Tangled Heartstrings

It's eleven thirty at night when Ayla gets off of her shift and notices two of the hockey players she ran into earlier are yet to move from their settled spot. The game they were watching is long over with Poker or Sports Centre running in its place. At this point the screen is the least of their worries.

James acknowledges that he has too much alcohol in his system when his surroundings become a blur and he feels weightless as if he's floating on a cloud. Establishing limits he puts the booze down. It takes a while but progressively it begins to wear off. He's the more sensible of the two in their state yet is nowhere near being sober.

Brandon is still chugging his beverage at a rapid pace. It's addictive regardless of whether it's a drug or not, the taste is what gets him every time. With the alcohol bottle cupped in his palms he tilts it down like a ramp into his body. Here's to hoping that he can hold his liquor well!

Their waitress exemplifies concern being brave enough to approach their table, they both tilt their heads to stare up at her. One creates hopes in his mind that she's there to serve him. You can guess which boy that was! Nealsy associates disgust with his beer having no desire to attempt to finish it.

"Hey boys." Ayla addresses them reminding herself that they're customers, she has to keep it professional. She can't help herself. They seem so playful and a lot like her friends. Not to mention they're both attractive, especially the one with the darker hair who was quick to introduce himself earlier. He smiles at her once again. His jersey has the Hockey Canada symbol on the front and number eighteen engraved to the material. "I'm heading out since my shift is over. Joanna's in charge of this section over here now so if you need anything."

"We were about to leave too." James adds encouraging his buddy to slip his winter gear on which he does too. Brandon misses his coat zipper by a kilometer. Acting like a parent he kneels down and assists him in the small task. They all remove themselves from the facility stepping outside into the frosty atmosphere. The sky's pitch black and the temperature's reached it's lowest point for the night.

Brandon nearly trips over the sidewalk ledge. Fortunately Ayla's there to catch him with her arms open for him to fall into. She's strong enough to hold him until James can travel there and grab him from her.

"Thank you for helping me with him that was a close one." He tells her swinging Suttsy's arm around his shoulder transferring the taller ones weight onto his own legs carrying him. Before she can respond someone else interrupts.

"Jaaammseyyy, you weeent toooo farr brotha. T-t-t-the car's right herrre." He slurs losing his balance banging into his friend's ribs. Despite being wobbly himself the catchee doesn't get knocked off of his feet in the process. His bloodshot eyes go wide.

"Brandon you can't be serious. You're nowhere close to being in good enough shape to operate a vehicle, you're impaired. I've had less than you and I can't drive. That's how people get into accidents you know. There's no way you're driving! We can walk to my house since it's fairly close, you can stay the night, and get your car in the morning." He pauses redirecting his attention to the female next to him. "Are we allowed to keep vehicles’ here overnight?"

"You are as long as you pick it up first thing in the morning, since we're open twenty four hours it's hard to tell who's still here. It's a little too cold to walk so I can give you a lift. Where do you live?" She offers.

"I live two blocks away on Acadia road, don't worry about it though. You don't have to, you've been nice enough to help us out already, and we can manage to make it home alright."

"It's no big deal I don't mind since I pass it on my way back anyway." Ayla insists unlocking all of the doors and opening them. James helps Suttsy into the back seat , hands him his seatbelt, and plants himself down in the passenger spot. Finally he gets shotgun!

The designated chauffer backs out of the parking lot and onto the street in full swing ahead. She stays ten kilometers above the speed limit. Brandon leans against his seat unrolling and rolling up the window repeatedly letting cold air enter in large, spaced out squalls. He seems amused by the mechanism. As they drive down he catches onto a billboard broadcasting for the whole major city to view.

"JamesyThere'sABigPuttyTatOverThere." He blurts out not taking a break between his words. The sentence sounds like he's had an abundance of caffeine swallowed, as he releases his last word he pants. It takes him a minute to catch his breath. In the front seat, as mean as it may sound, James and Ayla struggle to stop laughing their heads off.

"It's a billboard advertising cat food." Ayla informs him concentrating on the road. Pittsburgh's a big city with lots of places to memorize. Her mapping skills of the area are very limited because she only knows what she has to.

Okay, so she may have been lying when she said that it was on her way, as in it's not the route she usually takes. She follows the main highway up for safety and turns into a branching side street at the last minute. It's safe and simple. Acadia road's unfamiliar to her. All that matters is it heads in the same direction which is close enough if you think about it. She was just worried about the guys arriving home safely.

Speaking of the guys, why is it so silent in the car? Quickly she observes her surroundings wondering what the reason is for the lack of noise. You can hear a pin drop! James notices this too and pledges to change it due to the awkward tension in the air.

"Does your radio work?" He questions aloud stretching his body out through the seatbelt confining him in order to reach the dial and turn it on. Nothing he's doing is working.
"Whoops wrong one, it's this one." She re-directs him putting her hand on his and moving it. The speaker sounds reaching their ears successfully and plays "Raise your Glass" by Pink. In the back Brandon shows off his dance moves.

"Your hands are freezing cold love." The left handed male states pulling her hand currently off of the wheel into his chest. He bundles it into his own palms and radiates heat onto her. For a second he plays with her fingers becoming fascinated. Slowly the red it's displaying fades and she gets her heated hand back. Why didn't she pull away? Five hours ago they met for the first time and she didn't let go. Secretly she felt comfort in his embracing touch. Even semi-drunk he's cuter than most boys with his hair ruffled overtop of his forehead.

Ayla's astonished when she correctly locates Acadia road. She gazes upon multiple houses feeling overwhelmed and lost.

"Uh, James: What's your address?"

"I live on two thirteen, it's on your left side I think. You'll know what one it is when you see Christmas lights still up. Don't laugh, I'm a very forgetful person" He begs giving her the puppy dog eyes. It takes her biting her tongue in order not to say anything. Trying to look on the bright side she admires the beauty of the lights she recognizes as James's. She directs her car into his lane way.

"At least there's still snow on the ground and they look pretty." The girl compliments but then takes a break to laugh holding her hands in front of her mouth as a source of containment. It's not for the reason that he thinks. "Am I allowed to make fun of you for having your tree up in February?"

"I'll permit it this once and this once only." He allows making her smile. Open wide are her incredibly white teeth.

"Just come on and come on and raise you glass for me!" Brandon belts out raising his voice while playing an invisible guitar. The song ends causing him to over exaggerate strumming a chord.

"Alright bud your songs over now and you've had your hug finish. Are you ready to go in and I can put you up in my spare bedroom?" He questions twisting his body so that he's facing his friend. Suttsy nods pushing the handle and bracing himself prior to stepping out. His hand presses on the door holding him upright. Nealsy rushes to his side.

"Thanks for the ride beautiful, it means a lot." He expresses his gratitude waving goodbye and proceeding up to his front porch. Ayla watches the guys checking to make sure that they make it in without any problems. To her surprise the Whitby boy is tripping up the stairs. Quickly he gets himself up and unlocks the door. Finally they survive the trip sending her the signal that she can leave.

"Did he call me beautiful?" She asks herself turning around to drive towards her apartment building. The spark of joy that compliment causes remains until she puts her head on the pillow and says goodnight. It was a good night in Pittsburgh indeed.

*************************************

It sounds like a loud train. You know the sound that emerges when your kettle whistles while it boils and your windows rattle due to the harsh, unthoughtful, fierce wind. When James wakes up this sound echoes throughout his kitchen. Perhaps the sounds too noisy or his hearing has been dramatically enhanced; none of these options are reality.

Suddenly the athlete remembers the events of last night when he experiences the sensation of his head feeling like it's banging against a sturdy brick wall. His hands squeeze his temples as he groans. As much as he tries he can't ignore it, the pain's too excruciating.

Rather than not acknowledging his piercing headache James attempts to take his mind off of it. The kettle finishes heating up and is now ready to be poured into his coffee cup. Grinded beans coat the bottom of the dishware. Something's not right though, he's certainly forgetting something. Catching onto his mistake he grabs the thing that he's lacking from his fridge, milk.
As he moves back to the countertop he feels queasy. Taking a couple more steps he realizes that his upset stomach doesn't agree with the source of movement. Sitting for a while is probably his best bet. Reluctantly he travels over to his comfortable sectional grey couch in his living room.

James puts his feet on the table in the center of the room prior to noticing a handwritten note purposely left out there. It's from Brandon. How could he forget about his partner in crime? Questions arise once he wonders about his friend who spent the night last night and is now nowhere to be seen.

To: Jamesy

Hey Dude! I just wanted to let you know that my girlfriend came to pick me up this morning. When I woke up I had no idea where I was so I looked around until I came across your door halfway open with you snoring up the place, thank you very much, from your bed.

Part of me wanted to wake you up to figure out how I ended up at your joint but I refrained. I chose to let you sleep longer. Trust me, the longer you can avoid waking up with a hangover the better right? Anyway, thanks for letting me stay the night. See you later dude.

From: Brandon (Ps: You really need to invest in some new pens, this one keeps dying as I'm writing and as you can imagine it's quite annoying)

After he gets done reading the letter he has no idea whether to be glad that Suttsy made it home alright or offended that he teased him for snoring. Lies! James doesn't snore at all. He's been told that he occasionally talks in his sleep, breathes heavily, and sometimes snuffles but snoring isn't on that list. Oh, and he's a huge blanket hog. If he can have the whole entire blanket to himself it's a perfect night in his world.

That being said, his last girlfriend was ages ago so quite naturally he gets the blanket all to himself without any objections. Speaking of girlfriends, he forgot about the gorgeous waitress that they encountered last night. What was her name again? Oh yeah, her name's Ayla. She's the one with the long, smooth black hair, the mesmerizing eyes, and the delightful perfume scent.

That's how they got home last night! Everything falls into place now as Nealsy recalls her mocking his Christmas tree hidden south of where he's sitting. It's visible through the clear glass windows. On the bright side the lights according to her are a nice touch with the snow still residing on the ground. It highlights and emphasizes them.

The attractive employee was also nice enough to give them a ride back to their place. Did he remember to say thank you? All he can recall is stumbling up the steps, being embarrassed, and crossing his fingers that she didn't notice. He was to afraid to meet her eyes to find out. James decides that he owes her something for her kindness. Certainly she didn't have to escort them home, she just offered seeing how vulnerable they were in their state.

Once he's went a while without feeling sick to his stomach he goes upstairs to shower, changes into some fresh, clean clothes, and exits his residence. Eagerness flows through his veins. When he hits a red light he gets frustrated at the wait, all he wants to do is speak with her. It seems like the clock is ticking slower than usual.

He can see her workplace when he turns the corner. Happily he moves into the parking lot and parks, it's a sloppy job with a tire sticking out but he doesn't care. The sooner he gets the small task done the better. He does, however, ensure that his car's locked before entering the building.

Knowing where Ayla's section of the restaurant is located James doesn't wait for an invitation. He finds himself an empty booth meant for two, good thing he's not claustrophobic. As he sits in silence he wonders if she's even working today, a flaw in his otherwise masterful plan. The only way to find out is to wait until he gets served. If she's not working today at least he'll get food from the trip. Surprisingly, since food is the love of his life, he hasn't eaten anything besides those appetizers last night.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees feet moving towards him, to his disappointment they're not Ayla's. The one pair of shoes are tiny and have red lights that blink attached as if they belong to a little kid. He turns around to feast his eyes discovering that he was indeed right in his observation and the other pair of kicks are his fathers who by the looks of it has bigger feet than he does.

"Hi, I'm Ben and I was wondering if I could get your autograph?" The little child asks bouncing up and down holding a pen.

"Only if you want to, we'll completely understand if you’re busy. We wouldn't want to interrupt anything important or disturb you. It's just we saw you walk in and my son's a really big Neal and Malkin fan" The father adds politely containing his son's excitement.

"I don't mind at all, I'd love to sign something for you. What would you like me to autograph?" He inquires watching him take off his hat and give it to him along with his pen. Softly he removes it from the child’s hand and clicks open the lid. Neatly he signs the front of his penguins baseball cap right above the brim, the felt pen shows up nicely overtop of the clear, white fabric.

James curves his back so that he meets the younger one's height. Proudly he positions the hat back onto his head and re-adjusts it for him so that his blonde hair's not all frizzy and pointing upward. "There you go bud, looking stylish there."

"Dad look at it, isn't it cool?" Ben exclaims smiling showing off his teeth, a couple are loose and missing. He does a couple of model poses making all three of them laugh.
"Thank you so much." The dad tells him noticing his generosity and just how happy it made his boy.

"Thank you Nealer." He repeats after his father skipping back to his table not letting his joy fade. It's always nice doing stuff for little gippers. Getting back into his earlier mindset James listens to his stomach growl and searches for a waitress. He takes this long to gather that Ayla was observing the whole conversation.

"Look at you Mr.Famous signing autographs and such." She comes closer to the table after patiently waiting her turn. Hearing her soothing voice after the long wait is something that the male sitting at the table desperately needed.

"That's me I guess." He laughs naturally; he wouldn't consider himself famous at all. Avoiding the topic James changes the subject to the real reason why he came here. "I was hoping that you'd be working. Mainly I wanted to say thank you for escorting us home last night, I really appreciate it. Who knows where we could have ended up? Probably down at a karaoke bar, that wouldn't have ended well."

"It was no trouble at all, it was in the same direction as I was going and I didn't want you two to end up at a karaoke bar. Although if you were a good singer it wouldn't be too atrocious." She adds picturing them up on stage.

"Oh trust me, I can't sing to save my life." He pauses being brutally honest. "Oh and sorry if I was a bit flirtatious and clingy last night, that's what happens when I get drunk. Some people are really emotional, angry, or energetic: not me. I happen to flirt a lot. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"It's okay I understand, you didn't make me feel that uneasy." If only he knew that she actually enjoyed when their hands met on the stereo and that she felt protected and safe when he wrapped his fingers around hers. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I did this morning that's for sure, I should have just went with coffee, I don't drink too much so even what some people call tolerable is enough to get me hammered."

"That makes sense, the more you do it the more you build up immunity to it. Now that we're on the topic would you like anything to drink?" Ayla questions doing her job.

"I'll take a water please." James desires sensing his throat getting dry. She assures him that she'll be right back and off she goes. For a second he watches her treasuring each glance, and then his phone goes off. Thankfully he has the ringer programed so that his cellular device is only on vibrate. Embarrassing moment avoided! It turns out that his text is from his sidekick in Russia.

It's a casual text stating that they played their first game last night against Slovenia and won five to two. He came out with their second goal three minutes into the first period. He's thrilled for Geno! The only thing negative in his reaction is that he feels bad that he couldn't watch it for himself.

"Here's your water sir." Ayla serves him setting the tall glass down in front of him. It has a lemon and a pink straw. "It's Valentine’s Day in case you're wondering about the choice in colour."

"That would explain it, I forgot that was today." James confesses telling himself that it's February fourteenth, hence the holiday.

"Me too, it's only really a holiday if you're in a relationship so I'm not celebrating it this year." She declares dreading the so called Chocolate and Flowers Day
.
"Or if you're a kid and you hand out valentines in class. I'm not celebrating it this year either so it looks like we're both left out."

"Yeah, it's lonely if you're single that's for sure." The waitress pauses becoming distracted with the conversation. It's beginning to make them both depressed that they'll be alone while others are having the time of their lives with their partners. "Would you like anything to eat?"

"I would love something to eat actually, I was going to just eat at home but I'm not a great cook. Anytime I can avoid it I take that route. How about a Chicken Caesar salad?" He settles on a meal choosing to be healthy since it's not his first time eating out in the last twenty four hours.
"I can do that for you." Ayla says taking a mental note of what he ordered. Despite the busy crowd going out for a Valentine’s Day brunch she finds it impossible to forget his request. "See that's the difference between us, half of my family's Italian so I learned to cook at an early age. I also started drinking wine then too. Cooking's not too hard once you get the hang of it. You just half to watch what you're making closely so that it doesn't overcook."

"That's my most common mistake right there. Hey, I have an idea. You don't have to say yes if you don't want to, but how about we do something tonight? It beats being sad and alone on Valentine’s Day." James proposes hoping that she doesn't see his proposition as creepy or desperate. It could be a friendly invitation as well.

"I'd like that." She accepts "Maybe I could teach you how to cook something?" And that's where it all starts. The two discuss their plans for the afternoon briefly before she has to return to her job, they see each other again when his meal's ready and he has to pay the bill.

How did that work? James ponders to himself how just after one night of knowing her she already agreed to hang out with him. It doesn't matter though. All that matters is that he can't wait to spend some time with the breath taking woman and learn more about her. She seems perfect to him!