Days of Black and Gold
Red Bull's Keeping My Lead Foot Heavy
“That was fast if it is the pi-” Kris’ voice trailed off as he stared at me. “Margot?”
“Is Sid home?” I whispered, trying to control my breathing. I had run out of tears two hours prior, but was finding it hard to breath. Thoughts of Alex’s advances were causing anxiety, and I had promised Sidney I’d cut out the cigarettes.
“He just left with Marc,” Kris explained. “They were heading out for beer.”
“Right, okay,” I nodded, looking around.
“Do you want to come in?”
“That’s okay,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I don’t want to interrupt.” I paused, closing my eyes and taking in the fresh air. “Boy’s night.”
“Did you drive here?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Come in. You don’t have to hang out with us, but you do have to come in. Sid would kill us if we turned you away.”
“Who else?”
“Geno’s here.”
I nodded again, still not making a move.
Kris took my hand and pulled me into the house. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and steered me in the direction of the bedrooms.
I heard him instruct Evgeni on what to tell Sidney upon his return, but the words never registered.
“What’s going on, Margot?” Kris asked, sitting me down on the bed.
“I fucked up, bad.”
“Tell me what happened.” He handed me a bottle of water.
“I was packing,” I started, taking a few sips of water. “Ovechkin was with me. He made some advances, kissed me, that sort of thing. I got out before he got carried away, but I should have known better.”
“That asshole,” Kris growled. “How could you have known?”
“He was helping pack, like any good friend would. So, I offered him a beer. I know what he’s like when he starts drinking. It’s the same thing that happened last time. Why did I give him the beer?”
“Hold on. Last time?”
“Last season,” I said, not looking him in the eye. “The only team event I’ve been to was at Christmas time. They rented out some fancy hotel or something. Somehow, I ended up on the balcony with Alex. No one else was around, and we had both had a few drinks. After talking for awhile, he pushed me up against the wall, said no one could see us from there. Both of our ladies were inside.” Suddenly, my head shot up and my eyes widened.
“Don’t worry,” Kris smiled. “Cath told me about your ex.”
“You can’t say anything to Sid.”
“I won’t,” he promised.
“Anyway, things got heated, fast, and the kissing turned into him reaching up my dress. That’s where I stopped it. I didn’t want to go further, not with him. I also knew that if we did, someone would catch us. It may not have been one of our ladies, but it would have been someone.”
“This time, was it provoked?”
“No!” I shouted, then quickly lowered my voice. “I was packing, we were talking. He wants me to tell Sid about Robin, and I want to too, but it’s not that simple. When I told him to tell his wife about last Christmas or I would, he laughed and said I wouldn’t. How do you fight that?
“When I tried to fight back, he cornered me, and kissed me. I got him off for a brief moment, and we argued, but he pinned me again and kissed me. I freaked out, kneed him in the balls and ran out. I left almost all of my belongings.”
“And you drove here?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, dropping my head into my hands. “I needed to see Sidney. I needed to be here. I need him to know what happened. I love Sidney. I ha-”
“You love me?”
My head shot up, and my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the sight of the hazel eyed man. I nodded, slowly. “I really do.”
“Thank God,” he breathed. “I was worried I would be the only one to say it.”
I smiled up at him as he approached the bed.
“What are you doing here?” Sidney asked, as Kris snuck out of the room. “I saw your Rav and knew something had to be wrong for you to drive four hours.”
“You were right about Ovechkin.”
“What do you mean?”
“He took advantage of being alone with me, cornered me, and kissed me, twice.”
“Margot,” Sidney seethed, unable to continue with his sentence.
“Nothing happened past that,” I swore, hoping he would believe me. “I got out of there as fast as possible.”
“Did you get everything packed?”
“Not quite, but I can’t go back, Sid. What if he tries something again? I’m tough, but I am at a clear disadvantage against Alex.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I’m not letting you go alone, and you need your belongings.”
“Just don’t tell Geno what he did.”
“Margot,” Sidney warned again.
“We don’t need Geno murdering him. That wouldn’t look good for Russia or the Penguins.”
“Alright,” he agreed, rubbing my back. “Do you want to come out and have some pizza and beer?”
“I don’t want to intrude on your boy’s night.”
“It’s not a boy’s night,” he laughed. “We were going to watch a couple of movies.”
“I’m going to pass,” I yawned, suddenly feeling the strain of the long drive. “Is it okay if I sleep in your bed tonight?”
A smiled spread across his plump lips as he nodded. “Whatever you want.” He stood from the bed, and made his way to the door.
“Sidney?”
He turned back. “I love you, Margot.”
A genuine smile graced my face. “I love you, Sidney.”
“Is Sid home?” I whispered, trying to control my breathing. I had run out of tears two hours prior, but was finding it hard to breath. Thoughts of Alex’s advances were causing anxiety, and I had promised Sidney I’d cut out the cigarettes.
“He just left with Marc,” Kris explained. “They were heading out for beer.”
“Right, okay,” I nodded, looking around.
“Do you want to come in?”
“That’s okay,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I don’t want to interrupt.” I paused, closing my eyes and taking in the fresh air. “Boy’s night.”
“Did you drive here?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Come in. You don’t have to hang out with us, but you do have to come in. Sid would kill us if we turned you away.”
“Who else?”
“Geno’s here.”
I nodded again, still not making a move.
Kris took my hand and pulled me into the house. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and steered me in the direction of the bedrooms.
I heard him instruct Evgeni on what to tell Sidney upon his return, but the words never registered.
“What’s going on, Margot?” Kris asked, sitting me down on the bed.
“I fucked up, bad.”
“Tell me what happened.” He handed me a bottle of water.
“I was packing,” I started, taking a few sips of water. “Ovechkin was with me. He made some advances, kissed me, that sort of thing. I got out before he got carried away, but I should have known better.”
“That asshole,” Kris growled. “How could you have known?”
“He was helping pack, like any good friend would. So, I offered him a beer. I know what he’s like when he starts drinking. It’s the same thing that happened last time. Why did I give him the beer?”
“Hold on. Last time?”
“Last season,” I said, not looking him in the eye. “The only team event I’ve been to was at Christmas time. They rented out some fancy hotel or something. Somehow, I ended up on the balcony with Alex. No one else was around, and we had both had a few drinks. After talking for awhile, he pushed me up against the wall, said no one could see us from there. Both of our ladies were inside.” Suddenly, my head shot up and my eyes widened.
“Don’t worry,” Kris smiled. “Cath told me about your ex.”
“You can’t say anything to Sid.”
“I won’t,” he promised.
“Anyway, things got heated, fast, and the kissing turned into him reaching up my dress. That’s where I stopped it. I didn’t want to go further, not with him. I also knew that if we did, someone would catch us. It may not have been one of our ladies, but it would have been someone.”
“This time, was it provoked?”
“No!” I shouted, then quickly lowered my voice. “I was packing, we were talking. He wants me to tell Sid about Robin, and I want to too, but it’s not that simple. When I told him to tell his wife about last Christmas or I would, he laughed and said I wouldn’t. How do you fight that?
“When I tried to fight back, he cornered me, and kissed me. I got him off for a brief moment, and we argued, but he pinned me again and kissed me. I freaked out, kneed him in the balls and ran out. I left almost all of my belongings.”
“And you drove here?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, dropping my head into my hands. “I needed to see Sidney. I needed to be here. I need him to know what happened. I love Sidney. I ha-”
“You love me?”
My head shot up, and my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the sight of the hazel eyed man. I nodded, slowly. “I really do.”
“Thank God,” he breathed. “I was worried I would be the only one to say it.”
I smiled up at him as he approached the bed.
“What are you doing here?” Sidney asked, as Kris snuck out of the room. “I saw your Rav and knew something had to be wrong for you to drive four hours.”
“You were right about Ovechkin.”
“What do you mean?”
“He took advantage of being alone with me, cornered me, and kissed me, twice.”
“Margot,” Sidney seethed, unable to continue with his sentence.
“Nothing happened past that,” I swore, hoping he would believe me. “I got out of there as fast as possible.”
“Did you get everything packed?”
“Not quite, but I can’t go back, Sid. What if he tries something again? I’m tough, but I am at a clear disadvantage against Alex.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I’m not letting you go alone, and you need your belongings.”
“Just don’t tell Geno what he did.”
“Margot,” Sidney warned again.
“We don’t need Geno murdering him. That wouldn’t look good for Russia or the Penguins.”
“Alright,” he agreed, rubbing my back. “Do you want to come out and have some pizza and beer?”
“I don’t want to intrude on your boy’s night.”
“It’s not a boy’s night,” he laughed. “We were going to watch a couple of movies.”
“I’m going to pass,” I yawned, suddenly feeling the strain of the long drive. “Is it okay if I sleep in your bed tonight?”
A smiled spread across his plump lips as he nodded. “Whatever you want.” He stood from the bed, and made his way to the door.
“Sidney?”
He turned back. “I love you, Margot.”
A genuine smile graced my face. “I love you, Sidney.”