The Wall Between

White looked amazing in a house. That’s what Clarke was thinking as she laid on her couch, sighing heavily and looking around her apartment in silence. The sun shone brightly through her windows, lighting up the open floor space. Everything in her house was done in versions of white or crèmes. Something about natural light and the way it made her apartment look open made her feel better, especially after visits with her family.

A light-grey, marble counter stood in the middle of Clarke’s kitchen. A bowl of oranges was the only thing on it, though usually Clarke had all sorts of empty water glasses decorating the top. She had a horrible habit of leaving glasses of water around, especially her bedroom.

Peeking over her couch, Clarke looked around the kitchen for any sign of Dixie. The dog had been sniffing around looking for crumbs- there wouldn’t be any, Clarke cleaned- and Clarke wanted a good cuddle with her dog, having slept on the couch since that’s where she happened to fall asleep after her grandmothers visit.

Clarke whistled, laying flat on the couch. The sound of Dixie running from the hall sounded as the dog came into the living room, jumping over the arm of the couch and landing on Clarke. Her nails dug into Clarke, making her grunt in pain as the heavy dog laid on her stomach, face right on Clarke’s chest and touching her nose to Clarke’s chin.

“Oh hi there, Dixie.” The lab licked her on the chin a few times before Clarke leaned away, wrapping her arms around the dog. “I love you my little Dixie Mae.”

For a while, Clarke and the dog laid on the couch. Clarke poked Dixie’s nose, making the dog stick out her tongue. They went back and forth like this until Dixie sneezed in Clarke’s face, making the girl’s face twist in disgust, making the dog move to get up and clean her face in the kitchen.

Someone knocked on the door after she cleaned her face. “Go away,” she called, groaning as she began to walk to the door. “I’m not home.”

Opening the door, Clarke blinked, seeing Tyler standing in front of her. He was in a Dallas Stars shirt, black athletic shorts that were baggy and his hair damp and pushed back. He smelled like something dark and alluring, a body wash, if Clarke was correct.

Clearing his throat, Tyler removed a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Clarke leaned on the doorframe, crossing her arms and watching him with a fluttering heart. He looked good as always and he looked up at her, twisting his mouth into a grin.

“I, Tyler Paul Seguin of apartment forty-nine, would like to formally extend the apology for making yesterday extremely awkward and attempting to be polite by letting your mother and grandmother into my home. I am, however, grateful that I met your mother for she is a delightful woman. Your grandmother however, scares the shit out of me and insulted my moms china so I totally have to retaliate now.”

Clarke laughed throughout the entire apology. She reached out her hands and plucked the written letter from his fingers, turning it over to look at it, only to find that it was completely blank. “Wow, your handwriting is beautiful.”

Though she didn’t say it, Clarke was happy that he had pulled the apology out of thin air, even if he had practiced it before hand. She handed him the blank paper. “What are you doing today?”

“Besides wallowing in post-grandmother stress and letting Dixie sneeze on my face.”

“As divine as that sounds, Marshall is really bored and could use lunch at Lee Harvey’s and head up to White Rock Lake Dog Park for the day.”

“Oh? Marshall wants all that?”

Tyler nodded. “He also wants a beer.”

“Hmmm, well I guess I’ll have to see if Dixie wants to hang out.” Looking back into the apartment, she whistled. Dixie jumped off of the couch, the tags on her collar tinkling as she head down the hall. Once Dixie saw Tyler on the other side of the door, the young lab shot like a bullet towards him, wagging her butt and jumping up to meet Tyler who laughed and bent down, petting her with both hands. “I guess that’s a yes.”

“Good. Meet us in ten?”

“Deal.”

Back in her own apartment, Clarke was a disaster. She was running to her room to change clothes. Though Clarke was pretty sure Tyler could care less that she was in running shorts and a tank top, she threw on jean shorts that came up to her belly button and threw on a black t-shirt. All black high-tops went on her feet, just one pair of the twenty converse that she owned since she was younger.

Stopping by her bathroom, Clarke threw blush on her cheeks and made sure that she had mascara on to look alive before snatching sunglasses and shoving her phone in a purse. Dixie’s leash was already wrapped around her wrist and all she had to do was bend down to clip the leash on. Clarke pressed a kiss to Dixie’s head before grabbing a handful of treats and walking out into the hall.

Like before, Tyler was already in the hall with Marshall. Clarke thought that they made a good pair for a dog and owner. Marshall was lazy and liked to lean on Tyler’s leg while sitting and Tyler was leaning against the wall, eyes hidden behind wayfarers and had turned backwards. He too had changed, but only his bottoms. He now wore cargos, looking up from his phone at her.

“You wear a lot of black.”

Clarke grinned. “Like my soul.”

“Oh I don’t buy that for a second.” They walked to the elevator and Tyler hit the button. “You seem way too nice to have a black soul. At least, as far as I can tell and I’m good at reading people.”

“I’m sure you are.” Clarke gestured to his shirt. “Support your team much?”

“Always. Looks like I’m going to have to get you to start wearing green. It’ll look much better than black- not that black looks bad on you- not that anything looks bad on you.”

Clarke bit the inside of her cheek as the elevator when down. Tyler didn’t seem like he was fumbling for words per say, but he certainly talked quickly, flitting from one sentence to the next. Clarke liked the way he carried himself, confident but always smooth. “Green isn’t exactly my favorite color.”

“What is?”

They were walking across the lobby. Dixie and Marshall were connected at the hip, the two dogs trotting in time with one another. It looked like they had been walking next to one another for years. Outside, Clarke slid her sunglasses on. “Maroon,” she answered. “A few shades deeper than blood red, more like crimson I guess.”

“Such a random color.”

“Is it? I think some of the best things in the world have red in them. Sunsets, fire, apples.”

“Really? You’re going to throw in apples to that equation?”

They neared the parking garage. “Yes,” Clarke answered defensively. “And I’m driving. I’ve seen the sports car that you drive and we’re not fitting us both and these two dogs inside.”

“I have a truck too.” Clarke looked at him with wide eyes before she realized the glasses hid her eyes. They entered the cool shade of the parking garage. “I use the car to get around the city and the truck when I’m going long distance or out on trips.”

“I’m still driving.” Clarke made an amused sound as they approached her black four-door ford. She hit the lock on it, the lights going off as it unlocked the doors.

Tyler gave an appreciative whistle as she opened the back door, Dixie jumping up into the backseat and plopping down obediently. Marshall whined slightly, looking up at the seat. “Come on, you big baby.” Tyler bent down and hauled up the lab like he weighed nothing, putting him on the seat. “I swear he’s fine with my truck, he hates getting into others.”

“Probably thinks someone is going to kidnap him.” Clarke said it more to Marshall than to Tyler, leaning in and giving him a dog treat before kissing the dark lap between the eyes. “Cause he’s so damn cute.”

“Stop spoiling my dog.”

“Says you who just picked him up and put him in the car instead of making him jump.”

Tyler walked around the other side of the truck, making a sound of defeat. Clarke smiled, getting in herself and turning it on. Her legs stuck to the leather uncomfortably in the Dallas heat, despite being in the parking garage. With Tyler in the other side of the car, she pulled out the space and head towards the beach, knowing the direction already.

With the radio at a moderate volume, Clarke rolled the windows down and drove. They didn’t talk on the car ride, but she was comfortable with that. She stole glances at Tyler whenever she could, which was mostly at stoplights. Her iPod shifted between country and rap back and forth, and she smiled when she found him singing along to himself at almost every single song that came on.

The scenery shifted as they drove to White Rock Lake. The houses were more moderately sized and they grew into suburbs instead of large city buildings. Clarke turned on the bridge and drove towards the lakeside, finding the parking lot that overlooked the blue lake water and was surrounded by sand and trees.

Other people filled the parking lot, walking their dogs too and from their cars. All dogs had to be on leashes until entering portions of the park where it was safe and away from the road for dogs to be let lose. There were also strict rules that all dogs had to play nice with one another, which thankfully, Dixie and Marshall seemed to do.

“Does Marsh like to swim?” Clarke asked, making a sound as Dixie pulled hard on the leash. Clarke gave a sharp tug to make the dog fall back in line, scowling at the lab. Sometimes Dixie got excited and if she wanted to, she could yank Clarke right off of her feet and drag her. “Or is he more a fan of the field area.”

“He loves to swim. You should see me trying to get him out of the bath tub.”

“Perfect, Dixie swims too.”

Yellow sun reflected off the flat surface of the lake. A bridge went over the mirrored surface, connecting two pieces of land. Gravel and dirt lead down a small slope to the rocky bank of the lakeside, smooth rocks jutted out over the top of the water with slabs of concrete making an easy enough entrance for dogs to jump in and out of the water. Fresh water mangroves were planted near the smell water station, provided shade for dogs to sit in the shallows or to gnaw on the branches.

Two small dogs were playing when Dixie and Marshall were allowed of their leashes, shooting like bullets from a gun and jumping into the water, spraying the other dogs with the break of surface. Clarke smiled at the dogs, walking to the grass side of the bank a few feet away with Tyler to sit and watch the dogs, far enough to keep from getting wet but close enough to keep control of their animals.

Blue sky was completely clear above them. There were no clouds, not even thin wisps of white anywhere in sight. Clarke wished there was a cloud somewhere near them as she looked down at her already sun-kissed skin, knowing that she should have brought sunscreen. She had been too worried about the attractive neighbor who was waiting for her in the hall, unable to focus on anything outside of that.

Warmth radiated from Tyler. Clarke wasn’t sitting close enough to touch him but they had both popped down in the grace, they’re legs propped so that they could rest their elbows on top of their knees. Clarke leaned forward, watching Dixie paddling in the water, breathing heavily as Marshall chased her. It was obvious that of the two dogs, Dixie led Marshall. His brown eyes followed Dixie’s golden coat anywhere she went, tongue lolled out watching the younger female.

“What made you get a lab?”

Clarke shrugged her shoulder. “The ranch next to us had a bunch of Labrador puppies and he had three left that he couldn’t sell. I took one, my cousin Catherine took one and they kept the last one. My parents have Boarder Collies but I wanted something different.”

“Marsh came from a friend. I knew the second I moved to Dallas, I wanted a dog.”

“Why’s that?”

Tyler chewed on his lip. “I’m still new to Dallas. When I was eighteen, I got drafted into the NHL to the Boston Bruins and it worked out until it didn’t.” He looked at her, searching for a sign of understanding. She didn’t know what he meant so he continued, pulling grass out of the ground as he spoke. “I got traded. I started out on the Boston Bruins and it just didn’t work out. They’re an older team, I was a younger guy, you know? Going out and turning twenty-one and all that-" He shrugged, breaking off.

“Hard for team members to relate to you or not take going out to seriously?” she offered. Tyler nodded his head, shrugging his shoulders. It was obvious to Clarke that the topic was still a sore one. So she prompted, “But you like Dallas, the city itself?”

He nodded. “People down here are much nicer, easier going. It was a big shift and when I moved down here, I knew I wanted a dog, someone that couldn’t trade me or leave me hanging, you know? And I don’t regret it, or resent it. I’m doing good down here and I’ve grown as a player.”

“I was born and raised here.” Clarke licked her lips, looking out at the water. The dogs were sitting in the shallow end now, panting under the shade. They were soaking wet and Clarke realized she was going to have a hell of a time getting Dixie in the bath. “Beaumont Ranch has been in my dad’s side of the family for years so I’ve basically grown up in Dallas. I’ve left Texas a few times but I’ve never been as far as where you’re from.”

Tyler grinned then, like she had told him a joke. Clarke pulled her eyebrows together, not knowing why he was smiling at her life that. It made her nervous until he said, “I’m actually from Canada, not Boston.”

She made a face. “You’re Canadian? Thanks for letting me feel like a total dumb ass over here.”

“You’re not dumb! I just didn’t realize you didn’t know. I mean you knew I played hockey, so…”

Despite how nervous Tyler often made her, she leaned over bumping his shoulder playfully. Her skin jumped where the contact was made and she tried to control her heart rate. She instantly wanted to bump shoulders with him again. Instead she said, “So what, you thought I googled you and looked you up? I didn’t.”

“I’m offended.”

“I’ve learned like half of what I would find on google by just asking, though. Turns out that you can actually get to know people instead of stalking them on the internet. Who would have thunk it.”

It was his turn to bump shoulders with her, the hairs on her arms standing on end. Both of them were silent for a minute, looking out at the lake. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Can’t promise I’ll answer.”

He looked down at her. He rested his chin on his shoulder and Clarke was careful not to look at him, except out of the corner of her glasses. When he looked at her head on the way he was, with a small smirk and soft amusement, she tried not to look back at him. “Why do I make you nervous? You seem to be fine now.”

Of course he had to ask that. Clarke was feeling okay until he had mentioned it. It was easy to forget how someone made you feel jumpy when there was conversation to distract you, but now he had put the very thing she didn’t want on the table, a small box with the lid lifted, waiting to be explored. Clarke wanted to seal the box back up, but she didn’t know where to find the tape.

“Mostly,” she said slowly, selecting her words very carefully, “Because I am aware that you’re a successful hockey player and I wasn’t too sure how you carried yourself. You were always nice enough in the halls, but I didn’t know what you were like.”

Tyler pursed his lips, nodding and accepting the answer with ease. Clarke busied herself with her shoe aces, picking at them and feeling the small, plastic parts of them peeling away. They were an old pair, ones she had since high school. “I kind of thought you were going to say it was because you see me bringing different girls home all the time.”

Clarke was very aware that he brought a lot of girls in and out of his apartment, and that he was no stranger to casual sex. She didn’t mind that he was like that, it wasn’t any of her business. And though it made her nervous to think that he was someone who only liked girls to weave in and out of his life, Clarke was sure that an even bigger part than just the girls was that he was beautiful.

Not just beautiful, either. To Clarke, Tyler was stupid gorgeous. He had brown eyes that weren’t always brown, but rather sometimes gold. They had been the first things that she had ever noticed about him. Of course, right after his extremely impressive body. Anyone could fall for someone who had his arms, thick and muscular with winding art down the sides. He had broad shoulders and a thick back, his legs just as powerful as his back. And he was tall, taller than Clarke, wider than Clarke and just carrying a larger presence in both physical space and imagined space.

Every occasion that Tyler walked into the hallway, Clarke felt smaller. It wasn’t like she wasn’t outgoing, or like she didn’t have a feisty personality because she knew that in a lot of circumstances, she filled the room with ferocity and her own self-being. But Tyler Seguin was so bright in everything he did, whether he was leaning on the wall and looking like a ray of sunshine, or whether it was leading a girl into his apartment and looking like a devious angel.

“Are you hungry?” Clarke asked instead of addressing his comment about the girls. She didn’t want to address it, not when it wasn't her place. She didn’t want to offend him and she didn’t think that it was polite to discuss his personal life with him. “I know Marshall really wanted that beer, so…”

Wiping his hands on his knees, Tyler stood up, offering Clarke a hand. She took it only because he offered it, and slightly because she was wondering if her hand would feel the same electricity that her shoulder had when she bumped him. Her suspicion was confirmed, her skin tingling, even after they let go. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”