Give Into Me

"Watching me from the window? Really?" said Kaelin as she and her mother sat down across the kitchen table from each other, a cup of coffee before both. Yvonne said nothing in reply, simply mixing in her packet of Sweet'n Low with a teaspoon in hand and a smug grin upon her face, as if she were quite proud of herself. "You're not even going to deny it?"

"My daughter arrives home late from the wedding of an old family friend, accompanied by a handsome young man who adds his phone number into her cell as he walks her up to the door," she said, seemingly content with her actions, "proceeding to hug her adorably and trip over my hidden sprinkler as soon as she'd shut the door, unable to keep his eyes off her. And she is completely unable to keep from smiling."

It was true. Even at this moment, she couldn't keep from grinning. Kaelin tried not to, resulting in a strange frustrated expression on her face before giving way to a shy smile and blushing cheeks.

"See?" Her mother sipped at her coffee before continuing. "So, first things first: how was the wedding? How's Tammy?"

"She's great. It was really nice to see her after all this time. We talked for a bit, danced even – "

"You danced?" her mother scoffed. "You must have been having a good time if you danced. I remember you in high school. I nearly had to force you out the door sometimes. Tammy was always finding you dates to prom."

"Oh, yeah," said Kaelin, lacking any and all enthusiasm, as her memories of high school dances were something dreadful. "Anyway, Tammy and I didn't have much time to talk since Paul kept sweeping her away. They just love each other, and they're actually really cute together. Of course, I nearly froze up when we were introduced."

Yvonne looked confused.

"Why'd you freeze?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, well, Tammy married . . . er . . . Paul Martin."

"What? The hockey player? From the Penguins?"

"Yeah, I was just as surprised when I first heard. I could've sworn I told you earlier this week, though. . . . Maybe not. But, yeah, a lot of the guys were there. And the wedding was absolutely beautiful. Very elegant with lace and pale pink. The ceremony was in the baptist church over on . . ."

But her mother had stopped listening when she had mentioned that several of Paul's teammates had been there. For years she had been waiting for Kaelin to bring home a guy to meet her and that had never happened once. Now, a guy had walked her up to the front door.

"Oh, really? Hmm . . . was that young man who walked you to the door one of them?"

Sighing, having realized there was no escape from her mother's probing, Kaelin said simply, "Yes."

A mischievous smile crept across her mother's face as she said this. "And what's going to come of this relationship?"

"First of all, it's not a relationship. I'm going back to LA to finish my degree. Nothing is going to stop me. Second, he's a professional hockey player. I am probably not the only girl he spoke to tonight. Third, we are going out to dinner after his game on Saturday."

"Oh, you are?"

"Yes."

"And what is this young man's name?"

"Sidney Crosby."

Finally, her mother had been struck dumb. She always had a clever comment or snarky response, but not in this moment. Instead, she looked rather surprised.

"I – I – I'm sorry? You're going on a date with who?" Yvonne croaked out after a moment's silence.

"Don't make me repeat it. He's just a regular guy," said Kaelin, having experienced enough awkwardness today to last a lifetime. "I stepped on his toe and that's how we met. Completely ordinary."

"A regular guy who plays professional hockey on television for the whole world to see! That's not ordinary!"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. It's not really a big deal."

"If you don't think this is a big deal, you obviously don't know much about famous men. They typically choose women who are easy to get into bed and easy to forget about. Women who only want a one night stand and little more. Models, bartenders, secretaries. Women with big breasts, blonde hair, and no feelings. No attachment. I know you are not one of those women so the fact that he's picked you out of a crowd of bimbos makes him something special. He could have almost any woman he wants and he picks a little redhead born and raised in Pittsburgh who's studying English nearly twenty-five hundred miles away. Now, I mean this in the best way, but you're ordinary. You don't have the media following your every move, talking to everyone you know just to dig up dirt on your name. Sidney Crosby plays professional hockey on television nearly every other night from October to April, flying all across the continent. He goes to fan events, meet-and-greets, interviews, and parties, all on top of whatever private life he may have. You both come from drastically different worlds. Now, who knows? Maybe you two are a match made in heaven. But this is one of the craziest match-ups I could've ever imagined."

Only silence followed this speech. Kaelin had only once heard her mother speak so passionately about something, and that had been at her father, sister, and brother's funeral. Usually she slipped in a sly remark or witty one-liner, but in this moment she seemed genuinely invested in her daughter's happiness and well-being. The only problem was that Kaelin couldn't tell if she was for or against even the idea of Sid and Kaelin. She decided to assume the worst.

"So you think it's a bad idea?"

"Not one bit. It might even be healthy for the both of you. An aspiring, educated woman and a professional athlete. Not a bad match from what I can tell. Hell, he must be a gentleman too if he walked you up to the door rather than just left you on the curb. Of the two boyfriends I know about, neither of them made it anywhere near there."

~

Nearly five hours of sleep later, Kaelin was awoken from a dreamless doze by her mother, already dressed and chipper, smiling with a mug of coffee in her hand, ironically embellished with the words, "I'm not a morning person."

"Rise and shine, valentine," her mother said in imitation of a twangy southern accent.

Kaelin nearly screamed seeing her mother's psychotic grin only inches from hers that early in the morning, shouting out in fear before realizing who it was.

"Oh, it's you – I thought you were a burglar," muttered Kaelin groggily, taking a deep breath and inhaling the warm, creamy scent of coffee, instantly enticing her. "How sweet of you," she added as she lifted her hand to take the mug of life.

The steaming cup was retracted, though, as she reached toward it, her hand falling limp again with exhaustion as her mother clutched the cup closer to her.

"If you want a cup, I'll make one for you," Yvonne offered. "But you have to get up first. I have a fun day planned for us. Sightseeing tours, a movie showing, a museum visit. Come on! Up and at 'em!"

"God, woman! How on earth can you be so cheerful this early in the morning? Can't I sleep just a little while longer?"

"It's not early – it's past eight. Now, get up so we can head out."

Spinning quite gracefully on her heel, her mother exited the room, leaving behind the wondrous aroma of french vanilla coffee and her daughter still yawning and stretching in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, only smearing her leftover mascara and eyeliner worse.

It had been almost two o'clock in the morning when Kaelin had finally been able to escape her mother's probing and crawl into bed. Only bothering to change into her pajamas and let her hair down, she had literally collapsed on top of her comforter before falling into a sleep like death moments later. Now, though, she had to deal with the consequences of leaving her makeup on all night as she attempted to hurriedly pull out an outfit out of her suitcase. Too tired to actually piece something together, Kaelin quickly decided to fall back on her old trusty: a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans; black, lace-up boots; and an Army green military style hooded parka over a black long-sleeve shirt. This was her no-fail ensemble for the winter months – although, in California, it was hardly cold enough to wear a sweatshirt, let alone a parka – and the only one who seemed to disapprove of it was Poe, who hissed angrily as she blindly threw it atop him as he was stretched out on her bed. Grabbing a pair of thick socks a shade of vivid blue, she scooped up her outfit and left the room.

The hallway seemed to stretch this morning. Dredging toward the guest bathroom, her mind drifted to her upcoming date. The first question she had for herself was, What are you gonna wear? There was no telling whether dinner afterward would be casual or formal, as Sidney would most likely be wearing his suit again. Considering this, it was probably a good idea to wear a dress or a fancy blouse. But, then again, whenever Kaelin had gone to a Pens game, whether when she had been younger or more recently in the past few years, she had always worn something comfortable, like the team shirt she had bought in high school. Unfortunately, that she'd left back in her apartment.

Her second question was where she would sit during the game and where she would go after to meet up with him. She knew she would be taking a cab to the game since he had to arrive hours earlier than the crowds usually did. Following the game, she'd heard Tammy mention there was a lounge by the locker rooms where family and friends often gathered to wait and chat.

Maybe I should call Tammy later, she thought, since she's been to quite a few games.

Around an hour and a half later, Kaelin returned to her room, having showered, dressed, blow-dried her hair, and applied light makeup – just a bit of mascara and cover-up. It was a nice change from all the eyeliner, eyeshadow, and blush she'd worn the night previous. She'd also eaten a cream cheese bagel and drank a cup of coffee with french vanilla creamer.

Lacing up her boots as she sat on the edge of her bed, Poe got to his feet and stretched, coming over to nuzzle her arm with his head and walk repeatedly across her lap, purring loudly as he practically begged for her to pet him.

"Okay, all right, fine! You don't have to be so pushy!" Kaelin gave in, stroking the cat's long, dark grey fur as he collapsed on top of her legs.

But it didn't last long before her phone buzzed twice, making him sit up in irritation as she reached for the phone rather than give him another petting. A text message. The contact ID read Ella, Your Roommate and Queen. She unlocked the screen and read the message.

Ella, Your Roommate and Queen:
Morning K

She turned the phone sideways to tap in a response on the keyboard.

Kaelin:
Why are you up so early? Its gotta be around 6 in LA this is why you sleep so much

Ella, Your Roommate and Queen:
Felt like going for a run how was the wedding?

Kaelin:
Great I have a date on Saturday

Ella, Your Roommate and Queen:
. . . with?

There wasn't a chance to answer before another message came through.

Ella, Your Roommate and Queen:
CROSBY?!?!?!?!?

Kaelin:
Yes he has a first name

Ella, Your Roommate and Queen:
SIDNEY?!?!?!?!?!? That toe stepping was a "step" in the right direction hahaha

"Kae!" her mother called from the kitchen, her voice faint as she was almost on the opposite side of the house. "Are we just gonna sit around all day? Let's go!"

Quickly, she responded to Ella.

Kaelin:
Haha guess it was gotta go talk to you later going sightseeing with mother

Ella, Your Roommate and Queen:
Didnt you grow up in Pittsburgh?

Grabbing her purse off the armchair in the corner and giving Poe one last scratch under his chin, she stuffed her phone inside before hurrying out to the entrance, where her mother was waiting by the door with a thermos of coffee in her hand. She held it out to Kaelin as she opened the door.

"Close the door for me, please," said her mother as the two of them walked out onto the porch. She looked at her watch. "We need to go. Our tour is at ten-thirty."

"I grew up here," Kaelin scoffed. "I could be the tour guide."

Hours later, the long day coming to an end, she came through the front door laughing and holding a paper sack containing two cheeseburgers and several orders of French fries. Yvonne was only a few steps behind, carrying a pair of vanilla ice cream shakes. It had always been their favorite meal to get after a long day of fun.

"I admit it," snickered Kaelin, "that was fun, even though we've done all that before."

"I know, but I wanted us to have one day together, even if it was doing touristy things," her mother said. "We haven't spent much time together on this trip so far, and I wanted you all to myself for a bit before things start to get crazy. What, with you dating Crosby and all – "

"Mom, we're not dating – " Kaelin, too, was cut off as her cell phone began to emit the Darth Vader theme song, her default ringtone. The contact ID read Sidney the Snowman Slayer. She couldn't suppress the smile that crossed her face.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Yvonne said in a hushed tone before walking off toward the kitchen, taking the bag from her daughter.

Sliding her thumb across the screen, she held the phone up to her ear and took a seat in the nearest armchair.

"Hello?" she chirped. There didn't seem to be an explanation for her chipper tone.

"Hey, Kaelin," came Sidney's semi-deep voice.

"Hi, Sid. How's Ottawa?"

"It's a little cold." He chuckled. The happiness at hearing from him must have been evident, even over the phone.

"That's got to be the understatement of the century. If it's cold here, it's freezing there."

"True. And how's Pittsburgh?" he asked casually.

"Surprisingly nice today, but still chilly," she replied just as casually as he had asked. "We – my mom and I – took a tour of the city, saw 'We Bought a Zoo,' and went to the Andy Warhol Museum. It was really fun, actually. It was just nice to hang out with her today since we don't get to spend a lot of time together."

"I'm glad you had fun. But what's that museum? I've probably driven past it a million times, but I've never even heard of it. What's it for?"

"Andy Warhol – he was an American pop artist who was born here in Pittsburgh during the nineteen twenties. The whole museum is dedicated to his artworks and the inspiration for them," she said, quite quickly. This explanation was only met with silence on the other end of the line. "Oops, sorry for the ten second history lesson."

Sidney just laughed for a moment or so before saying, "It's all right. It sounded like you were reading it straight off Wikipedia or something."

"He was one of my favorite artists to study in school," she said simply. "I'm probably boring you to death, though."

"Then I'm glad I didn't interrupt you by calling earlier. Sounds like you had fun. Speaking of which, sorry I couldn't call earlier. Our flight ran late and when we landed we all went straight to dinner. We're back at the hotel now."

"Well, my mom and I are just about to eat, so could I call you back in about thirty minutes?"

"Sure. I'll talk to you later. It was good to hear from you."

"You too. Talk to you later. Bye, Sid."

"Bye, Kae."

Her cell beeped with the call coming to an end. Looking up, Kaelin found her mother grinning at her from the kitchen. She couldn't help but smile back.

"You can't wait to see him again, huh?" said Yvonne knowingly.

In response, Kaelin shook her head, smirking, both excitement and anxiety welling up inside her as she walked over and started pulling the food out of the bad, the upcoming date with Sidney the only thing on her mind.