The Truth Is...

When someone knocked on her door at six-thirty Claudia nearly had a heart attack. No one, no matter how punctual they were, was half an hour early for a date. So as she headed out to the door she stopped for a moment to double check that the card had actually said seven o’clock and when she confirmed that she pulled the door open and let out a relieved sigh to see James on the other side.

He held up the pair of shoes she had spent twenty minutes looking for in her condo only to realize they were at his house, she had last worn them out with some of his teammates after their sweep of the Blackhawks in the playoffs.

She pulled him into the condo and said, “Thank God, thank you.”

He nodded as Claudia took the shoes from him and set them down by the door before she headed back into her bedroom and James followed her. He took a seat on the end of her bed as she disappeared into the closet and he asked her curiously, “Why did you need those exact shoes anyway? You’ve only got like a hundred other pairs.”

She let out an airy laugh before she told him, “They just go with my dress really well.”

When she came back out of the closet in a dress James’ mouth went dry the second his eyes landed on her. He stared at her for a second, his eyes lingered a little longer than they should have on the respectable amount of cleavage the dress showed and then they drew down to the length of her legs, which somehow seemed longer than ever before.

He practically had to pick his jaw up off of the floor when Claudia asked him, “Is it too much?”

“Hmm?” He asked as he brought his eyes back up to hers and he hoped he hadn’t been too obvious.

She ran her fingers over the front of her dress, adjusting wherever she thought was needed as she self-consciously asked him, “My dress, is it too much?”

He surprised her by telling her, “You look gorgeous Claudia.”

She was sure that was the first time he had ever said that to her. Sure, he complimented her all of the time but it was always ‘you look hot’ or something of that nature. James telling her that she looked gorgeous was different, it was more sincere, almost intimate. If she were to read more into it she was sure it would make her uncomfortable but she chose not to.

Instead she smiled and went to her dresser where she had already laid out her jewelry choices for the night, she was a planner and as James watched as put her jewelry on one by one he figured she probably had everything picked and laid out the night before.

For a brief second James wondered if this was why she always struck out with her ‘boring’ guys, because what she was wearing was anything but boring. Someone like him could appreciate just how good she looked because that dress was teetering just on the line of too short, and he was sure one could see right down the front of her dress if they were just tall enough. He could appreciate the thought Claudia put into her fashion, because she wasn’t afraid to show off the body she worked for in a way that showcased everything just right, and James was reminded again of why he thought she was crazy to go out with someone who couldn’t appreciate that.

The James she had grown to love came out to play when he leaned back on his palms and smirked over at her as he said, “You know, you could ditch the date and we could stay here and have a party of our own.”

Claudia let out a laugh, rolling her eyes as she told him, “I like being wined and dined, thank you very much.”

“I could wine and dine you right out of that dress without even trying.” He told her with a confident smirk.

You probably could.

She simply smiled over her shoulder at him as she asked him, “Can you do my necklace up? The clasp is too tight for me to get open.”

James got up and grabbed onto the two ends of the delicate chain with his fingers, it took him a couple of tries but eventually he clasped the necklace together at the back of her neck and he reached around to straighten the pendant. He surprised her by taking the time to carefully lay her curly hair back down before he looked at her in the large mirror over the dresser and he told her, “Really, you look beautiful.”

“You think so?” She asked him, unaware of really how much she liked hearing that from him.

Nodding he told her, “And if he doesn’t think so then clearly he’s blind and an idiot.”

She smiled and turned around, patting his chest gently as she leaned up and kissed his cheek. She told him, “Thanks.”

Claudia wore a look of panic when the doorbell rang and James smiled as he turned her around and gave her a gentle push for a hallway, he told her, “Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of sight until you’re long gone and I’ll lock up when I leave.”

She shot him a smile as she slipped into her shoes and then James made sure that he was standing inside the bedroom, near the door but completely out of sight from them. Just close enough that he could hear what was being said when she opened the door.

Claudia pulled the door open and smiled over at Ryan, who looked at her and said, “Wow.”

Her cheeks flushed as she let out a slightly embarrassed laugh, “You clean up well, you know.”

This time Ryan laughed and he told her, “I tried slightly more than usual tonight.”

He held out his arm and Claudia linked hers through his as they stepped outside. He waited patiently while she locked up, she didn’t want to have to explain why she wasn’t locking her door to him. He opened the door for her to his vehicle, which he had pulled out of his driveway and driven two condo’s over to hers to pick her up.

Claudia slid into the passenger seat of his car, noting the fact that there was a suit jacket hanging on a hanger on a hook in the backseat, and a tie was laying out over the seat next to a pair of shoes and a brief case.

He must have caught her glance because his cheeks flushed and he told her, “Sorry, I have a work meeting in the morning with a client that hates professional wear so I typically change into my suit between that meeting and my other ones.”

She smiled but didn’t say anything to that, instead she asked him, “So, where are we going?”

“There’s this really great vegan place downtown, I thought we could go there.” He told her and she nodded her head slowly.

Vegan? How did she not know that he was vegan?

As if he were reading her mind he told her, “I know you’re probably not vegan, but I thought trying something new would be a fun first date. If you hate it we can stop for pizza on the way home.”

She let out a laugh, “I’m game to try it.”

Upon arriving at the restaurant and being seated Claudia had to admit that the menu didn’t look half bad. Sure, she didn’t know what half of ingredients were but there were probably more options on this menu than there were most other menus. Ryan had taken the time to answer any questions she had and even gave her recommendations on what he thought she would like and Claudia had went out on a limb and ordered a grilled vegetable salad that was supposed to be super filling, but she drew the line at tofu.

“I swear, it tastes like the spices they put on it and it’s not rubbery.” Ryan told her when their waitress left them alone. He added quickly, “You should try some of mine when our meals come.”

She had to be honest with him now and tell him, “I’m allergic to soy.”

His face drained of color as he exclaimed, “Why didn’t you tell me that? I could have chosen somewhere else!”

She smiled, “It’s okay, really. It kind of hinders me at any restaurant.”

As they waited for their meals Ryan asked her, “So now that I’ve finally gotten you to go out with me, tell me about yourself.”

Her cheeks flushed because if there was one thing Claudia really hated about first dates it was talking about herself. Still, she told him, “There’s honestly not much to tell. I’m a photographer, that’s about all I do.”

“Come on, there’s got to be more to you than that. Siblings? What do you do in your spare time? What kind of TV shows do you watch?” He asked her, and she was grateful that he was making sure they had things to talk about because that was another thing she hated about first dates.

So with a smile she told him, “I have three brothers, two older and one younger, Criminal Minds is about the only show I take the time to watch every week… I don’t do a lot of things in my free time, if I’m not working I’m probably at a hockey game.”

“Right, you’re friends with one of the guys that plays for the Preds, aren’t you?” Ryan asked her and Claudia thought for sure that she had finally figured out why he had asked her out, and then he asked, “The guy you’re always hanging out with, right?”

So he had no idea who James actually was, which meant the chances of this being a date mostly because of the fact that she knew him were slim.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“I thought for sure you two were dating for the longest time.” Ryan told her, and Claudia’s cheeks flushed.

Apparently you and everybody else.

For a second she thought about James, she wondered what he was doing while she was here on a date. He probably had a date of his own, in that special way that he dated, and she had to force herself not to scowl as she reached for her glass of water and took a drink. She told Ryan, “No, we’re not dating. Never have, never will. Just friends.”

“Well, that is good for me then.” He told her and Claudia smiled gently.

When Claudia finally arrived home from her date and then a quick run downtown to a drug store and a stop for a cheeseburger she changed into pyjamas and dropped onto the couch with a sigh and picked up her phone. She had a text from James waiting, asking how her date had went so she called him instead of responding.

She bit into her burger, chewed, swallowed and then he answered, “So?”

“It was great, I actually had a really great time.” She told him with a smile as she grabbed a fry from the box in front of her.

“Then why are you calling me and not getting naked at his house?” James asked her, a grin on his face no doubt.

She rolled her eyes, “Because I don’t sleep with people on the first date.”

“Right, you’re boring.” James stated, making her laugh. He then asked her, “So what are you doing right now? I keep hearing a weird noise in the background.”

“Oh, right, I’m eating a cheeseburger in my pyjamas.” She informed him as she bit a fry in half.

He laughed, “You went for a dinner date and are eating a burger after? I never took you as one of those girls who ate nothing on a date.”

Rolling her eyes she explained to him, “No, he’s a vegan and took me to a vegan restaurant where basically everything was cooked with soy so I’m fucking starving.”

He barked out a laugh that again made her roll her eyes, he noted out loud to her, “You do like cheeseburgers more than any other person I’ve ever met.”

“Sue me.” She told him with a shrug of her shoulders.

“The house I’m looking at in Vegas is within driving distance of an In-N-Out, you know.” James informed her.

“Sold, buy it right now. That is prime real estate.” Claudia informed him, making him laugh again.

“I actually put an offer in today, I should find out this week if the sellers accepted or not.” James told her.

“Good, I like that house.”

She wasn’t lying, she did love it. It was a Mediterranean style home with a smooth, white stucco and brown wood detailing exterior, there was a pool in the backyard and central air throughout the house. It had five bedrooms, just enough for himself and his family when they visited but also, admittedly, he was reserving one for Claudia. The master bathroom had a tub that gave his current one a run for its money, and the only other bath tub in the house was the bathroom connected to the guest suit he had already put Claudia’s name on whether she was living there or just visiting. The basement was unfinished but he already had plans for it, and the kitchen had appliances and gadgets he didn’t even know existed.

It was more than he needed by a long shot but something about that house spoke to him when he toured it, imagining himself living there was easy.

James asked her, “So other than the actual food part, the date was good?”

“Yeah, I think so. He was nice, and he actually listened when I talked about things. That was a nice change.” Claudia stated, adding in, “I haven’t been on a date where the guy actually cared about my life in a long time.”

“Yeah, well, men are idiots.” James stated.

Nodding she said, “Ain’t that the truth.”

“So are you gonna see him again?” He hoped he sounded more curious than anxious, because he felt more anxious than he did curious.

Shrugging she told him, “I don’t know, maybe, we’ll see.”

He was practically praying to whatever God was out there to not let it happen.

Changing the subject James asked her, “So, if I get this house do you want to help me pack up all my crap? I could use the extra pair of hands.”

“You’re gonna pack up so soon?” She asked him in surprise.

Nodding James explained, “Mostly the big stuff that I don’t really use and won’t miss… plus some clothes and stuff like that. Things I have enough of to pack half of it away. Just so that when it does come time to really pack things up it’s just easier and not as overwhelming.”

“Yeah, okay. Just let me know when.” Claudia told him. She bit into a fry again, chewing slowly. Whatever high she had been on prior to this conversation was gone.

This was all beginning to feel very, very real.

"How would you feel about making a trip out there with me?" James asked her curiously, and when she didn't respond as quickly as he had hoped he was quick to add, "For a few days, maybe in a couple of weeks. Just to... I don't know, I should probably try to get used to the place before the season starts because it's not really like I can rely on teammates to get around and stuff this time."

Claudia smiled, "I think I could find the time. Although, it's been a while since I lived there, I'm not so sure how much help I'm gonna be."

"You're my company. I don't want to go by myself is all." James informed her and it made her smile gently again.

"Well then the answer is yes, I will go." Claudia told him with a smile. She then went on to say, "But Lucca invited me out to the lake next weekend so it can't be then."

"Oh hey, you got an invite to that thing too? Cool, I can't wait to throw you in the lake." James told her, no doubt with a wide grin on his face.

"James Neal you will do no such thing." Claudia warned him.

James laughed and said, "Ooh, full name, I'm officially scared... not."

"You should be. I'll sick Colin on you and he has bigger arms than you." Claudia joked, laughing when James scoffed on the other end of the line.

"My ego is already wounded and here you are, my so called best friend, making it worse." James joked, making Claudia roll her eyes, a smile on her face.

"That's my job."