Master of Timing

The buzz of the gate intercom came through the alarm system close to 9AM. Sid put his mug of coffee down on the counter next to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, welcoming the distraction from all the political bullshit that was pasted all over the financial section.

“Hello?” He asked after he picked up the receiver. The security camera was showing a grainy image of a taxi.

“Good morning, big brother.”

“…Taylor?”

“You only have one sister. C’mon, let me in!”

He frowned at the screen and shook his head in disbelief at a hand that was waving in his direction from the back window. Entering the six digit code, he put the receiver back in the handle and jogged to the front door, opening it in time to see his little sister get out of the cab with a handbag over her shoulder.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighbourhood, thought I’d stop by,” She grinned, closing the cab door and running up to him to give him a hug. He held her close, picking her up off the ground and spinning her around.

“You’re not supposed to be here until tonight,” He pointed out, checking that the taxi had got out okay before heading back inside to close the gate. He looked around. “Where’s your stuff?”

“Oh,” Taylor shrugged, waving a hand in the air as they walked back inside. “It’s at the hotel.”

Sid paused. “What hotel? Why aren’t you staying here?” He racked his brain, trying to figure out when he and his family had decided that they weren’t going to stay with him like they always did.

Taylor rolled her eyes and toed her shoes off, balancing on the side table that held his ‘general crap’ bowl in the entry. “Sid, I love you and all, but I don’t really wanna be here while you and Lyndsey are all gross and sucking face. So,” She shrugged again. “A hotel. Plus, it has better breakfast and someone makes my bed every day so I’m winning.”

“But… hey, I make great breakfast.”

“Sure you do.” Taylor grinned and looked around, pausing to stare at him before walking backwards into the kitchen. “So… is she here?”

“Who?” Sid called after her, turning the lock on the front door.

“Who? Lyndsey, you dumbass,” came the snarky reply from the kitchen. Sid took a deep breath and followed her in there, picking up his mug again and turning to make one for Taylor as well. “Oh God, is she sleeping? I just totally yelled.” When he turned back around, her hand was over the mouth and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No, Tayls. She’s not here.”

Taylor paused. “But it’s the playoffs.”

“Is it really?” He was proud of himself for being able to ignore the glare she gave back to him. He closed the paper shut and sat down at the stool next to her. “She can’t make it right now. Work is hectic.”

Taylor was silent as he brushed his thumb back and forth along the rim of his mug, getting up to fix her own coffee once the Nespresso machine had finished doing its thing.

“… You okay?”

“Oh yeah, sure.” Taylor continued to stir in her one teaspoon of sugar. Once it got to the point that Sidney was sure that her coffee was probably cold, he cleared his throat. “The other one,” She muttered, not doing a single thing to hold back her disdain, “Would’ve dropped everything.”

Sid sighed, and hung back his head. “Yeah well, thank God Lyndsey’s not Stephanie then, eh?” When Taylor turned to him and raised an eye brow, he nodded. “She’s got her own life. I love that about her - I mean, I hate it in the moment but generally it’s… it is what it is, okay? She said she’d try and make it down for the next round.”

“The next round, wow,” She parroted, moving back to take her seat. “Look at you. Find some girl who lives in Narnia and suddenly you’re the optimist.”

“Edmonton isn’t Narnia, shut up,” He laughed, pushing at her shoulder. “I’m not allowed to have some good feelings every now and again?”

Taylor made a face. “Well yeah, but I don’t want to know what kind of good feelings they are.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“You love me.”

“How’s school?” He asked, needing to get onto a new subject. Otherwise the two of them would’ve been going back and forth for far too long.

“Ugh, Minni is still stuck in full blown winter. I’m glad to get out of there.”

“What,” Sid got up to put his mug in the dishwasher. “To come visit the bright sunshine of Pittsburgh?”

“Hey,” She held two hands up in defence. “I have not seen a single drop of rain since I landed this morning. That’s practically the Caribbean after the last few months.”

The two of them chatted idly for the rest of the morning. Sid had practice in the afternoon and when Taylor asked, he called Sully to see if it was okay that she watched. It had been a while since the team had seen Taylor one on one - usually when she could visit, it was a quick fly in, fly out for a game or two and then back to school. It wasn’t often she had the time to come and hang out with her brother for a whole week, and truth be told, Sid was grateful. He missed her more and more the years went on.

“Have you got skates?”

Taylor just laughed as she buckled her seat belt, Sidney reversing out of the driveway and heading to the practise rink. “Brother, my season is long over. I shipped all my stuff home weeks ago.”

He was mildly disappointed. “We could’ve scrimmaged,” He pouted, rolling his eyes when she pouted straight back at him.

“With Muzz and Flower in the same building? No thanks.”

“Oh come on. That’s not even a fair comparison.”

Taylor grinned. “What? You saying I’m better than Fluery?”

When he hesitated, he gripped the steering wheel with both hands as his little sister cackled to herself. It hurt himself to bite the inside of his cheek, but he wasn’t giving in.

“It’s okay, you can admit. Marc-Andre is a better goalie than me, it’s fine. I’ll build a bridge.” When he didn’t say anything, she giggled. “I could probably take on Matt.”

That’s the spirit, he thought to himself, fiddling with the radio to fill the noise for the last ten minutes of the drive. He held the door open for her when they walked in, finding Duper almost straight away. Kuni glanced up as he was walking through the hallway into the room to see the three of them chatting and he held open the door to the locker room to kindly inform everyone that the “better Crosby!” was there.

It took maybe six seconds before the whole team - in various states of getting dressed into gear - had come out to say hello. Sid noticed that some of the rookies just waved, took one glance at him and then backed away slowly.

Not slow enough for Taylor not to notice, if the side eye she gave her brother was any indication.

“Alright, stop monopolising.” Sid cut in, nodding his head in the direction of the locker room. “Let’s go, boys.” He turned to face his sister, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll meet you back here after practise?”

Taylor nodded, pulling out her phone. “Sure thing. I’ll give you all the notes I’m about to take and we can figure out how to improve your game on the drive to lunch.”

Sidney dutifully ignored the dig, rolling his eyes and heading through to the locker room, eager for training to get underway so that the team could start to prepare for the Rangers for Round One.



That evening, Sidney returned to his house with his parents in tow, helping his Dad move their bags up to the guest room, biting his tongue when Trina commented about the lack of food in the fridge. He had plenty of notice for when they were getting in to town, but Taylor had distracted him and he hadn’t had a chance to go food shopping before their flight landed.

Just as he was about to suggest a restaurant, his phone began to ring and vibrate across his granite countertop with Lyndsey’s name and face smiling back at him.

“We’ll just-”

“No, Mom. It’s all good. We’ll go out for dinner?” He asked quickly, making sure that she stayed sitting on the kitchen stool. “Hey babe, hang on a sec?”

“Oh - yeah, sure.”

“Sidney-”

“Mom, it’s fine,” He smiled, kissing Trina’s cheek as he brushed past and out of the kitchen through to the laundry. It was a nice enough night, and he didn’t want to be interrupted, so he made his way to the backyard. “Hi, sorry.”

“That’s okay. Was I interrupting?”

The door clicked shut behind him. It was an unusually pleasant temperature outside, the sky still a faint pink from the setting sun, a couple of early fireflies blinking towards to the farthest end of the yard. It was almost time to take the cover off the pool.

“Not at all. How are you?”

Lyndsey started off with a bang; she’d had an excellent night at the work the day before and was out to have an evening out with her work friends that would definitely involve more than one vodka cranberry.

Or so he was told.

“So… I shouldn’t call you before the game tomorrow?” He teased, biting back the warning he wanted to give her after the last night she had of drinking. He wasn’t her mother, he had no right to tell her to be careful, especially for the next morning. He knew full well that she’d already would’ve thought of everything.

“You better call me or you’ll be in trouble, mister. But-”

He waited, stretching back in the lounge chair, tucking a hand behind his head to get comfortable. “But?”

“Oh, uhm. Nothing. I just remembered I’ll be out tomorrow afternoon, so if you can call me in the morning, your time? Maybe after skate?”

He agreed, albeit reluctantly. She sounded a little off, which wasn’t usually like Lyndsey at all. When he asked her about it, she just laughed.

“I promise, everything is more than alright. So, your family is there by now, eh?”

He grinned, letting her know the details of Taylor showing up and surprising him. The two of them had lunch at his favourite sushi restaurant - the same one that he’d taken her to when she’d visited - and she suckered him into the visiting the mall for some new shoes.

“She gave me the same look you do.”

“What look?! I don’t have a look.”

“Yes you do,” He laughed, eyes glancing quickly the kitchen when he heard a tapping noise. Taylor was standing there, making kissing faces and practically drooling on the glass, ignoring him when he flipped her off and tuned back into the conversation. “Okay fine, maybe I’m imagining it to be the look you would give me if you ever wanted me to buy you a pair of shoes.”

“I can send you some pictures and my sizes, if you’d like?”

“Perfect,” He deadpanned, standing up. It was getting close to seven, they’d have to be heading out if they wanted to get seated anywhere good to eat before eight pm. “Hey, I hate to cut this short, but my family and I are about to head out for dinner-”

“Oh my God, of course. You silly, you said I wasn’t interrupting anything!”

“You weren’t,” He assured her. “But I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing. And I’m sorry for any texts you might get tonight, I have a feeling Jackie or Casey might try and steal my phone and get in contact with you.”

“Sure. Casey or Jackie.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed. “Never, baby.”

“Well on that note, have a good time at dinner.”

“I will. Take care of yourself tonight, please. For my sake.”

Not letting her hang up until she promised, he made his way back inside a couple of minutes later, the smile falling off his face as his Mom, Dad and sister stood waiting in the kitchen with knowing smiles on their own.

“What.”

Trina laughed, reaching out to pet his cheek. “Oh honey. You should see your face.”

“Yeah, it’s all loved up and vomit inducing.”

“You little-”

“Taylor, leave your brother alone. Sid,” he turned to face his Dad. “You want to change before we go?”

Sidney looked down at his black henley and dark jeans, quickly running through where they might eat. He’d leave the fancy restaurants for another night, they could just go out for burgers or steak or something equally as easy.

“Nah,” He grabbed his keys. “Let’s go.”



Sidney was often asked if he ever hated doing media. He could honestly say that he didn’t. And even if he did, there was no way to get away from it. Talking to reporters and participating in media was part of the responsibilities of being Captain, of being able to do what he loved every single day. He’d only go so far as saying - and to very few people, of course - that sometimes answering the same but differently worded questions could be frustrating. Sometimes he wished that he only had to talk to one reporter, two tops, with one set of questions, his recorded answers sent out to the papers and all other forms of social media and cutting down the amount of time he had to sit with cameras, microphones, recorders and cell phones being shoved in his face. Sometimes, very rarely, he wondered what it would be like to not have to deal with “the vultures”, as Kuni called them occasionally.

Tonight was one of those times.

He could hear his teammates out in the hall, celebrating their win over the Rangers without him. The win hadn’t been by a landslide, but being up 5-2 at the final buzzer left him very satisfied. There was nothing like opening the playoffs with a solidly convincing win. Only fifteen more to go.

“Sid, how did it feel to have home ice advantage for game one?”

“Yeah, it felt good,” he said, pausing to adjust his hat after quickly wiping his face with his towel. God, he needed a shower. “It always feels good to play at home. We’re at our best here, which is how I think it is for most teams. But to start the playoffs with a win at home is always a good feeling.”

He shifted on the bench to wait for the next question, moving his body more to the side when one of the camera lights hit him square in the eyes. He was able to see the doors to the room between the shoulders of two reporters, and tilted his head slightly to see that one of the doors was held open by Geno and Kris leaning against it, laughing together before Geno suddenly darted out into the hall, hollering something that sounded like “shit you for real” while Kris burst into loud laughter, clapping his hands at whatever he was seeing. It was distraction enough that Sidney had to have the question repeated.

“What are your thoughts on the last few games of the regular season, and how do you and the team transition forward into the playoffs after those tough losses?”

They were bullshit losses, he wanted to say, especially the Philadelphia game. Absolute bullshit. But he took a minute, getting his thoughts in line before giving the kind of answer that all media had come to know him for. He was pretty sure he’d answered a similar question, after their last game a few days before, so he didn’t elaborate too much.

He heard Janine limit the questions to just two more and tried not to look relieved, finding himself glancing towards the door once again. He could see Kuni and Pascal in the doorway, Maureen and Carol-Lyne and the kids and - holy shit.

Lyndsey.

Holy shit.

Practically stumbling because Geno had her wrapped in a bear hug, she was blushing and laughing, standing beside Maureen once Geno finally let her go. She looked into the room, caught his eye and gave him the smile he couldn’t get enough of, raised one hand in a wave. She was real.

She was here.

“Sid?”

He looked up at the faces staring at him expectantly, looked back out to where his friends were laughing at him, where his girlfriend was watching him. It took him a second to realize he was half standing, another to make himself sit down again. He couldn’t just walk away in the middle of media. Fuck, he wanted to, but he couldn’t. It would have been rude and inappropriate Captain behaviour, they’d fry him for it, Sully and every damn person on the team and staff would never let him live it down. He needed to do his job.

“Sorry, I was…” Distracted by my girlfriend who isn’t supposed to be here until the end of April. Shaking his head to clear it, Sidney looked away from Lyndsey and forced himself to focus. The quicker he got this done, the quicker he could get to her.

“Sorry. Can you repeat the question?”

He couldn’t concentrate for the last few minutes of his media duties; he could see Geno and Tanger pointing at him and laughing, Lyndsey’s face pouting as she slapped them across their biceps. He smirked to himself as Potash took to waving a hand in his face to get his attention – serves them right for chirping him in front of his girlfriend.

“You look like you’ve had a stroke,” Dan joked, putting away his phone. His face turned serious as he rested a hand on Sid’s shoulder. “Wait – you’re not-”

“No Dan,” He laughed, reaching down to pull the laces out of his skates. “I just saw someone I wasn’t expecting.”

Potash looked over his shoulder for a minute, before turning back with a knowing smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows. “And who’s that, I wonder.”

Standing up, Sidney caught Lyndsey’s glance for the brief second before he pulled the sweaty, gross Under Armour off his torso, tossing it onto the seat behind him to deal with later. He reached for a towel and tapped Dan’s chest with the back of his hand.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“That’s why I asked,” Dan called out as Sidney made his way over to Lyndsey, not missing the way her eyes went from his face to his abs and back up again. Slowly. By the time he reached her, she was biting her lip and her cheeks were hinting at shades of pink, enough to make his blood run hot.

“I can’t believe you,” He greeted her, reaching out to take her hands in his. He was covered head to toe in sweat, grime and probably ice shavings still from the spray he copped as the buzzer sounded, and there was no way he was going to hug Lyndsey while she was wearing what looked like a super expensive sweater and jeans.

Hell, she could’ve been wearing a potato sack and he still wouldn’t force that on her.

“Fancy seeing you here,” She giggled, squeezing his hands.

“C’mon, Sid! You not kiss her?”

He just closed his eyes, shaking his head as he heard Lyndsey fall apart in his arms into a fit of giggles, pressing her hands against his chest. He tried to give Geno the best ‘would you just leave’ look he could muster, but apparently his best friend had seen it enough over the previous ten years that it had lost its’ effect.

“Not with an audience, I’m not,” He retorted, looking over his shoulder to see the core standing around, Carol-Lyne tucked under Pascal’s arm with a knowing grin. “Oh for - piss off, all of you. Go shower, you stink.”

“Ooooh, Captain’s all shy and bashful.”

“What’s the matter, Cros? Performance anxiety?”

“Lyndsey, any time this happens, you can just give me a call,” Marc-Andre joked, miming a telephone to his face before Sidney promptly threw a towel at it.

“Shut up,” He laughed, shielding Lyndsey as much as he could from the rambunctious over grown children he considered family. Before he remembered just how much he smelled and stepped back to give her some breathing room. “Sorry.”

“Yeah,” She said, looking around him through to the locker room. “I have literally had patients lose their bowels in front of me and I don’t think it smelt as bad as that room does,” She joked, shrugging her shoulders.

He cringed, wishing Flower had thrown the towel back at him. “I’ll go clean up.” He looked to Carol-Lyne, who was still grinning. Pascal now was too, it was almost unnerving. “…Right. Carol, are you heading back up to the family room?”

“Oh, you mean where you parents and your sister are who have been talking Lyndsey’s ear off since she got here?”

Sidney froze, eyes darting to his girlfriend’s face who was back to biting her lip. She shrugged one shoulder. “Your Mom found me straight away.”

“Oh God,” He muttered, bending down to kiss her cheek. “I’m sorry, she can be a little overwhelming.”

Lyndsey shushed him, pushing him away with the palm of her hand. “You are a little overwhelming. Now, go shower and get less gross while I go find out embarrassing stories about you from Taylor. And find somewhere to get some food.”

“You haven’t eaten?” He asked, frowning. He wasn’t sure that the suites would still get served food this late, but he looked around for something with a uniform and a walkie on to ask the question.

“It’s fine, I ate on the plane but I’m just hungry again.” Lyndsey ushered him away with a hand, laughing when Carol-Lyne linked their arms together. “I’ll meet you up there?”

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” He promised, smiling when she winked and turned away.

Pascal stepped over to his side slowly, hands tucked away in the pockets of his sweat pants he’d had the chance to at least put on. They both watched their women eventually turn right around a corner before Duper looked at him. Sidney held out for a few seconds longer before he eventually gave in and met his eyes.

“Oh man, are you in trouble.”

“What?” He asked indignantly, turning around to head back through the room. He needed a shower, badly. “And what the hell, did you know about this?’

“Not a clue. And by trouble, I mean it’s interesting watching someone and realising that you’re literally seeing them interact with their future wife.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know you think you are.”

“C’mon, Cros. Your face. That said it all.”

“It was very ‘deer in headlights’,” Kuni piped up, clearly done with his post-game clean up, gear bag hung over his shoulder. “Did I hear Dan ask if you were having a stroke?”

Duper just cracked up, slapping Sidney on his bare skin as he shed his shorts, socks and the rest of his gear to have a shower. Slipping his feet into his crocs, he ignored them both and walked through to the showers, letting the warm water relax his muscles just enough before he hurriedly put together his gear, ready to take home and wash before the next practice.

He left his bag inside the door to the family suite, out of the way of the catering stuff who were making moves to clean up. “Oh, hey,” He reached out, gently stopping one of the waitresses, who stared back at him in shock. “Sorry, that was quite rude.”

“It’s-no, that’s fine,” She answered nervously, shifting the tray in her hands.

Sidney smiled and pointed over to where he could see Lyndsey sitting next to his Dad, Taylor on her left. He closed his eyes briefly at what they could possibly be talking about. “You see that lady right there? Is there any chance I could get a plate of food brought over? Anything you’ve got would be great.”

The waitress nodded, her teeth almost too big for her mouth. “Sure thing, Mister Crosby. Right away.”

He didn’t even have a chance to thank her before she walked away and he started to laugh before an arm tightened around his bicep and neck and the smell of his mother’s perfume filled his nostrils. “Hey, Mom-”

“Oh my God, honey. She’s amazing. Wonderful.”

“I know,” He concurred, trying to wrestle himself out of her ironclad grip.

“When she walked in, I knew straight away and I gasped so loud, ask your father-”

“Mom-”

“And then she said it was a surprise! Oh, I couldn’t believe it. I mean, Stephanie lived here but I don’t think she ever would’ve done anythi-”

“Mom.” He managed to hold both her shoulders, shaking her a little to get her attention as he stared at her. “You gonna take a breath anytime soon, or…”

“Oh, shut up,” Trina tsked, waving a hand about before reaching for the lapels of his suit. “Sidney,” She paused, smiling at him the way all mothers manage to smile at their children when they’re completely happy. “I’m just… she’s…”

He nodded, pulling her in for a hug. “Yeah. She is.” After a minute, he frowned, pulling back when she wormed her away out of his hold. “What-”

“Go and say hello to your father.” Her voice sounded suspiciously tight and slightly watery, but when he tried to see her eyes she flapped her hand in his face and he’d had that happen enough in his life that he just left her to it.

“Finally,” Taylor groaned, sliding off the stool to give him a hug. “I’ve got the worst headache and can’t wait to get home.”

“So, why are you still here?”

“Duh,” Taylor grinned, pointing to Lyndsey who was staring at the food in front of her in surprise. “I’ve got to fill her head with as many stories as possible before I fly out tomorrow.”

Sidney just gave her a deadpanned stare, ignoring her snicker as he shook his father’s hand and gave him a hug. They’d save the debrief for later. He watched Lyndsey eat for a couple of seconds, chuckling when she didn’t even look up from the pasta on her fork to notice.

“Enjoying that?”

She pointed her fork at his face, glaring as best she could with chipmunk cheeks and he just threw his head back and laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her into him as close as he could. “Mind if I-”

She slapped his hand as he reached for a fry, waving the fork dangerously close to an eye. “Do not. This is mine.”

Taylor caught his eye and burst out laughing. Clearly Lyndsey had her approval. He could just picture it; the four of them ganging up on him at every available opportunity.

“Don’t you have to go pack a suitcase, or something?”

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind,” She countered, sliding back into the stool she was sitting on. “I think my head’s feeling a little better; I’m here for the long haul.”



“Oh my God,” Lyndsey groaned after her third yawn in as many minutes. The caffeine and excitement and sheer will that had kept her going all day had apparently worn off on the drive home, leaving her feeling fuzzy and awkward as she rounded the front of Sidney’s Range Rover, narrowly missing the headlight with her hip.

He just laughed, holding the door to the mud room open as she made her way up the few steps. She couldn’t understand how he wasn’t dragging his ass. The excitement and anxiety she’d felt watching in the family suite and then surprising her boyfriend had only added to the exhaustion from spending most of the day travelling on hardly any sleep after a night out. She felt wrecked.

“How are you not falling over right now?” she demanded, trailing behind him into the kitchen after toeing off her sandals and kicking them under the bench and out of the way.

“Adrenaline, I guess.” He shrugged, setting his wallet and keys on the island and using one hand to loosen his tie, the other to open the fridge. Whatever he’d been about to say fell short as he looked at her, leaning against the counter and yawning again, blinking hard to make herself focus. The way his eyes softened on her face told her she probably looked worse than she felt and she cringed inwardly.

Real attractive, Jennings.

“C’mere.” Sidney pulled her in, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her forehead. Lyndsey hugged him tight, so solid and warm between her arms, and couldn’t help but snuggle herself closer to breathe him in. Comforting and intoxicating.

“Go on up to bed, babe.”

She pulled her face away from his chest to look up at him, her eyes falling closed when he tilted his own down to kiss her, his fingers threading through her hair as he cradled her face. The sweetness of the moment had her feeling warm all over.

“Aren’t you coming?” The words had barely left her mouth when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She’d almost forgotten that they weren’t alone in the house, Sidney’s parents having left while he was with media to return home.

Sidney grinned wide when her cheeks burned red. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was embarrassed, except maybe for the fact that she’d been three seconds from convincing her boyfriend that he needed to go to bed too. With her.

Definitely not the kind of impression she was going for. She took a quick step back, dropping her arms from around Sidney and ignoring him when he chuckled. Of course he’d find this funny, she thought, giving him a pointed look. But he was so cute just then, all tired and smiley, and before she knew it she was smiling back.

“Hell of a game, Sid,” his dad’s voice carried around the corner before he appeared in a t-shirt and plaid pyjama pants, grinning ear to ear. He looked so proud, so...well. Like a dad. It made Lyndsey’s heart hurt a little.

“Dad and I always go over the game when he’s in town,” Sidney murmured, somehow looking amused and apologetic at the same time before he acknowledged the older man with a smile and a small nod. “Thanks, Dad.”

Right. She remembered him explaining that to her once.

“Hello again, young lady.”

Lyndsey smiled. “Hi Mr-”

“Don’t you dare,” he interrupted, giving her a playfully stern look. “It’s Troy.”

She gave in with a small chuckle. “Hi Troy.”

Winking at her, Troy turned to his son. “You boys sure like to make things difficult, eh?”

Laughing at Sidney’s grumbled “oh God, here we go” she nudged him playfully in the side and decided to excuse herself before things went any further.

“I won’t be up much longer myself,” Troy said, reaching into the fridge for a bottle of water and eyeing his son teasingly. “It's way past my bedtime.”

They were hilarious. She was half tempted to change her mind and stay up, if only to listen to father and son chirping at each other so affectionately. But another yawn caught her by surprise and Sidney brushed his hand along her lower back, urging her quietly to go to bed. This time, she listened.

Bidding both men goodnight she grabbed her bag from where Sidney had left it in the mud room and made her way up the stairs. She was moving slow from exhaustion, her joints stiff and shoulders aching from spending most of the day sitting on a plane. A blistering hot shower sounded like heaven, as did washing her face clean from make-up.

In between patting her face dry she found herself eyeing the bathtub. It was massive; one of those spa tubs that looked more like a jacuzzi. She was sure it could hold at least five people quite comfortably. She’d asked Sidney last visit if he’d ever had a jacuzzi party - jokingly, of course, because of course he wouldn’t. He’d only rolled his eyes before admitting that he never actually used it himself. She assumed his last girlfriends had but never mentioned it out loud. It was none of her business. Plus, thinking too much about who he dated previously did terrible things to her blood pressure and sanity and just no.

Part of her wondered if she should ask if he minded first. But before she could really think about it she found herself searching the bottom of the cupboards for - bingo. A bottle of bubble bath, looking like it had never been opened.

Maybe a little weird. But she was doing it.

The tub was nearly overflowing with bubbles by the time she turned the water off. Having already undressed, her clothes shoved into her bag and a sleep shirt and shorts sitting on the bathroom counter, she quickly twisted her hair into a higher than high messy bun and stepped into the tub. The water was probably closer to scalding but it was just the way she wanted it, the bubbles high enough to reach her shoulders, the smell of jasmine in the air. Sinking down further into the bubbles Lyndsey rested her head back and closed her eyes.

All she needed was a glass of wine and it would be perfect. She could almost fall asleep.

“Well this is a surprise.”

Startled, Lyndsey’s eyes popped open at the same time that she sat up straight. She’d actually dozed off. She laughed a little at herself, her eyes finding Sidney standing in the doorway, watching her.

“You scared me,” she mumbled, wiping one hand over her face as she sat comfortably again. She couldn’t have been asleep long. The water was still piping hot.

“Sorry.” Sid’s soft smile widened. It made her heart skip. “Good thing I came in when I did. Five more minutes asleep in there and you probably would’ve drowned.”

She just rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, watching him push off from the wall to come towards her. He’d taken off his suit jacket and tie since she left him downstairs, and undone the top few buttons of his dress shirt. It was a good look for him.

“Where’d the bubbles come from?”

Nodding towards the bottle she’d left on the counter, she smiled apologetically. “I found it in the cupboard. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Not at all.”

Sidney knelt on the floor, leaning in to give her a kiss. It was soft and sweet and over all too soon. When he pulled back she sat up again, careful not to spill any water as she leaned into the side of the tub to kiss him the way she wanted. The way she’d wanted to since they got home, since seeing him in the Pens locker room; deep and consuming.

The way he groaned into her mouth sent a thrill straight through her. His hand met the back of her head, keeping her from moving as he took over, kissing her like it was the last thing he’d ever do, the slide of his tongue against hers making her breath catch in her throat. She’d missed the way he kissed her, the feel and taste of him so much.

Lyndsey was the one to end to kiss so they could breathe, smiling and catching his bottom lip with her teeth as she pulled back.

“Are you coming out of there anytime soon?” he asked, brushing the hair that had fallen free of the tie out of her face.

“Nope.”

When he made an unimpressed face she quickly swiped a finger full of bubbles over his nose, giggling at his sound of surprise before he wiped his nose clean. She was still giggling as he playfully glared at her, telling her without words that he’d be getting her back.

But the heat in his eyes had her thoughts going elsewhere as they roamed her face, focusing on her mouth. Heart pounding, she felt bold enough to murmur, “You could come in with me.”

It took a moment but then he was reaching for the cuffs at his wrists, his voice gruff as he teased, “How could I say no to an invitation like that?”

Lyndsey bit her lip to hide her smile and sat back, the sound of dislodged water and bubbles from her movement filling the suddenly heavy silence. Sid got to his feet, smirking at her as he watched her watching him get undressed. His shirt was first, left on the counter before he reached for his belt. And then it was more than just the hot water flushing her skin.

She slid forward to make room for him to get in behind her, laughing at him when he hissed as soon as his foot hit the water.

“Jesus, are you trying to burn your skin off?”

“This is nothing. You should’ve been here ten minutes ago.”

He looked at her like she was crazy but said nothing as he lowered himself into the water with a gracefulness she could only dream of having. She watched over her shoulder as he got himself comfortable with his back against the tub before he reached for her. Sliding herself backwards between his legs, his hands found her hips to pull her back flush to his chest. Lyndsey literally felt herself melting into him, the warmth of his big body surrounding her relaxing her more than anything else ever could.

“This isn’t so bad, is it?” she teased, letting her head fall back to rest on his shoulder as he wrapped her up tight.

“It’s pretty much perfect.”

Smiling as he kissed his way from her shoulder to her neck, she pressed her hands to his forearms where they were folded over her chest.

“I missed you,” she said in barely a whisper, her eyes slipping closed when he pressed a kiss behind her ear. She knew he heard her when he held her even tighter.

“Have I thanked you yet?”

Opening her eyes, she frowned at the wall. Why on earth was he thanking her?

“For being here.” His simple answer and his low voice right next to her ear had a shiver running down her spine. “I know it’s not easy for you to get time off.”

“I promised you I’d be here as much as I can during the playoffs.” She turned her head to meet his eyes when he started to argue and whatever he saw on her face had him going quiet. “I meant it. I’ll make it work, somehow. I don’t want to use up too much of my vacation time because I want to save as much as I can for the summer, so I’ll have to trade all my shifts and work a bunch in a row but-”

“Lynds-”

“It will be worth it.” Smiling softly when he continued to frown, looking unsure, she kissed the corner of his mouth, his still smooth cheek. He’d of course be following the rule of not shaving during the playoffs. She couldn’t wait. “I want to be here, Sidney.”

So much it scares me.

She wanted to say more. The words were right there on the tip of her tongue but she froze last minute because what if they came out wrong? She’d always been terrible at explaining her feelings, her thoughts, and whenever she did it always seemed to turn into a huge, confusing, emotional mess. She didn’t want to dump that on him.

Sidney took a deep breath, his lips parting like he was getting ready to say something, but then he was kissing her instead. Hand holding the back of her head, free arm tightening around her body, he kissed her breathless. Lips brushing over hers again and again, his teeth just barely tugging on her bottom lip until she opened for him. Not that he had to ask. Their tongues met slowly, sweetly, as if they were both afraid to rush the moment.

Lyndsey shifted almost restlessly as Sidney’s hand roamed over her body, gasping into his mouth when his palm found her breast. She didn’t realize until that moment how much she’d missed the way he touched her; how much she needed him to. She couldn’t help but kiss him deeper, a small moan escaping her before she could stop it when he put both hands on her. Palms and fingers squeezing, thumbs brushing over her nipples until she was arching her back for more.

She didn’t know what to do with her hands. One gripped the edge of the tub, the other tangled in his hair, her fingers pulling to make him moan against her tongue.

“God, I missed you,” he panted, kissing her harder as he slid his hands down over her stomach and hips, stopping at her thighs before coming back up her body. She felt like she was on fire.

She held her breath when he pushed his hand between her thighs, hips jerking at that first touch. He touched her lightly at first, almost too lightly. She found herself tensing, waiting for what he’d do next, and dropped one hand back into the water to grasp his hand that was resting on her lower belly, lacing their fingers together.

“Relax baby,” he mumbled, his lips brushing her ear making her shiver.

Forcing her body to do just that, she dropped her head back against his shoulder and took deep breaths, rolling her lips together. But he touched her again, harder, rubbing his fingers over her clit before sliding one then two inside her and she forgot all about relaxing. She cried out, pulling on his hair again as he touched her deeper, deeper until he found her g-spot. The sound she made was more like a whine, her clit throbbing so much she mindlessly rocked her hips, squeezing her thighs together to stop the ache. Except that just forced his palm hard between her thighs and holy fuck, she wanted to scream.

Sidney was kissing and biting his way down her neck, his free hand slipping up her body to grip her breast. It wasn’t helping. Or maybe it was. She felt like she could come any minute. She wanted it so bad, wanted to let go, but she wanted it with him.

Lyndsey pushed his hand away from her at the same time that she sat up, water swirling from her sudden movements. She turned around to face him, knowing she should be feeling self-conscious but too edgy with need to really care. She needed to have her hands on him and moved up to her knees, holding onto the ceramic to keep her balance.

He looked surprised that she’d pulled away. He also looked as on edge as she felt. His hair was a mess from her fingers, eyes half-lidded, his lips red and plush from all their making out. He was gorgeous and amazing and how the hell did she get so lucky that he wanted her?

“What-”

“I need you,” she breathed, her lips brushing his before she pulled him into a deep, all teeth and tongues kiss.

They moved together, Sidney gripping her hips to help her straddle him, his hands running up her sides as she settled down into his lap. She moaned when he closed his hands over her breasts again, her head falling back as he licked and kissed his way across her chest. He laved his tongue over one nipple then the other, his arm locking behind her to keep her back arched as he closed his teeth over the top of her breast, biting and sucking her skin until she was gasping for air.

“Sid,” she groaned, fisting her hands in his hair to drag his mouth up to kiss him. Her hips were already rocking and he wasn’t even inside her yet but she could feel him beneath her, his hard erection rubbing against her with every move she made.

“C’mon baby.” Voice husky, golden eyes gone dark with lust and holding hers, Sidney guided her hips down, down, filling her impossibly. She wanted more, wanted him deeper and shifted her hips at the same time he thrust up into her, hitting her right where she needed.

She could feel his fingers digging into her skin, one hand gripping her thigh, the other her hip as she rolled her hips forward and back. Never did she ever think she’d be okay with sex bruises or hickeys but there she was, knowing that by the time they were done she’d have Sidney’s marks on her body. It sent a thrill through her. Her own hands were on his shoulders, her nails scratching down the skin of his back at the feel of him inside her.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he groaned. Wrapping his arms around her lower back he held her as close as possible, his hips working with hers. She moved harder, faster, grinding into him, feeling herself get tighter around his cock the closer she came to release. She could hear his harsh breathing and groans, water splattering to the floor. She heard herself crying out his name as the need to let go became too much, yet somehow not enough. She wanted him to come with her.

“Sidney-”

“Ssh,” he cooed, kissing her and sliding his hand between them, his thumb finding her clit. He rubbed gently at first, then harder, his mouth covering hers to muffle her sounds when that was all it took.

She came hard, pleasure so intense it almost hurt shooting from her core through every inch of her body. Trembling, barely breathing, fingers pulling on his hair, she kept moving her hips until she felt him let go, his groan filling her ears as he bit down on her bottom lip.

Panting, forehead pressed into her chest, Lyndsey thought she heard him grumble something that sounded like “fucking hell” and started to giggle. She felt kind of delirious, the exhaustion of the day and what they’d just shared catching up with her, and let her arms wrap loosely around his shoulders before dropping her head forward until she could press her face into his neck. At this rate, it would be a miracle if they actually made it to bed before falling asleep.

“We should get out soon.”

Nodding, she shivered as if on cue. The water had cooled off quite a bit and almost all the bubbles had disappeared.

Sidney kissed her cheek and tipped her face back to meet her eyes. He was smirking, looking both sleepy and satisfied as he brushed loose hairs out of her face, his eyes roaming over her.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, rubbing his thumbs over her still flushed cheeks.

Lyndsey couldn’t help but laugh, her blush deepening the longer he looked at her. Of course she had to find some way to ease her awkwardness and teased, “I think your opinion is a little biased right now.”

He just shook his head at her, his smile fading a little and a small frown pulling at his eyes. Then she felt like an ass. Why couldn’t she just take a compliment, she thought, and was trying to force her muddled brain into finding something to say when he kissed her, closed mouthed and sweet. It had her still pounding heart melting, her hands softly cupping his cheeks before he could pull away. She felt like she needed to take advantage of every chance she had to kiss him.

“Let’s go to bed,” he whispered.

She shifted backwards on her knees, immediately missing the feeling of him inside her. They both slowly got to their feet, Sidney laughing at Lyndsey when she groaned as feeling returned to her legs. They’d gone numb sometime in the last however long she’d been sitting on them, and now she could feel the unpleasant tingles beneath her skin.

“It’s not funny,” she whined in between laughter, bending at the waist with her arms folded up into her chest, hands fisted together beneath her chin. She couldn’t stop shivering but her legs were hurting too much to move. Already out of the tub, Sidney handed her a towel from the shelf outside the shower, spreading a second towel on the floor to sop up the mess they’d made. She wrapped herself in the towel and stepped out, unable to pull her eyes away from the muscles in his back as he reached for his own towel, drying off his upper body before wrapping it around his waist. It was actually ridiculous, how perfect he was. She felt pretty justified in wanting to cover up her nakedness because seriously-

“You know something?” He turned back around and she blinked at his chest before forcing herself to pay attention to what he was saying, her eyes meeting his. “This is the first time that I’ve had sex when my parents are in my house.”

It took her a minute.

“Oh my God,” she said stupidly, watching Sidney’s suddenly confused face before it fully hit her and she pressed her hands over her face to practically wail behind her fingers, “Oh my God!”

“What?” He was laughing, though it was one of those awkward laughs, like he didn’t know if she was really being funny or if she’d just lost her mind.

“Your parents, Sidney. I forgot they were here.” She groaned behind her hands, horrified and wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her whole. Feeling as if her face was going to explode, she pressed her hands to the sides of her face to stare at him wide eyed as she whispered fearfully, “Do you think they heard us?”

“Do I…” Sidney couldn’t even finish whatever he was asking. He burst into laughter and hunched over, apparently to amused with her to stand up straight. She’d love it if she wasn’t so embarrassed for herself.

“Sidney!” Was it possible to kick him in the knees and not cause injuries that could keep him from playing in two days? “This isn’t funny.”

“Oh fuck, yes it is.” Still laughing he stood up straight, rubbing his hands over his face in an obvious effort to calm down. “How did you forget they were here?”

“I don’t know! I just did. I fell asleep and then you were in the bathtub with me and we were…” At a loss for words, she continued flippantly, “I just forgot.”

Shaking his head, he chuckled even as he assured her, “It’s fine.”

“But what if they heard us?”

“Well.” She knew he was up to something when he grinned, looking full of mischief before he teased, “You are kind of loud.”

Jaw dropping, she couldn’t believe him. She just couldn’t even and shouted in a whisper “you’re an asshole” before stomping to the counter to get her pyjamas. She barely made it two steps before he had her, hugging her tight with her back against his chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said sweetly in her ear, his lips pressing against the side of her neck in a kiss. “I shouldn’t be making fun. I know you’re worried about them hearing but-”

“Aren’t you?” She twisted in his arms just enough to see his face. He was still grinning.

Sidney shrugged. “Not really. My parents aren’t stupid, babe. They know we’re sleeping together.”

“Yeah, but there’s knowing and then there’s knowing. Big difference.”

Making a face, he shook his head. “Don’t worry. They’re way at the end of the hall, Lynds. They didn’t hear anything.”

Still unsure but willing to drop it, she let him kiss her before stepping back so she could change into her pyjamas. She tried to ignore the fact that he was watching her but it was impossible. She could feel his eyes on her and glanced at him from beneath her lashes as she untwisted the hair tie on top of her head, running her fingers through her hair as it fell around her face and shoulders.

Breathing deep, she finally met his eyes in the mirror. The way he was looking at her...God, she couldn’t even find the words to describe it, except to say that it made her feel a thousand different ways all at once. It was addictive and terrifying at the same time.

“Coming to bed?” she asked after clearing her throat, breaking the silence.

Nodding once his face cleared, like he’d just remembered something, and stepped around her towards the sink. “In a minute.”



Sidney made sure that the towels he'd used to soak up the water they had spilled over the edge of the bath were hung up on the racks to dry overnight. He had the cleaners coming the next morning who would do all the laundry anyway, but even he could hear his mother’s nagging tone at leaving wet towels on the floor.

The bubbles had mostly disappeared by the time he was done, using the tap and cupping some of the water in his hands to rinse off the edges of the ceramic tile beneath him. He brushed his hand through his hair when he caught sight of it in the mirror, shaking his head at the mess that Lyndsey had created. Not that he'd ever try to break her of the habit; he loved having her fingers run through his hair while they were together.

Shutting off the light, he paused at the door to look at the figure who had made herself at home under his comforter. Lyndsey must've still been warm from the bath, because she hadn't pulled the sheet up any higher than her waist, leaving her bare back and an expanse of skin there for him to linger on. She had left his bedside table lamp on, her face serene as she rested on a pillow, one of her arms outstretched to where he'd normally lay, the other tucked under her.

She had taken her hair out before getting into bed as well, the brunette strands falling away from her neck and face. Sidney took a calming breath as he hit the switch on the lamp, already anticipating how the hints of red would be more noticeable in the morning once the sun came through the window and over the bed.

Lyndsey stirred a little as he slid into bed beside her, her eyes blinking up at him heavily, a smile on her lips. "You took forever," she mumbled, taking it upon herself to sidle up next to him, humming softly when Sid brushed his hand down her back to rest on her waist.

"Sorry," he whispered, kissing her forehead and leaving his lips there to speak into her skin. "Was just tidying up."

He didn't think he imagined the slightly shiver that moved through her body, her leg easing its way in between both of his. It had been a while since he'd had sex that good - even with Lyndsey - so he understood her sentiments exactly when her fingers tightened on his stomach briefly before falling still.

"I'm so happy you're here." He'd said it plenty of times since he had seen her outside the locker room, but he had to get his point across. She made a noise that could have been a sign she was listening, or equally a sign that she was dreaming, so Sidney bit back the next words that wanted to come tumbling out of his mouth. He took a deep breath and decided they could wait until the morning, letting his eyes drift closed as the excitement of the day and the faint smell of apricots fell over him and lulled him to sleep.



When Lyndsey found the energy to open her eyes the next morning, it took her half a second to remember why she couldn't see her chairdrobe in the corner, or that the colours of the walls weren't the deep aubergine she had painted them when she was 22.

Stretching out against the bed, she groaned to herself as her fingers brushed the headboard and her toes curled underneath the comforter. Taking a deep breath as she relaxed, she turned her head to see her boyfriend, only to find that she was alone. And when she brushed her hand over his side, it was cool.

So, Sidney had been up for a while. Even if the time on her phone said 8:30AM.

Lyndsey could smell something delicious as she reached the last of the steps leading to the foyer. She turned left down the hallway to the kitchen, smiling to herself when she saw Sidney standing in front of the stove, a spatula in his hand and a tea towel over his bare shoulder. She stood back to watch him for a couple of seconds, remembering how he had done the same thing to her the first time she had stayed and made him breakfast.

She had no idea he could make French toast - or at least, that's what it looked and smelled like, judging by the syrup that was on the counter.

"Smells amazing in here."

His head jerked up in surprise, but his grin was blinding as he held an arm out for her to walk into. "Hey there."

"Hi," she smiled, closing her eyes as he gently brushed his lips against hers.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Mmmh," she moaned, pulling him back to her with a hand in his hair. Once she started licking into his mouth, he did nothing to stop brushing his tongue against hers, turning slowly so that they were facing each other and both of his arms were around her waist. Lyndsey didn't feel herself being moved backwards, breaking them apart in surprise when she felt something cool and hard against her back.

The kitchen island, she realised.

"You're being very distracting, Miss Jennings," Sid murmured against her mouth, brushing her hair back off her shoulders so he could mouth at the skin there. The shirt she had pulled on - his shirt, she knew what she was doing - hung off low enough that he could easily reach her collarbone.

"I could say the same for you," she shot back, loving that she was able to run her hands all over his back without clothing in the way. She blinked her eyes open as they began to drift closed when she realised there was smoke coming off the frying pan. "Your breakfast is burning."

He pulled away from her neck and looked over his shoulder, sighing at the sight before he narrowed his eyes at her, unable to keep the smirk off his face when she smiled innocently at him.

Just like before, they both moved around his kitchen to get everything ready to eat. Sidney had already had one cup of coffee and Lyndsey remembered how to use the coffee machine from before so she made him a new one. The orange juice was still in the door of the fridge, and he handed her a glass with a smile just as she opened her mouth to ask for one.

"... Where are your parents?" She paused before she sat down, only just thinking that she was in some pretty short shorts and one of Sidney's very oversized tees. Not at all something she wanted Trina and Troy seeing her in, giving that she had only met them the night before.

He laughed at the panic in her eyes, waving a hand for her to sit down. "They went to have breakfast with Taylor at the hotel." He was still giggling when she hit his arm. "Ow - what?"

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I can't help it," he protested, reaching for a piece of toast. "You're pretty good at forgetting that you're not the only one in town."

She slid onto a stool and hid her burning face behind her hands, groaning in embarrassment as the memory of the night before came rushing back.

Every minute of it.



Sid bit his lip as he used his knife and fork to break up his breakfast, cutting Lyndsey some slack. Her face was the same shade as a tomato and he could tell that she purposely wasn't making eye contact with him as she loaded up her plate with food.

It was nice. The house was as quiet as it always was, given that his mom's laughter had finally stopped resonating off the walls when he said that they didn't really have to leave to go eat breakfast somewhere else if they didn't want to. He just stood there while she pet his cheek lovingly then pushed his Dad out the door.

They ate in silence, sharing the occasional glance at each other, asking for syrup or another condiment. He finished up his second serving before she was nearly done with her first and he pushed his plate out of the way, resting his cheek on one hand just to get comfy.

He must've only been sitting still for a minute, but she didn't seem to notice him until she was pouring herself another orange juice. The deer in headlights look she gave him, the glass poured halfway to her lips, was too cute.

"What?"

"What what?" He repeated, smiling when she rolled her eyes. He reached an arm up to brush her hair back behind her ear, letting the backs of his fingers dance down the skin of her arm. She turned her palm up as he reached her hand, leaving her fingers open for him to link his with.

"You're staring," she pointed out, taking another sip of her juice, her eyes twinkling and creasing in the corners as she smiled behind her glass.

"I love you."

He didn't mean for it to just come out like that. Lyndsey choked on her drink, pulling her hand away from his to sit up and reach for her napkin, holding it to her face as she tried to stop coughing. Sidney swallowed against the lump in his throat, wiping his hands on his pyjamas as they started to sweat. He honestly had meant to tell her she was beautiful - it's what he was thinking - but his brain must've decided for another truth to come out.

He didn't regret it. He only hoped that she wouldn't regret him saying it either.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, one hand floating awkwardly in the air like he wasn't sure if he could touch her. She still had the napkin against her mouth. She didn't look at him or say anything for what felt like a lifetime, so Sidney just rested his hand back on the counter, draining the last of his coffee so that he had something to do.

"Are you-" she broke off when his head snapped up, her eyes now looking more confused than surprised. He wanted nothing more in the world than to make the little frown between her eyebrows go away.

"If you're about to ask me if I'm sure-"

“Well-”

"Of course I am!" He insisted, turning to face her. Her back was rod straight and she moved between glancing at him to frowning even harder at her plate. Not at all how he imagined the conversation going. "I mean, I was, until apparently the thought of it makes you choke."

He stopped himself before he ranted further, the sound of his voice sounding pissy even to him. He didn't want to fight.

He wanted the exact opposite, actually.

"Sidney, I..." He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The more she clearly didn't want to be in the same room as him, the more he felt like an absolute idiot. Of course she wouldn't feel the same - trying to get her to admit to any sort of feelings at all since he met her was like pulling teeth.

"Forget it," he mumbled, reaching for his plate.

"No!" Her hand flung out to grab hold of his before he could and before he knew it she was standing next to him, barely an inch of space between them. "No," she said again, much quieter. "I won't forget it."

"It's okay," he brushed her off with a shrug. "You don't have to-"

"Can you just, shut up for a second?"

He paused, mid-sentence and snapped his jaw shut, closing his eyes when he felt her hand on his cheek. She was brushing her thumb back and forth against his cheekbone just under his eye and then all of a sudden, her arms were around his neck and his were around her waist, holding her close. He stared at the stove while she tightened her arms.

"I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. You took me by surprise."

"Yeah, well. That makes two of us," he murmured into her hair, settling his hands on her hips. "I wanted to say you looked beautiful, and then..."

He closed his eyes as the feeling of her giggles ran through her body. If she was laughing, maybe he hadn't made a complete fool of himself. "Go ahead."

He huffed out a laugh, disguised as a single breath, before he pulled back to look her in the eyes. "You look beautiful."

His eyes darted to her lips as she pulled her bottom one between her teeth, pretending to flick her hair off her shoulder. “Why, thank you."

He smiled, but could feel that it didn't reach his eyes. Lyndsey could tell too, because she stopped joking around and moved her hands back to his face, her pinky fingers resting under his jaw where he was almost positive she'd be able to feel how hard his heart was pounding.

"Can you say it again?" Lyndsey whispered, her thumb brushing against his bottom lip gently.

"I love you." It rolled off his tongue smooth as silk and he watched as slowly, little by little, the worry etched away from Lyndsey's face. A slow smile started in the corner of her mouth and as she tried to duck her head to hide it, he put a finger up to her chin so that she was looking in his eyes. He knew he didn't have the full story about her life; she was far too private about some topics about her family and her childhood that he knew something was up, but he didn't want her to have a reason to doubt him in that moment. He'd fallen in love with her. Even against all the odds and obstacles that were between them.

And he needed her to believe him.

"I..." He braced himself. If she didn't want to - or couldn't say it back to him, he'd understand. He'd had plenty of years of practise at a poker face, and he was determined to not show her if he was disappointed. He knew that would just make things worse.

"It's okay if you don't - if you're not..."

The same finger that brushed his lip covered his mouth so he'd stop talking. Lyndsey moved it slightly to bend down and peck his lips. He felt, heard and practically tasted the gulp of air she took, from where she was standing.

"I think I'm in love with you too."

He closed his eyes with instant relief; it wasn't a certainty but he didn't care, wrapping his arms back around her again to hug her close. She mumbled 'is that okay?' into his shoulder and he pulled away slightly to kiss her slowly, drinking from her lips and letting his tongue brush against hers softly and non-demanding.

She let out a shriek of surprise when he reached for the back of her legs, pulling her up into his lap and guiding her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss her at a glacial pace, the wet sounds of the lips meeting and parting filling the empty space of the kitchen. They weren't kisses that would lead to something; they were reassurance, happiness, a sense of belonging.

He was reluctant to pull away, even when the both of them gasping for air was reason enough that they desperately needed oxygen.

"Yeah, it's okay," he panted, answering her earlier question as he brought their foreheads together. His eyes were closed so he couldn't see the smile on Lyndsey's face, but he happily sat there when she hugged him again, this time holding him tight with both her arms and legs.

"You'll have to be patient with me," he heard, but she wasn't letting him look at her, so he nodded into her shoulder. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"I'll be here," he promised, taking a deep breath of apricot and maple syrup and holding it in his lungs. He had his girl in his arms, the both of them happy and full of food and it wasn't even 9AM. He was already on top of the world.