Flying High

18. All Stars – Day One

(Max’s POV)

I wasn’t expecting this. I was supposed to be on the beach, in the sand and surf, with my beautiful girlfriend – not stuck on a plane to Pittsburg. Claude, Jake and I were the representatives for the All Star week. I was a fill in for an injured player. Breeze had come with us; she had shifted her schedule and would be doing some work for the organization.

“Are you excited?” Breeze asked from her seat next to mine.
“About what?” I ask.
Breeze gives me a look, “You’re an All Star, Babe.”

“Oh, I guess; hadn’t really given it much thought,” I say; which was true, I hadn’t thought about it because I hadn’t had time too – the call informing me that I was a replacement happened two days ago.

Breeze laughs, “Okay; well what about getting to see your friends from here?”

“You mean the handful that will still be here and not on vacation?” the words come out sharper then I mean for then too but Breeze simply waits for my answer, “Yes, I’m excited to see them; and for you to meet them.”

Breeze pales slightly, “What?”
“What do you mean, what?” I say, “I want you to meet the guys; and Nicole will be here this week too.”

Claude’s red mop peaks over the chair, “Yeah, fille, you get to meet the whole waddle.”

“Waddle?”

Claude gives a wicked grin, “You know – a group of penguins on land; seeing as they can’t play on ice.”

Breeze, Claude, and Jake crack up at the lame joke – all I muster is a small smile before I look back out the window.

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(Breeze’s POV)

I was nervous; not only was I going to meet Max’s friends, but also his Ex – that was never fun. I had managed to let my jealousy go, but I was still self-conscious. In all of the photos that I had seen of Nicole – even the interview – she was always beautiful and fierce; two traits that I had struggled with – and never mastered.

We arrived at the hotel and checked in – the players had been sanctioned to stay on two floors and would be sharing a room with other players. I had my own room on a different floor.

I was in my room unpacking when there was a knock on the door. Looking through the peep-hole I could see Max and another figure outside.

“Yes?” I ask, opening the door slightly.
Max gives me a smile, “Hello beautiful; may we come in?”

I step back and let the three in; a slightly smaller man had been standing out of sight.

The first was tall and slim; I could tell he was muscular under the Armani shirt but he had a more slender build. He had a sweet face and puppy dog eyes that made me instantly want to be his friend.

The other man was nearly the same height as Max, his shoulders were wider and his muscular frame was more apparent under the simple black shirt. His features were more defined and model-esque. There was an intensity to him – he was clearly a leader.

Max wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back into his strong, familiar chest, “Guys, this is Breeze – baby, these two are Geno Malkin and Sidney Crosby; old team mates and some of my closest friends in the city.”

The two give me a warm smile.

“It nice to meet you; Max tell us a lot,” the taller of the two, Geno, says.

“Your accent is so cute,” I say then giggle.
Geno’s smile widens, “See; I tell you girls love.”

Sidney shakes his head, “Now he’ll never shut up.”

We all laugh as Geno pushes Sidney playfully.

We sit and chat for a while, the two Pens players offering stories and pranks that were embarrassing to Max but he took the razzing good naturedly. Most of the stories involved Nicole in some form and I could tell the two were hoping to put me at easy about meeting her.

Soon they all stood to leave; there was a mandatory meeting and drinks after in the ball room.
Max gives me a searing kiss and makes me promise to come down when the meeting was over. Geno gave me a bear hug, and even Sidney gave me a hug.

Max lead Geno from the room but Sidney waited before turning to me, “do me a favor,” he pauses, “Give Nicole a real chance; she’s a great woman and has been a good friend to both of you – even if you didn’t know that.”

“She doesn’t know me,” I say slightly confused.

“I know,” a smile crosses Sid’s face, softening his eyes, “But she’s rooting for you; has been since the beginning.”

Sidney walks out the door; leaving me in a confused state.

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(Regular POV)

“Hello everyone, if you would, please find a seat so we can get started.”

The room shifted as players found empty seats; once they were all settled, the speaker, an older man in a brown suit, stepped back up to the podium.

“This year, as you all know, the All Star break has been extended to six days. Today marks the first official day of the break. Captains and Alternate-Captains have already been chosen and will be allotted time to themselves in order to choose the best players,” a collective chuckle runs through the room, “Tomorrow will consist of interviews with various outlets that are here, and the draft will be held tomorrow night.”

The speaker pauses, “A few rules have been changed in regards to the week; first, we are allowing one trade between the two teams – if you decide to trade, do so wisely. Second, you, the players, will be sitting behind the stage during the draft – we want you all to be as comfortable as possible and this will allow us to show you all interacting in a relaxed environment to the audience.”

“The final change is your living quarters for the duration of the week – tonight is the only night you all will be staying here at the hotel. After the draft, we will give players from each team directions to the compound where you will be staying for the remainder of the week,” a low buzz of chatter runs through the room, “The media does not know the whereabouts of the houses; This will allow you all to come and go freely without the hassle of cameras. Cars will be provided for anyone who wishes to leave the grounds. Teams will be bussed from the compound to the arenas for practice. Thank you.”

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(Max’s POV)

I walk the room, stopping to talk to a few people and introduce Breeze to some of my buddies from the league. I can tell she’s getting overwhelmed by all the different names, but she takes it in stride. She even starts chatting with some of the players that I don’t know so well; and of course taking photos of different groups. Claude and Geno help with introductions as we bob in and out of the crowd.

“Max!” I hear exclaimed across the room.
I turn, a smirk sneaks onto my face, “Bonjour belle; surprised?”

Nicole slings her arms around my neck, “Yes; I didn’t know you were on the list of players.”
“He was an alternate; our third man went down in the last game,” Claude chimes in.

Nicole visibly cringes, “Yeah, I heard it was a nasty hit.”
“He’ll be okay,” I answers as a flash goes off.

“I didn’t think the media was allowed in here,” Nicole says before turning her piercing dark eyes at the camera; I see Claude smirk. I’m fairly sure he’s hoping for some fireworks.

I turn and wrap an arm around Breeze’s waist to pull her close, “Nicole this is my girlfriend, Breeze. Breeze, this is Nicole easily the toughest woman I’ve ever met.”

I feel Breeze stiffen at the name but Nicole smiles and offers her hand, “I’ve heard a lot about you; it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Breeze gives her a soft smile, “It’s nice to meet you too.”

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(Breeze’s POV)

Nicole stole me away from Max after talking with the two Flyer’s. We claimed a quieter corner of the room, talking about photography and people watch. I tell Nicole about my run in with Henrik and Marc in New York and how Henrik had told me about her hobby. I could tell Nicole was trying to make me comfortable around her, and I wanted to be, but several questions were plaguing me.

“I have to be honest; I wasn’t sure about meeting you,” I says before taking a sip of my drink.
“Why is that?” Nicole asks, confusion sweeping across her features.

I give her a guilty look, “It’s just… well, you’re gorgeous; and with your history with Max,” I become flustered and let out an exasperated sigh, “I was self-conscious and jealous.”

Nicole lays her hand across mine, “Breeze, YOU are gorgeous; Max is insane about you; he’s not the same person as when we were together.”

“But why didn’t you try to make it work after….” I stop myself before saying, “Oh god, don’t answer that; it’s none of my business.”

Nicole gives me a soft smile, “You know?”
A sheepish look crosses my face, “Yeah, he told me.”

Nicole looks across the room, I follow her gaze as it lands on the Frenchman, before turning back to the woman beside me, “Max and I both weren’t ready for a relationship when we met; I thought it was bad timing but now….Talbo was always meant to be my friend, nothing more; he’s a good guy; and, I’m happy he has someone like you in his life,” I gives her a questioning look so She go on, “He needs a strong woman, one who can take care of herself.”

“He is a good guy; thank you,” I gives her a small smile, “Now, Max said your beau was here also; which one is he?”

Nicole scans the room again, “The guy that just walked in,” she says and point toward the door.
I look to the door, a smirk lines my features, “Hello handsome.”

We share a look before bursting into laughter.

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(Max’s POV)

I break from the group in search of the bar; I had a couple of drinks already and I knew I needed to slow down, but the stress of my current girlfriend and ex-girlfriend talking was taking its toll on me. A familiar, clean cut man was making his way around the room; he didn’t see me so I grab his shoulder.

“Your girl has kidnapped mine,” I say, slightly slurring.
Johnny turns and shakes my hand, “Do you know where they’ve run off too?”

I nod and motion toward the opposite corner, “They’ve been sitting for a while.”

We both look to where the two women are sitting, they looked deep in conversation but suddenly laugh at something unknown.

“I think we should join them,” I suggest.
Johnny grabs two drinks from the bar before walking over; I do the same.

“This seat taken?” Johnny asks, as he stands near Nicole.
She gives him a flirtatious look, “Only of one of those is for me.”

Johnny smiles, hand over the new glass, and takes the empty seat.

I look at Breeze as the other couple share a little moment, “What do you say, gorgeous? This seat taken?”

Breeze meets my gaze, “I saved it for this sexy Frenchman that I was talking to earlier. Have you seen him?”

“Oh baby, how you hurt me so,” I say; Breeze giggles and scoots over, I pull her back to my side and feel her snuggle closer.

“Johnny,” Nicole’s voice recaptures our attention, “This is Max’s girlfriend, Breeze; Breeze this is Jonathan Toews.”

I add, “Nicole’s captain and boyfriend; congrats by the way. We saw the conference.”

Breeze smiles warmly at the Blackhawk, “Well, Captain Jonathan Toews; it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he says, “And it’s just Johnny.”

I see Nicole giggle as the couple share an intimate moment; and can’t help but smile as I press a gentle kiss against Breeze’s hand.