Days of Black and Gold

"Sid!" I shouted, jogging in his direction. As I got closer, I could tell that he was just finishing autographs for a few strangling fans.

"Margot, how are you?" He grinned, pulling me in for a hug.

"Your girlfriend, Sid?" One of the fans asked.

"Just a friend," he told her. He waited for her to walk away before turning back to me. "Did you see any of the game?"

"Don't worry," I chuckled, ushering him off in the direction of my car. "I saw your goal. It was beautiful."

"Thank you," he said, matching my footsteps. "Where are you taking me?"

"Is it okay if we just go to my place?" I asked, hoping he would agree. "I'm not really one for going out. And definitely not one to show up with a rival player."

"Would you be okay with hanging out at the hotel instead?"

"People will see us," I blurted, stopping in my tracks.

"They won't," he promised. "Do you think they won't if we go to your place? Where do you live? An invisible building?"

"I guess you're right," I mumbled, starting to walk again. "You're okay with your teammates seeing us together?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be? We are just friends, right? No one is going to draw any other conclusion if that's what we tell them."

Nodding, I popped open the back door of my silver Rav4 and dropped my lotion bag onto the seat. Getting into the vehicle, I buckled and watched out of the corner of my eye as Sidney inspected the space.

"This is nice."

"Don't lie," I chuckled, pulling out of the parking spot and driving out into the late night traffic. "It's a piece of crap, but it gets me from A to B, so I don't complain."

"How long have you had it?"

"Since I was eighteen, so about seven years. What do you want to do tonight, by the way?"

"How does a movie sound?"

"Like something I don't do often enough."

"You must do things outside of work."

"I used to try to have a social life, but working with the Caps have taken over that."

"That must be awful."

I shrugged, and did a quick shoulder check. "I don't mind. I take it easy when I don't work, but its usually watch the news and have a beer."

"Man, how did you get to have such an exciting life?" He joked.

"Shut up," I giggled, turning into the parking lot of the hotel his team was staying at. "Do you mind if I grab a quick bite? I didn't get a chance to eat today."

"At all?" He gasped, sliding out of the vehicle. "How have you made it through the day?"

"I had a big breakfast," I justified, following him into the lobby. "And I would have had a late lunch, but my coworker called me and asked me to cover the early arrivers."

"How is that fair?"

"He covered for me last month when something personal came up at the last minute. Either way, I don't have someone else living with me at the moment, so I couldn't even get them to fix me a sandwich."

"Does that mean you used to have someone living with you?"

"Yeah, they moved out last month too. A lot went down last month."

"Well, let's grab your something from room service once we get up there. I doubt that the restaurant is still open."

A comfortable silence fell over us as we took the elevator to the Penguin's designated floor, yet my mind was racing. Over the past couple of months, I felt that we had really started to click, but that was all over phone calls and text messages. This was the first time we would spend a significant amount of time face to face. To me, that was a scary thought.

"Here we are," Sidney spoke, coaxing me from my worries. He held the door as I entered the room.

"Do you not have a roommate?" I asked, dropping my purse in the closet and swiftly hanging my jacket.

"I do, but Geno is out for the night. He'll likely be back late. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, taking in the average hotel room. "I was just curious. I know a lot of the guys from the league room with someone while on the road."

"Any requests for food?"

"Edibility," I joked, dropping onto the end of the bed closest to the door. "I'm really not too picky when it comes to eating."

As he placed an order, glanced around again. I was on the bed closest to the washroom, and judging by where Sidney had dropped his tie and suit jacket, I had chosen the wrong bed to occupy.

"You don't have to be so rigid," Sidney chuckled, as he hung up the phone. "I promise I don't bite."

*Cheeky* I thought, moving from Geno's bed to Sidney's. Unsure on how comfortable to get, I sat on the edge, facing away from Sidney.

"Seriously, Margot, lean back. Take it easy."

"Sorry," I muttered, throwing my feet onto the bed and leaned against the headboard. "I'm not used to hanging out in hotel rooms with star players." I paused and noticed the expression the fell onto Sidney's features. "That's not to say I'm used to hanging out with star players, at all. I really don't hang out with anyone from the team. That shit gets messy, even when it is just an innocent hang out."

"I wasn't even going to suggest it."

"But you thought it. I've seen the looks before. People judge heavily when you are a female working for high-end athletes, such as yourself."

"I guess you're right," he mubled, turning on the television and flipping through the channels. It didn't take long for him to find an old western movie, which he decided was the best option for the night. "I just want to say, the past couple of months have been really great. It's so nice to have someone I can talk to about whatever. No pressure to say the right thing or represent a certain image. I've really enjoyed getting to know you, too."

"Aw, Sid, you're so sweet," I gushed, nudging his arm. "I've really enjoyed getting to know you, too. You're a very easy person to talk to."

"Thanks," he muttered, trying to cover up the pink that had risen to his cheeks. "I know we live in different cities, but I really think you’re great.”

“Hey, Sid,” a strongly accented voice interrupted. “Oh, hi, Sid friend. I not know you here.”

“It’s fine, Geno,” Sidney assured him, trying to hide his embarrassment. “This is Margot. Margot, this is Evgeni Malkin.”

“Nice to meet you,” I grinned.

“You, too,” Evgeni nodded. “Sid, you two not coming out?”

“No, we’re going to stay in tonight.”

“You sure? Team very excited after win.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of tired, and I want to spend some time with Margot before we take off again.”

“Okay,” Evgeni said with a wink, and turned to leave the room.

“Sorry, I thought they had already left for the bar.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sid.”

“Can I get back to what I was saying?”

I nodded, not one hundred percent confident that I wanted to hear the words I was sure were coming.

"I'm not good at this stuff," he admitted, sheepishly. "But I think you deserve to know that I've developed some feelings for you, and I would like to pursue them."

I willed myself to speak, since some kind of response is better than none, but no words came out. My mind had gone blank.

"I'm so sorry, Margot. Obviously, you don't feel the same. I should have kept my mouth shut, but with you, I'm comfortable enough to speak my mind..."

As he continued to blabber about his feelings, I stared, watching his movements. Everything he did was precise. Whether it was on the ice or off, he had it all square. Every word was thought out carefully, almost as if it had been scripted. Every eye contact we made gave away nothing. He knew how to hide his true emotions, he had gotten extremely good at it over the years, but this time was different. The hurt he felt after my inability to respond was evident in his deep hazel eyes.

Without a second thought, I reached out and grabbed the sides of his face. In the split second it took for me to lean toward him and connect my lips with his, I saw confusion. There was no realisation, just confusion.

My stomach flopped the moment our lips touched, and again once I released my grip from his cheeks. I blinked a few times as Sidney touched his fingers to his lips.

"I needed to shut you up," I whispered, looking down at my lap. "I'm glad you told me, Sid. Honesty is always welcome. You're blabbering on made it very hard to form coherent thoughts."

"So, the kiss meant nothing?"

"I'm not saying that, but you were right, we don't live in the same city. Even though I like you, a lot, the distance poses a problem."

"Come with me to Pittsburgh."

"My job is here."

"Come to Pittsburgh next week when the Caps are in town."

"I don't get to go on road trips with the team."

"You are making excuses."

I sighed, and nodded. "You're right. I'll see what I can do, but I don't think I'll be travelling with the team."

"Can I kiss you again?"

"What?" The sudden subject change caught me off guard.

"The first one was okay, but I think we could do better."

A smile spread across my face, and I nodded instead of speaking.

Slowly, he raised his hand and caressed my cheek. Again, every movement he made was thought out and meaningful.

"Are you as nervous as I am?" He breathed, looking deep into my eyes.

"Shut up, and kiss me you fool."

As his lips touched mine, a knock came from the door.

"Shit," he groaned, moving away and getting up from the bed. "Who the hell is that?"

"Oh my God, I forgot about room service!" I dropped my head back against the head board. "You can grab some cash out of my purse."

"Don't worry about it," Sidney said, carrying a tray over to the bed. "Here is your food. I hope you are alright with a burger and fries. The cook told me there wasn't much more that they make at this time of night."

"Amazing," I responded, licking my lips. "I forgot how hungry I was. Thanks for paying."

"I dont mind." He sat back down on the bed, and stared at the television, as if he had gained a sudden interest in the cowboy and his horse. "I was thinking, if you can make it to the 'Burgh, maybe I could take you out on a date?"

"I'd like that," I agreed, before biting into the burger I was given. "I'd like to visit. I haven't taken a vacation in awhile, so I'm probably due for one soon."

"You're welcome to stay at my place," he offered, stealing a fry from my plate. "I have a spare room, if that makes you more comfortable."

"I couldn't intrude like that."

"You wouldn't be intruding."

"Do you have many games next week?"

"An away game in Philly, but that's before the Caps come to town. Then there is one other home game. I can get you tickets for them."

"I'll get back to you on that. I'm not quite sure which dates I'll be able to take off, if I can even get away.”

“I hope you find time,” Sidney grinned. “I’d love to show you around the place I call home.”