Days of Black and Gold
Despite My Good Intentions
Loud hammering broke my sleep. I nudged Sidney, already knowing the man wouldn’t wake. As the banging continued, I let out a sigh and got up. I glanced at the clock and rolled my eyes as I pulled one of Sidney’s Penguins tee-shirts over my head and a pair of exercise shorts over my legs.
“I’m coming,” I mumbled. I pulled open the door and crossed my arms over my stomach. “Can I help you?”
“Sorry, ma’am, we must have the wrong room.”
“If you’re looking for Geno,” I yawned, rubbing my eyes. “He left awhile ago. I know he has an uncanny way of knowing when we are going to bed, but he didn’t stick around tonight, or this morning.”
“Margot?”
I glanced over to the new man, and threw on a tired smile. “Mario, how are you?”
“I’ve had better mornings.”
“You and I both,” I grumbled. “What’s going on?”
“Is Sid in?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “It’s four in the morning, though, and we got in around one.”
“This is important, Margot.”
“Well, you can come in, but I can’t promise I’ll wake him. He sleeps like a log.” Turning, I made my way back to the bed, and quickly covered what was showing of Sidney’s naked lower half. “Sid, you need to wake up.”
He mumbled something inaudible, and rolled over onto his side.
“Sid, wake up,” I growled, giving him a bit of a shove. “Mario is here, along with your coach and your GM.”
“What?” he croaked, opening an eye and shifting to look at me. “What are you on about?”
“Sidney,” Mario said, causing the captain to sit up.
“What’s going on?” Sidney rubbed his eyes, trying to comprehend if he was seeing straight.
“Sid, there are some stories coming out in the papers today.”
“So? What time is it? Couldn’t this have waited?”
“No,” Mario stated, handing us a piece of paper. “They are planning on running these.”
I peered at the black and white image, knowing exactly what it was. “There is no proof that this is Sid. You can’t even see his face.”
“Here’s another one.”
“You still can’t see our faces,” I said, showing Sidney the picture of us in the elevator. “This is shitty security footage.”
“I don’t know that it’s that shitty,” the general manager scowled. “They want to release video, too.”
“Take a look,” Mario offered, handing his phone to me.
“Shit,” I breathed, watching as the video started with Sidney and me entering the elevator, and starting our make out session, then cut to Sidney punching Alex in the face. I paused the video and looked up at the men. “This doesn’t look so good.”
“Keep watching.”
Our eyes returned to the small screen, and we witnessed Sidney’s second connection with the Russian’s features.
“It looks like you hit him, unprovoked, Sid.”
“I had a reason,” the brunette mumbled. “What do we do next?”
“This is all my fault,” I gasped, suddenly losing the ability to breath properly. Tears began streaming down my cheeks as I tried to control my hyperventilation.
“Margot,” Sidney whispered, rubbing my back. “Just breath.”
My breathing increased, as I thought more about the situation I had put Sidney and his team into.
“Go, Margot. Front pocket of my bag.”
I stared at Sidney, blinking back tears.
“Go.”
Nodding, I got up and hurried to his bag. I pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “I can’t,” I whispered, trying not to get even more worked up.
“Go,” he said, again.
Without another word, I rushed out of the room and down to the outdoors. I dropped to the sidewalk and lit the cigarette. It had been a few months since I had even placed my lips on a smoke.
“Are you alright?” Mario asked, appearing out of nowhere as I drew in the nicotine.
“This is all my fault,” I repeated, placing the butt to my lips again.
“Shit happens,” the older man shrugged, crouching down next to me. “Now, tell me what’s going on?”
“Sid’s been so good to me. I keep so many secrets, and he finds out, and he’s just so good.”
“He really loves you.”
“I love him, too, but there is no way he should still be with me. I worked for the Caps, he didn’t care. He found out about my tattoos, turns out he loves them. He caught me smoking, then packs cigarettes for me.”
“I don’t understand how punching Alex has anything to do with you.”
“Alex and I were good friends, for the past two seasons. I ruined my last relationship because Alex drew me in, and I screwed up. This time,” I paused taking in the smoke. “I didn’t want him. I didn’t want him.”
“If Alex assaulted you, why haven’t you reported it?”
“He knows too much,” I started. “All my secrets, all the things that would destroy my relationship with Sid. I know I should have said something by now, but it’s hard. And after four months, it’s not just something you spit out. It’s never just something you spit out. Everyone I talk to, everyone who knows, hints that it will kill him. I can’t ruin this. Not yet.”
Tears fell harder down my face as I rambled on. The words kept spilling out in a nonsensical order, that Mario was having a hard time following.
Instead of responding, the man pulled me into his chest and held onto me as I sobbed. He stroked my hair, trying to calm me down.
“Sh,” he hushed. “Sid will understand. Whatever it is, he will be happy that you told him. He respects honesty, no matter how long it takes.”
“I’m coming,” I mumbled. I pulled open the door and crossed my arms over my stomach. “Can I help you?”
“Sorry, ma’am, we must have the wrong room.”
“If you’re looking for Geno,” I yawned, rubbing my eyes. “He left awhile ago. I know he has an uncanny way of knowing when we are going to bed, but he didn’t stick around tonight, or this morning.”
“Margot?”
I glanced over to the new man, and threw on a tired smile. “Mario, how are you?”
“I’ve had better mornings.”
“You and I both,” I grumbled. “What’s going on?”
“Is Sid in?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “It’s four in the morning, though, and we got in around one.”
“This is important, Margot.”
“Well, you can come in, but I can’t promise I’ll wake him. He sleeps like a log.” Turning, I made my way back to the bed, and quickly covered what was showing of Sidney’s naked lower half. “Sid, you need to wake up.”
He mumbled something inaudible, and rolled over onto his side.
“Sid, wake up,” I growled, giving him a bit of a shove. “Mario is here, along with your coach and your GM.”
“What?” he croaked, opening an eye and shifting to look at me. “What are you on about?”
“Sidney,” Mario said, causing the captain to sit up.
“What’s going on?” Sidney rubbed his eyes, trying to comprehend if he was seeing straight.
“Sid, there are some stories coming out in the papers today.”
“So? What time is it? Couldn’t this have waited?”
“No,” Mario stated, handing us a piece of paper. “They are planning on running these.”
I peered at the black and white image, knowing exactly what it was. “There is no proof that this is Sid. You can’t even see his face.”
“Here’s another one.”
“You still can’t see our faces,” I said, showing Sidney the picture of us in the elevator. “This is shitty security footage.”
“I don’t know that it’s that shitty,” the general manager scowled. “They want to release video, too.”
“Take a look,” Mario offered, handing his phone to me.
“Shit,” I breathed, watching as the video started with Sidney and me entering the elevator, and starting our make out session, then cut to Sidney punching Alex in the face. I paused the video and looked up at the men. “This doesn’t look so good.”
“Keep watching.”
Our eyes returned to the small screen, and we witnessed Sidney’s second connection with the Russian’s features.
“It looks like you hit him, unprovoked, Sid.”
“I had a reason,” the brunette mumbled. “What do we do next?”
“This is all my fault,” I gasped, suddenly losing the ability to breath properly. Tears began streaming down my cheeks as I tried to control my hyperventilation.
“Margot,” Sidney whispered, rubbing my back. “Just breath.”
My breathing increased, as I thought more about the situation I had put Sidney and his team into.
“Go, Margot. Front pocket of my bag.”
I stared at Sidney, blinking back tears.
“Go.”
Nodding, I got up and hurried to his bag. I pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “I can’t,” I whispered, trying not to get even more worked up.
“Go,” he said, again.
Without another word, I rushed out of the room and down to the outdoors. I dropped to the sidewalk and lit the cigarette. It had been a few months since I had even placed my lips on a smoke.
“Are you alright?” Mario asked, appearing out of nowhere as I drew in the nicotine.
“This is all my fault,” I repeated, placing the butt to my lips again.
“Shit happens,” the older man shrugged, crouching down next to me. “Now, tell me what’s going on?”
“Sid’s been so good to me. I keep so many secrets, and he finds out, and he’s just so good.”
“He really loves you.”
“I love him, too, but there is no way he should still be with me. I worked for the Caps, he didn’t care. He found out about my tattoos, turns out he loves them. He caught me smoking, then packs cigarettes for me.”
“I don’t understand how punching Alex has anything to do with you.”
“Alex and I were good friends, for the past two seasons. I ruined my last relationship because Alex drew me in, and I screwed up. This time,” I paused taking in the smoke. “I didn’t want him. I didn’t want him.”
“If Alex assaulted you, why haven’t you reported it?”
“He knows too much,” I started. “All my secrets, all the things that would destroy my relationship with Sid. I know I should have said something by now, but it’s hard. And after four months, it’s not just something you spit out. It’s never just something you spit out. Everyone I talk to, everyone who knows, hints that it will kill him. I can’t ruin this. Not yet.”
Tears fell harder down my face as I rambled on. The words kept spilling out in a nonsensical order, that Mario was having a hard time following.
Instead of responding, the man pulled me into his chest and held onto me as I sobbed. He stroked my hair, trying to calm me down.
“Sh,” he hushed. “Sid will understand. Whatever it is, he will be happy that you told him. He respects honesty, no matter how long it takes.”