Golden
Chapter 3
January 2017- Denver, Colorado
As I heated up one of the premade meals my chef made, I realized that I had absolutely no clue what I should wear that night. I was not into fashion at all. Growing up in the foster system, I never had a ton of clothes, and the majority of the clothes I did have were hand-me-downs. I was a total tomboy, so I never minded wearing the same hoodie and rotating between a few pairs of badly fitting boy’s jeans along with a few t-shirts and a pair of worn out Nikes. Once I was taken in by my coach at 16, his wife picked out a whole new wardrobe for me and I grew out of my tomboy phase. I still rocked athletic wear frequently, especially during my recovery, but I also had plenty of “normal” clothes. Many of which Lindsey had insisted I get on some of our shopping trips.
I knew she was exactly the person to ask for help. I finished my dinner and grabbed my phone before heading to my closet and face timing Lindsey.
Her face appeared on my screen with a concerned look. “Is everything okay Myers?”
I smiled at her “Yeah! Do you have a minute? I’m going out with some people clubbing tonight and need to pick up an outfit.”
“What people are you going out with in Denver? Shouldn’t you be worried about rehab in the morning?”
“Linds. I need a break. All I have been doing is rehab lately. I haven’t been anywhere other than the gym, recovery center, or PR events in weeks. Getting out tonight would be good for me. Even if it is just for a little bit.”
She looked more relaxed now, and gave me a small smile before teasing “So who are these guys you are going out with?”
Busted. “What gave me away? I never said they were guys.”
“I know you Myers. You have no girl friends other than me. And you wouldn’t agree to go out with any girls that asked you. So, fess up. Who’s the cute guy?”
“A couple of guys from that photoshoot I did today. They both play for the avalanche. They asked if I was interested in going out with them tonight and I figured why not.”
Lindsey laughed “you still didn’t tell me which one you have your eye on Myers. You wouldn’t have agreed to go if you didn’t think one of them was cute.”
I blew the hair that had fallen in front of my face out of the way before answering “they are both cute. But Nathan is more of my type.”
“What’s his last name? I want to google him!”
I interrupted before she could keep going on her tangent. “Linds-“
“No wait, there can’t be that many Nathan’s on the Avalanche roster.”
She clicked away on her phone before triumphantly smiling “Nathan MacKinnon. 6’0”, from Nova Scotia, Canada, born September 1st, 1995.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Lindsey, that’s him”
“Now that I know who we are dressing you up for, I’ll help you. Show me the dresses and skirts you have there.”
30 minutes later, I had on a grey tight fitting dress, jewelry and shoes, all of which picked out by Lindsey. After thanking her and promising to call tomorrow, I hung up our facetime call and replied to the texts I had missed while talking to her. Nate, Mikko, and I had been texting all evening. I agreed to let the boys pick me up at my place downtown before we went out to the club on Larimer Square.
I was expecting a phone call when the guys were pulled up outside of my apartment complex. Instead, Nate came up to meet me at my door before walking me down to the car. He opened the passenger door for me and shut it behind me once I was seated.
“Hey Mikko. You guys could have just called and I would have come down.”
Mikko was about to reply before Nate cut Mikko off and said: “I was raised to treat a lady the right way, including picking her up at her place and opening doors.”
A blush spread across my face. “That’s sweet Nate.”
The chatter continued on the way to the club, mostly Nate and Mikko asking questions before I answered and asked both of them the same questions in response. Ten minutes later, we pulled up to the club in Mikko’s Range Rover and the valet hurried over to take his keys. Both boys grabbed one of my hands as we bypassed the line out front and were escorted to the VIP section.
It had been awhile since I was last in a club and I quickly remembered just how loud the music was. Nate and Mikko shook hands with their teammates and nodded at a few of the women accompanying them. Mikko leaned close to me and introduced each person, as Nate told each of them who I was. After introductions went around, I was seated between Nate and Mikko on one of the couches and Gabe brought over the drink I had ordered as well as shots for all of us. I knew the Avs were having a rough season and figured they needed to let some steam off.
Eight shots later, I finally pick up the courage to lean into Nate and asked him to dance. He grabbed me by the hand and led me to the dance floor. Nate sends me a smile as we begin to dance. We dance a few steps apart for the first few songs. It’s not long before his hands are on my hips pulling me in closer and he is leaning down to ask that I’m comfortable. I smile back before taking a step closer so that there is no space left between us and I can feel everything Nate is packing. His leg slides between mine and his head dips down to meet me halfway for a kiss. The kiss quickly turns hot. The current song ends and we break apart for air.
Nate asks in my ear “Want to get out of here?”
I nod. He takes my hand to lead me back to his teammates where he says his goodbyes. Mikko comes over and hugs me before bro-hugging Nate. We agree to do lunch sometime soon, just the two of us Finnish speaking buddies. Once outside, Nate wraps his jacket around me. While waiting for our Uber, I realize just how drunk I am. Nate is supporting a quarter of my weight just standing there. He helps me into the car when it arrives, and I rest my head on his shoulder as we head to his place. Or my place? I realize I have no clue where we are going.
“Nate. Where are we going?”
“Back to my place. Is that alright? I have a guest room you can take if you want it.”
It takes my drunk mind a few seconds to process what he just told me. “We don’t have to sleep in separate beds, Nate. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”
The Uber driver lets us know we have arrived, and Nate helps me out of the car and into the lobby of his building.
As soon as we are in the door to his condo, Nate grabs both of us a water from the fridge and leads me to his room. He heads to the bathroom and comes out in just a pair of shorts with freshly brushed teeth.
“There’s a new toothbrush on the counter and a shirt for you to wear to bed.” He tells me with a smile. I stumble to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. Not much later, the two of us are in his bed with his arm wrapped around my stomach. I listen to his breathing even out and let myself fall asleep in his arms.
The next thing I Know, an arm gently shakes me awake.
“Myers”
I groan at the attempt to get me up.
“Myers I have to go to practice. Are you still going to be here when I get back?”
I open one eye, then quickly sit up and look for my phone.
“Shit. What time is it?”
“10. I have practice at 11 that I need to get to.”
When I finally see my phone, the screen is lit up with notifications. The screen quickly changes and informs me of an incoming call from Jennifer, my manager. I swipe to accept the call and turn my phone on to speaker.
“Myers Peterson. You were supposed to be at my office for a meeting this morning. Where the hell are you?”
“Hi, Jennifer. Nice to talk to you too. How are you doing? Me? I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to reschedule our meeting. Something came up.”
“Would that something be a someone? Like the someone you were photographed sucking face with in a club last night Myers?”
“Well actually.” I begin to respond when Nate comes back into his room.
“Myers. I’ve got to get to practice. Want to stay and I’ll take you out for late lunch when I get back? There’s food in the fridge if you need something in the meantime.”
“MYERS! You can’t be photographed with different boys in back to back days” My phone screams. Whoops. Probably should have taken speakerphone off. I mute my phone and answer Nate before dealing with Jennifer.
“Sounds good, Nate. I’ll be here when you get back if you are okay with me staying while you are gone.”
He shoots me a smile before leaning over and kissing me. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back soon.”
When the door shuts behind him I turn my attention back to my phone call. Unmuting Jennifer, I cut off her still ongoing rant.
“Jennifer. I pay you here, not the other way around. If I wanted to go out with someone different from the night before, I would. That’s not the case here so you can shut up now. I’ll call and reschedule later.”
As I heated up one of the premade meals my chef made, I realized that I had absolutely no clue what I should wear that night. I was not into fashion at all. Growing up in the foster system, I never had a ton of clothes, and the majority of the clothes I did have were hand-me-downs. I was a total tomboy, so I never minded wearing the same hoodie and rotating between a few pairs of badly fitting boy’s jeans along with a few t-shirts and a pair of worn out Nikes. Once I was taken in by my coach at 16, his wife picked out a whole new wardrobe for me and I grew out of my tomboy phase. I still rocked athletic wear frequently, especially during my recovery, but I also had plenty of “normal” clothes. Many of which Lindsey had insisted I get on some of our shopping trips.
I knew she was exactly the person to ask for help. I finished my dinner and grabbed my phone before heading to my closet and face timing Lindsey.
Her face appeared on my screen with a concerned look. “Is everything okay Myers?”
I smiled at her “Yeah! Do you have a minute? I’m going out with some people clubbing tonight and need to pick up an outfit.”
“What people are you going out with in Denver? Shouldn’t you be worried about rehab in the morning?”
“Linds. I need a break. All I have been doing is rehab lately. I haven’t been anywhere other than the gym, recovery center, or PR events in weeks. Getting out tonight would be good for me. Even if it is just for a little bit.”
She looked more relaxed now, and gave me a small smile before teasing “So who are these guys you are going out with?”
Busted. “What gave me away? I never said they were guys.”
“I know you Myers. You have no girl friends other than me. And you wouldn’t agree to go out with any girls that asked you. So, fess up. Who’s the cute guy?”
“A couple of guys from that photoshoot I did today. They both play for the avalanche. They asked if I was interested in going out with them tonight and I figured why not.”
Lindsey laughed “you still didn’t tell me which one you have your eye on Myers. You wouldn’t have agreed to go if you didn’t think one of them was cute.”
I blew the hair that had fallen in front of my face out of the way before answering “they are both cute. But Nathan is more of my type.”
“What’s his last name? I want to google him!”
I interrupted before she could keep going on her tangent. “Linds-“
“No wait, there can’t be that many Nathan’s on the Avalanche roster.”
She clicked away on her phone before triumphantly smiling “Nathan MacKinnon. 6’0”, from Nova Scotia, Canada, born September 1st, 1995.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Lindsey, that’s him”
“Now that I know who we are dressing you up for, I’ll help you. Show me the dresses and skirts you have there.”
30 minutes later, I had on a grey tight fitting dress, jewelry and shoes, all of which picked out by Lindsey. After thanking her and promising to call tomorrow, I hung up our facetime call and replied to the texts I had missed while talking to her. Nate, Mikko, and I had been texting all evening. I agreed to let the boys pick me up at my place downtown before we went out to the club on Larimer Square.
I was expecting a phone call when the guys were pulled up outside of my apartment complex. Instead, Nate came up to meet me at my door before walking me down to the car. He opened the passenger door for me and shut it behind me once I was seated.
“Hey Mikko. You guys could have just called and I would have come down.”
Mikko was about to reply before Nate cut Mikko off and said: “I was raised to treat a lady the right way, including picking her up at her place and opening doors.”
A blush spread across my face. “That’s sweet Nate.”
The chatter continued on the way to the club, mostly Nate and Mikko asking questions before I answered and asked both of them the same questions in response. Ten minutes later, we pulled up to the club in Mikko’s Range Rover and the valet hurried over to take his keys. Both boys grabbed one of my hands as we bypassed the line out front and were escorted to the VIP section.
It had been awhile since I was last in a club and I quickly remembered just how loud the music was. Nate and Mikko shook hands with their teammates and nodded at a few of the women accompanying them. Mikko leaned close to me and introduced each person, as Nate told each of them who I was. After introductions went around, I was seated between Nate and Mikko on one of the couches and Gabe brought over the drink I had ordered as well as shots for all of us. I knew the Avs were having a rough season and figured they needed to let some steam off.
Eight shots later, I finally pick up the courage to lean into Nate and asked him to dance. He grabbed me by the hand and led me to the dance floor. Nate sends me a smile as we begin to dance. We dance a few steps apart for the first few songs. It’s not long before his hands are on my hips pulling me in closer and he is leaning down to ask that I’m comfortable. I smile back before taking a step closer so that there is no space left between us and I can feel everything Nate is packing. His leg slides between mine and his head dips down to meet me halfway for a kiss. The kiss quickly turns hot. The current song ends and we break apart for air.
Nate asks in my ear “Want to get out of here?”
I nod. He takes my hand to lead me back to his teammates where he says his goodbyes. Mikko comes over and hugs me before bro-hugging Nate. We agree to do lunch sometime soon, just the two of us Finnish speaking buddies. Once outside, Nate wraps his jacket around me. While waiting for our Uber, I realize just how drunk I am. Nate is supporting a quarter of my weight just standing there. He helps me into the car when it arrives, and I rest my head on his shoulder as we head to his place. Or my place? I realize I have no clue where we are going.
“Nate. Where are we going?”
“Back to my place. Is that alright? I have a guest room you can take if you want it.”
It takes my drunk mind a few seconds to process what he just told me. “We don’t have to sleep in separate beds, Nate. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”
The Uber driver lets us know we have arrived, and Nate helps me out of the car and into the lobby of his building.
As soon as we are in the door to his condo, Nate grabs both of us a water from the fridge and leads me to his room. He heads to the bathroom and comes out in just a pair of shorts with freshly brushed teeth.
“There’s a new toothbrush on the counter and a shirt for you to wear to bed.” He tells me with a smile. I stumble to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. Not much later, the two of us are in his bed with his arm wrapped around my stomach. I listen to his breathing even out and let myself fall asleep in his arms.
The next thing I Know, an arm gently shakes me awake.
“Myers”
I groan at the attempt to get me up.
“Myers I have to go to practice. Are you still going to be here when I get back?”
I open one eye, then quickly sit up and look for my phone.
“Shit. What time is it?”
“10. I have practice at 11 that I need to get to.”
When I finally see my phone, the screen is lit up with notifications. The screen quickly changes and informs me of an incoming call from Jennifer, my manager. I swipe to accept the call and turn my phone on to speaker.
“Myers Peterson. You were supposed to be at my office for a meeting this morning. Where the hell are you?”
“Hi, Jennifer. Nice to talk to you too. How are you doing? Me? I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to reschedule our meeting. Something came up.”
“Would that something be a someone? Like the someone you were photographed sucking face with in a club last night Myers?”
“Well actually.” I begin to respond when Nate comes back into his room.
“Myers. I’ve got to get to practice. Want to stay and I’ll take you out for late lunch when I get back? There’s food in the fridge if you need something in the meantime.”
“MYERS! You can’t be photographed with different boys in back to back days” My phone screams. Whoops. Probably should have taken speakerphone off. I mute my phone and answer Nate before dealing with Jennifer.
“Sounds good, Nate. I’ll be here when you get back if you are okay with me staying while you are gone.”
He shoots me a smile before leaning over and kissing me. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back soon.”
When the door shuts behind him I turn my attention back to my phone call. Unmuting Jennifer, I cut off her still ongoing rant.
“Jennifer. I pay you here, not the other way around. If I wanted to go out with someone different from the night before, I would. That’s not the case here so you can shut up now. I’ll call and reschedule later.”