To Sweden With Love

Our plane touched down in Pittsburgh and I let out a small sigh. Man, it was good to be back.

Olivia was dressed in dark clothes with a hat pulled down over her eyes.

"Girl, what's up with the get up?" I hugged her.

"I didn't feel like being noticed. Let's just get out of here."

As we drove back toward the city, I told her all about my new life in New York. She was happy for me. But I could tell she wasn't happy herself.

"So I was thinking we could go out for game 1, go to one of the old stomping grounds."

She agreed to that. Even though that wasn't really what I was planning.

Derick harassed Olivia about whether she's been seeing anyone.

"Can you not?" I said.

"What about--"

I threw something at him.

We pulled into the driveway and Malin and Patric were waiting to see me.

"It's so good to see you again, âlsking!" Malin exclaimed as she hugged me.

"It's about time you came back," Patric joked.

"You know, I can't stay away for too long without seeing my favorites," I laughed.

Derick and Olivia carried our luggage into the house.

"Hey, man," Derick shoot Patric's hand. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise."

We all took a seat in the living room and got the chance to catch up on lost time. Derick joked about how I was playing hard to get. I told them about my new job with the Rangers and Patric wasn't impressed.

"You know, you could have gotten the same job here!" He was bitter.

"I know, but I needed a change of scenery. New York is full of all different kinds of opportunities."

"I wouldn't let her be a street performer," Derick teased and I punched him in the arm.

"But yeah, I'm looking forward to my new life in the big city. You guys are welcome to visit with us anytime!"

"Definitely," Malin was supportive of my decision.

"How's Isabella doing? I miss her!"

"She's great, she misses you. Wait until you see her! She is going to be ecstatic!" Malin said with a smile.

As the Hornqvists were getting ready to head back home, we made our lunch plans for tomorrow so Derick and Carl could catch up.

After they had left, Derick and I started packing up some of my stuff so I could take it with me to New York.

Liv returned from her run and huffed, "Finally packing up your stuff?"

"I figured it was about time. I should have made you do it for me while you were all cooped up in the house with nothing to do." I snickered.

She rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs to shower.

"Do you want all these pictures?" Derick questioned as he pulled two of them off the mantle looking at them.

I gave him a sad look, knowing that behind all those pictures were memories. The picture in his right hand was the one of my brother, Shane when he surprised me at my college graduation. The other was a picture of Liv and me.

"Definitely those two," I linked my arm with his. "This one," I pointed to the one of my brother, "he surprised me at my graduation. That was probably the last time I saw him." He kissed my temple.

"As for the rest of them, we can get rid of the pictures and make new memories for in the frames." They were pictures of my family; I've come to terms that I didn't need them anymore.

"Okay, what about all of these?" He motioned to the bookshelves.

"Um, yeah. Let me see if Liv wants any of them before we pack them all up though."

"They could fill my shelves three times!" He said sarcastically.

I threw a pillow at him.

"Does this go too?"

I glared at him. "Not unless you need them."

We finished packing up my things in the living room and then moved upstairs to the bedroom.

"There're boxes in the guest room closet that we can use."

Derick went down the hallway to the other room and came back with a box in one hand and a picture frame in the other.

"You and Adam?"

My heart sank. "That's from when we met senior year of high school. We weren't together yet."

"You never told me about him," he sat on the edge of the bed. "I mean, you've mentioned him, but never actually told me about him. What he was like."

I sighed. "I don't really want to talk about him." I gave him sad look.

He got up and gave me a hug and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't, it was just a very bad time for me. But uh, we have a lot of stuff to pack up here. Go get the other boxes please!"

He came back carrying as many boxes as he could. I removed the top box from his pile so I could see his face, telling him he didn't have to carry them all at once. He smiled that goofy smile of his.

After he sat all the boxes down, I instructed him to pack my clothes up from in my closet.

"We should get going soon," Derick said as he looked at his watch. "I can't be late for my date with Carl."

I rolled my eyes and threw the shirt I was folding at him.

He picked it up. "Ugh, why do you have this?" He held up my Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh gold shirt.

"Hey, that's my captain you're talking about!"

We left everything where it was to finish later after we went to lunch.

---

We hopped into my car and drove us into the South Side to head to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with Patric and Carl. You can't go wrong with that place.

The entire drive there, Derick couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to see Carl.

"You act like you haven't seen him in ages."

"Because I haven't!"

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I pulled into the parking garage. "You're paying."

"For Carl," I hit his arm.

"I'm going to have a bruise from all the times you've hit me!"

We held hands as we made our way over to the restaurant. Well, at least until he saw Carl. They did that slow motion run like they do in the movies. I just stopped in my tracks as he took off. Crossing my arms, Patric walked over next to me.

"You'd think they haven't seen each other in ages," he shook his head.

"That's what I told him! He wouldn't stop talking about how excited he was to see him."

We stood there as they ran towards each other then embracing each other in a hug.

"C'mon you two lovebirds, I'm starving," Patric said.

The perks of going to any restaurant with these guys are we get in and seated really quickly. VIP treatment.

I sat across the table from Patric, next to Derick. I would have preferred to have Derick across from me, but whatever. For some reason, I felt a little uncomfortable being there with them.

Having Derick there helped distract Carl from bringing up Olivia; at least for a little while.

We ordered our drinks and our food.

I was silent for most of lunch as the guys talked and caught up with each other.

Towards the end of lunch, Carl asked me about Olivia.

I hesitated, "Uh, she's doing good."

"What has she been up to?"

"Married life stuff? I don't know. What do married people do?"

I could feel Patric glaring at me. "What?" I shot a glare back at him.

"Wait, I thought--" I hit Derick's arm again. "Would you stop doing that?!"

"Sorry," I apologized. "But we should get going. We have to finish packing up my house." I started to get up out of my chair.

"Wait, why do I feel like you're not telling me something?" Carl questioned.

"C'mon Carl, we need to do some training before the big final series starts," Patric tried to usher him out.

"No, I need to know whatever you're hiding from me."

"I'm sorry, Carl. I can't." I walked out of the restaurant, Derick following behind me.

Driving back home, Derick said Carl hasn't stopped texting him asking what he knew. What do you know? I know she talks to you.

"He's going to find out sooner or later that she's still here," he started. "He said he thinks he saw her running earlier."

"Tell him he must have been seeing things."

"I can't just keep lying to my best friend. Do you lie to Olivia?"

"When I need to." I focused on trying to get us home while avoiding an argument.

"I just don't like being in the middle of this."

"I'm sorry, okay? Can we just talk about something else now?" I turned onto my street.

"It just makes me wonder," I hated for what was about to come out of his stupid pretty mouth. "Are you ever going to lie to me?"

And there it was.

I pulled into the driveway and rushed out of the car.

"Arielle, you can't avoid the question."

I slammed the front door.

---

We were back in the bedroom and picked back up where we left off with my packing. We were mostly silent, for I didn't want to talk to him.

As the boxes became full, Derick stacked them up in the hallway.

"I'm sorry," I said as I sat on the bed. "I shouldn't have dragged you into the middle of it."

He didn't say anything. He just continued to carry the boxes out of the room.

"Are you going to say anything to me?" I sighed. "I said I was sorry."

"I heard you the first time."

"Right," I lay back on the bed.

"I'm just mad--" he started before I cut him off.

I sat up. "You're mad? I'm mad because you asked me if I would ever lie to you."

"I'm not going to apologize."

"Whatever," I lay back down and turned away from him.

---

A couple hours later, I was getting ready to head to game one with Liv. Which jersey should I wear? Maatta.

Derick rolled his eyes as he saw me prancing my way through the living room. He made a gagging noise, "sorry, reflex."

"See you later," I said as I rushed out of the room.

He mumbled something after I shut the front door. Then maybe we can talk...

Olivia and I drove downtown in silence. We were only a few minutes away from the arena when she realized we weren't going to the bar.

"Uh, Ellie..."

"Yeah sorry, we're going to the game."

Ha, Derick. I only lie to her when I need to.