The Long Day Is Over

Hows the game?

Harper smiled down at her phone at Roman's text. It was during the second intermission, and the Lightning were up 3-1. Steven had found her a seat in the two hundred level, and had spent fifteen minutes apologizing to her for it, to which Harper simply laughed and told him to stop being so weird. She hadn't had the chance to see him before the game, she had to wait until Brad was home from work to borrow his car and had arrived in San Jose half an hour before puck drop so she was rather impatient waiting for the game to be over. Something that seemed to translate into her message back to Roman.

Boring, waiting for it to be over.

She could practically hear his laughter as she read his response.

That's because it's not blue and gold you're watching.

Speaking of, I listened to your game on the NHL XM channel today. Sorry you guys didn't win, but tell your captain congrats on his hattrick.

What about the guy who set him up for two of those three goals? What is he, chop liver?

I mean... he's okay, but okay doesn't equal first hattrick by a defensemen in Preds history.

Harper let out an actual laugh when his next message came through.

Thank you, I've been telling him that all night - Shea.

Games about to start up again. I'm not sure I'll be able to text you much tonight, but I'll let you know when I'm leaving and when I get home. Talk to you tomorrow?

She didn't wait for his response, she slipped her phone into the pocket of her jeans and settled in for the third period.

By the time the game was done, a four to three victory for the Bolts, Harper was exhausted. She made her way out to her car, drove all the way to the hotel that the Lightning were staying in and she practically dropped into one of the plush chairs in the hotel lobby with a content sigh. After what felt like forever she got a message from Steven saying that they were on their way to the hotel, and then another from James, that had been waiting, unread, since the start of the third period.

Don't be too hard on him.

She sighed, and shoved her phone into her jeans pocket again, completely uninterested in texting anyone at all now.

Harper nearly jumped out of her chair when two hands came down to rest on her shoulders. She turned to see Steven, leaning against his knees nearly busting a gut he was laughing so hard at her, and she rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest as she stood up and he calmed himself enough to ask her, "You ready?"

"I don't know, what are you gonna do to make it up to me after nearly killing me?" Harper asked him with a small smirk on her face.

He grinned over at her and told her, "I'll buy you a steak, and not judge you when you order fries with it."

She rolled her eyes again, and linked arms with him as she informed him, "Fries are made out of potatoes so they're practically a vegetable."

Steven snorted, literally snorted, in laughter when she said that. He unhooked his arm from hers and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her tightly into him before he told her, his voice muffled by his lips being pressed against the top of her head, "I've missed you."

"What did you expect?" She asked him with a big grin, and he rolled his eyes as they stopped in front of the hostess area of the hotel restaurant.

Steven told the blonde giving him eyes from behind the counter, "We have a reservation, Stamkos for two."

She glanced at Harper, and then down at the book in front of her before grabbing two menus and wordlessly leading them to their table. Once they were seated both Steven and Harper burst into laughter, and Harper struggled to say, "She thought... we were... oh that's the best joke I've heard all week."

This got Steven laughing even harder as he tried to tell her, "She looked even more upset at the idea of us being together than our parents did knowing we were never going to get together."

Harper covered her face with both hands as she sucked a few long breaths of air in, trying desperately to stop laughing as Steven did practically the same. Once they were both calmed down enough Harper asked Steven, "So... how are you?"

He looked down at his menu almost sheepishly and his cheeks flushed bright red as he told her, "I'm okay... good. Great actually."

Harper smiled, "I'm glad."

He looked up at her and said, "I'm really sorry about what happened this summer. I know you said it's fine but... I wanted to be able to apologize in person, and I really did want to see you. I just... I'm not sure what the deal was with me this summer, but what I said to you, and not talking to you for as long as I did wasn't right and I'm sorry Harper."

"It's okay, really. I mean, technically you were right. I've never had a boyfriend, so-"

Steven cut her off, "Just because you've never had a boyfriend doesn't mean you weren't right. If I had just listened to your advice at the time I probably would have been able to get my life back in order way sooner."

"But you figured it out eventually. I told you a break up wasn't the end of the world, especially when it was pretty clear to everyone else that she wasn't as involved as you were." Harper told him softly, and she reached across the table and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She pulled her hand back when their waitress came around to take their orders, and as predicted Harper ordered a steak and french fries while Steven ordered a steak with rice and steamed vegetables. Harper let out a literal giggle when their waitress left as she thought about what Roman might say if he could see her meal choice now.

As if they were on a somewhat similar wave length Steven looked over at Harper and he smiled when he asked her, "So, this whole Roman thing... how did that happen?"

Harper's cheeks flushed, "James dragged a few of his teammates out with John and Bristol for dinner while I was visiting. John put me up in the same hotel as them, and the next morning he knocked on my door and asked me if I wanted to grab breakfast with him."

"And what, it was love at first pancake bite?" Steven asked her, and Harper laughed.

She shook her head, "No, not quite. I came out here and to LA for their games, and then two weeks ago he came to visit for two days."

"Wait, wait hold up." Steven told her, staring intently at her for a moment before he asked her, "You, Harper, painfully shy, Harper Addams, drove all the way to LA to meet a boy?"

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled gently, "I did. I went to both games, we went out for dinner and went to a movie and did sort of coupley stuff, and then I drove home and went back to my life and a few weeks later he came out to visit me."

"And... so how did his visit go? Was he nice? Gentlemanly? Did he pay for you dates? Did you use protection?" Steven asked her, and when she rolled her eyes he gave her his best intimidating face and told her, "I'm serious. I'll beat him up if he wasn't nice and gentlemanly, and if he didn't pay for your dates, and if he knocks you up I will end him."

She let out a laugh and assured him, "He was nice, and he was gentlemanly, and he did all of the cooking, and only let me buy him breakfast once."

"You didn't mention anything about a glove." Steven told her, raising his eyebrow as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

"One, you're gross, two don't use the term glove, and three we haven't even... you know... yet."

"Had sex." Steven stated, and her cheeks flushed as she nodded. He smirked and told her, "You're a doctor, talking about sex shouldn't be embarrassing to you, don't you do that all day anyway?"

"I am not an OB for starters, and secondly, it's weird talking about sex with you." Harper told him.

He laughed, "Why? It's not like I'm a virgin."

She rolled her eyes at him and explained, "No, but it's just... you're a dude. It's weird to talk to a dude about having sex with another dude."

"That was a whole lot of dudes." Steven told her with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes and told him, "Shut up... dude."

Steven let out a laugh, and took a drink of his water before he asked Harper, "What are you so afraid of, in regards to the whole sex thing with him?"

She shrugged her shoulders and she tried to say what she wanted to but trailed off, "That I won't..."

So Steven asked her, "Measure up?"

"I guess."

He smirked at her, "I could help you with that, you know."

Harper rolled her eyes, "Shut up."

He laughed and then he asked her, "Really Harper, what's the issue, I know that's not all it is."

She sighed, and then she admitted softly, "I guess... I'm just afraid that once we have sex... it's just... he'll get what he's wanted this whole time and I'll come out looking like the world's biggest idiot."

"Do you think that's what he wants?" Steven asked her curiously.

"No. I mean, I know it's not but... it's hard not to think that. You know? What else am I supposed to think?" Harper asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Like what the hell is a guy like him doing with me Steven? You've seen him, what does he want with me?" Harper asked him softly, and then she sighed, tucked her hair behind her ears and continued before Steven could open his mouth, "I know that's not what he wants. I know I shouldn't think like that because he's been totally honest with me about how he feels about me, but... I'm just so used to feeling like the ugly duckling of all my friends that it's still hard for me to believe that someone like him wants someone like me."

"You piss me off, you know that?" Steven told her, his voice raised just slightly.

Harper looked up at him in surprise and asked him quietly, "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes and told her firmly, annoyance was clear in his voice but there was also a genuine factor to his words, "I understand that when you've conditioned your brain to think that way about yourself for so long it's hard to stop... but fuck Harper sometimes I want to... sometimes I'd like to stand you in front of the mirror and tell you everything that I think is beautiful about you because you just have no idea. When you look at yourself... you see something that is so, so so far off from reality. Honestly, had I not been in a relationship when we met I would have probably been trying to get you to go out with me every day until you said yes."

"But why? What is so great about me? Because you and John and Bristol... pardon me for saying it but you kind of have to tell me these things." Harper told him, and he wanted to dump his water over her head. She was too damn stubborn for her own good sometimes.

"No, technically we could tell you that you look like a box troll but that would be a lie." Steven told her, and they both chuckled. He then continued, "There's something about you Harper that's just... different. You're beautiful, you are, but so much more than that is just... the way that you are. Honestly, you could be the most average looking girl in the world and your personality would make you the prettiest, and I really hope that someday, you see that."

"It's just hard to see myself like that." Harper told him.

He nodded, "I know, and I hope that Roman changes that about you. If he doesn't I'll totally beat him up."

"You wouldn't. You're a lover, not a fighter." Harper told him with a grin, and he laughed.

"I'm more of a fighter than John is." Steven told her proudly.

"Oh god, yes. John would get into a fight and be like 'oh, sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Sorry. Can you be nice to my teammates now?'" Both Steven and Harper laughed at that, and Steven nodded his head in agreement as he was practically in tears laughing so hard.

The rest of their dinner was filled with small talk and catching up, and then Steven walked Harper out to her car in the guest parking lot of the hotel, where they stood outside of the car door. He told her, "I'm glad you came."

"Like I'd say no to a free game and meal." Harper joked.

"You turn James down all of the time." Steven pointed out.

She grinned, "You're the only one I don't turn down."

"I've never seen you say no to John, except... yeah never mind you say no to him all of the time." Steven stated, changing his statement midway through. Harper chuckled, and her eyebrow raised when he pulled his wallet out and grabbed a handful of bills, telling her, "Don't say no. It's for the gas. If you don't take it I'll just mail it to you later."

"Steven I can pay for my own gas." Harper told him.

"I know you can, just take it, and don't tell John you took it or he'll be mad at me because he's dumb like that." Steven told her with a smile and Harper rolled her eyes and accepted the bills from him, shoving them into the cup holder.

She leaned up and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, and then when she dropped back down to her the heels of her feet she looked up at him and said, "Thanks for inviting me, it was nice to see you. Don't be a stranger, you can text me whenever you want you know. What happened over the summer is water under the bridge, I promise."

He smiled, leaned down to kiss her cheek and then he straightened up and asked her, "Is that okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"You know, now that you have a boyfriend, strange men kissing your cheeks may not be acceptable." Steven joked, and Harper laughed.

"Shut up." She told him as she got into the driver's side of the car.

Steven leaned against the car, looking into the open door at her and he told her with a grin, "Dude."

Harper noted the fact that Steven stood where he was the whole time she backed out of her parking space and left the parking lot, and then when she stopped at a red light down the street she recieved a text, she was expecting it to be from Steven, but it was from Roman instead.

Not sure if you've left yet, but if you haven't how do you feel about cell phone conversations while you drive?

She smiled, connected her phone to the bluetooth in the car and called him. He answered on the second ring, and she immediately told him, "I'm just leaving the city now, and for the record I love phone calls when I drive, as long as they're from cute boys with nice hair."

"Boys, plural huh? How many of us do you have in that cell phone of yours?" Roman asked her with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Harper grinned as she hit the gas as the light went green and she told him, "I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you and you're so pretty that would hurt me more than it would hurt you."