I know of.”

“Can we have a drink menu?” Mike asked the bartender. The mid-twenties guy nodded and quickly handed him one from the stack on the shelf inside the bar. I was thankful that he seemed to take my fumbling for a drink in stride though I guess it helps when you’re with a well known athlete. Mike thanked him again when he returned with his bottle of beer.

When he set it back down on the coaster he opened the menu on the dark stained, wooden bar. “Okay do you want something simple like a wine cooler or do we want to get intricate?”

I looked at him with an amused smirk in place, “Are you trying to get me drunk Green?” I didn’t believe he was, but I just wanted to tease him.

“No,” he said with his own grin, catching the joking manner of my tone.

I leaned closer to see over his arm to see the menu. He immediately moved his arm so I could see better. My eyebrows furrowed in concentration as I scanned the plethora of alcoholic drinks. There was way too many to pick from and especially since I had no idea what I liked anyway. No wonder I was never concerned with drinking, this was a hard choice. I let out a frustrated huff after scanning the menu a few times and coming up empty. “I really don’t know what to get. Just order me some girly drink that you can’t taste the alcohol in.”

Mike let out a soft chuckle as he closed the menu. He looked me in the eyes and seemed to consider his options for a moment, “Well if you don’t like the taste of alcohol I’m going to guess wine is not what you want?”

“You would be correct.”

“You said something girly so like a margarita?” He offered.

“Not really feeling the fruit taste either,” I told him apologetically. I covered my face with my hands as I felt it flush with heat. “Just forget it. I’m too picky.”

He gently took my hands in his and brought them away from my face. His hands were so warm and large. My hands were always cold so I appreciated when someone warmed my hands up with theirs. “No, no we’ll figure it out. It’s just a process of elimination. Are you a coffee drinker?”

“Yes. My friend from college got me hooked on it our sophomore year of college. It’s safe to say I’m happily addicted,” I told him with a sheepish grin.

“Okay,” he said simply. He flagged the bartender down and rattled off some drink that I couldn’t hear. The club was pretty typical in the sense that the music was so loud that it was hard to hear yourself think. Mike and I were sitting relatively close in order to hear each other without shouting like idiots.

He looked back at me when the bartender walked away to prepare my mystery drink and sent me a snarky smirk and a wink. Asshole. I gave him a whack on the arm, pretending that it really would hurt him. “Morgan said you were on spring break, why D.C.?”

I shrugged, “We’ve both been there and done that with Florida so we figured we would do something different than catching rays on the beach. We both love hockey and I go to my team’s games all the time so we figured we would take in the scene of other hockey games.”

“Your team’s?” Mike asked with a grin.

I shot him my ‘don’t test me’ look. I didn’t care if he was from another team. I wasn’t going to switch my loyalties just because I was talking to a man that didn’t play for the Penguins. I wasn’t a puck slut and I could safely say I wasn’t looking to spend a night in Mike Green’s company, so if he didn’t like that I was a Penguin fan he could go to hell. “Yes, my team. I’m a Penguins fan through and through. Complete with the disdain for….Capitals,” I told him making sure to enunciate the world ‘Capitals’ like it was a bad word and a sassy wave of dismissal.

Mike laughed in a good natured manner, “Well to each his own. What do you study?”

The bartender put the drink in front of me. It was a light brown color with a mound of whipped cream on it. I used the straw to spoon it into my mouth, only pausing to answer the question, “I’m a political science major. I’m going to law school after I graduate.”

“I hate to inform you but most lawyers flock to D.C. so I may very well be seeing more of you,” Mike grinned.

I rolled my eyes, “I plan on going to Duke for law school and I’ll pass the Bar in North Carolina and stay far away from you when you infiltrate Hurricane territory.”

Mike pouted rather cutely and placed a hand over his heart, “Aw come on Jen, cut me a little slack. Ovie told me that Morgan said you had the hots for me before.”

HOLY. FUCK. He didn’t just tell me that. He didn’t just say that! What the hell! More importantly what the hell was Morgan doing just throwing that information around! This has to be one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I was pretty sure not just my cheeks were red but the entirety of my body. I shot him a horrified look to which he just grinned happily. This could not be happening. “There was no need to go there,” I mumbled. I didn’t expect him to hear me.

I swung my legs around on the bar stool in order to face the mass of gyrating bodies. I could feel the bass beat of the song vibrating through the floor. The loud music was starting to give me a headache. I hated rap already, I didn’t need it to be this loud because my detestation of it would only increase. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. It had grown considerably since my junior year and now went past my shoulders. I was having a nice time with Mike and all, but I was not exploring this subject with him. I was about to get off the stool and book it with what dignity I had left, but a gentle grip on my bicep caused me to stop and turn back towards Mike. “I didn’t say that to embarrass you. I said that because I could see clear as day that you were friend-zoning me.”

I opened my mouth to argue with him and tell him that he really couldn’t have that kind of insight. I hadn’t even decided if I wanted him as a friend or not, and if I didn’t know if he was friend material or more, he sure as hell didn’t. He should be concerned if I even want him for a friend.

He held up his hand and I snapped my mouth shut more out of manners than me actually wanting to hear what he had to say. “I’m not going to settle for friends in the long run. I know I’m going to want more when I get to know you better, I can feel it. I just want to make it clear from the beginning that I never want to be just a friend to you.”

Did I just step into some sort of twilight zone? Is this really happening because here I was getting told that no matter what I did even though he didn’t know me well, Mike wanted to be more than friends. Damn, what was I supposed to say to that? So much for the best friends forever thing I was picturing earlier. “I’m going to find Morgan,” I said simply before abandoning him at the bar and weaving in and out of people in order to try and locate Morgan. I found her and Alex still on the dance floor. I told them that I was ready to go and jumped when I felt a warm hand on the small of my back. I glared up at Mike as he gazed steadily back at me.

We all agreed that it was time to leave and call it a night. Mike grabbed my small hand while we were walking back to the car. I tried to pull it from his grasp but he was much stronger than I was so I was forced to let him keep a grip on my hand. He held my frigid hand in his the whole way back to the arena. I started not to mind when my hand started to warm up due to the heat of his and even put my other hand on top of the one holding my left hand. He immediately put his other hand on mine. That hand too became nice and toasty, so I just left it and looked out the window at the scenery. When we reached the arena. Mike simply gave me a smile and headed back to his car. He seemed to sense that he shouldn’t push me too far in one night. He was a smart man for that because I would have punched him in the balls.

By the time we reached Morgan and my hotel, I was dead on my feet. I just wanted to face plant on my bed and call it a day. Alex tried to be all suave and walk us up to our room and then he lost that element when he and Morgan were so obviously waiting for me to go into the room. I rolled my eyes and opened the door with my electronic key muttering, “Asshat.” to Alex for good measure.