Start Me Up

Three days later Tessa finally found herself face to face with Shea after their blowout over his reaction to her not answering his phone call after their loss in Anaheim. Neither of them had spoken to the other or made any effort to do so since. Tessa had, admittedly, watched them even the playoff series out with a three to one win the night before in Nashville, though she had done so from the comfort of her own apartment.

Shea had shown up that morning in his suit, with his bags in the car, intent on fixing things before he had to get on a plane to go out and play a game seven. He knew he should have come sooner, like maybe last night after the game, or before the game, but he just didn’t know what to say. Not that he knew now either, though, now he was just winging it with whatever he was feeling.

When Tessa had opened the door to find him standing on the other side of it she wasn’t surprised, and she tried not to let the surprised look on his face when she stepped aside to let him in hurt her feelings any. Shea stuffed his hands into his pockets and he asked her, “Do you have a few minutes?”

“It’s not like I have a life.” Tessa spat back, before realizing what she had said and her cheeks pinked as she apologized, “I’m sorry, that wasn’t… that shouldn’t have been directed at you.”

He nodded his head slowly and he cleared his throat as he looked around the apartment and then he looked back at Tessa. She was looking at him expectantly, and he knew she was waiting to hear whatever he had come there to say. So he stated with ease, “I avoid things.”

“What?” She asked him, brow lifted slightly.

He nodded his head again and he told her, “That’s my biggest… flaw I guess you could say when it comes to relationships. Instead of fixing things, or dealing with issues I just… avoid them as if they’ll sort themselves out.”

“So… that’s what you came here to say?” Tessa asked him curiously.

“No, that’s just part of what I wanted to say.” Shea told her, and he walked by her to sit down on the couch before he turned to face her and he asked her, “Will you sit?”

So she sat down beside him, closer than he expected right now, and she smiled as she asked him, “Haven’t we been here before?”

Shea laughed, “What, talking on a couch after I screwed things up by avoiding you?”

Tessa let out her own laugh and nodded, “Yeah.”

So he spoke softly as he told her, “Amelia never used to answer her phone when I called after games if she was in St. Louis.”

“So what you’re saying is you were afraid that I was cheating on you?” Tessa asked him, brow lifted. If she didn’t understand where he had been coming from she might have been offended by that.

“I guess we both have issues we need to work on because of our past relationships.” Shea admitted softly, and then he was quick to look over at her and say, “I didn’t think you were cheating… not really. I know you wouldn’t, but I guess sometimes with the whole Amelia thing and then the fact that we cheated together… sometimes it sneaks in and I don’t know how to get rid of it.”

So Tessa reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers and she told him, “I know what you’re saying… but the way you dealt with that so isn’t how you do it.”

He nodded his head, “I know that… now. I’m not gonna say that I’m never going to avoid something like this again because I can’t promise that but I’m gonna try not to. I never meant for that to turn into this big thing, Tessa, I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

When she said that he looked at her and asked, “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything.”

She told him, “But I kind of flew off the handle at you.”

Shea shook his head, “I needed that. Don’t ever apologize for standing up for yourself and for putting me in my place because sometimes I need it, Tess.”

She smiled gently and she asked him, "So you admit that your reaction was totally off base?"

"Completely." Shea stated, nodding his head to back up his statement. When Tessa nodded her head and looked down at her hands he asked her, "What happened with Jake?"

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, "You really want to know?"

Nodding Shea told her, "That should have been the first thing I asked the minute you said he showed up."

"He wanted my rings back, apparently he's been dating his assistant." Tessa told him as she leaned back into the couch. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ears and then she said, "Apparently our divorce was my fault."

"How so?" Shea asked her, brow lifted.

Tessa shrugged, "Because I was a terrible wife and an awful person and I didn't contribute to our marriage."

Shea's brows crunched together and he asked her, "You know that's not true, right?"

Tessa shrugged her shoulders again and she looked down at the couch between them. Shea was quick to close the distance between them on the couch when she said, "Yeah..."

"Tess..."

She stopped him before he could say anything else by telling him, "Look, I told you that this is gonna be an issue of mine for a while. I'd really like to say that hearing him say all that made me realize how spineless I've been when it comes to him for the last ten years and it made me suddenly realize how ridiculous this whole thing is but it didn't."

"You know... I never really liked him." Shea told her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled into his side.

Tessa tilted her head to look up at him and she said, "Yeah, sure."

Shea shrugged, "I mean... I got along with him because come on, how awkward would it have been if I hadn't? Sure, I liked him at first but the last few years? Tessa, I knew you weren't happy with him."

"You did?" She asked him, brow raised and when he nodded she asked, "How?"

"Every time I talked to you, or saw you, you never looked or sounded happy. You weren't happy and I knew it was because of him, I just didn't know it was that bad between you two." Shea told her, and Tessa leaned over and kissed him square on the mouth, hand on one side of his face while the other held onto his bicep. When they finally pulled apart Shea asked, "What was that for?"

"I don't know what it is about you, or how you do it, but you always know what to say and how to calm things down in my head. Please don't ever stop doing that." Tessa told him.

He shook his head and leaned forward, their foreheads touching, and he told her, "Never."

She smiled against his lips as he leaned down and kissed her once again. Shea wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her into him, Tessa got comfortable with her knees resting on the couch on either side of his thighs as she placed both of her hands on his neck, thumbs stroking his jaw. Shea tightened his grip around her waist, his hands now resting on her hips, his fingers pushing into her t-shirt covered skin.

When the alarm on his phone went on, signifying that it was time for him to leave if he wanted to be on time at the airport, Shea pulled away from Tessa's mouth and rested his forehead on her shoulder as she sighed. Tessa giggled and said, "I guess you've got to go."

He looked up at her, reaching into the pocket of his pants to silence his alarm without letting her move from on top of him and he told her, "I wish I could stay."

"I know." Tessa told him, leaning down to kiss his lips quickly.

"I just... didn't want to get on that plane with things between us the way that they were. I wouldn't have come to have this conversation knowing I had to leave so soon if it wasn't for that." Shea told her, the last thing he wanted was for Tessa to think he had come out of convenience, obligation or because he knew their conversation wouldn't be long.

Tessa got up off of him and with her feet planted firmly on the floor she held her hands out to him. When Shea placed his hands in her own she pulled at them, rolling her eyes when he gave her no help whatsoever and stayed exactly where he was on the couch. She leaned backward, pulling against his arms and she let go of them out of panic when he started to stand up and she started to fall backward. Shea let out a laugh as he wound his own arms around her waist and pulled her back to him as he stood up, and he leaned down to kiss her quickly, succeeding in keeping her from yelling at him.

When they pulled apart Tessa told him, "You should get going."

"What, your other boyfriend's on his way here?" Shea joked with a smile.

"As a matter of fact, yes he is." Tessa responded with a smile, and she leaned up and kissed him once more before she gave him a gentle shove to the door and informed him, "I just can't be responsible for you missing tomorrow's game seven is all."

Once they arrived at the door and Shea had fished his car keys out of his pocket he turned to Tessa and told her with a smile, "I'll see you Thursday."

"I'll be ready for round two." Tessa told him and Shea shrugged his shoulders. She rolled her eyes at him and told him, "You need to have your ego inflated a little."

"Wanna help with that?" Shea asked her with a small smile as he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her into him.

Tessa brushed her fingers through the hair at the back of his head and she told him, "Well you have that whole intimidating captain with a super hard shot thing going for you."

He smiled and leaned closer, asking her, "What else?"

"You're a pretty decent defenseman... and you've made it this far, so why not even further?" Tessa asked him, and he leaned down and kissed her lips quickly.

When he pulled back he asked her, again with a smile, "Got anything else?"

"Yeah, you're pretty hot too." She told him with a grin, surprising him by leaning up onto her tip toes to kiss him square on the mouth.

He smiled against her lips and squeezed her a little tighter to him, and then they pulled apart and Tessa dropped back down to the heels of her feet Shea told her, "I love you."

"Love you too. Now go." She said, making him laugh as he let go of her and pulled the door open. He turned back to her and opened his mouth and Tessa told him before he could say a word, "I'll see you Thursday, and good luck even though I know you don't need it."

So all he did was reach out for her hand, giving it a quick squeeze before he dropped it and left her apartment to head down to his car so that he could hopefully make it to the plane before his teammates did.

- - - -

The next night, when Shea called Tessa, she picked up the phone without a greeting, but simply her happy voice saying, "I told you that you didn't need any luck."

"Yeah, I should start listening to you more, huh?" He asked her with a smile and Tessa let out a small laugh.

She was quick to ask him, "So when do I get to bask in your presence again?"

Shea let out a booming laugh at that, and he told her, "Tomorrow morning. We're leaving fairly soon."

"Oh good." Tessa stated.

"Fine then, next time I won't call you after a big win." Shea joked, knowing Tessa would hear the tone in his voice.

She smiled to herself and said, "No, don't ever not call. I look forward to it all day on road game days."

"Yeah?" He asked her, and when he heard the distinct shuffle of blankets on her end through the phone he asked her, "Are you in bed?"

"Mhmm." She told him, and then with a wicked smile, she asked him, "You know that navy long sleeve of yours? The one with the three buttons at the neck?"

"I do believe I can recall it." Shea told her, a smile of his own on his face.

Tessa informed him, "It's very comfy."

"And... uh... what else are you wearing?" Shea asked her curiously, he glanced at his watch. They weren't due to leave Anaheim for another two hours and their flight was a few hours long so he figured he could probably get some sleep in on the plane if necessary.

"I know you'd probably love for me to say nothing but I do have underwear on." Tessa told him, hoping she wasn't being too much of a buzz kill.

"Oh yeah? Which ones?" She was surprised by his question, this wasn't typical. Tessa was the more straightforward one when it came to these things, not Shea.

Still, she told him anyway, "They're black, and a little see through with a lot of lace."

"I can't remember them." He told her.

"I know, they're new." Tessa told him with a grin on her face.

"Oh yeah?" He asked her, his curiosity piqued.

She smiled to herself as she confirmed, "Mhmm. I bought them yesterday because I knew you guys were gonna win. I guess you could call them good luck charms now."

Shea let out a laugh at that and told her, "You sure are something else."

"I know."

She was surprised again when he told her, "You should send me a little something to hold me over until I can see you again."

She couldn't help but ask him, "Who are you and what have you done with Shea?"

"What does that mean?" He asked her in amusement.

She explained to him, "You've never actually asked for naked pictures of me, you know."

"You're not naked." He pointed out, and he did, technically, have her there.

She sighed and furthered her explanation, "I'm usually the one initiating the sexual conversations. I'm just a little surprised."

Shea smiled when he told her, "I guess you've brought out the worst in me."

"No, baby, I would say I've brought out the best in you."