Days of Black and Gold

The small numbers on the alarm glared into my eyes. It would be nice to say they had awakened me, but that would be straight up dishonest.

After finishing my meal, Sidney and I cuddled into each other, and finished watching whatever old timey show had been playing. Turning off the television seemed to be all the man needed in order to fall asleep, yet my mind was making me dizzy with questions and anxieties. It felt as though I hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

With five AM staring back at me, I decided to quietly get out of bed. Evgeni had returned from his night out just a couple hours earlier, and I did not want to be the person to wake the large Russian.

Pushing back the covers, I softly placed my feet on the hard hotel carpet. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye, that would be just cruel after spending the night with such a sweet fellow. Instead, I ventured into the bathroom and closed the door. Staring into the mirror, it was evident that I hadn’t slept. The bags under my eyes were more prominent than usual, and my shoulders slouched forward in a guarded manner.

“You look like shit,” I muttered to myself, before shuffling over to the bathtub and climbing in, fully clothed. I wasn’t planning on bathing, I just needed a place to think without waking either of the men in the other room.

“What am I doing here?” I groaned, leaning my head back against the tile. Thinking back to the night prior, I was sure I had crossed some kind of line. Kissing Sidney was great, and although I used it as an excuse to shut him up, there was a part of me that knew it was something I had been wanting to do. Spending time with him wasn’t a problem either. I had thoroughly enjoyed myself, and was excited about the possibility of visiting Pittsburgh for the first time.

My uncertainty stemmed from a deeper place. Questions about my fiancée’s recent departure were plaguing the back of my mind. Was she coming back? Did I want her to? Would Sidney understand?

As more questions began to surface, a knock came from the door.

“Occupied,” I said, just loud enough that I was sure the person would hear.

“Margot?” A thick Russian accent came through the small gap he had made in the door.

“Yeah.”

“You okay? You disappear half hour ago.” He opened the door wider and entered the room.

I thanked my lucky stars that I had not been doing anything except sitting in the tub. That was going to be hard enough to explain. “I’m fine, Evgeni, thank you.”

“You sure?” He raised a brow at me, clearly judging my choice. “You sitting in bath and not even cleaning self. Did you not have good time with Captain?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” I shook my head, wildly. “I just wanted some time to think.”

“Oh,” he breathed, before closing the door and sitting on the toilet so he was closer to me. “Sid really like you.”

“I know.”

“What problem then?”

“What has he told you about me?”

Evgeni shrugged, and stared off into the corner. “He say you been very nice to him. Very straight, like arrow.”

“What?” I giggled, not fully understanding the expression.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “That just what he say.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s all good. Or at least I think it is.”

“You like him?”

“I do, Evgeni, but it’s not that simple.”

“Why not? You say you have good time.”

“There’s a lot going on in my head,” I sighed, hoping he wouldn’t push too hard for a better response.

“Like?”

“I’m just worried,” I started, closing my eyes to try to avoid his beady stare. “We live in different cities, different states even. Can something that started with distance really be that great? We hardly know each other.”

“Yet you stay night.”

“True, but that’s not how I usually am. This is going to sound stupid and like I’m trying to cover something up, but I’m not slutty. You need to know that, Evgeni. I hardly jump into things, especially if they aren’t worth it. I hope Sid’s worth it because I can’t go through another rough patch this soon after the last.”

“Sid worth it,” Evgeni assured me. “You still young, what rough patch you been through?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but snapped it shut. Was I really going to tell someone, who I know nothing about, the details about my engagement?

“You not legally in trouble, yeah?”

“Nothing legal,” I promised, looking straight into his dark eyes. “You can’t say anything to Sid. I’m not ready for him to know.”

“Promise.”

I drew in a deep breath before proceeding. “I was engaged.” I paused, studying his face. “To a woman.”

“But you like Sid?”

“I do.”

“And you like woman?”

“I do.”

“You no tell Sid.”

“Right,” I nodded. “She left a month ago, so I don’t think we’re together anymore. If we were, I would have never stayed here with Sid. I’m not trying to hurt him, I swear, but most people don’t handle the news well, from my experience.”

“That it? Engagement gone wrong?”

“That’s one of the battles I’m having.”

“What else?”

“I just need to know, am I the only one?”

“What?”

“Am I the only girl Sid brings back to the hotels? Does he have someone back in Pittsburgh? I don’t want to be the other woman. That’s not who I am.”

“Sid have no other women.”

“You’re not covering for him?”

“Trust me. If Sid have other women, I know. He not player like some.”

I chuckled at his statement, seeing the truth behind his words. “Thanks, Evgeni.”

“Call me Geno. And I get Sid. You tell him you scared chicken.”

“Geno, I can’t tell him about Robin.”

“Robin?”

“Ex-fiancée.”

“Tell him truth you willing to share.”

I sighed heavily as he exited the bathroom, leaving me no choice in the matter.

“Geno, I really don’t need a piss.”

“You go bathroom, now.”

“I really don’t have to.”

“Now.”

I shook my head at the demands coming from the Russian, and stayed quiet as the brunette I shared a bed with entered the room.

“What the hell is his problem?” Sidney muttered to himself, not noticing me.

“I think he wants us to talk.”

Sidney jumped at my voice, and cocked his head when he realized where I was. “What are you doing? I thought you snuck out.”

“I didn’t have the balls,” I confessed, sheepishly. “Will you hear me out?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, sitting down on the toilet, just as Evgeni had done. “What’s going on?”

“Last night was great.”

“But?”

“But I couldn’t sleep. I kept asking myself if we were moving too fast. I’m really not one to jump into things.”

“I’m not either, Margot.”

“Geno said that.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“As Geno put it, I’m a scared chicken. I need to ask. I need to hear it from you. Are there other women in other cities? Do you bring them back to the hotels? Do you have someone in Pittsburgh?”

“That’s a lot of questions, Margot, but to answer them all, there are no other women.”

“I know what some of the guys on the Caps are like, and it got me wondering if you were like that, too.”

“I’m not,” he reassured me. “Why would I ask you to Pittsburgh if there was someone there? Why would I offer a room in my house?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “The questions just started forming, and I was having trouble stopping them.”

“Then, it’s my turn to ask. Are there any other men?”

“No.” It was the truth, but I still felt guilty giving him the answer.

“Good,” he grinned. “Now, can I take you downstairs to meet the rest of the team?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to introduce me as?” It was a valid question. We had just spent the night in the same bed, but never discussed titles for each other.

“Would it be okay if I used girlfriend? I think that would make it simple, and there would be fewer questions.”

“I guess that’s okay,” I said, feeling a blush hit my cheeks. “Do they know anything about me?”

“No,” Sidney shook his head. “A few guys know that I’ve been preoccupied when not at the rink. A few know that I’ve been texting and calling someone pretty consistently. Geno is the only one who knows that that person is you.”

“Does he know I work for the enemy?”

“Not yet,” he chuckled. “I should probably share that fact with everyone, too.”

“Might be helpful.”

“Here,” he said, sticking out his hand to help me up. “I have to quickly change into my suit, then we can head down.”

“Will I be okay in this?” I glanced down at the grey leggings and large navy blue tee-shirt, thankful that I had decided to change at the rink.

“There is nothing wrong with what you are wearing, Margot. You look great, always.”

I felt my cheeks heat up, and turned to the mirror as Sidney exited the bathroom. Turning on the cold tap, I splashed my face with water in an attempt to look less exhausted. I pulled the longer strands of hair into a ponytail and ran my fingers under my eyes to abolish any signs of makeup.

With one final look, I left the bathroom to find Evgeni and Sidney waiting for me. They were talking in low, secretive voices, causing suspicion, but I figured it was better to ignore it for now.

“Are you ready?”

I nodded, and gather my coat and purse. “I don’t have to stick around for long, do I?”

“No,” Sidney chuckled. “If you have someplace you need to be, you can leave.”

“I’d like to speak with the Caps to see if I’ll be able to get away next week.”

“The Caps?” Evgeni raised a brow and looked from me to Sidney.

“I work for the Capitals, sort of.”

“Tsk, Sidney,” he feigned a scolded. “You sleep with enemy and not tell me? No good.”

“Come on, Geno, she’s not actually the enemy.”

“Close to enemy.”

“I really only provide sport massages for the team. I have no real affiliation with them. Not even a fan.”

“I approve,” Evgeni winked. “Not everyone nice like me.”

“Noted,” I smirked, following the boys out of the room and down to one of the hotel’s banquet rooms. “There are a lot of people in there.”

“Are you okay with this?” Sidney asked, as we stopped outside the doors.

“Sidney have announcement,” Evgeni’s loud voice sounded from inside.

“I don’t have much of a choice now, do I?” I laughed with a shake of my head.

“You always have a choice.”

“Get in there,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes and giving him a shove. I felt like I was hiding behind him as we entered the room. He wasn’t much taller than me, but definitely more muscular.

“I’ll make this quick,” Sidney started, looking around the room. “I wanted you all to know that I’ve met someone, who unfortunately live here in Washington.”

A few of the guys booed, but most stayed silent, waiting for Sidney to continue.

“Anyway, I want you to meet her.” He moved to the side, revealing me to the large group of men. “This is Margot.”

The chorus of hellos made me feel like I was at some kind of meeting, like you see in movies.

“She work with Capitals,” Evgeni piped up, earning a groan from the team.

“Don’t worry, she’s not a Capitals fan,” Sidney assured them. “Mind you, she’s not a fan of ours either.”

“Don’t tell me she’s a Philly chick.”

“I take offense to that,” I scoffed, placing my hands on my hips. “What do you take me for? A fool?”

“Sassy!”

I laughed at the outburst and shook my head, again. “I’d love to stick around, but I have something pressing that needs to be taken care of.” Turning to Sidney, I grinned. “I’ll call you later?”

“Please,” he nodded. “Let me know what they say.”

“I will,” I promised, reaching up and kissing his cheek before leaving. As I continued down the corridor, I could still hear the remarks and wolf whistles from when I left. “This is going to be one hell of an adventure.”