The Truth Is...

It was nearly ten in the morning when Claudia woke up the next morning, it wasn’t a peaceful wake up like she would have preferred thanks to the knocking on the front door. She pulled herself up into a sitting position on the bed, stretched her arms high over her head as she yawned and then she pushed the covers off of herself, swung her legs over the side of the bed and flinched at the cold of the floor against her bare feet.

As she approached the door she ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair, she didn’t bother to look in the mirror by the door first because she wasn’t sure she really cared if she looked a mess this early on a Friday morning.

Yanking the door open Claudia found a man in a navy blue uniform holding a vase filled with a mixture of purple and white flowers. Her brows furrowed as the man thrust the glass vase toward her, and as she took it from him he told her, rather gruffly, “Have a nice day.”

She didn’t bother wasting the energy on an eye roll as he stalked away, instead she simply turned around, let the door fall shut behind her and headed toward the kitchen island. She set the flowers down on the counter and picked through them to find a card, her fingers grabbed the corner of a piece of cardstock stuffed down toward the lip of the vase and pulled it out.

Claudia headed back to her bedroom, card in hand.

She dropped onto her back on the bed and pulled the card from the little envelope that enclosed it and she smiled at the sight of the printed off words.

‘Thanks for giving me a chance. I hear that part of this whole boyfriend thing is sending flowers, so don’t say I never sent you any. – James.’

She felt like a complete and total dweeb with the large grin that was currently stretched across her face but she didn’t have it in her to care at this point. When was the last time any guy had sent her flowers? She wasn’t sure that she could remember.

She stared at the card a few more times, flipping it over in her hands and rereading each word with care for a few minutes before she got up and went to the closet. She slid the card into the empty shoe box tucked in the back of the top shelf.

She always kept things, every little thing that she could because she thought that someday it might be nice to have all of those memories to look back on. Of course, she thought that right up until she was throwing the whole box out as a method of purging her life after a break up, but, like the hopeless romantic that she was Claudia always started fresh, and she always remained optimistic when it came time to start filling the shoe box again.

A little strange? A little crazy? Probably, but that didn’t bother her much. She was who she was.

Her phone beeped from the nightstand by her bed so she headed over there, and pulled it from the charging cord, to find a text message waiting from Kelly that made her laugh.

‘I hear from a little birdie that someone may have gone on a date with a certain someone named James Neal last night.

And by little birdie I mean Lucca, she totally sold you out.’

So Claudia, still exhausted from lack of sleep the night before, crawled back into the warm comforts of her bed, underneath the covers, got comfortable on her side and responded to Kelly’s text.

‘It’s entirely possible that may be true.’

‘So am I gonna have to start factoring in Jalaudia when we do couples game nights?’

Claudia practically snorted.

‘Jalaudia?’

‘Claudimes? Jamedia? Jamlaudia? Claudiames? Which would you prefer?’

‘How about no couple names?’

‘Everyone has a couple name. Colina (Colin and Lucca in case you couldn’t get that one), Kelraig (Craig and I, again, in case you couldn’t get that), Romleigh. Get with the program Claud.’

‘Romleigh?’

‘Roman and Caleigh… jeez I thought that was the most obvious one too.’

Claudia laughed.

‘Alright crazy, I’m going back to bed. See you tomorrow.’

With that Claudia put her phone on the nightstand again and rolled over to the other side of the bed, getting comfortable once again. It proved difficult to go back to sleep, much like it had last night. She had laid in bed for hours after James had left going over every little moment of their evening, she was too keyed up to sleep and it appeared that now she was as well.

As far as first dates went Claudia couldn’t have picked a more perfect one. Despite all of the things that had gone ‘wrong’ so to speak she wouldn’t have changed a second of it for a more perfect and put together evening. Sure, she could have done without James getting a speeding ticket, and she was sure that he felt the same about that aspect of their date.

She had to admit that she had been a little stunned when he had opted to go home rather than spend the night but Claudia had stood against the door after he had left with a dorky smile on her face for nearly ten whole minutes. That dorky smile, might she add, still, even now, hadn’t really left, it had practically taken up permanent residency.

When was the last time that a first date had made her this happy? Had it ever?



When James pulled his vehicle in the driveway outside of Claudia’s condo he honked once before he got out, leaving the door hanging wide open as he headed to the back to pull open the door to the cargo area. He heard her sandals smacking against the concrete before he saw her and yet James still jumped slightly when he turned to find her standing next to him.

Claudia let out a laugh, to which he rolled his eyes and heaved her duffle bag, which he noted was rather light, up and into the vehicle. Claudia watched in amusement as he unzipped it and started stuffing piles of his own things in it, which until now had simply been tossed into the back of the vehicle.

She asked him, “What, couldn’t find a bag of your own?”

“They’re all packed up and full of crap.” James told her, and Claudia tried not to show how sad that made her feel. This whole Vegas thing was real, of course she knew that, but it seemed with each passing day that it got more and more real.

Before she let that feeling of sadness creep in and linger any longer Claudia smiled over at him and she said, “Well we should be there by noon.”

“Just in time for lunch. I’m starving.” James stated, making her laugh.

He reached out and slapped her butt as she moved past him to get to the passenger side of the vehicle, which made her laugh again, and then he slammed the back door shut and headed to the driver’s side. Once he was comfortably in the car and backing out of the driveway Claudia asked him, “Did you need to stop for breakfast first?”

James smiled over at her and he told her, “Nah, I’ll be fine. It’s only two and a half hours.”

So he drove, and Claudia sat next to him in the passenger seat, she busied herself on her phone, every so often she would read someone’s tweet out loud that she knew James would get a laugh at, and he would turn and glance at her with those blue-green eyes that she had grown to adore so much and simply smile. He couldn’t quite put a finger on just how exactly he had gotten so lucky.

His eyebrow raised when Claudia leaned into the backseat and she pulled her camera back up and onto her lap, pulling the camera out as she used their drive to go through some pictures, deleting ones here and there to make room on her memory card. Not that she didn’t have another one, James knew there were at least three in that bag.

When she held the camera up and snapped a picture of him driving he told her, “No pictures of the driver please.”

She rolled her eyes, “I will take pictures of whatever I want.”

“Yeah, I know.” He told her dramatically, making her laugh.

She told him, “It’s our annual cabin trip, I had to commemorate it somehow and… you just look so cute.”

He couldn’t help but let out a laugh at that.

James was more an in the moment kind of guy and he preferred as much anonymity as he could get, he was rarely on Twitter, he kept his Instagram on private and he would much rather enjoy an amazing moment and only have a memory. Claudia, on the other hand, liked to document things. She liked to have pictures of special moments and memories, and James knew that she had a box filled with journals from the last three years at least in her storage room. She was always documenting things.

He found that he enjoyed that about her. They meshed well in that way; he was carefree where she was not and they balanced each other out.

She put the camera on her lap and reached out, placing her hand over top of his on the gear shift which pulled his attention back to her as he glanced over at her briefly before he looked back at the road in front of him. She told him, “Thanks for putting up with this whole camera thing.”

He smiled over at her, head turned just enough toward her that she could see, and he told her, “I mean, it would be pretty hypocritical of me given how much hockey talk you have to deal with during the season.”

“This is true.” She told him and then she grinned wickedly and she added, “Look at that; such a big word and you actually used it correctly.”

James rolled his eyes and he told her, “I could leave you on the side of the road.”

“I could find a ride.” Claudia challenged back with, grinning over at him when he reached out and pinched her thigh overtop of her shorts.

He said to her, “I’d pick you up.”

She practically snorted, “I’m aware.”

He narrowed his eyes over at her and told her, “I was trying to compliment you.”

“You give strange compliments.” Claudia informed him with a smile. James nodded his head in agreement and Claudia couldn’t help but get one last joke in as she stated, “But, you can’t be blamed.”

“Oh no?” James asked her in amusement.

With a nod of her head she informed him, “It’s not your fault the women you’re used to would be impressed by a two star restaurant, a hotel room and a really lame compliment.”

James tilted his head back and burst into laughter, and he told her, “And here I thought you were one of those girls.”

“Puh-lease.” Claudia stated with an eye roll, a smile was still graced across her features so he knew that the joke hadn’t quite run its course yet. That would have been his luck.

“Yeah… you’re more take out and a quickie in the car.” James stated, and she let out a laugh at him.

She informed him, “Yeah, well… you’re not even worth dinner.”

“So… just the quickie in the car then?” He asked her with a grin that made her laugh again.

“You’re too much.” She told him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, smile still on her face. The smile that James wore on his own face, soft and yet almost excited, made Claudia raise an eyebrow and ask him, “What’s with the smile?”

“Nothing.” He told her, keeping his eyes on the road before them. When she kept her intrigued stare on him James sighed and admitted, “So I like when I make you laugh. Sue me.”

“I mean, if I have to be honest I think I quite like when you make me laugh too.” Claudia stated.

James grinned mischievously and said, “I like when I make you do something else a little more though.”

She rolled her eyes, still smiling, and muttered, “And you ruined it again.”

“I try.” He told her.

“I’ve noticed.” She rebutted.

Not long after their conversation ended did Claudia lean back in her seat and a few minutes later James noted that she had fallen asleep. So he turned the music down just a bit and continued driving, every so often he would look over at her and smile. A part in her bangs made James wonder if she got the bangs to cover the scar that ran at an angle through the middle of her left eyebrow, she never complained much about it but then again she didn’t usually leave it without makeup filling that spot in. He wondered how she felt about the freckles that were speckled across her nose and cheeks, more prevalent in the warmer months he had noticed, and he was curious as to how that might change if she were to come to Vegas with him.

Vegas was another thing that he thought about as he drove. She had told him, during their argument that she had been planning on going with him but now that things between them had changed so drastically, and Claudia hadn’t brought the subject up once since, he wondered if she still would. It would make everything easier; them being in the same city, and selfishly, him not having to adjust to a whole new life on his own yet again.

He could get used to sharing that house with her, with having someone to wake up to in the mornings and to go to bed with at night. He liked the idea of her being there when he wasn’t, of having something to look forward to at the end of every road trip.

He did, briefly, wonder if maybe the novelty of their new relationship would wear thin and what they would do then but try as he might James really couldn’t imagine things between them ever not being so light, and fun, and happy. He couldn’t imagine ever not feeling the way he felt now about her.

Of course, he wasn’t really sure how he felt about Claudia, not in a way that he could put into words at least. It was something in the middle; serious and yet not, like but not love, past the point of miniscule feelings but not yet at the point of anything deeper.

They were in the honeymoon phase, as Steven had coined it when James had called him earlier that morning to update him on the night before. It hadn’t all been just James’ planning, he was man enough to admit that he did have some help.

Still, as far as first dates went for him he had to admit that wasn’t all together that bad. If he was being honest he would say it was damn near perfect and he wondered if that had more to do with who he was with than what they had done. If he had to hazard a guess he would say yes.

When he pulled into the empty spot between Lucca’s car and Craig’s truck James reached over and he brushed Claudia’s hair from her face before he shook her shoulder gently and told her, “Claud, we’re here.”

“Mm?” She mumbled, straightening up in her seat without yet opening her eyes.

She stretched as best as she could in her seat as he told her, “We’re here.”

“Did I sleep the whole way here?” She asked him, finally opening her eyes. He nodded as he cut the ignition and pulled the keys out of the car and stuffed them into his pocket.

Claudia got out of the car first, taking the time to stretch her arms high above her head, arching her back just the slightest as she did so. That was when she heard Colin yell out, “Ow ow!”

With an eye roll Claudia turned to the group of boys on the porch and she said, “I do not appreciate the cat calls. I am a human being, not an object.”

Colin rolled his eyes as Craig and Roman laughed and as Colin wrapped an arm around her shoulder he told her, “You love the attention.”

“Maybe just a little.” Claudia told him as she grinned up at him. Then she asked, “Now where are my people?”

She followed Colin through the cabin and to the back deck, leaving James to grab their bag because that’s what good boyfriends did and really, she knew he wouldn’t let her help him anyway. He was damn near primal in that way.

Once out on the back deck Claudia immediately walked over and sat down right on PK’s lap, making him raise his eyebrow in amusement as Lucca let out a laugh. Claudia informed the defenseman, “Just making sure you don’t think I hate you or something.”

He let out a laugh, “Never did Claudia.”

“James just had me a little worried that you did.” Claudia informed him, adding in for explanation, “I just have a slight bias because no offense to everyone here but Shea was way better looking than all of you.”

Roman let out a laugh, “Was? You talk about him like he’s dead or something.”

“In Montreal, dead, same thing.” Claudia said with a wave of her hand, the guys all laughed.

James walked outside, and when he caught sight of Claudia on PK’s lap his eyebrows lifted and he joked, “I see how it is; drive a girl all the way out here and in return she’s hanging all over some other guy.”

“He’s comfier to sit on.” Claudia stated, and when Colin burst out laughing she rolled her eyes and stated, “In a totally non-sexual, normal way you dirty little jerks.”

James barked out a laugh, “Yeah, sure. Now I know who you fantasize about.”

She made a face, “Ew.”

As everyone laughed, PK, with a smile on his face, said, “Thanks Claudia.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, “No, not that you’re like ugly or anything but you’re not my type. If I were to fantasize about anyone on your team it would have been Shea but since he’s gone it would probably be Fisher now.”

“Fish… really?” Craig asked, eyebrow raised.

“Am I allowed to say that?” Claudia asked, making everyone laugh.

James noted out loud, “The more you know about someone… the less you really want to know.”

Lucca came to Claudia’s defense by pointing out, “The man is nice to look at, you can’t blame a girl.”

“Truth.” Kelly stated.

Craig groaned, “You too?”

Roman changed the subject with skill by pointing out to Claudia, “You don’t have a plus one I see.”

“That ship has sailed. It’s in Atlantis by now.” Claudia stated.

“So you’re single again?” Roman asked her curiously.

Claudia’s eyes briefly flashed over to James, his eyes met hers and he smiled slightly and winked, so she simply told Roman, “Maybe, maybe not.”

“So you do have a secret boyfriend… already?” Roman asked, adding in, “That was rather quick.”

Claudia smiled and again told him, “Maybe… maybe not.”