The Long Day Is Over

Harper was so nervous she wanted to throw up when she arrived at the hotel in Los Angeles. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she wanted to skip around humming love songs but her head was telling her to go home and forget all of this had even happened. To forget that she had driven six hours total to see some guy she barely knew, some guy that she hadn't even been on a real date with. Again she wondered exactly what Roman was doing, she wondered if this was some big joke on her, she didn't really believe he was that kind of a guy but then again she didn't really know him all that well. She just couldn't get past what the deal was.

He flirted with her, at least she thought he was, and then there was this whole trip and the fact that he never went more than a day without texting her at least once since they met. But when he walked her up to her hotel room after dinner he had kissed her cheek, told her good night and said he would see her tomorrow in LA and that confused Harper. Not that she wanted to pull him into her room and have her way with him like Bristol wanted her too, but for some reason the kiss on the cheek felt a little like the kiss of death. Like she should be congratulating herself for scaring him off somehow.

She actually had half of the mind to go home instead of going to Los Angeles, but that morning in her hotel room a slip of paper was shoved underneath her door and it was the confirmation papers for her hotel room in Los Angeles with a smiley face and his name written on the bottom. She couldn't leave now, not after he had done all of this.

When she arrived at the hotel Harper pulled the reservation paper from her bag as she approached the reception counter, she was greeted by a bubbly blonde showing far too much cleavage for a hotel job, "Hi there, what can I do for you?"

"Checking in." Harper told her, holding out the piece of paper, which was never taken from her hands.

Instead she was asked, "Name?"

"Harper Addams, two d's." She told her and she could have rolled her eyes when the blonde looked up at her with a sceptical look. It seemed to make everyone's eyebrows raise. The first time she had met James he had told her that she had a porn star name, Harper fired back asking him if he had a lot of experience with porn stars to know that, of course.

There was more clicking away at the computer before she was handed a keycard and told, "Room three-twelve. Have a great stay."

Harper nodded slowly, took the keycard and headed to the elevator. When she walked into the hotel room Harper dropped her bag onto the bed and stared at the the two items on the bed. One was a folded up jersey, she knew Roman had done that, but the other confused her. She pulled the tape off of the box and pulled it open, finding a jacket and a dress folded carefully inside, and sitting on top of them was a piece of paper with Bristol's writing on it.

'I figured you didn't think to bring anything fancy. You're welcome.'

Harper immediately pulled her phone from her bag and called Bristol, who answered with, "So I take it you got the present?"

"Yes, and what the hell?" Harper asked her, staring down at the dress in the box.

"What? I knew you wouldn't have thought to bring anything fancy, you know, date like so I thought I'd help you out. I asked James if he would bring you them if I sent it to him before he left." When Harper didn't respond right away Bristol added, "We all love you too much to let you be grossly under dressed, like usual."

"I do not under dress." Harper muttered.

"You wore jeans and a t-shirt out to a five star restaurant over the summer." Bristol pointed out and Harper could just imagine the look on her face.

Defending herself Harper told her, "They were leatherette jeans, and it was a very soft and very nice t-shirt."

"Dress up for once Harps." Bristol told her with a sigh.

Harper rolled her eyes, "Fine, but just so you know I so hate you and when I see James next I'm gonna throw my shoe at his face."

"I mean... if I didn't see it in person did it really happen?" Bristol asked her and the two of them erupted into laughter.

"Thanks by the way, you're too good to me." Harper told her as she pulled the dress and jacket out and hung them up so they didn't end up too wrinkled.

Bristol told her, "Of course I am, someones got to make sure you don't go on a date in Levi's."

"You're rude to me too." Harper muttered.

"Do something nice with your hair too. Curl it or something...who am I kidding you didn't bring a curler." Bristol told her, pausing and then asking hesitantly, "Did you even bring a brush?"

"Nope. Had to buy one at a CVS in San Jose." Harper told her and Bristol let out a loud laugh.

"Figures." Harper laughed when Bristol muttered this. Curiously Bristol asked her, "What exactly are you doing tonight anyway?"

"No idea. All I know is that he's picking me up at six." Harper stated, glancing at her watch before she exclaimed, "Holy shit it's five thirty!"

Bristol laughed loudly and told her, "Yeah, you're gonna be late."

"Shut up. I'll call you later, if I don't call you by midnight I'm probably dead in the back of some guys car." Harper told her as she kicked out of her runners and started to unbutton her jeans, shoving them down her hips and kicking them up onto the bed with one of her legs.

"Or you'll be too busy... getting busy." Bristol said with a big, Cheshire cat grin no doubt.

Harper rolled her eyes, "Not a chance, I barely know him. Goodbye, I'll call you later, please call the police if I don't call by midnight."

"Yeah, yeah have fun on your date." Bristol called out as Harper pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up.

She tossed her phone onto the bed, yanked her shirt over her head and stood in front of the closet by the door in her underwear, staring at the dress Bristol chose for her. At least it wasn't terrible, and at least it was modest. She slipped into it, zipping up the side before she went into the bathroom and started on her hair, she didn't have time to do anything other than run a brush through it and push it all over one shoulder, tucking it behind her ears. She threw some lip balm on, earrings and a bracelet and just as she was finishing a quick teeth brush there was a knock at her door.

Harper looked at herself in the mirror, smoothed out her dress and took in a deep breath of air before she she walked out of the bathroom and pulled the door open, standing behind it as she opened it part way. Roman's eyebrow raised, and when she determined that he was in a button up with dress pants, a belt and dress shoes she finished opening the door and let him in, explaining, "Just making sure I wasn't over dressed... or under."

Roman looked at her, and his stare made her flush.

She raised her eyebrows and then looked down at herself and asked in panic, "What? Are there tags on it or something?"

Roman smiled as she tried to look at the back of her dress in panic mode as well. He reached out, hands on her biceps, and told her, "You're good... you're beautiful."

She smiled gently, heat rising to her face as her skin flushed deeply. Roman loved when he got that kind of a reaction out of her. He waited patiently while she slipped her shoes on as well as a light jacket. She grinned to herself upon finding pockets in the dress, so she slipped her phone and card holder into them before she took one quick glance at her outfit before she told him, "Okay, I think I'm ready."

Roman smiled gently, and as they left Harper's hotel room he linked their arms together as they approached the elevator. The ride down to the lobby was silent, but their silence was ruined when they stepped out of the lobby and a whistle came out of someone's mouth, followed by, "Damn Harpoon if I knew you cleaned up that well."

Harper turned to find James grinning at her, and beside him were Shea and Pekka. They each smiled politely at them, and Harper smiled back before she turned to James and asked him with a polite smile, "Don't you think if I wanted to date you I would have by now?"

His teammates bit back their laughter and James rolled his eyes, smile on his face as he placed his hand over his chest and told her, "You wound me."

"You'll survive." She told him softly, before she turned to Roman and asked, "Ready?"

He nodded, waved to his teammates and then together they left the hotel. As they started down the sidewalk Roman assured her, "The restaurants like a five minute walk from us, I hope that's okay."

She nodded her head and informed him, "You don't have to worry about me not wanting to walk anywhere."

"Oh no?" He asked her in amusement, brow raised, smile on his face.

She shook her head, "Oh no, I am always in comfortable, practical footwear and I walk pretty much everywhere all the time. I don't even own a car."

Roman turned to her, eyebrow raised, "Who's car did you drive here?"

"Bradley's. He's out of town for three weeks for work." Harper told him with a grin, and when his brow raised she realized he had no idea who she was talking about so he told her, "Brad's my younger brother."

He nodded his head and asked her, "You have an older brother too right?"

She nodded, "Ben."

"And your parents?" Roman asked her curiously.

"Morticia and Gomez." Harper told him, trying desperately to keep a straight face. When his brow lifted in confusion Harper let out a laugh and she asked him, as if not quite believing he didn't know, "You've never seen The Addams family?"

He shook his head, "Probably at some point but not any time recently."

"Well there goes all of my jokes for the night." Harper joked, and when Roman laughed she told him, "When I was in school I used to do that all the time. Every time I would have parent teacher or anything I always introduced them as that. I actually had 3 new teachers in fourth, sixth and seventh grade convinced that my parents names were actually Morticia and Gomez."

He chuckled and told her, "No, The Addam's family is definitely not what I first thought of when you told me what your last name was."

"Porn." She said it so nonchalantly that Roman whipped his head toward her, eyes wide in surprise and Harper laughed. She explained to him, "It's what everyone thinks."

"Actually no, there was a guy in Game of Thrones with the name Addam, two d's." Roman told her, then assuring her in a sort of ramble borderline word vomit, "Don't worry, I didn't assume you paid your way through university through the adult entertainment industry. Not that it's a bad thing or anything, there's nothing wrong with that it's just that I didn't want you to think that's what I thought of you."

Harper smiled over at him and told him, "Don't worry, I didn't think you did."

When they arrived at the restaurant and Roman gave his name to the hostess they were told they would be brought to their table in a minute so Roman stepped a little closer to Harper, enough that he could lean down and whisper in her ear, "I really do think you look beautiful."

She flushed as they were lead to a table, and she was glad that the restaurant was dimly lit so that Roman didn't see her blush. Roman sat on one side of the small booth, Harper took the other, slipping her jacket off as Roman ordered a bottle of red wine and a water for each of them.

He looked over at her and asked, "I didn't even think to ask. Do you drink wine?"

Harper nodded her head, "Yes. Don't worry, I'm the fun half of the twisted sisters."

Roman's brow raised, "Isn't that a band?"

Harper let out a small laugh, nodded her head and explained to him, "Yes. It is also what John calls Bristol and I."

"How did you two meet anyway?" Roman asked her curiously as they both set their menus on the edge of the table.

"We were neighbours. My brother Ben is really good friends with her brother, so our families were always hanging out together. We used to do everything together, at least until we graduated high school and Bristol decided ditch me and move to New York, but hey, I'm over it." Harper said with a small smile.

Roman chuckled and asked her, "That's where she met Tavares?"

Harper nodded her head, "They met through mutual friends. One of Bristol's school friends was dating one of his teammates. They were friends for two years and then started dating, and for some reason felt the need to drag me into this very confusing hockey world you all have going for you."

"Confusing?" Roman asked with a smile.

"I swear everyone knows everyone somehow and it's dizzying for an outsider." Harper explained to him, nodding her head to back up her statement.

"You are very different than any girl I've ever met." Roman told her, and when her cheeks flushed again he assured her, "In a good way I promise."

"Why because I don't know when to shut up?" Harper asked, laughing at herself.

Roman smiled and shook his head, "It's just... So many girls when they know what I do for a living get so weird. Especially when they're hockey fans. It's like they become a totally different person. But I like that you're real around me, you know? You're not phased by all of this, and I know that probably comes from being friends with John and Steven and James but it's nice. It's different, and it's really refreshing honestly."

Harper smiled gently and she told him, "I'm glad you find my personality refreshing. Most people find it very annoying."

Roman chuckled and he assured her softly, "Nah, I think it makes you pretty great."

They made small talk for the rest of dinner, getting to know each other. So far Roman knew that Harper was a May baby, she had an unhealthy addiction to Ho Ho's, she liked red but preferred white wine, Grey's Anatomy makes her roll her eyes, she was a fan of anything Anthony Hopkins and Christian Bale, and she enjoyed the ocean. Those things only made him want to learn more about her, to learn everything there was to know about Harper. She was full of surprises, and he liked that about her.

As they walked side by side on the way back to the hotel Harper looked up at Roman and told him, "You know, you're nothing like I expected."

"What do you mean?" He asked her, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Her cheeks flushed and she smiled gently as she told him, "I've been around enough hockey players to know there are a few guys that are pretty great once you get to know them but that there are very few who are just really great guys from the beginning. You're one of those guys."

"Are you trying to tell me you thought I was gonna be an asshole at first?" Roman asked her, unable to keep himself from laughing.

Harper laughed and shrugged her shoulders as he wrapped an arm around them and pulled her into his side. She tucked her arm around his back, her hand resting on his side as she explained to him, "I guess I thought you'd be... more like James I guess. He's really a sweet guy, but you kind of have to pick away at the front he puts up to see it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you surprised me in a really good way."

Roman smiled as he pulled the door to the hotel open for her, and then he stepped inside behind her and together they walked to the elevator. He told her, "I'm glad I surprised you."

"Me too." Harper told him softly.

He walked her down the hall to her hotel room, where he watched her unlock the door and hold it open with her backside, the heels of her feet sticking over the entrance of the room. Roman looked down at her, and she looked up at him, and he was quiet when he asked her, "I'm gonna kiss you now, is that okay?"

She looked surprised, but she nodded her head slowly so Roman leaned down and placed one hand on the side of her neck as he pressed his lips against hers softly. Her lips were softer than he ever imagined, and he wondered what kind of lip balm she had on because whatever it was it tasted good. He pulled apart a lot sooner than Harper expected, and she looked up into his light eyes and Roman smiled down at her.

He told her, "Goodnight Harper."