To Sweden With Love

I found my way back to New York by the end of the week. As I approached the door to our apartment, I was digging around in my purse looking for my key when the door opened.

"Ellie," he sounded surprised to see me. "I uh, I didn't know you were coming home today."

"Yeah, I figured it was time to come home."

"I was miserable without you," he said pulling me in for a kiss.

I missed those soft warm lips of his.

"I missed you, too," I said as our lips separated. "There wasn't a day where I wasn't thinking about you."

"What about all the texts I sent you? When I called you?"

"I didn't know what to say to you. I was wrong for getting mad at you. This is your career and your decision to make."

"Ellie, no," he took my hands. "This is a decision for us to make. I want to make sure this benefits the both of us."

"What about my job? I haven't even started yet and..."

"Just tell them you were offered a better job," he shrugged.

I looked around. He unpacked and put everything away for me.

"Yeah, about time you came back. Everything's already done." He joked, kissing my cheek.

I looked around again, confused.

"Where's the dog?"

"In the bedroom. He's been tearing shit up so I got him a cage to contain him." He laughed.

"Is that what I have to do to you, too, then?" I kidded.

I went into the bedroom and let Blades out of his cage.

"I don't know how you could want to leave this beautiful city," I glazed out the window, holding Blades.

"I need a change of scenery I guess." He walked up and put his arms around me.

Continuing, he said, "But Ellie, I want you to be with me wherever I go."

"Blades and I want to be wherever you go," I smiled.

I was so happy to be back home. I was still a little upset that Derick didn't confront me about his career decisions at first. But I'm glad he finally realized that I'm going to love him no matter where he goes.

We found ourselves out on the couch, cuddled up to watch a movie. I wanted to watch a romance movie but of course we ended up watching the Mighty Ducks. He quoted most of the movie.

"Be careful man, it almost hit me that time!"

I said the next line. "Goldberg, you're the goalie, it's supposed to hit you."

"Does that sound stupid to anyone else?"

We laughed the entire time.

After the movie finished, we just sat there for a little while longer, talking. We didn't argue about anything. We were just catching up on everything we missed while we were apart.

Being apart sucked. We loved sharing everything together: the bed, the shower, and the mirror, even though he stole most of it.

"I don't use the mirror that much!" He protested.

"Bullshit!" I yelled.

We even shared laughs. It was kind of really enjoyable. HIs laughter was contagious.

When we finished laughing, I mentioned to him that Olivia would be home in about a week.

"I feel like I should do something but she doesn't live here... Does she?" He said suspiciously.

I laughed. "She doesn't, don't worry."

"You have enough stuff for two, maybe twenty people."

I put my hands on my hips then rolled my eyes. "Really?"

I knew I had a lot of stuff, just not that much.

---

This past week and a half went by pretty slow, but Olivia was finally back on the mainland and was now on her way to visit us. Her and I needed to do some retail therapy; because she needed to find a dress for this wedding that Carl invited her to.

"Derick, come on! We have to go pick up Liv!" I pulled him away from his video games.

"I was almost done!"

"You said that an hour ago!"

"Fine, you win this time. Let's go."

If I had a quarter for every time I rolled my eyes at him, I'd be so rich.

On our way over to the airport, I sent Liv a text for her to get when she lands.

If we're not there when you land, it's Derick's fault.

"You realize we live in probably the busiest city in America, right? It takes like an hour to get five feet." I exaggerated. "She's going to have to wait for us and not the other way around."

"Oh stop, we'll get there before she lands."

My phone rang.

"I told you we wouldn't be there before she landed," I said to him as I answered. "Liv, I'm sorry. We'll be there as soon as we can be."

I heard her laughing, "Oh I missed you two so much."

"Couldn't you have just jumped from the plane when you flew over our apartment?" Derick yelled for her to hear.

"Sure, Derick. That wouldn't have made a big scene or anything. Good call." Liv replied with such sincere reasoning.

"Liv, I'm so sorry for him."

"You're sorry? I'm sorry for you!"

"We're pulling in to pick up area. We'll be outside of your gate area!"

"Oh! I think I see you," she said before hanging up.

I jumped from the car, as it was still moving. To be honest, I thought we were stopped. I was just way too excited to see my best friend.

We finally found our way back to the apartment. Olivia couldn't stop about her trip to Hawaii. She wouldn't even get a word in.

I'm so glad she had the time of her life.

I still found it skeptical that Carl ended up there too.

At the mention of Carl, Derick blurted out, "Oh fuck."

Liv sat forward and punched his arm. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"It might have been... and don't punch the driver!"

She sighed. "I can't fucking believe you, Derick."

"I was drunk! I think, yeah probably."

"She confided in you to keep that a secret from him!"

"He said he was going to Hawaii anyway!"

"You knew?" Liv and I said in unison, as we both hit his arm.

"Well, it worked out for the best, didn't it? You didn't kill each other on the island."

Derick parked the car in the garage across the street from his apartment complex. Mats was walking out of the building when we approached.

"Dude, I thought something happened to you! You just vanished during our game," Mats said in a panic.

"You had to come all the way over here to see if I was okay? You couldn't have called me?"

"Well, I never gave that a thought. You just don't disappear on me, man. You can't do that. Not in the middle of a game!"

He paused for a minute when he saw Liv.

"Oh hello there, who's your friend?" He smirked.

"Dude, this is Olivia. But unless you want Hags to kill you, I'd stay far away." Derick said.

" Min feil. Jeg er Mats. Glede å møte deg, Olivia."

We all gave him a look.

"Oh sorry, I like speaking my native language when I meet a beautiful lady. You know, try to swoon them."

"Well," Olivia started. "It kind of worked, but Swedish is more my flavor."

You could see the look of defeat on Mats' face.

"Well then, I never had that happen to me before. I don't know what to do." He hung his head.

"You move on, Mats," I said as I ushered him up to our apartment.

"I have been conquered. By my own best friend."

Derick cleared his throat.

"One of my best friends?" Mats corrected himself.

He nodded.

We all gathered around the kitchen table and contemplated what kind of food to order in: pizza or Chinese.

Pizza always wins.

---

The next morning, Liv and Derick were sitting at the table talking about something. As I walked into the kitchen, they were quiet. I was suspicious. I got myself a bowl of cereal and found my way to the couch and sat down next to Mats.

"Don't you ever go home?" I said to Mats.

"What? Don't you like my company?"

"No, I do," I took a bite of my cereal. He had NHL Network on and they were talking about all the possible trades.

Once I finished my breakfast and took my bowl back into the kitchen, Liv and Derick stopped talking again. They're up to something.

I took a quick shower and got ready for the day. It was time for a long overdue retail therapy session with my best friend.

Jumping on the subway was probably the quickest way to get to SoHo.

We made our way up the stairs from the sixth avenue subway station steps and walked on over to fifth avenue to do our shopping.

Everyone knows fifth has the best shops in Manhattan.

I knew our mission was to find Liv a dress for this wedding Carl invited her to, but you couldn't stop a girl from stopping into all her favorite stores.

I was constantly talking about Derick.

"You're so in love," Liv rolled her eyes.

"Is it that obvious?"

We were approaching Victoria Secret.

"Yup," she pushed me in through the door. "We're going to buy you a lil somethin' for your man."

I groaned.

"You never know when you're going to need something for a special occasion."

I narrowed my eyes and shot daggers at her as she held up something for me to take.

“Fine, but I might as well get some other things.”

“Thatta girl.”

I rolled my eyes and picked up a few more things.

I mean, Derick and I could use a little excitement in our lives especially after all the arguing we’ve been doing.

We check out and headed down the street so she could find a dress.

We stopped in H&M, Express, and a few other stores before she came across a few she liked in BCBG.

She went into the fitting room to try them on.

The first was a black Veira lace gown.

“Liv, I love that one you but are you going to a wedding or a funeral?”

“Good point, let me put on the other.”

The second dress was a bright coral colored short lace dress.

“Now, that is more like it. That’ll knock him off his feet.”

She smiled and went back in the room to change back before continuing to shop around for shoes and accessories.

“It’s Carl’s card, I’m buying everything.” She laughed.

“Whatever you say, Liv.”

She checked out and decided we have shopped until we dropped.

We made our way back up sixth avenue and back down to the subway.

When we made it back to the apartment, they guys were gone.

Uhh, where’d you guys go?

We’ll be back in a few minutes

That didn’t answer my question

A few minutes passed and they were walking in the door.

Derick stood in the doorway holding a bouquet of flowers. Mats had a case of beer.

“These are for you,” he handed me the flowers.

“They’re lovely. Thank you.” I kissed him.

“I’d say this is for you, but really, it’s for me,” Mats said to Olivia. “But this is for yo-- dude, I forgot it in the car.”

He put his case of beer down on the kitchen table. “Don’t touch this, I’ll be right back.”

He sulked back out the door and returned after a few minutes.

He was holding a bottle of wine. “This is for you.”

“You know the way to my heart!” Liv exclaimed.

He mumbled something.

“What about getting me wine drunk?” Liv heard him.

“What? Nothing.”

“Hey, I’m single. I’m allowed to mingle.” She smirked.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mats so happy.

“Just remember, you’re not Swedish.”

“Dammit. Nothing like the dagger to my heart.”

We all took a seat in the living room around the TV, just drinking and laughing at everything. Liv was leaving tomorrow to head to Toronto for the weekend and then back to Pittsburgh.

If this was six months ago, I would have drank until I couldn’t stand. But now that I was with Derick, I really settled down.

I finished a few beers before I decided that I was going to head to bed. I was exhausted from all the shopping.

I was lying in bed, and I could still hear the guys and Liv talking out in the living room. I couldn’t make out what they were talking about.

“I think I’m going to head into bed too,” I heard Derick say as he slowly made his way to the bedroom.

Liv and Mats were still laughing by time we passed out.

---

I didn’t even feel Derick get out of the bed this morning. Once it finally registered in my brain that he wasn’t in the bed, I just sprawled out. Ahh, all to myself.

After a couple more hours of sleep, I finally got up and made my way to the kitchen.

The apartment was strangely quiet.

There was a note hanging on the fridge.

“Hey baby, I’m sorry to do this to you but I gotta go to Ottawa for a couple days to take care of some business and visit my parents. Do something with Mats? I’ll see you when I get back. I love you.”

Yes, leave me with Mats.

How ironic is it that my boyfriend left on the same day as free agency?