Days of Black and Gold
You've Got Me out on the Edge
“Mother, I am moving next week.” I shot Alex an apologetic look as I tried to pack items one handedly.
“Sweetheart, is this really a good idea? You don’t know anyone in Pittsburgh. What if he hurts you?”
“He’s not going to hurt me,” I groaned. “If anything, I’ll end up hurting him.”
“Your father is going to have something to say about this.”
“Pappy is very excited for me,” I blurted, immediately wishing I hadn’t.
“You told Greg before you told me?”
“I was on the phone with him last week, and figured it was a good time to tell him. Charles is also very happy for me, although, I’m not so sure he knew who I was talking about.”
“Call me once you’ve moved in, at least?”
“I will,” I promised. “There won’t be much time to settle down. Apparently, I am going to the NHL awards with him in Vegas, then we are flying straight out to Halifax.”
“Do you have a job, yet?”
“I’ll worry about that after the summer starts.”
“Margot Elisabeth,” she said, in her most motherly tone.
“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’ve budgeted very carefully these past months.”
“If you need anything, you’ll call?”
“Of course, Mom,” I sighed. “But I really have to go. I’m on a bit of a deadline when it comes to packing.”
“Goodbye, Margot. Stay safe.”
Hanging up, I turned to the Russian in my living room. “Sorry about that. Mom likes to rant.”
“Your mom is nice.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been talking to her. So weird.”
“I can’t believe you have not told Crosby about Robin.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to do it in February.”
“What about when he was here for playoffs?”
“I know you wanted him to lose, but that wouldn’t be very sportsmanlike, would it, Alex?”
“I don’t care about Crosby.”
“What do you care about?” I challenged, raising a brow in his direction as I placed knick-knacks into a box.
“My wife. Hockey. You.”
“Your wife should not be in the same list as hockey, Alex. For that matter, I shouldn’t be in the same list as your wife.”
“But you are,” Alex said, walking over to me. He stared down into my eyes and brushed a stray hair behind my ear.
“Alexander,” I warned, already knowing what he was thinking. I stepped away from him and went to my kitchen. “You said it was a mistake. You can’t keep doing it if it was a mistake.”
“I lied,” he growled, following me. “I think about you all the time, Maggie.”
“Stop, Alex.” I drew in a breath and pulled open the fridge door. “You’re one of my best friends, but I can’t keep it up if you’re going to go saying things like that.” I pulled a bottle of water out and turned to face him. “I know you love your wife. She’s all you talk about in the locker room. So, please stop whatever it is you are trying to get from me. I’m committed to the relationship I’m in.”
“Crosby?” He scoffed, maneuvering around the island to corner me. “You cannot even tell him you were engaged to Robin.”
“You can’t even tell your wife that you-”
“That is different.”
“It’s not,” I argued, trying to push past him. “Your wife deserves to know, just like Sid deserves to know about my past. Don’t make me be the one to be the bearer of bad news.”
“You won’t,” he laughed, leaning in and taking my cheek in his hand. “You have much respect for me.”
“As a player? Yes. As a friend? Definitely. As a cheat? Not a chance.”
“Cheat?” He asked, taking a step closer, pinning me to the counter. “What does that make you?”
“I-” My words were cut off abruptly by Alex’s lips hitting mine. Giving him the hardest shove I could, I spat in my sink. “Shit, Alex.”
“You didn’t complain last time.”
“Last time, I wasn’t as set in my relationship.”
“You were engaged,” he reminded me, moving closer and pinning me to the counter once more.
“And you are married,” I stated. “Last time was the start of the end of my last relationship. I’m not letting you ruin another one.”
“That’s not very nice, Maggie,” he whispered into my ear.
“You’re being a bit of a dick yourself, Alex.”
“Maggie, you cheat, just like me,” he muttered, stroking my hair away from my face. “You too pretty not to cheat.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I hissed, trying to move my face from his palm.
“Why do you think you not allowed in locker room between periods?” He muttered before kissing my neck.
“Bullshit.”
He pulled away slightly and cocked his head. “You don’t believe me? I asked to not have you in locker room between periods.”
“I was asked not to be there when I was signing the paperwork.”
“I saw you before, found out who you were.”
“And what? You got your first chance alone with me last season?”
“The balcony,” he smirked, thoughtfully. “That was good time. You moan so loud, I though we would get caught.”
“It’s never going to happen again,” I assured him.
“You seem so sure,” he mumbled, holding either side of my face. Lowering his lips, he caught mine again.
I could feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes from the unwanted contact. Panicking, I raised a knee between his legs.
As he crumpled in pain, I rushed through my apartment and gathered my purse, phone and keys. I grabbed a couple of small boxes that I had set by the door, and hurried down to my old Rav4. The tears spilled faster as I placed the boxes in the back, hopped in the front and pulled out of my spot. My mind went blank as I drove away from the apartment I wasn’t quite ready to leave behind.
“Sweetheart, is this really a good idea? You don’t know anyone in Pittsburgh. What if he hurts you?”
“He’s not going to hurt me,” I groaned. “If anything, I’ll end up hurting him.”
“Your father is going to have something to say about this.”
“Pappy is very excited for me,” I blurted, immediately wishing I hadn’t.
“You told Greg before you told me?”
“I was on the phone with him last week, and figured it was a good time to tell him. Charles is also very happy for me, although, I’m not so sure he knew who I was talking about.”
“Call me once you’ve moved in, at least?”
“I will,” I promised. “There won’t be much time to settle down. Apparently, I am going to the NHL awards with him in Vegas, then we are flying straight out to Halifax.”
“Do you have a job, yet?”
“I’ll worry about that after the summer starts.”
“Margot Elisabeth,” she said, in her most motherly tone.
“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’ve budgeted very carefully these past months.”
“If you need anything, you’ll call?”
“Of course, Mom,” I sighed. “But I really have to go. I’m on a bit of a deadline when it comes to packing.”
“Goodbye, Margot. Stay safe.”
Hanging up, I turned to the Russian in my living room. “Sorry about that. Mom likes to rant.”
“Your mom is nice.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been talking to her. So weird.”
“I can’t believe you have not told Crosby about Robin.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to do it in February.”
“What about when he was here for playoffs?”
“I know you wanted him to lose, but that wouldn’t be very sportsmanlike, would it, Alex?”
“I don’t care about Crosby.”
“What do you care about?” I challenged, raising a brow in his direction as I placed knick-knacks into a box.
“My wife. Hockey. You.”
“Your wife should not be in the same list as hockey, Alex. For that matter, I shouldn’t be in the same list as your wife.”
“But you are,” Alex said, walking over to me. He stared down into my eyes and brushed a stray hair behind my ear.
“Alexander,” I warned, already knowing what he was thinking. I stepped away from him and went to my kitchen. “You said it was a mistake. You can’t keep doing it if it was a mistake.”
“I lied,” he growled, following me. “I think about you all the time, Maggie.”
“Stop, Alex.” I drew in a breath and pulled open the fridge door. “You’re one of my best friends, but I can’t keep it up if you’re going to go saying things like that.” I pulled a bottle of water out and turned to face him. “I know you love your wife. She’s all you talk about in the locker room. So, please stop whatever it is you are trying to get from me. I’m committed to the relationship I’m in.”
“Crosby?” He scoffed, maneuvering around the island to corner me. “You cannot even tell him you were engaged to Robin.”
“You can’t even tell your wife that you-”
“That is different.”
“It’s not,” I argued, trying to push past him. “Your wife deserves to know, just like Sid deserves to know about my past. Don’t make me be the one to be the bearer of bad news.”
“You won’t,” he laughed, leaning in and taking my cheek in his hand. “You have much respect for me.”
“As a player? Yes. As a friend? Definitely. As a cheat? Not a chance.”
“Cheat?” He asked, taking a step closer, pinning me to the counter. “What does that make you?”
“I-” My words were cut off abruptly by Alex’s lips hitting mine. Giving him the hardest shove I could, I spat in my sink. “Shit, Alex.”
“You didn’t complain last time.”
“Last time, I wasn’t as set in my relationship.”
“You were engaged,” he reminded me, moving closer and pinning me to the counter once more.
“And you are married,” I stated. “Last time was the start of the end of my last relationship. I’m not letting you ruin another one.”
“That’s not very nice, Maggie,” he whispered into my ear.
“You’re being a bit of a dick yourself, Alex.”
“Maggie, you cheat, just like me,” he muttered, stroking my hair away from my face. “You too pretty not to cheat.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I hissed, trying to move my face from his palm.
“Why do you think you not allowed in locker room between periods?” He muttered before kissing my neck.
“Bullshit.”
He pulled away slightly and cocked his head. “You don’t believe me? I asked to not have you in locker room between periods.”
“I was asked not to be there when I was signing the paperwork.”
“I saw you before, found out who you were.”
“And what? You got your first chance alone with me last season?”
“The balcony,” he smirked, thoughtfully. “That was good time. You moan so loud, I though we would get caught.”
“It’s never going to happen again,” I assured him.
“You seem so sure,” he mumbled, holding either side of my face. Lowering his lips, he caught mine again.
I could feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes from the unwanted contact. Panicking, I raised a knee between his legs.
As he crumpled in pain, I rushed through my apartment and gathered my purse, phone and keys. I grabbed a couple of small boxes that I had set by the door, and hurried down to my old Rav4. The tears spilled faster as I placed the boxes in the back, hopped in the front and pulled out of my spot. My mind went blank as I drove away from the apartment I wasn’t quite ready to leave behind.